Year End Wrap Up

Oh, this is not good. I want to start the new year with a clean slate, but I've got a pile of books on my desk that I've read and have yet to review. Yikes!

I need to come up with a word other than "review" for this. I don't feel that I really review books, so much as read them and then share my opinion. Especially when I have a long list of books and I can't go as in depth as I'd like.

I might also point out that these are not the only books I've read since my last entry, these are just the ones I thought to leave out to remind me that I've read them. I'll be going over them in the order in which they're stacked up. I have no clue which I read first.

Comsmic Sex by Karen Kelley
In the summer, my two neices worked in a clearinghouse type book store and this is one of the books I picked up at a discount price. I gotta tell you, I was very pleasantly surprised. It was a fast read, which is not to say it was a short book, just that I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. The main character, Kia, was very realistic, which is saying a lot considering she comes from another planet. Kia crash lands on Earth on a mission to find her cousin to take her back home. She's helped on her search by a cop who can't resist a damsel in distress. It was fast paced and witty and yes, steamy too. I'll definitely be on the look out for more of this author's work!

Lucy Blue, Where Are You? by Louise Harwood
Lucy decides to get away from London for New Year's, and decides to go to Scotland to ring in the new year. After a lackluster time, a snow storm hits, cancelling her flight home and she finds herself sharing a car with a handsome stranger. By mutual agreement they decide that what happens on the trip will remain just between them, including their one night stand in a motel along the way. Once they're back in London and have parted ways, Lucy realizes she was more attracted to him than she thought and wonders what might have happened if things had been different. Just as she's ready to put it all behind her, she sees a poster in the train station that says: Lucy Blue, Where Are You? This was a very enjoyable read. I loved the character of Lucy. The story itself was well done, with a really interesting twist at the end that, in itself, makes this book a keeper.

Seducing the Moon by Sherrill Quinn
I'm pretty sure I read this one before NaNo, but the memory of it is still pretty vivid, which speaks volumes about how much I enjoyed it. It's the story of Pelicia Cobb and Declan O'Connell, a couple with a past history of steamy romance and betrayal. Declan left Pelicia broken hearted two years ago, but now he's back to claim her as his own. But first he has to figure out who's trying to kill her, and then he has to find the courage to tell her that now he's a werewolf.

I was hoping to just skip the anthologies I've read, but since there's seven of them I have to give them at least a nod.

Better Naughty Than Nice
A Harlequin Blaze trio of Christmas themed stories by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Jill Shalvis, and Rhonda Nelson. The common thread that connects these stories is the meddling of Santa's brother, Damon Claus, in the lives of three unsuspecting women.

Under the Boardwalk
by Linda Howard, Mariah Stewart, Jillian Hunter, Geralyn Dawson, and Miranda Jarrett. Here we have the story of a sherrif who falls under a witch's spell during a blue moon; a virginal woman returning to the husband she ran away from ten years before; a high-society woman who meets the love of her life in a ship wreck; a pirate out to claim the one treasure he's always regretted leaving behind; and a private investigator and a chef who share a seaside romance.

Out of the Light, Into the Shadows
by Lori Foster, L.L. Foster, and Erin McCarthy. Four tales showing both the light and the dark side of love including: a story of a woman lost in love but afraid she'll lose the love of her life when she realizes she's pregnant; a Russian vampire who must come to terms with the idea that the man she loves didn't betray her years ago; a woman discovers that the man she's been working for and secretly loving, loves her back in his own dark fashion; and a police detective who falls in love with the dark and mysterious prime suspect of a series of grisly murders.

Cowboy Christmas
by Carol Finch, Elizabeth Lane, and Pam Crooks. Another trio of Christmas themed tales from Harlequin, including a woman who convinces the town marshall to come home with her for Christmas and pretend to be her husband; a man released from being imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit to pick up the pieces of the life he left behind; and a society miss who finds more than she'd ever dreamed with one of her former kidnappers.

Real Men Last All Night
by Lora Leigh, Lori Foster, Cheyenne McCray, and Heidi Betts. A man looking out his attic window gets more than an eyeful of his next door neighbor, never dreaming they have a past connection; a woman looking for a summer fling finds what she's looking for right next door; a chance encounter in a park leads to so much more; and a couple are reunited to find their missing daughter and find much more than that.

The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2
edited by Trish Telep. Twenty-five tales of vampires and vampire love. There's something for everyone between these pages - some old twists, some new twists, some unexpected twists. A must have for anyone who enjoys a good vampire story.

Hell With the Ladies
by Julie Kenner, Kathleen O'Reilly, and Dee Davis. As much as I love anthologies, I really love the ones that have a connecting thread. In this volume we have Satan, who's tired of running Hell and is looking to pass the reins to one of three his illegitimate sons. One by one he sets them each a task. It's up to you to decide whether they fail, or succeed.

Moon Kissed

by Michele Hauf

I'm a little pickier when it comes to buying Silhouette Nocturnes than I was with the Silhouette Shadows series, but this was money well spent.

Belladonna Reynolds' life is turned upsidedown when she's out for her nightly run and suddenly finds herself the target of a group of vampires. She runs straight, literally, into the arms of a werewolf, who saves her but then begins to stalk her as well.

Severo has good reason to hate vampires, and claims he's not stalking her, but trying to protect her, especially from the vampiress who's turned Bella's best friend into a vampire.

Severo believes that Belladonna could be his mate, and it doesn't take him long to convince Bella of this as well. And then one tragic night Bella is bitten by a vampire and turned. Though Severo still loves her, he fears what the wolf in him will do to her the next full moon.

This book was very hard to put down once I started it. I loved the characters of Bella and Severo - Bella went through so much in such a short time, and yet she comes out on top. And Severo's struggle with his past is heart-breaking to watch, yet you can't stop.

My only complaint was that the book had to end.

Hot for the Holidays

Jove paranormal, anthology

Okay, I confess, I bought this book because of the hot guy on the cover with the candy cane sticking out of his pants. :-)

Let me tell you, the cover lives up to its promise. These stories (all Christmas themed) were hot enough to melt the polar icecaps.

First we had the Vampire's Ball, by Angela Knight. This story is set in her Mageverse, but you don't have to be familiar with it to make sense of the interaction between Kat Danilo (Lancelot du Lac's illegitimate daughter) and Ridge Champion.

Next we have A Little Night Magic, by Allyson James. After a two-year absence from Naomi's life, Jamison Kee returns, bringing secrets and trouble in his wake. Try as she might, Naomi finds him hard to resist, even when it puts their lives in danger.

Then we have Sweet Enchantment, by Anya Bast, a Yuletide tale of the Sidhe court centering around Bella and Ronan, and their fight for survival, freedom, and happiness.

Finally, we have A Christmas Kiss, by Lora Leigh. This tale is set in her "Breed" universe, and again, you don't have to be familiar with it to make sense of the story. Hawke is one of the genetically enhanced Breeds, who believes that Jessica is destined to be his mate. First he has to clear her name, then he has to convince her before he can claim her.

The Count of Monte Cristo

by Alexandre Dumas

In a bit of a departure for me, this review is part of a blog chain for Absolute Write. “Each participant reviews in detail a book that either they love, or the one that touched them, and made an impression upon them.”

For me that book would have to be The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas. I read this book in High School and I freely admit that I chose it from the library because of its length (1300+ pages). I was an even faster reader back then so long books were very appealing.

The story centers around the character of Edmond Dantes, a merchant sailor. Life is pretty good for Edmond when the story opens – he’s just come back from a successful voyage and is about to marry his fiancé, the beautiful Mercedes. Unfortunately, Mercedes has another suitor, her cousin Fernand who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. This includes framing Edmond for a crime he didn’t commit. Edmond is sentenced, without trial, to life imprisonment in the island prison of the Chateau d’If.

Edmond’s life changes once again when he’s visited by the priest, Abbe Faria, a fellow inmate who’s trying to escape and tunnels into Edmond’s cell by mistake. Not only does the priest educate Edmond in all manner of subjects, he also confides to him the location of a treasure hoard on the island of Monte Cristo. When the priest dies, Edmond makes his escape, and so begins his plans for revenge.

The subtlety by which Edmond achieves his goals is matched only by the twists and turns of the plot. This is a gripping story, not only of revenge, but of hope, justice, and forgiveness as well. Edmond assumes many identities, not just that of the Count of Monte Cristo, and each one plays an important part in his plans. Yes, he is at last reunited with Mercedes, but not in the way one might think (or hope for).

