#Book #Review ~ NuLife: Gangland (Book 2) by H.P. Mallory ~ #LitRPG @HPMallory

Book Details:

Print Length: 270 pages

Publication Date: October 15, 2019

ASIN: B07Z63483F

Amazon

About the Book:

New York Times Bestselling Author, HP Mallory, brings you the NuLife Virtual Reality Romance Series which will appeal to fans of West World!

Alaskan detective, Claire Darrow, found herself thrown into a case that defied explanation…

When widow, Florence Tautenbaum, approached Claire with suspicions regarding her husband’s death, Claire never imagined where this case would take her—into the virtual reality gaming world sponsored by the NuLife Corporation.

Now that Claire’s companion from her first trip into the VR world of Valhalla has been found dead, Claire is doubly intent on figuring out whodunit. Not to mention her sexy boss and captain isn’t exactly the patient type.

But the clues remain ever hidden and those Claire does come across are puzzling, to say the least. Searching for answers to numerous questions, Claire finds herself drawn into the gaming world yet again.

This time, Claire enters the virtual world of Gangland where she’ll be served up a reality of flappers, model Ts, lavish parties and crime bosses.

And there just might be a familiar face that sets Claire’s heart aflutter even as she tries to force her feelings into submission, reminding herself that nothing in the virtual world is real…

Or is it?

My Review:

Gangland, book 2 in HP Mallory’s LitRPG series NuLife, begins where book 1, Valhalla ends. Claire Darrow is still looking into the deaths of some of NuLife’s elite clientele. She’s been in the virtual reality (VR) game once and learned very little, except someone has a sense of humor making the main character and potential love interest resemble her boss, Grant.

Unfortunately, Gangland begins with the death of Claire’s companion, Marion from her first trip to the VR world. She is certain that there is something going on either at NuLife or their parent company. Claire is getting nowhere fast with this case, but she soon learns she’s earned enough points for another trip inside the VR game. She takes NuLife, and Seth Channing, up on the offer if for no other reason than to see if she can find out more about the case. This time, it’s requested by a stranger that she enter the VR world of Gangland, a 1920’s Chicagoland.

Things really heat up in Gangland as Claire accepts quests, does some discreet detective work, and meets new people. Although this is a sole trip, Claire finds herself pairing up with Bea, another player in the game. When things go awry in Gangland and NPCs (non-playable characters) do decidedly human and non-programmed things, Claire is confused as ever. When she finally leaves Gangland and resurfaces in the land of the living, she also discovers that someone may be trying to set her up.

Gangland drew me in and kept me engaged from the very beginning. I enjoyed Claire and Grant’s characters. I love their slow-burning relationship. Yes, they work side-by-side and Grant is Claire’s boss, but they are great together. The new VR world Claire enters is one wrought with danger around every turn – some in the form of other players and others as NPCs. It was funny to watch her get frustrated with the quest to do a quest to do a quest scenario. She couldn’t complete her first quest without taking on and completing another quest and so forth. As a gamer girl myself, it is frustrating.

I really liked Gangland and look forward to book 3.

My Rating:

#Book #Review ~ Valhalla (NuLife, Book #1) by H.P. Mallory ~ #LitRPG @HPMallory

Book Details:

Print Length: 479 pages

Page Numbers Source ISBN: 172961597X

Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited

Publication Date: October 8, 2018

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC

Language: English

ASIN: B07J9PHFYS

Amazon

About the Book:

“I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation!” I shouted. “You’re not even real!”

Thorsten was quiet for a moment, thoughtful almost. When he replied, his voice was low and soft, “I am as real as you.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Ok,” I said flippantly.

“I don’t understand why you say these things,” Thorsten continued, looking down at me in a way that was too human for comfort. “Do I not feel as you feel? Hurt as you hurt? I crave and I hope and I want just as you do. I feel a knife to the skin just as you would...”

As the top detective in her small Alaskan town, Claire Darrow has seen her fair share of cases. But when a distraught widow comes to Claire with the suspicious details of her husband’s death, Claire is forced into new territory—virtual reality gaming territory.

Following the trail set for her by billionaire playboy, Seth Channing (the owner of NuLife, an exclusive VR gaming company), Claire goes on the adventure of a lifetime into the Viking world of Valhalla.

Caught in a web of secrets, lies, and skeletons from her own closet, Claire heads into a world she never knew existed. Braving treacherous quests and dangerous computer-generated characters is only half the battle as she sets out to collect the details of the case to decipher whether NuLife is behind not one, but three murders.

The line between what's real and what's simulated starts to blur once Claire meets the Viking King, Thorsten, a man so real she has to remind herself he's nothing more than programmed code. And yet Thorsten's emotional compass is so vast, she can't deny her attraction to him. Pretty soon, Claire starts to wonder if she’s playing the game… or if she’s the one being played.

My Review:

NuLife is an up-and-coming virtual reality (VR) company on an island in Alaska. After one of their prestigious clients, Philip Tatenbaum, dies shortly after his latest trip to the isolated and secretive island, his widow turns up at the police station crying foul play. Detective Claire Darrow is wary at first about NuLife being responsible for her husband’s death. To appease Mrs. Tatenbaum, Claire takes a crack at investigating the company. She soon learns that there have been several deaths of NuLife’s customers.

One of her investigative methods takes her to the island where NuLife is headquarter only to learn nothing. Stonewalled at every turn, Claire is all but sure something funny is going on and is determined to figure it out. In trying to learn more about NuLife, and its illusive owner, Seth Channing, Claire realizes that both the company and Seth are not on anyone’s radar. There aren’t articles, news stories, interviews, or a social media. Somehow, Seth discovers Claire is searching for him, contacts her, and offers her a tour of the facility. That is how Claire eventually ends up at NuLife, a willing but hesitant participant in a VR trip to the Viking town of Valhalla.

NuLife: Valhalla is my first experience with a LitRPG book. I have a few on my TBR list but I’ve only read Valhalla so far – and loved the book. The concept and ideas brought forth by the author into Valhalla kept me engaged and interested. Claire her boss, Grant’s characters are fantastic. They have comfortable banter between them and a delicious, low-key tension that culminates into a powerful kiss only, both continue to pretend it didn’t happen.

The book ends without satisfying the main storyline, or any storyline yet, but not on such a cliffhanger that frustrates the reader. I’m anxious to read Gangland, book 2 and see what progress Claire makes in the case and whether the author brings Claire and Grant together.

My Rating: