Sandy M’s review of If You Hear Her (Ash Trilogy, Book 1) by Shiloh Walker
Romantic Suspense published by Ballantine 25 Oct 11

As most of you know, Shiloh Walker is an absolute favorite of mine. I have a feeling with this new trilogy, a lot more fans are going to be coming out of the woodwork to follow this very talented author.

Ezra King has come to Ash, Kentucky to recuperate in both body and spirit. His grandmother left her home to him, so he’s healing amid a bit of grief and nostalgia. He’s been content to piddle around the place – until he meets Lena Riddle. The woman not only shoots lust through his system, but she demands respect and admiration for her determination and love of life.

Finally living on her own with no one to tell her how to do it, Lena is happy in every aspect of her life – she’s a chef for the local B&B and she’s surrounded by loving friends. When a man with a sexy voice shows interest in her lasagna, his interest in her piques even further after they share a meal or two together. But then Ezra puts on the brakes, and for a little while is one of those men who says he’ll call but doesn’t. He has his reasons, and once you learn of them you can understand why he’s so hesitant to start up a relationship with this fascinating and beautiful woman. Lena tries to forget the man, even when they run into each other in town, but after so many meetings and too much temptation, Ezra gives in and pursues Lena into a wonderful blossoming relationship.

What brings them together finally is the scream Lena hears one night outside her home at the edge of the forest. The only people who believe her are Ezra and Law, one of Lena’s best friends, and the local sheriff. But on investigation, no evidence is found of anything untoward. Lena can’t let it rest, however, and makes a trip to the sheriff’s office, where Ezra is making his own unrelated complaint. While the deputy helping Lena doesn’t believe a word she says, it’s Ezra who gets things moving to further investigate the matter, but everyone is baffled at the lack of evidence.

The reader knows exactly what’s happening, though, and sees what an evil villain lives and breathes in these pages. What he does to the women he kidnaps slowly weakens and breaks them until they’re praying to die. It’s his latest victim who Lena hears from her bedroom this fateful night that changes life for all concerned – including our villain. And from this point on, you are immersed so deeply in both the romance between Ezra and Lena and the deceptive and evil mind of a madman whose identity is kept from you the entire book. And the second book. You won’t know who it turns out to be until the last book. Talk about tension!

I love Ezra and Lena. Their romance is swift and sure. Ezra turns into the typical alpha cop he is when danger is unveiled around them and their friends. Lena is a sassy, smart, and independent woman, but she knows when to let go and do as she’s asked so everyone survives whatever situation is going on at the moment. Their lovemaking is vintage Shiloh Walker – steamy, intense, and loving. We also meet Remy and Hope, who are featured in the next book, and you love them on sight just as much as you do Ezra and Lena.

Pins and needles having nothing on this storyline. Tenterhooks is more apropos for all the goings-on, especially the suspenseful aspects of the story. If you’re ready for an edge-of-your-seat read that you can’t put down until it’s read, this is it. And do be sure to read this trilogy in order. They’re tied too closely together and left open ended to start in the middle or, heaven forbid, with the last book.

Grade: A+

Summary:

The scream Lena Riddle hears in the woods behind her house is enough to curdle her blood—she has no doubt that a woman is in real danger. Unfortunately, with no physical evidence, the local law officers in small-town Ash, Kentucky, dismiss her claim. But Lena knows what she heard—and it leaves her filled with fear and frustration.

Ezra King is on leave from the state police, but he can’t escape the guilty memories that haunt his dreams. When he sees Lena, he is immediately drawn to her. He aches to touch her—to be touched by her—but is he too burdened by his tragic past to get close?

When Ezra hears her story of an unknown woman’s screams, his instincts tell him that Lena’s life is also at risk—and his desire to protect her is as fierce as his need to possess her.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Laura C’s review of If You See Her (Ash Trilogy, Book 2) by Shiloh Walker
Romantic Suspense published by Ballantine 31 Jan 12

First things first: if you haven’t already read the first book in this series—If You Hear Her—you should run out and do so before you pick this up. The books are tied much more closely together than the usual trilogy. In fact, you may find the beginning of this a bit confusing if you haven’t read the first one. You’ll adjust quickly though, so if you find yourself a bit lost, just forge ahead; the rest will definitely be worth your while!

Hope Carson has the kind of past that should make me shudder as a reader. I’ve mentioned before how overdone I think the “abused wife running for her life” thing is. But Shiloh Walker doesn’t follow the formula here. Sure, Hope is an abuse survivor. But she’s not hiding from her ex, even though he went so far as to have her committed to an asylum to keep control over her. As anyone would, Hope has moments where she doubts her own sanity, and more where she doubts her own worth. But she’s not self-pitying about it.

“So it doesn’t bother you that I was hospitalized?” she said, tossing it out like a challenge.

Carefully, Remy laid the knife down. Then, not trusting himself to speak just yet, he reached for his wine, but he didn’t go for sipping it. He tossed it back, but it didn’t do a damn thing to cool the rage burning inside, He’d be doing better if it was tequila. Or whiskey—straight, burning a path down to his stomach, and maybe burning through the fog of rage in his brain.

Looking at her, he bit off, “Oh, hell, yes it bothers me. But not for the reasons you think. You didn’t belong in there and we both know it. That bastard you were married to somehow managed to manipulate the system to put you in there and keep you in there and that pisses me off in more ways that you can imagine. Yeah, it bothers me. But not like you think.”

“Thank you.” She glanced down at her glass and then back up at him.

“Don’t thank me.” He reached for his knife and went to work on the rest of the vegetables, chopping up red bell peppers with a vengeance. “Don’t thank me, okay?”

It seemed kind of weird, but as he stood there, the sleeves of his blue dress shirt rolled up, the silver knife flashing as he cut up the vegetables, Hope felt her heart flutter.

Remy’s fury is doubled because Hope’s ex used the system—a system he, as a prosecutor, is an integral part of—to abuse her. If this book has one weakness it is that we don’t get to see enough of Remy’s personality away from Hope. He’s a great guy, no doubt about it, and he’s obviously just what Hope needs, but I didn’t feel as if I quite knew him the way I wanted to.

The romance progresses very slowly, as one would expect for a character like Hope, and the suspense is a slow build, too. There are double villains at work, both the serial killer who haunts the whole trilogy and another criminal specific to this book. But even with the dual threats, if I were going to categorize this book in some way, I would say that it’s more about Hope’s growth and self-realization than it is about either the mystery or the romance. That is possibly a function of this being the middle book in the trilogy—like the middle child, it finds its way in the shadow of the one before, which was strongly romance-centered (I didn’t review that here, but it’s one of very few books I’d give an A), and the final book, which I suspect will be villain-focused since the killer has escaped detection in the first two books.

Don’t get me wrong: there’s plenty to fear here and plenty of emotion. The relationship between Hope and her friend Law (who will be the hero of the third book) is gut-wrenching in and of itself, even before you add in her romance with Remy. So settle back in front of a roaring fire and read the first two books of this series. Then you can wait along with me for the third!