If you, too, would like to be as enthralled with this book as I was, you can read a copy on-line for free Right Here


There has been an interesting mix of books reviewed for this chain and I’d advise everyone to check them out. My fellow links are:

Lost Wanderer
Forbidden Snowflake
Coryleslie
Razibahmed
DavidZahir
Veinglory
Aimeelaine
Claire Crossdale
And the next person in the chain is Edielin

Eternal Lover

anthology

Four paranormal romance stories, all very enjoyable.

First we have The Yearning, by Hannah Howell, about a man and woman who are both affected by different aspects of the same curse. The setting is ancient Scotland, and Sophie Hay must find a way to break the curse before it changes Alpin MacCordy into a monster, for both their sakes.

Next is A Hell of a Time, by Jackie Kessler. This was spicy, humourous, full of action - I loved it. All former succubus Jesse wants is a romantic weekend with her boyfriend Paul. Of course that's not what she gets when they go to a cabin in the woods and the woods start trying to kill her.

Then we have City of Demons, by Richelle Mead. This is another story about a succubus and her boyfriend, although Georgina is still a "working" succubus which means she and her boyfriend, Seth, can't have sex. They travel to L.A. when Georgina is called to jury duty for a most unusual trial.

Finally, we have Bitten, by Lynsay Sands. I gather this is one of her early works, before her creation of the Arganeau Vampires. This vampire tale is a little different than her ususal fare, but is still enjoyable nontheless. I think Keeran's fate is sealed the moment he rescuses Emily from a sinking ship, but Emily has her work cut out for her to convince him of it.

I'm always amazed by the sheer variety and quality of paranormal romance out there. This is another book for my keeper collection, I just need to figure out where I'm going to put it. Dare I say I need yet another bookcase?

Dark Passions

edited by Jeff Gelb and Michael Garrett

The blurb on the back promises "sizzling, suspenseful tales by today's most sinister writers of erotic horror." I found the book to be suspenseful (in places) and more horror than anything else, but there was very little either sizzling or erotic about it.

That's not to say there was nothing sizzling about it, Mood Elevator was very sizzling, and there were a couple of good revenge stories as well. But by and large even the horror fell short in this anthology.

It really surprised me to discover that this is volume XIII in a series called Hot Blood. I would have expected more out of a series with that title.

July/August

This should completely catch me up on the books I read over the summer. I have got to start getting better at reviewing as I read. :-)

Speaking of reading . . . I was reading a blogging buddy’s blog (HA! Try saying that five times fast) and she mentioned that her goal was to read 101 books in 2010. My first thought was, “That doesn’t sound like a lot,” but then I realized that that’s about 2 a week, which more than I do sometimes, although I can read five or six in a week and then nothing for a couple of weeks. Anyway, it got me thinking that I should keep track to see how many books I read in a month.

Again, these are in no particular order, mainly ‘cause I can’t remember what order I read them in!

Sword & Sorceress, Volumes IX through XIV
edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley

This is a series of anthologies created by Marion Zimmer Bradley to showcase strong women characters in the fantasy genre. For anyone looking for quality swords and sorcery fantasy, I highly recommend this series. That is not to say all these stories are about swords women or sorceress’ for that matter, but they are all good fantasy with strong female characters.

Captivated
by Nora Roberts

This is book one in the Donovan Legacy, originally published in 1992. It’s the story of Nash Kirkland, a screen play writer, and Morgana Donovan, a witch, and the magic they create between them. Morgana has led a somewhat charmed life, especially when compared to Nash’s upbringing. When she falls hard for Nash her only hope is that he can learn to trust his feelings so they can share a life together. This book is utterly “captivating” with just the right mix of passion and magic.

Forbidden FantasiesEllora’s Cave Presents

This is an anthology of eight steamy stories, ranging from Regency England to another planet, with shapeshifters, vampires and secret labs in between. Did I say steamy? This book is downright sizzling! Just the thing to warm you up on a chilly autumn night.

Fast Women
by Jennifer Cruise

I actually read this during the summer and it ended up in a pile waiting for shelf space in my permanent collection. I really loved the main character in this, Nell Dysart. She’s a down on her luck divorcee whose brother-in-law gets her a temporary job working for a private detective named Gabe McKenna. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot because this book has a bit of everything: adventure, mystery, action, and above all, romance. But the best part is watching Nell come into her own.

Lost Garden
by Helen Humphreys

This is not just another book about World War II. This is a though provoking account of the war as seen through the eyes of a woman trying to do her part for the war effort. Gwen Davis travels to the Devonshire countryside where she is to take charge of a group of girls for the Land Army. Their task is to cultivate potatoes on a large country estate, a task made more difficult by the girls’ initial resentment of Gwen. The story of how this unlikely group learn to work together, and how Gwen brings a secret garden back to life, is told in a compelling and lyrical style.

The Night Tourist
by Katherine Marsh

Jack Perdu is a loner who usually has his nose in a book, which leads him to a near fatal accident when he crosses a road while reading. After his recovery, his father sends him to a doctor in New York for an examination. On his way home from this appointment, Jack is side-tracked by a mysterious girl named Euri, who leads him to the underworld of New York in search of his dead mother. I picked this book up because it reminded me of Neil Gaiman’s Neverworld, but the Night Tourist is a unique blend of myth and mystery, adventure and action.

Lords of Desire
anthology

This is an anthology of four steamy historical romances. As you know, I’m not a huge fan of historicals, but these four stories were all very different, very well written, and did I mention steamy? We have the story of a Victorian miss who’s swept back in time to a more decadent era; a house party where a lord and his lady who have been living apart for ten years are forced to share a room; an new bride who thinks she’s going mad because of the way she feels about her husband; and a man and woman who have been at odds with one another for years and are brought together by a game of hide and seek.

June/July Part Two

Rachel Gibson

No, that’s not the name of the book, that’s the name of the author of a series of books I read. Early in June the daughter gave me one to read, which I posted about HERE and since then has given me a bunch more to read. The three sequels are: I’m In No Mood For Love , Tangled Up In You, and Not Another Bad Date. She also gave me The Trouble With Valentine’s Day and Simply Irresistible.

I have to admit, I really enjoyed the first book, Sex, Lies and On-Line Dating. The second book was pretty good too. The third in the series was okay, but by the fourth one I was skipping through it. The truth is they were starting to sound all the same. My interest perked up again with Simply Irresistible, but the ending didn’t quite do it for me. The change in the protagonist, John was a little too abrupt and it was never really explained what made him change. I think to really appreciate these books you need to read them one at a time, with some other reading in between. I think the real problem was reading too many of them too fast. Even chocolate will make you sick if you eat too much of it. :-)

The Immortal Hunter
by Lynsay Sands

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I love the vampires Lynsay Sands has created. If I was ever going to be bitten, these are the guys I’d want to bite me. The Argeneau Vampires have their roots in Atlantis where their technological advancements in nano technology left them with nanites in their bloodstream that continually repair any damage done by disease, the environment, or time. The downside to this is that the nanites use up the blood in their host to make these repairs, the worse the damage, the more blood is needed to fix it. Which is why the Atlanteans need to drink blood to survive.

These are, for the most part, a very civilized bunch of vampires. They have their own laws and, of course, their own way of enforcing them. Because the nanites give them such long lives, they’re only allowed to have a child once every hundred years and can only turn one person in their lifetime. The other thing I like about these books is that although they’re a series, you can read them in any order and not be totally lost. You’ll just get the urge to look for the stories of some of the other characters you meet along the way. :-)

Since the invention of the blood bank it’s been forbidden to them to feed “off the hoof” (bite someone for blood) unless it’s an emergency or there’s extenuating circumstances. Of course not everyone adheres to this law and that’s where Decker Argeneau comes in. He hunts down these rogue vampires and turns them over to the council to be dealt with. Along the way he rescues a young woman who just may be his lifemate, if only he can convince her of it.

Faeries Gone Wild
anthology

This anthology was sweet, funny, sexy, and gripping in turns. Four very different stories of four very unique faeries. We have Scarlett, a six foot four inch faery with a compulsion to count things. We have Avalina, a healing faery that’s visiting the mortal realm to save a species of fern and in the process saves a man from himself. Then there’s Sidney Tooth, librarian by day and Tooth Faery by night who’s in danger of losing both her job and the man she loves. And finally we have Tia Mayberry, a faery/human hybrid who finds the truth about her father is a little more than she was counting on.

If you like faeries, or are even looking for something a little different in the paranormal field, I highly recommend this book.

Bloodline
by Maggie Shayne

Maggie Shayne has created another unique twist on the vampire. In her world people can be born with a belladonna antigen in their blood, which allows them to become vampires. This is the story of one of these people. Her name is Lilith and she was stolen from her mother just after her birth by a government agency called the DPI. She was raised on “the Farm” with other children like her, and trained to serve the government’s purpose, but with the help of a dying vampire manages to escape, but at the cost of her memory. She’s aided by a mysterious man from her past named Ethan, who was also once a captive of the government. Meanwhile, Lilith’s mother has never given up hope of finding her baby girl, and has joined a sisterhood that’s dedicated to helping all vampires.