Grade: B+

Summary:

Hope Carson may not look like a survivor, but she has escaped an abusive ex-husband and recovered from a vicious assault. Now she endures the painful memories and suspicious rumors surrounding her involvement in the attack. Her ex is a cop, so the last people she trusts are law enforcement officials—and she certainly doesn’t trust how the local DA makes her feel inside.

Remy Jennings should know better. He has no business falling for a woman who he suspects may have a deeply troubled mind. And even if he did make a move, she’d bolt like a frightened rabbit. But how can he deny a burning desire that threatens to consume him? As Hope’s past catches up with her in the worst way, Remy is determined to break through her defenses, earn her trust, and keep her safe in his arms—before it’s too late.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of The Chief (Highland Guard, Book 1) by Monica McCarty
Historical Romance published by Ballantine 23 Mar 10

When I heard about the premise of this series early last year from the author herself, I was definitely intrigued. We even posted a Duck Flash about it since it’s so unique. Special ops with superhero characteristics meets the bravest Highlanders in Scotland to save their country from English rule. I was fascinated from the beginning.

William Wallace is dead. Scotland needs a new leader to keep Wallace’s forward momentum heading away from English tyranny, full steam ahead. Robert the Bruce is the likely candidate and he’s already looking to the future, hatching a plan with Harry Lamberton to create an elite fighting squad of warriors that will have ability to go head to head with a superior English military.

Tormod MacLeod is their top choice as leader of this squad. He’s known for his skill on the battlefield, but the one thing standing in their way is Tor himself. He has no interest in involving himself in Scottish/English politics; his only goal is keeping his clan safe from harm after the blood and sweat he’s expended since the death of his parents, which he witnessed, and the near destruction of his clan.

Wanting out from under her father’s cruelty, Christina wants to marry, and her father is finagling to use his daughters as leverage to better his clan alliances. The man is as devious as they come and Christina walks right into his trap along with Tor, forcing a quick marriage. Tor reverses his decision and agrees to train Bruce’s warriors, which will take place near his home, but he will have no other involvement.

Christina is excited about the start of her new life, but she is quickly disappointed when her husband does not change his routine and she sees naught of him except in their bed, where they enjoy themselves immensely. She also discovers that Tor doesn’t spend the night with her, leaving to sleep among his men in the great hall. Her determination to make him sit up and take notice, to help out where she can only leads to trouble every time.

I enjoyed watching Tor’s feelings change toward his wife. Even her inadvertently bad-timing helpfulness can’t keep him from falling for her, though heaven knows he tries. When danger and death hit much too close to home, Tor finally realizes what he has in Christina.I also enjoyed the training scenes and byplay between among the chosen warriors. Tor puts them through some grueling paces.

Ms. McCarty has a winner on her hands with this new series, and this book is one terrific start to it. I’m anxiously looking forward to all of the upcoming books. The Hawk is due to be released at the end of this month. I can’t wait!

Grade: A+

Summary:

An elite fighting force like the world has never seen…

Scouring the darkest corners of the Highlands and Western Isles, Robert the Bruce handpicks ten warriors to help him in his quest to free Scotland from English rule. They are the best of the best, chosen for their superior skills in each discipline of warfare. To lead his secret Highland Guard, Bruce chooses the greatest warrior of all.

The ultimate Highland warlord and a swordsman without equal, Tor MacLeod has no intention of being drawn into Scotland’s war. Dedicated to his clan, the fiercely independent chief answers to no one—especially not his alluring new bride, bartered to him in a bid to secure his agreement to command the deadliest fighting force the world has ever seen. The treacherous chit who made her way to his bed may have won his hand, but she will never claim his heart.

Although her husband’s reputation is as fierce as his manner, Christina Fraser believes something softer hides beneath his brutal shell. But the only warmth she feels is in their bed, in the glorious moments of white-hot desire that disappear with the dawn. When Christina’s reckless bid to win her husband’s love goes awry and thrusts them into danger on the eve of war against England, Tor will face his ultimate battle: to save his wife and open his heart—before it’s too late.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

C2’s review of One Dance with a Duke (Stud Club Trilogy, Book 1) by Tessa Dare.
Historical romance published by Ballantine 25 May 10

There Lady Amelia D’Orsay was – daydreaming about her plans for summer at her family’s country cottage while listening with half an ear to the latest gossip – when, across a crowded ballroom, she sees him. You may be asking, “Who? Her perfect man? Her dream lover?” Oh no, faithful reader, nothing so lovely and romantic…Lady Amelia spotted the man who can potentially ruin her brother’s life. And she has some things she wants to say to him.
Spencer Dumarque, Duke of Morland, is a member of the Stud Club *snicker* – a group of gentlemen that all own shares of a famous retired race horse. He has not hidden the fact that he wants to own all the shares – and isn’t above unscrupulous behavior to reach that goal.

Spencer hates attending balls. He can force himself to attend briefly, favoring one of the Season’s beauties with a dance at midnight, but then he’s gone. Imagine his surprise when, just as he is about to ask his choice of partner to dance, a young woman appears in front of him and grabs his hand. He has no choice but to dance with her, unless he wants to cause a scandal.

As they begin to waltz, Amelia tells Spencer that she knows her brother owes him a great deal of money and asks him to forgive the debt. He refuses. Not the most auspicious start to a courtship, is it? Still, they must continue dancing and a banter of sorts begins between them. Spencer finds himself unwillingly intrigued by his dance partner. And so does Amelia.

Suddenly, Spencer sweeps her out of the ballroom and into the garden – literally picks her up and carries her out. And not for any sort of romantic entanglement – he just needed to leave the room. Immediately. While they are in the garden, two other members of the club arrive with the news that the club’s founder has been killed – and Spencer is told he is a suspect because he has been so openly in pursuit of the horse. Since the founder, the Marquess of Harcliffe, and his sister grew up near Amelia, she insists on accompanying them to inform Lady Lily of her brother’s death.

Leaving the ball so abruptly with Spencer and spending the rest of the night in the company of men could spell doom for Amelia’s reputation. Spencer, having recently been reminded that life is short, realizes that he is in need of an heir and, therefore, a wife. Also, he has a young ward who will be making her debut into society in a few years and she needs some female guidance. He convinces Amelia to marry him by making her see all the advantages of the situation – she will have her own home, she will receive a monetary settlement that will improve her family’s situation, and she will have children. They marry and head off to one of his country estates.

I enjoy the courtship-after-marriage storyline, I have to say. It seems more real somehow. The couple is sharing a home; they are forced to spend a good bit of time together for the sake of appearances, if nothing else. Feelings can develop easily. The relationship between Spencer and Amelia develops in a lovely fashion. Neither one is interested in falling in love but, as they get to know each other, they just can’t help it.

The mystery of the death of the club’s founder will continue through the rest of the series, I’m guessing. So get in on the ground floor and pick up One Dance with a Duke. It is a lovely, sweet read.