Back to Life
by Linda O. Johnston
Silhouette Nocturne Line

Skye Rydell is more than just your average K9 division police officer. She’s also descended from a long line of Valkyries who, like her, have the power to ease a person’s transition into death or bring them back from the brink. When she chooses to save the life of fellow officer Trevor Owens, she inadvertently shares her power with him, with unexpected results. They do a good job of resisting their attraction to each other, but when they end up working together to find a serial killer, they finally give in to the inevitable. The way Trevor uses his gift is unexpected, as is the identity of a copy-cat killer the pair come up against. A really great read.

June/July Part One

One measly post in June and then you’d think I didn’t read anything after that. Sadly, such is not the case. I started a book review post at the end of June, blanched at the number of books I had to review, and gave up. Then I read all through July. Now it’s August and the pile of books I’ve read is threatening to topple over onto me . . . and that many books can do some serious damage!

So I’ve decided to take it a few books a time and post in parts. When I get tired of posting, I’ll stop and continue in the next part. Sound fair to you? Meanwhile, I’ve made some half-assed suggestion on my writing blog that I’ll only read after getting so much written. Yeah, we’ll see how well I stick to that suggestion.

These books are in no particular order, just the way they’re stacked up on the desk.

Too Wild by Jamie Sobrato

This book, from the Harlequin Temptation line, was sent to me by my friend Jamie (anyone who sends me books and tea is a friend indeed! :-) ) I have a soft spot for books with writer protagonists, they never disappoint. This one features Jenna Calvert who’s a journalist looking for a place to hide while she re-creates her story about the beauty pageant circuit. Someone’s trying to kill her when she meets Travis Roth, who makes her an offer she finds hard to refuse, especially after someone trashes her apartment and steals her laptop. She makes him a counter-offer that he’d be a fool to pass up, and Travis may be uptight, but he’s no fool. These two show why opposites attract in the very best way. This book is sexy and funny and fast-paced - the scene where they’re caught in the coat closet by Travis’ father is priceless!

Midnight Cravings

This is a collection of Nocturne Bites. For those of you unfamiliar with Nocturne, it’s a paranormal line from Silhouette. At one time Silhouette had a line called Silhouette Shadows which was one of the first lines to foray into the paranormal realms of romance. Then Harlequin bought them out and shut down the line. A couple of years later they tried to revamp it under the name of Harlequin Dreamscapes, but this line was a dismal failure.

The Nocturne series has been around since 2006 and according to the blurb about it from Silhouette: The promise we are fulfilling to the reader with each Nocturne story is that the book they are reading will be a sensual, dark, atmospheric paranormal story with a strong hero and compelling, sympathetic heroine.

The Nocturne Bites are basically short Nocturne stories, and by short I mean not novel length. You can actually go to the Nocturne Bites Website and download them individually as e-files, but I prefer holding the book in my hand.

Midnight Cravings runs a gamut of paranormal including shapeshifters and vampires, hellhounds and soul-suckers, cops and healers. Six dark and sensuous tales of paranormal passion. Have a bite.

The Queen in Winter

I bought this anthology as one of my “four” in 4 for $10, not really expecting much out of it. Boy do I love it when I’m wrong. This is an anthology of four tales of adventure, filled with both enchantment and love.

There’s a story of the elfin princess held by a dark sorcerer, and the human prince who saves her. Both are without hope, for different reasons, but find A Whisper of Spring in the end. Then we have a story of two sisters and the mystic baby they’re trying to protect, and of the nobleman who drops in out of their lives in When Winter Comes. Next is Kiss of the Snow Queen, which is a new take on an old tale. The story of the Snow Queen with its own twist. And finally we have A Gift of Wings, the story of a man who’s been broken and the woman who loves him enough to try and piece him back together. Four very different fantasy tales, each touched by romance and excellent in their own, unique way.

Kick @$$

Yes, that’s exactly how the title appears. Yet another anthology, this time a little more contemporary. First we have a woman with amnesia who’s preparing for her wedding in the Bride Wore a 44. But is she marrying the wrong man? And where’d she get all those guns? Next is the story of a unique vampire slayer who picks herself up a very unwanted side kick in the Incredible Misadventures of Boo. Another fast-paced story, but laced with humour. Next is Angela Knight’s Warfem, a futuristic story of the lengths a mother will go to to keep her child safe. And finally, we have a supermodel spy wannabe, who turns out to be more of a secret agent than she realized in Painkillers. All four stories have strong female characters who do indeed kick @$$.

June (so far)

HOTTER THAN HELL
edited by Kim Harrison

Yummy. What more needs to be said? ;-)

This book has twelve stories of the paranormal, stories that are both seductive and hot. This is actually the fourth in the Hell series, the first three being Holidays Are From Hell, Dates From Hell, and Weddings From Hell. And yes, I have the others, and yes, they’re all just as good as this one. It’s refreshing to see the paranormal branching out in so many different directions. This book is such a keeper that I ended up with two of them.

A REAL HERO
by Jean Brashear
Harlequin SuperRomance

This was amongst some of the books I’d set aside for the daughter (who’s not into the paranormal) to read and when she gave it back to me I read it again. Technically, this isn’t a read, but a re-read book. I still enjoyed it, just as much as the first time around. Roan O’Hara is a woman on the edge, trying to overcome some really daunting obstacles to make it on her own. In steps Zane MacAllister, a Hollywood heartthrob with a knight in shining armour complex who’s hiding out from the paparazzi . They both have secrets that need to be shared, but Roan still has her own battles that she needs to face alone.

SEX, LIES, and ONLINE DATING
by Rachel Gibson

The daughter gave me this one to read, and if she doesn’t want it back it’ll definitely go onto my keeper shelf. I couldn’t believe she bought this book herself, it has S*E*X in it - that was always her big complaint about the books I read, they have to much sex (for her, at least).

Lucy has been checking out the internet dating scene for research. She writes murder mysteries for a living and is looking to use the men she meets up with as victims for her fictional murders. Enter Quinn, the latest in her series of internet dates she’s arranged to meet at a coffee shop. Only Quinn isn’t what he seems to be either. He’s actually an undercover cop who’s searching for a serial killer. A killer whose MO is strikingly similar to the novel Lucy is penning. This book is face paced and funny, as well as sexy in all the right places.

CROUCHING VAMPIRE, HIDDEN FANG
by Katie MacAllister

This is the sequel to Zen and the Art of Vampires, which I’ve posted about previously. In the first book, Pia Thomason is tired of her hum drum life and signs up for a singles tour of Europe. She gets more than her money’s worth of adventure and romance, and ends up married to a vampire.

This volume continues the where the first one left off. Pia is back home in Seattle and has neither seen nor heard from her vampire husband, Kristoff in nearly two months. This is definitely not a stand alone novel, you’re going to end up as confused as Pia and Kristoff if you haven’t read the first one first. This is still a good read, however, as all Katie MacAllister books are. Pia has body issues and Kristoff has trust issues, and the journey they take together is worth the price of the book. I’ll warn you right now though, it looks like there’ll be another volume because there were a lot of loose ends that didn’t get tied up.

After the Mammoth book I read two more books quickly, then stopped staying up so late so I haven’t done much reading since, until today. :-)

Star Quality
by Lori Foster, Lucy Monroe, and Dianne Castell

The title is a little deceptive. Instead of Star Quality, it should have had something about the moon in it, because all three stories are set during a full moon. In the small town of Delicious, Ohio, strange things happen during the full moon, but none as strange as what takes place under the light of a rare blue moon. Three enchanting tales of the supernatural, and not a werewolf in sight. It was fast-paced, a little spicy, and refreshingly different. Definitely a keeper!

What A Pirate Desires
by Michelle Beattie

I have to admit I’m a sucker for pirates. I started reading this while going through a pile of books from my undecided pile (undecided as to whether I’d keep them or not) and I kept reading because I liked the two main characters. It centers around a woman whose family was murdered by pirates and her quest for revenge. Along the way she enlists the aid of another pirate and of course the two find themselves attracted to each other. While the book was okay, I’m not a big fan of historicals so now that I’ve finished it, it’s going into the to be donated pile.

the Ratcatcher
by Kate Rothwell - free download from author’s site

I must confess, I already downloaded this book months ago when she first offered it on her site, but I never got around to reading it because, as I said, historicals just aren’t my thing. However, this time I started reading just a little bit and before I knew it I was completely sucked in. This one is about a young woman, gently raised, who's fallen on hard times and the man with no past whom she falls in love with. I read the whole think in one sitting. That should speak volumes about how good it was.