Grade: B+

Summary:
True temptation begins at midnight…

A handsome and reclusive horse breeder, Spencer Dumarque, the fourth Duke of Morland, is a member of the exclusive Stud Club, an organization so select it has only ten members — yet membership is attainable to anyone with luck. And Spencer has plenty of it, along with an obsession with a prize horse, a dark secret, and, now, a reputation as the dashing “Duke of Midnight.” Each evening he selects one lady for a breathtaking midnight waltz. But none of the women catch his interest, and nobody ever bests the duke — until Lady Amelia d’Orsay tries her luck.

In a moment of desperation, the unconventional beauty claims the duke’s dance and unwittingly steals his heart. When Amelia demands that Spencer forgive her scapegrace brother’s debts, she never imagines that her game of wits and words will lead to breathless passion and a steamy proposal. Still, Spencer is a man of mystery, perhaps connected to the shocking murder of the Stud Club’s founder. Will Amelia lose her heart in this reckless wager or win everlasting love?
Scroll down for EXCERPTS (audio and regular).

Other books in this series:

Gwen’s review of Divine Misdemeanors (Meredith Gentry, Book 8 ) by Laurell K. Hamilton
Urban fantasy hardcover released by Ballantine 8 Dec 09

Laurell K. Hamilton’s Merry Gentry novels typically revolve around the politics of the Unseelie Court.  A couple of the early books were more about Merry’s Men and her day job working for a private detective agency.  There are many LKH fans who, after the last few Merry books that were all about sidhe politics, were begging for a return to the private investigation roots.  With DM those beggars get their wish. 

I’m not sure what side of that fence I sit on – politics or private life.  I enjoy reading about Merry’s problems juggling all those men.  I also enjoy reading about the utterly foreign and Machiavellian sidhe courts.  With both, there is a significant sex element.  Merry has TONS of mystically enhanced sex with all sorts of creatures big and small.  It all normally combines to be a rather wild tale that is fun to read.

DM is certainly a return to Hamilton’s roots.  Merry and her men meander their way around a serial murder mystery involving the fey.  The PI agency that Merry works for is brought in for expert advice.  Things happen, sex is had, and the mystery solved.  End of book.

What I think LKH is trying to do with this entry in the series is show how Merry is growing into her role as leader of the sidhe.  In spite of her rejection of the crown(s) in the previous book and frequent verbal rejections of the title in this book, it becomes apparent that Merry still subconsciously feels she will have to be queen.  Her actions, decisions, and general behaviour in DM all point to Merry eventually accepting the crown(s).

If feels like DM is one of those “bridge” books that transitions the Merry Gentry story into the next big phase.  If I had a crystal ball, I’d say that the next book will have Merry giving birth to her twins – no doubt in some crazily mystical method – and something significant will happen on the throne(s) front.

I enjoyed this book, but felt the sex scenes were a little forced and not as hot as previous books.  And let’s be honest, we read Merry Gentry partially for the rampant sex.  Also, the “mystery” is a bit obvious.  It’s resolution is a little confused and facile.

Even with the flaws, this is a very readable book and an interesting entry in the Merry Gentry world.  I do not recommend the book if you haven’t read any of the other entries – it’s not a standalone book.  However, if you’re a fan of Merry, you should read it to see how she continues her evolution into the queen of the sidhe.

Grade: B-

Read more reviews and information on this series here.

Summary:

You may know me best as Meredith Nic Essus, princess of faerie. Or perhaps as Merry Gentry, Los Angeles private eye. In the fey and mortal realms alike, my life is the stuff of royal intrigue and celebrity drama. Among my own, I have confronted horrendous enemies, endured my noble kin’s treachery and malevolence, and honored my duty to conceive a royal heir—all for the right to claim the throne. But I turned my back on court and crown, choosing exile in the human world—and in the arms of my beloved Frost and Darkness.

While I may have rejected the monarchy, I cannot abandon my people. Someone is killing the fey, which has left the LAPD baffled and my guardsmen and me deeply disturbed. My kind are not easily captured or killed. At least not by mortals. I must get to the bottom of these horrendous murders, even if that means going up against Gilda, the Fairy Godmother, my rival for fey loyalties in Los Angeles.

But even stranger things are happening. Mortals I once healed with magic are suddenly performing miracles, a shocking phenomenon wreaking havoc on human/faerie relations. Though I am innocent, dark suspicions of banned magical activities swirl around me.

I thought I’d left the blood and politics behind in my own turbulent realm. I had dreamed of an idyllic life in sunny L.A. with my beloved ones beside me. But it becomes time to wake up and realize that evil knows no borders, and that nobody lives forever—even if they’re magical.

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

Holly‘s review of Burn by Linda Howard
Romantic Suspense released by Ballantine 7 July 09

I’ve been disappointed in most of Linda Howard’s more recent releases, but I was pleasantly surprised with this one. It reminded me quite a bit of All the Queen’s Men. Kind of light on the romance and heavy on the storyline, but still oddly satisfying. 

I really liked the beginning of the book. Though it was kind of drawn out, I enjoyed getting to know Jenner and seeing the circumstances behind her winning the lottery. I think it really gave insight into the character she was and how she changed because of betrayals along the way.

Jenner was strong and levelheaded. Right from the beginning I liked her and was cheering her on. She was just your average ordinary girl who had something extraordinary happen to her. As the novel progresses into the second half we see that she’s changed quite a bit. She’s more jaded and cynical, though her core has remained the same. I liked that most of all, I think. Her core remained the same.

Cael is another story entirely. I never really felt like I got to know him despite the amount of time we spent in his head. I guess we got a feel for the basics, but I would have liked to see more of his backstory. Though it’s noted right from the start that his motives aren’t what they appear, I still wondered if he’d cross the line.

I was concerned that the resolution between Jenner and Cael wouldn’t be quite satisfactory, but I was pleased with the way it turned out. I felt they worked well together.

The storyline was interesting because it took place almost exclusively on a cruise ship. The suspense plot didn’t contain much mystery – the villain was introduced almost immediately – but it still worked. I’m sure if I thought long enough I could find plenty of holes in the story, but the truth is I was entertained enough that I didn’t care.

Grade: B

Summary:

It’s true what they say: Money changes everything. And in Linda Howard’s red-hot novel Burn, the changes come fast, furious, and filled with the kind of sexy suspense, heart-stopping romance, beautiful people, and risky business guaranteed to give you the most bang for your buck.

Money certainly changes Jenner Redwine’s life when she wins a lottery jackpot. But it also costs her plenty: Her father rips her off and disappears, her fortune-hunting boyfriend soon becomes her ex, and friends-turned-freeloaders give her the cold shoulder when she stops paying for everything.

Flush with new money, Jenner can’t imagine ever finding a place in the world of the wealthy. Seven years later, though, she’s rubbing elbows with the rich, despite the fact she still feels like a party crasher. Luckily she finds an ally – and a guide to the rarefied realm of privilege – in shy, kind-hearted heiress Sydney Hazlett, who quickly becomes Jenner’s confidante and surrogate sister.

When Sydney invites Jenner on a charity cruise aboard a luxury liner, Jenner reluctantly agrees. But while she’s expecting – and dreading – two weeks of masquerade balls, art auctions, and preening glitterati, what she gets is more like a Hitchcock movie than a Love Boat episode. Taken hostage by a menacing stranger, Jenner must cooperate in a mysterious cloak-and-dagger scheme – or else. With nowhere to run, and with Sydney’s life as well as her own at risk, Jenner is drawn into a game of dizzying intrigue and harrowing danger. But as her panic gives way to exhilaration, and fear of her captor turns to fascination, Jenner rediscovers feelings she hasn’t had in years – and realizes she’s found a life worth living. If she survives.

Read an excerpt here (click on the book cover).

link to excerpt added… I know you are going ‘huh a paranormal’… when I have been doing nothing but bitching about there being too many paranormals in the reading world lately.  Look at that cover, isn’t it fab and it sounds amazing, a mix of middle ages, romance, historical intrigue, paranormal…part of me wants to stop what I am doing and read it now

In this captivating reinvention of the werewolf novel, S. A. Swann propels readers into the darkest days of the Middle Ages, weaving a rare blend of soaring romance, historical intrigue, paranormal thrills, and spiritual questioning to tell a story that forever changes those who hear it.

When a monk inadvertently discovers a lair of werewolf young, he unleashes what will become the Church’s most powerful–and secret–weapon. Clandestinely raised by the Teutonic Order, these lupine creatures serve as instruments of God against pagan unbelievers. Trained to slip into villages cloaked in human form, they are all but unstoppable. Only one, called Lilly, has cunningly fled her brutal master.

Uldolf is too young to remember the massacre eight years earlier that claimed his village, his arm, and his kin. But he knows the pain of loneliness. When he sees what appears to be a beautiful young woman, injured and cowering in the woods, he races to her aid. Uldolf and his adoptive family will do anything to protect the terrified girl, but the danger is greater than they can possibly imagine. For death is the only life Lilly has ever known–and if their humanity can’t pierce the darkness Lilly harbors in her soul, they’ll soon come to know it, too.

wonder if he pulls it off…

you can read an excerpt here… uh dunno where cuz I can’t find one here or here the authors site is either really useless or my computer didn’t load it all the way (verra possible). You need more than cover quotes and your blurb but that is a good start and better than nothing. Book releases August 25, 2009…

Liviania’s review of Swallowing Darkness (Meredith Gentry, Book 7) by Laurell K. Hamilton
Paranormal romance released by Ballantine 4 Nov 08

I can’t quit Laurell K. Hamilton.  She writes a total piece of crap like Mistral’s Kiss and I think it’s safe to quit the Merry Gentry series.  Then she follows it up with A Lick of Frost, a one-two punch of featuring my favorite character from the series and more plot.  Fortunately, Swallowing Darkness makes me happy I haven’t been able to quit her yet.  (The lame double entendre title does cause a wince every time I think about it.) 

To be honest, I can deal with more sex in the Merry novels since the plot requires sex.  It does make sense to slow down on that some now that she is pregnant, but some fans may dislike the fact Swallowing Darkness has something like one full and two aborted sex scenes.  I don’t mind it, but feel there should be fair warning.  Why don’t I mind it?  Because the sex is replaced by movement of the plot.  And I love it when the plot moves, since LKH often seems to forget she’s telling a story.

Merry’s pregnant and should thus be declared the winner of the race to the Unseelie throne, but things are never that simple.  She has to protect her children and their fathers, which may require some extreme measures.  The violence isn’t up there with the early Anita Blake books, but there are several great battle scenes.  In between battles comes the political maneuvering.  After all, one of the fathers is already a king, and the Seelie King Taranis is claiming he’s actually the father.

There are no new characters, so if you don’t like the personalities of Merry and her men, don’t hold out hope for the hope of someone new.  (Although I can’t imagine someone making it so far in the series if not for the characters.)  I do think LKH does a good job of giving the men different personalities despite the large number present.  This one has a lot more Sholto than any since A Kiss of Shadows, which I thought was a good thing.  I rather thought that one was building him up to be more of a main character before he got shunted over by some of the others.  (Is Galen going to get his day in the limelight soon?)

Everything builds to a satisfying climax.  LKH ties off threads, completes the story she started in the novel, and finishes several of the stories she started in others.  While there are many plots left to explore in the future novels, the end of Swallowing Darkness feels like an end, rather than a convenient point to stop writing. Overall, it feels more like LKH at the top of her game rather than the dreck she’s been putting out lately.

I fell in love with LKH’s writing.  Then I fell out, but couldn’t tear free because I was attached to the characters.  Swallowing Darkness made me happy I hadn’t torn free, even moreso than A Lick of Frost, and I hope she keeps giving Merry the meaty plot she deserves.  Otherwise I may have to hate myself again for not having the willpower to stay away.  (At least my relationship with the Merry books is far less dramatic than that with the Anitas.)

Grade: A-

Read more reviews by following the series tag.

Summary:
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I am Meredith, princess of faerie, wielder of the hands of Flesh and Blood, and at long last, I am with child-twins, fathered by my royal guard. Though my uncle, Taranis, King of Light and Illusion, claims that he is the true father since he abducted me from my home, betrayed, and defiled me. And now he has branded my guards as a threat to my unborn children.
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Bearing an heir has placed me halfway to my aunt’s throne, that much closer to my reign over the Unseelie Court-and well ahead of her son, my cousin Cel, in this race. Now I must stay alive to see my children born and claim my place as queen.
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But not all in faerie are pleased with the news, and conspirators from every court in the realm plot against me and mine. They seek to strip my guards, my lovers, from me by poisoned word or cold steel. But I still have supporters, and even friends, among the goblins and the sluagh, who will stand by me.
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I am Meredith Nic Essus, and those who would defy and destroy me are destined to pay a terrible price-for I am truly my father’s daughter. To protect what is mine, I will sacrifice anything-even if it means waging a great battle against my darkest enemies and making the most momentous decision ever made as princess of faerie.
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Read an excerpt here.

Other books in this series:

Gwen’s review of Highland Scoundrel (The Campbell Trilogy, Book 3) by Monica McCarty
Historical romance released by Ballantine Books 24 Mar 09

This was my first reading of a Monica McCarty Highlander book.  There were some things about it that I found interesting and some I wanted to rip out of the book so it didn’t mess up what I liked.  That’s the case with almost any book, really – some parts you love and some you don’t.  I guess it’s a bit like marriage that way – the compromise is what makes it bearable.  This book balanced out for me, weighing a tad more one direction than the other, however. 