The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance

edited by Trisha Telep

Ghosties and ghoulies and things that go bump in the night. Twenty-four, never before published, short stories of paranormal romance.

Normally, especially in an anthology of this size, there’d be a few stories that stand out and a few that really . . . don’t. That wasn’t the case with this book. Twenty-four stories and not a bad one in the bunch. Pick a favorite? Not possible!

Two things surprised me about this book. First, that I enjoyed it so much despite being familiar with the work of only a paltry four authors. And second, that I didn’t see the same theme repeated over and over. A lot of books claiming to be paranormal seem to think paranormal is limited to vampires and werewolves. Not so with this book. Yes, there was a couple of werewolf stories and a vampire or two, but they were presented in unique ways and as a whole, this book contained an amazing array of paranormal themes.

Go out and buy a copy right now. You won’t be sorry!

The Silver Lining

No, it's not the name of a book. Although maybe I should write that down somewhere . . .

Last week my lap top got a virus and although I do have a desktop computer, it's been sadly neglected the last couple of years and you really have to want to compute bad to get any satisfaction out of using it.

So I found myself with time on my hands, especially in the evening. And so to fill in the time I, you guessed it, started reading more.

First I finished The Cat Who Came In From the Cold, by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. It's listed as a fable, but that doesn't mean it's a mere children's book. It's the story of Billi, an Asian leopard cat, and the internal struggle he goes through as he faces the decision of whether or not to become the first cat to live with humans. Billi travels the countryside in ancient India, talking with other animals who already have been living with humans. This book really makes you stop and think about the way we treat animals, both domestic and otherwise.

Next I read The Mammoth Book of Women's Erotic Fantasies, edited by Sonia Florens. This is a collection of erotic fantasies of real women from all over the world. To be totally honest, after a while I found it to be a bit of a bore. Lots of lesbian fantasies, domination fantasies, and exhibitionist fantasies. After a while they all started sounding the same. I guess that's the problem with fantasies, all fluff and no substance.

After this I needed something with a little more story to it, so I started reading some of the Harlequin's I picked up at the book sale.

First was Navajo Justice by Aimee Thurlo, part of the Sign of the Gray Wolf series in the Harlequin Intrigue line. A hot Navajo operative is given an undercover assignment to protect a romance writer (we should all be so lucky) from a danger she doesn't even realize she's in. I loved the way the characters had to keep reminding themselves that it would be a bad idea for them to get together and I really loved the dog. I think there's more to that dog than meets the eye and I'd like to read more in this series.

Next was from the Temptation line, the Sheriff of Devil's Fork, by Regan Forest. I loved this book. Dana French has a life in Dallas but goes to Devil's Fork to check out the house her Great Aunt Maude left to her when she died. Unfortunately, Maude also left her a hefty tax bill which the sheriff presents her with when she arrives. As if that weren't bad enough, she has six ghosts who are depending on her to keep the house intact, a crooked mayor who wants to tear the house down, and a sizzling attraction to the taciturn sheriff. A really good read!

I'm also about halfway through the Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance, but that will be a post for another day. ;-)

Bled Dry

by Erin McCarthy

It became apparent, early on, that the two main characters in this book were minor characters in a previous book, but this did nothing to detract from the overall story. As far as I'm concerned, this is the way a series should be done, the books are connected, but each can stand on its own.

Brittany Baldizzi has a one night stand with a vampire, and weeks later discovers she's pregnant. What follows is her confronting the father and how they work things out despite opposition from her sister (who's a vampire), a kidnapping, and an election for the vampire president.

This is yet another take on vampires (which I always love discovering). These vampires can procreate (obviously), can become addicted to drugs just like humans, and yet still have no reflection as a lot of the current vampires do. Corbin (the vampire who got Brittany pregnant) is a scientist who's searching for a cure for vampirism. Brittany, the daughter of a stripper and a vampire, is a dentist.

I loved the way Brittany is so honest and forthwright, and how Corbin wants to do the right thing but has no clue how to go about it. I will definitely be on the look out for the other books by Erin McCarthy.

April

Wow. Bless me readers for I have sinned. It's been many weeks since I finished my last book . . .

I'd like to say I haven't been reading much lately because I've been writing crap loads, but that isn't the case either. I don't know what was going on, I just wasn't in the mood to read or write, just in a mood to brood.

However, that was then, this is now. I signed up for a poetry challenge that has given my writing a much needed boost and I've rekindled my desire to read, read, read!

First on my list was Lucky, by Alice Sebold. My daughter despairs of my love of paranormal romance and erotica, and every once in awhile she'll slip me a "normal" book to read. Considering the subject matter of Lucky, it's the memoir of the author's college years where she was raped and how she survived the trauma, I don't know if I can safely say I enjoyed the book. It's certainly powerful, and I found I preferred to be alone, with no distractions, while I was reading it.

Chapters had a whole bunch of trade paperbacks for $4.99 each or 4 for $10.00. Far be it for me to pass up a bargain so I bought about eight of them. So far I've read two.

Roommates, by Whitney Lyles is a contemporary novel of a writer named Elise who relocates from Arizona to California. Life throws her a few curves, but she manages to come out on top, in spite of a series of less than perfect roommates.

If I Have A Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince by Melissa Kantor is probably meant for the young adult market, but I really enjoyed it. Lucy is a teenager whose father has just remarried and they've relocated from the West Coast to Long Island. The story follows her trials and tribulations as she adjusts to her new family and her new life.

Today I "just happened" to be near a Chapters where I found the next two volumes in the Mona Lisa series by Sunny, a couple of paranormal anthologies, the newest Lynsay Sands Argeneau Vampire book, and the latest in the Michelle Bardsley Broken Heart series.

Good thing I'm back in a reading mood, the books have been piling up fast!

Feast or Famine

As you may have noticed on my other blogs, I haven’t been writing much lately, but I have been reading. I’ve been reading crap loads!

Nevermore by Maureen Child. To be honest, I couldn’t remember reading this book, I only know I did because it was on my current reading list on the other blog. It was a Silhouette Nocturne and I had to look it up on the internet to jog my memory. To be fair to the book, I probably read it before Christmas and I’ve read a lot of books since then. However, even after reading the blurb I still only vaguely remember it, which speaks volumes on the impression it made on me.

The Silhouette Nocturnes seem to be feast or famine with me. I’ll buy several in a row and then nothing for a couple of months. December was a “feast” month. I also read Winter Kissed, which is a two in one - A Kiss of Frost by Michele Hauf, and Ice Bound by Vivi Anna. Both excellent stories, although I wasn’t entirely happy with the way A Kiss of Frost ended. I also read Enemy Lover by Bonnie Vanak and Alpha Wolf by Linda O. Johnston. These were both werewolf romances, both very different, and both very enjoyable.

I also read a bunch of Blaze, holiday themed romances but I couldn’t tell you what they were because I’ve already passed them on to a friend. I like the occasional Blaze because they live up to their name. They’re quick and hot.

I also read a great anthology: Dead After Dark. This anthology is a must have for anyone who enjoys paranormal romance. I would buy it for the J.R. Ward story alone. I’m not even going to tell you about this book. Go out and buy it and read for yourself. It was that good.

Next I started the Mona Lisa series by Sunny. I’ve come across a couple of short stories from the series in different anthologies, and they were enough to make me search out the novels. So far I’ve only been able to find two of the three Monere novels, but it was worth the search. I haven’t been so lucky with the third one, but hopefully I can order it from the local bookstore.

For Christmas, the cats gave me a big, fat anthology, The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance. Twenty-five vampire stories, all in one big volume. What’s not to like? As with most anthologies, some stories were better than others, but it is still a volume worth having for any vampire lover.

Every once in awhile my BFF drops off a bag 'o books for me - ones that she and other various members in her family have read (it's to my benefit they're not book pack rats like me). I read them and either pass them on or put them on my keeper shelf. One book that made my keeper shelf was Soul of a Highlander, by Melissa Mayhue. I love discovering new authors for my keeper pile! This was the second book by this author and I'm going to have to remember to look for the first one. Highlanders and time travel - two of my favorite subjects. And throw in a drop or two of fae blood and we've got a definite winner!

The last, but certainly not least, of my recently read books is Zen and the Art of Vampires, by Katie MacAlister. I have to admit, although I loved the book (as I do all her books) I was disappointed in the ending. She might as well added "to be continued". It was disappointing because this is the first time she's done this in one of her "Dark Ones" novels. She pulled this in her dragon books, which is why I'm not a big fan of the Aisling Grey or Silver Dragon books.

Okay, back to more reading. Or writing. Or maybe a bit of both.