For example, I loved the historical perspective and points of reference.   McCarty gives the reader enough information to understanding motivations of what is going on around our characters.  Thankfully, this detail is not heavy-handed and serves to paint the landscape of the book so that we understand not only the main characters’ motivations, but also that of the secondary characters.  This gives a nice rounded feel to the overall story arc – we understand why the social snubs/accolades, etc., without having to delve too deeply into individual relationships.  This all allows the plot to move more quickly.

An example of what I didn’t like was the very long and complex flashback at the beginning of the book.  I like books to move forward.  I generally don’t care for flashbacks – I think they bog a story down.  Why not just tell the events in sequence?  Why bother with a flashback?  It didn’t add any tension or emotional drama to the book. The first scene of the book is one where the heroine is being TSTL – taking a swim outside of her keep’s walls with one guard (just days after a thwarted kidnapping, by the way) – and who does she run into?  You got it, the hero.  Then BLAMMO!  We flashback six years, for nearly a third of the book (long-ass flashback), to when they first meet, fall in love, and leave each other.

Yuck.  Talk about a screeching halt to the story.

And let’s talk about TSTL, shall we?  To Stupid To Live.  It’s a fascinating concept.  The heroine in this book has many TSTL moments and suffers the consequence of most of them.  Nevertheless, I feel that McCarty lets Jeannie (the heroine) off the hook too often.  Either suffer with the rest of us, or make her a tad smarter.  Which leads me to an interesting question – do we readers insist that our heroines (and heroes) be smarter than we are? Or are we content for them to be more average? I vote for smarter-is-better, but what if an author pens a less-than-smart heroine?  Would it sell?

Any how – back to the book.  (See what I just did there?  VERY SHORT flackback/diversion.)

This was a good enough story.  It had an awfully slow start with the long, long, long and complex flashback, but the last half of the book was better. Even if I wanted to regularly slap the livin’ shit out of the heroine for being such a ninny and not trusting her man or her feelings for said man.  Consequently, what resulted from my assaultive desire was that I didn’t really like the heroine.  At several points in the book I felt that neither she nor the hero acted with any maturity or honor even after they were supposedly older and knew better.  Plus I’ve decided that I really hate it when the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING is the sole plot device keeping the main characters apart.  They’re in the same geographic place, same century, speak the same language – nothing to keep them apart, except… TALK TO EACH OTHER ALREADY.

So, while this book wasn’t necessarily my cuppa tea, it wasn’t a horrible book and is probably right up someone else’s alley.  If you’re a fan of the McCarty novels, or of highlander books in general, you’ll like it.  To me it was average, plus it made me want to punch something – which is never good.

Grade: C

Read other reviews of books in this series by clicking on its tag.

Summary:

Framed for a crime he did not commit, Duncan Campbell, the illegitimate son of a chieftain, has returned to the Highlands determined to clear his name after ten years in exile. He is drawn to the unforgettable sensual beauty of Jeannie Gordon, the headstrong girl who once pledged him her love, gave him her innocence, and then betrayed him. Now, in the glow of the moonlight, she defiantly shows Duncan the bad end of a pistol.

Jeannie is stunned to discover that the broad-chested brigand she just shot is the rogue who broke her heart years ago. No longer a starry-eyed girl but a woman with dangerous secrets, Jeannie cannot forgive Duncan’s shattering mistrust of her-nor can she sign his death warrant by turning him in. Soon passion flares hotter and bolder than before, sealing a fate the onetime lovers can no longer deny. Caught up in a deadly game of murder and intrigue, Jeannie is willing to risk everything for a man and a love she vows never to lose again.

No excerpt available at the time this review was written.

Other books in the series:

Sybil’s review of Highland Warrior (The Campbell Trilogy, Book 1) by Monica McCarty
Historical Romance released by Ballantine 27 Jan 09

Highland Warrior is the first novel in Monica McCarty’s 2nd back to back Scottish trilogy. Before I do anything I must give mad props to Monica for the amount of research she has put into her tales and to Ballantine. At a time when many publishers are cutting pages, word count, and more it is beyond delightful to see Ballantine allowing an author pages to show she did her homework and provide some background to readers who would like to know more. Hell people, there are footnotes in the author’s notes! For those of you lusting for more knowledge, you can find it on Monica’s site. The Lamont has decided it is time for his daughter to marry and the Highland gathering at Ascog would be the perfect place for her to find a husband, at least that is the hope.  Argyll’s Henchman, Jamie Campbell, figures the games are the easiest way to discover if clan Lamont is hiding the outlaw Alasdair MacGregor.  Jamie knows the last thing Lamont would want is his daughter married into a clan he has been feuding with for years.  Hopefully the unease will make finding the outlaws that much easier.

Problem is after Jamie helps Caitrina out of a tight spot, they can’t get their mind off each other.  Like many long term family feuds, it is hard for them to connect their feelings for how they are suppose to feel about ‘certain’ people or actions.  As well as each character has to learn that rumor isn’t fact and to learn not judge a book by the cover.  This is much harder to do when Jamie learns that Alasdair isn’t with the Lamont Clan and rides out, only to return to a mess of mass destruction his brother creates when it turns out that Jamie was in fact correct.

I had a tough time getting into Highland Warrior for a few reasons. First because the ‘Romeo & Juliet’ theme has never been my favorite type of plots. I know given the time period being torn between clans was not at all odd but man it generally goes on forever so knowing that going in, it was tough sitting down for, because when it works it works well and when it sucks – it is HELL ON READER EARTH. And, dude, I have books to read. The first two chapters are also clunky, so it was easy for me to put the book down, but once it hit about chapter four I was into it and I liked it (Highland Outlaw is my fave).

Monica McCarty has done her homework and her history is amazing and believable. Catrina is a fully drawn character who goes from spoiled, would-be bride to would-be savor of her clan. I would love her a hella lot if it wasn’t for the really dumbass thing she does toward the end that made me want to shake her. I did understand it but thought Jamie had earned her trust by then and it seemed really just too ‘this needs to be done for the plot’. Jamie was grand. Almost too much so.  He is a yummy highlander hero all the way around but totally understanding and wants Catrina to trust him for him.  And he is good with a sword.

I have now read all three novels (can’t do a Duckies Do Series since they aren’t all out yet) and ‘THE BIG MISUNDERSTANDING’ plays something of a part in each one of them (not so much the middle book). I think this has more to do with trust issue, which leads back to the feuding families and centuries of bad, bad blood. From what I understand Clan Campbell is often cast as the ‘bad’ guys in romance novels with the Lamont and MacGregor clan’s more in riding in the hero seat. McCarty does an excellent job of showing, war isn’t easy and it is rarely black and white.

Highland Warrior isn’t a perfect book but it is a great start to a fabulous trilogy and what she does well is wonderful.

Grade: B- 

Summary:

The ruthless enforcer of Scotland’s most powerful clan, Jamie Campbell is the most feared man in the Highlands. Raw physical strength coupled with cunning political acumen make him a powerful force with whom few men will dare to reckon. Determined to see the Highlands tamed of its lawlessness and unrest, Jamie’s objectives are clear: under the guise of seeking the Chief of Lamont’s daughter’s hand in marriage, discover whether the Lamonts are harboring any outlawed MacGregors. But guise turns to desire when he meets the beautiful spitfire who rules the household with a dainty iron fist. The fierce Highlander never expects that the woman he wants above all others will test his duty and loyalty to his clan to the breaking point.

Cosseted and adored by her family, Caitrina Lamont has no intention of abandoning her beloved father and doting four older brothers for a husband-especially a Campbell. But Jamie Campbell is nothing like the parade of suitors that Caitrina’s father usually traipses across their hall. His raw masculinity threatens her in a way no man ever had before. But when Caitrina’s idyllic world is shattered, could the man she blames for her tragedy become her only hope for the future?

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

Sandy M’s review of Vampire’s Betrayal (Savannah Vampire Chronicles, Book 4) by Raven Hart
Contemporary Paranormal Romance released by Ballantine 29 Apr 08

Why is it some of the really good books I read are always number three or four in a series and the first few books are stashed away in the TBR mountain, not within easy reach?  Such is the case with this book.  I always think I’ll be lost if I don’t read a series in order, but, of course, an author worth her salt can make sure you don’t feel that way.  Ms. Hart’s storytelling, voice, characters, and humor all add up to a terrific book, even one read out of order.  [Ed.: Book 5, Vampire's Revenge, released 27 Jan 09.]

Now, as much as I’d have liked to have started at the beginning of this series just to know the characters better, I still had fun with them.  I still laughed with them and definitely hurt with them when things went wrong.  The main thing I want after reading this part of the series is to know more about the relationship between Jack and his sire, William.  They are, for all intents and purposes, father and son, the relationship coming across quite well.  I like how Jack blocks William from his thoughts and feelings most of the time, as I’m sure any son, vampire or not, would want to do when a father is telling him something for his own good, but when the chips are down, Jack throws himself wide open and does what needs to be done.

I also enjoyed the twist of the story of Connie being the long-awaited vampire slayer and she’s Jack’s girlfriend.  Talk about a dilemma.  For most of the book she doesn’t yet know what her destiny is and Jack tries everything he can think of to keep her alive, knowing that any and all vamps near will take care of her themselves, even those he loves and cares for. When nothing works and he’s thrown for a loop when he does try the seemingly only solution, he then does the honorable thing and lets her go. When Connie comes into her own, however, a whole new story opens up, and the next book should have all kinds of crazy happenings going on.  But besides just great scenes like these, it’s also the little things, those little details, that cause these characters to get under your skin and into your heart, and Ms. Hart is one for details.

There are other relationships in the book that, although Ms. Hart does a fine job of giving you the short version of their developments, I think starting at the beginning would be best; William’s past with Eleanor being a good point.  But there’s plenty of other characters throughout that also make this a fun story. Huey the zombie and his Chevy Corsica is a perfect example.  And on the other side of the coin, the villains are plenty nasty.  Besides just Reedrek, William’s sire, Eleanor, William’s ex-mate, and Damien, there’s the Council full of evil like Reedrek, and every one of them are on a path of destruction, all for personal gain.

Of course, if you’re one of those readers who has to have an ending to each and every book you read, you probably won’t care for this series.  This one was totally open-ended, so I’m assuming every book that came before is too.  I didn’t mind it at all.  As long as an author gives me a satisfying read in the moment, which Ms. Hart does – very much so – I’m plenty happy until the next release.  That is, if I can find the first three and get them read before then…

Grade: A+

Summary:

Jack risks his life by opening a portal to the underworld to rescue Connie. While in the land of the dead, he witnesses an awesome ceremony as a band of honest-to-God angels swear Connie in as the vampire slayer! Using the power of his love, Jack manages to bring Connie back to the land of the living even though she threatens the existence of him and his kind.

Connie has no memory of being anointed the vampire slayer, and her activation won’t be complete until a mysterious sword materializes. William orders Jack to kill her for her own good before she discovers her deadly mission. After all, if she dies before she is activated, she will spend eternity in paradise with her baby son. But if she lives to become the slayer, she will be immortal, doomed to the existence of a half-vampire, half-human killer. But how can an anguished Jack kill the woman he loves?

Meanwhile, the bloodthirsty Old Lords work to harness elemental powers to raise the evil dead! Their wicked plan would free every twice-killed vampire from hell and turn them loose on the citizens of Savannah. William, weakened by a power he doesn’t understand, must do battle with the Vampire Council before they can unleash their bloodthirsty minions. Will he be able to survive the double onslaught of the Old Lords and the vampire slayer?

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

C2 (C-Squared)‘s review of Dark of Night (Troubleshooters, Book 14) by Suzanne Brockmann
Romantic suspense hardcover released by Ballantine 27 Jan 09

Anyone who has ever visited my personal blog knows I’m a Suzanne Brockmann fan. I’m not a crazy stalker fan grrl or anything – *innocent look* – I’m just enthusiastic. I like all the interwoven stories and the whole deep point of view thing. And I say it’s impressive that all the characters are so real and clearly drawn that it is often easy for the reader to know, without her telling us, who is speaking. No cookie-cutter characters to be found here! 

So, of course, I was anxiously awaiting the release of Dark of Night, the newest Troubleshooters book. Now, before I go any further, I will warn you that this post will be filled with spoilers. Did you catch that, gentle readers? **FILLED WITH SPOILERS** I don’t know how else to do it. I admire and appreciate those reviewers who managed to write up their thoughts without spoiling it for the rest of us – especially since it took my book 3 days to get to me. Grrr. I mean, honestly, they get Harry Potter books to those who pre-order on the day of release. Can’t they do that for all hard covers? *Deep breath* Sorry! That’s a topic for another day. Back to the matter at hand – and remember HERE BE SPOILERS!!

**  YOU’VE BEEN WARNED! **

Dark of Night picks up almost exactly where the previous book, Into the Fire, left off. So we have the Troubleshooters trying to deal with the loss of one of their own. However, Jimmy Nash isn’t dead. He’s badly injured, yes, but quite alive. Jules Cassidy, everybody’s favorite FBI guy, knows that the key to keeping Nash alive long-term is to keep him “dead” until the people targeting him can be found and stopped.

So, a plan is set in motion. A select few know the truth about Nash and are guarding him at a safe house in the desert. Sam and Alyssa (and their new baby), Tess, Jules and Robin are there. The only other person who knows the truth is Decker – until Tracy figures it out, too. Yup, Suz takes the ditzy blonde secretary stereotype and turns it on its ear. And throws Decker and Tracy together in a major way.

At the same time Sophia and Dave are dealing with their grief over Nash, their relationship takes a romantic turn. Yes, Dave has loved Sophia forever but she is, finally, returning his interest. Like, really really returning it. But, poor Dave, right when it looks like he’s going to be happy, the bad guys grab him. Thinking they can get info out of him about Nash – or trade him for Nash, if he’s alive like they suspect. The torture scenes were uncomfortable to read, I must say. Yikes. Thankfully, they were brief. And we are shown some new facets of Dave’s character. He has a lot more in common with the rest of the Troubleshooters men than I had realized. He isn’t just a brain, after all.

And the race is on – find Dave, catch the bad guys, get Nash out of the line of fire, couple up the couples. With most of the SEALs out of the country, there is only a small group of Troubleshooters available to help. Still is there any doubt of the outcome?

The bad guys are dispatched. Dave is found – he dispatched some of the bad guys all by his tortured, infected self. And we get two new happily ever afters, one hinted at and one brand new, plus a bit of closure for an existing couple.

Closure for Nash and Tess – finally, the things that have kept them from moving forward (Nash’s secrets) are out of the way. In my opinion, I think that was the main purpose of the bad guys and Nash’s death. Since Nash was “dead” (and truly injured), he had to sit by and wait for the his team to take care of the bad guys. He had plenty of time to think about things – and get some advice from Love Doctors Sam and Kenny “Wild Card” Carmody. Talk about good times!

Our hinted coupling – when Dave is kidnapped, Sophia has a chance to realize she had only fooled herself into thinking she was settling for Dave. She figures out that he really is the guy she wants.

Our brand new couple — Decker and Tracy’s — whole romance happens in Dark of Night. They see in each other things they didn’t realize they wanted or needed. Deck needs someone who isn’t in awe of him. Someone who sees the real person behind the awesome Chief Decker, Navy SEAL. Tracy needs someone who sees beyond the packaging to the real person and brain underneath. And appreciates her chattiness. I totally believed their romance, even with all the other stuff happening in the book.

What? Is that screaming I hear?? Something about Decker and Sophia being meant for each other? Puh-leeze, people. What, exactly, are you basing that assumption on? I have never been a fan of that pairing – chemistry, they lacked it – so to see Suz moving those characters in a different direction made me happy. I understand that isn’t true for all readers. Whatever. You have to trust the author to take her characters where they need to go.

Yes, there were some small issues with the book — the bad guys were a bit too all-knowing, and some of the violent acts were a bit gruesome (not gory just icky). But acts of violence are like that, I suppose. To make an impact, they have to be uncomfortable for those who witness them. And yes, it was almost too fast-paced. Another 50-75 pages would have been welcome… not that I’m greedy.

Where does that leave us, gentle reader? With the story arc that began in Flashpoint all wrapped up and waiting impatiently for Hot Pursuit — coming this summer — of course! Let me take a moment to say how very glad I am that Suz has moved to two releases a year. Yay!

Grade: A-

Blurb:

Badly shaken after the loss of one of their own, the men and women of Troubleshooters Inc. go up against their most deadly opponents yet – the clandestine organization called The Agency. Blackmail, extortion, murder: The Agency’s black-ops sector will apparently stop at nothing to achieve their objective. But this time they’ve gone too far and hit too close to home.

Led by former Navy SEAL Lawrence Decker, a team of investigators – from FBI agent Jules Cassidy and former CIA operative Dave Malkoff, to Troubleshooters Sophia Ghaffari, Tess Bailey, and even receptionist Tracy Shapiro – band together to uncover the truth, and bring the killers to justice.
But the stakes are raised even higher when Decker barely escapes an attempt on his life. It soon becomes clear that the hunters have become the hunted – and the Troubleshooters are no longer just solving a crime – they’re fighting for survival.

Read an excerpt HERE.

Other books in the series (mass market paperback referenced where available):

and Book 15, HOT PURSUIT, Ballantine, Summer 2009

Gwen’s review of Night Shadow (TFLAC Night Trilogy, Book 3) by Cherry Adair
Contemporary paranormal romantic suspense hardcover released by Ballantine 25 Nov 08

I think Cherry Adair is having a contest with herself to see how many different series she can have with inter-related characters.  I lost count at eleventy-million.  This trilogy is another of what I call the TFLAC novels, and is part of the Night Trilogy.  It’s the first book of the trilogy that I’ve read, but because it’s related to so many of her other books, I was able to pick up the story pretty quickly. 

I liked this story.  I liked the characters. I liked the James Bond on steroids plot.  It was a quick, fun read with lots of suspension of disbelief, but still exciting and, well, fun.  I won’t spend too much time analyzing the technical prowess of the author or how her scenes are nicely linked together in logical and exciting story arcs.  It’s just not that cerebral of a story.  It was a popcorn action flick with some romance – not a moody period piece.

I liked how Adair kept her characters consistent throughout.  She didn’t let the hero change the heroine and let the hero be fallible and flawed.  In fact, the heroine ends up saving the hero’s bacon in the end (not a spoiler – you’ll see what I mean).  This is something I’ve come to expect of Adair’s books – nicely consistent characters that I can get behind and cheer for.

This was a fun paranormal romantic suspense novel.  Don’t look too deeply into it and just roll with the rather “out there” scientific concepts and you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.  I think you should be able to find it relatively inexpensive as a used book on amazon.com now that it’s been released a couple of months – not sure when the paperback release is scheduled.

I recommend this book to anyone reading Adair’s TFLAC books or fans of the author.  If you’re looking for a little escapist fun with a hot romance, and you’re familiar with Adair’s novels, then this is the book for you.

Grade: B+

Summary:

The passion and suspense of Cherry Adair’s latest killer trilogy, begun in Night Fall and continued in Night Secrets, now reaches its explosive conclusion in Night Shadow, as mismatched international agents take on evil head-to-head-and each other heart-to-heart.

Aside from working for the international anti-terrorism agency T-FLAC (and having the same last name), Lexi Stone and Alex Stone are polar opposites, right down to Lexi’s mere mortality and Alex’s paranormal powers. While straight-arrow Lexi pushes paper at an Internal Affairs desk, renegade Alex is busy pushing the envelope as he pursues the most dangerous global criminals. And though Lexi disdains his rule-breaking bravado and cowboy tactics, she can’t deny Alex’s skills when it comes to getting his man (not to mention any number of women)-just as she can’t ignore how his roguish charm makes her heart race and her temperature rise.

But Lexi’s secret desires clash head-on with her duties when suspicions arise that Alex is poised to switch sides-and join forces with a European terrorist cell. Tapped for her first field mission, Lexi finds herself assigned to shadow Alex’s every move, and if necessary, terminate him. Despite her feelings, Lexi’s willing and able to carry out her orders, as long there’s proof that Alex is a traitor. But getting the goods-and the drop-on her superagent quarry becomes an even tougher task when Lexi and Alex suddenly find themselves partners on an emergency mission in Russia.

When terrorists seize a busy Moscow railway station for ransom, then abruptly massacre their hostages and vanish into thin air, the agents realize they’re facing adversaries possessing of the same paranormal abilities as Alex’s elite T-FLAC/psi unit. But after Lexi kills an armed suspect during a breathless rooftop chase, she makes a series of shocking discoveries about the enemy T-FLAC is facing, the troubling truth Alex has been concealing, and the terrifying plot of a treacherous mastermind that could spell the downfall of T-FLAC’s most powerful and valued operatives. To save precious lives and stop the rise of a superhuman terrorist threat, Lexi and Alex must work as a well-oiled team in a race across the globe-and against time-with lethal shadows looming behind them, and no one to trust but each other.

Read an excerpt (click on the book cover).

Other books in the series:

Gwen’s review of Swallowing Darkness (Meredith Gentry, Book 7) by Laurell K. Hamilton
Fantasy fiction released by Ballantine Books 4 Nov 08

The Meredith Gentry novels resonate with me on several levels: they’re fantasy novels, they have lots of action and suspense , they’ve got some good sex (sometimes a LOT of good sex), and they’re almost always interesting stories.  That’s not t say that some aren’t stronger entries than others, but they’re all interesting on some level.  This was one of the more interesting ones, if not necessarily the best.  Read on to find out why I think so… 

To begin with, I’m writing this review to those of you already following this series and who are already familiar with the characters.  If you are not and don’t know them, this AIN’T the book (or review) for you. The Meredith “Merry” Gentry world is a twisted, convoluted one full of frenemies, factions, and subplots that would be nearly impossible to unravel if you jump in to the middle of the series.  I don’t recommend doing that and I don’t recommend this book as your first foray.  Start at the beginning and be glad you heeded my advice.

This entry in the series opens with Merry acknowledging she’s pregnant with twins and the babies have three daddies EACH.  Based on what Queen Andais has promised Merry and her guards, anyone who got Merry preggers gets to be King.  Hence the reason for all the boinking in previous books.  This means that Merry’s Queen will have six Kings.  You can imagine the consternation this causes in almost all of the Courts of Faerie, including the Light, Dark, etc.  Some Courts are more accepting than others (Sluaugh) and some are downright pathologically incapable of acknowledging that they had no say-so in the whole process.

This leads to a LOT of assassination and kidnapping attempts, causing the “deaths” of various members of Merry’s entourage and other supernatural occurrences. And very little boinking.  I KNOW!  GASP! An LKH novel with only one or two sexed up situations!

As a fan of the series, I enjoyed this entry as being one of the more “story-like” entries.  I think Merry comes into her own in this entry and starts acting more royal and less “scared little girl” than in the other books.  I think her character can see the finish line to her travails on the horizon.  By the end of the book, Merry thinks she’s living her HEA, but we know better.  There’s still at least two more Merry books on the horizon and she hasn’t had her babies yet.  I have a feeling that these babies will be forces to contend with on their own and that we’re in for a very interesting ending to this series.

I can recommend this book to any fan of the series and fan of LKH.  If you’re new to the series, and like fantasy with some edge, don’t start here but do start.  You’ll like it (some more than others).

Grade: A

For more reviews and information, follow the Meredith Gentry series tag.

Summary:

I am Meredith, princess of faerie, wielder of the hands of Flesh and Blood, and at long last, I am with child – twins, fathered by my royal guard. Though my uncle, Taranis, King of Light and Illusion, claims that he is the true father since he abducted me from my home, betrayed, and defiled me. And now he has branded my guards as a threat to my unborn children.

Bearing an heir has placed me halfway to my aunt’s throne, that much closer to my reign over the Unseelie Court – and well ahead of her son, my cousin Cel, in this race. Now I must stay alive to see my children born and claim my place as queen.

But not all in faerie are pleased with the news, and conspirators from every court in the realm plot against me and mine. They seek to strip my guards, my lovers, from me by poisoned word or cold steel. But I still have supporters, and even friends, among the goblins and the sluagh, who will stand by me.

I am Meredith Nic Essus, and those who would defy and destroy me are destined to pay a terrible price – for I am truly my father’s daughter. To protect what is mine, I will sacrifice anything-even if it means waging a great battle against my darkest enemies and making the most momentous decision ever made as princess of faerie.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series (links are to mass market paperbacks, where available):

Devon’s review of Bound by Light (Dark Crescent Sisterhood, Book 3) by Anna Windsor
Paranormal Romance released by Ballantine 26 Aug 08

Bound by Light is the third installment in the Dark Crescent Sisterhood trilogy, which features strong female warriors and the men who love them. This final installment features the triad’s “broom,” Merilee, whose guiding element is air. Fittingly, her hero is the high flying Astaroth demon Jake Lowell, the brother of the previous novels’ heroes. This is a series that has gotten better with each title, and this one was the best of the three. 

Jake was the most interesting hero, nay, the most interesting character of the three books. He is actually the seven year old boy who was ritually murdered in the first book, Bound by Shadow. Which is kind of creepy when you think about it. But Jake was so completely transformed into his demon state, that you don’t really associate him with being a human boy. He’s a great character, so thirsty for knowledge of the world and everything, he has an intellectual air to him. He is more powerful than the other Astaroth demons, but he would prefer to be human (and can take both forms). He’s also madly in love with Merilee. Jake was strong and powerful, but also had this vulnerability and sweetness to him, due to his struggles with his nature.

Merilee was a good heroine, although not quite as well developed as Jake. She’s physically and magically strong, and as academic and intellectual as Jake. They made a good couple and had good chemistry. I would’ve preferred a bit less mental lusting on Merilee’s part, it’s so dorky after awhile. Individually and as a pair, I found them more memorable than the prior pairings.

The action scenes are well written and involving. There is a doozy of a villain, very creepy, as this is the climax of the overall arc of the trilogy. I did kind of lose sight of the Sisterhood’s previous enemy, the Legion, and how it all tied in. There was some of the choppiness in narrative that bothered me before, where things seemed to be dropped, then brought back up. But the scenes with this villain were disturbing and the battles exciting.

Some twists involving recurring characters are thrown our way. The prior heroes and heroines and other allies are back to help (Cynda’s a bitch again, Riana’s still boring). I really liked the Astaroth demons and the Mothers of the different houses, they were entertaining and interesting. Although once again, I wish the world of the Sisterhood and the Legion was easier to follow, I did enjoy Bound by Light, and found it to be a strong conclusion to the trilogy.

Grade: B-

Read reviews and other information on this series by clicking on the Dark Crescent Sisterhood series tag.

The Summary:

The night holds endless pleasures . . . and hides nameless terrors.

As the broom end of her Sybil triad, Merilee Alexander has the sacred duty as a warrior witch of taking out the trash. Lately, though, she’s been a little overwhelmed: Manhattan is a mess. And her prophetic end-of-the-world nightmares aren’t helped by the waking fantasies of love. Or the fact that the object of her affections, gorgeous Jake Lowell of NYPD’s Occult Crimes Unit, is playing it so cool.

Actually, Jake wants Merilee desperately, every luscious inch of her. Still, he’s holding back. He’s got secrets. Dark, dangerous, demonic secrets. But as Jake and Merilee trawl the city’s supernatural underbelly to out a demonic kingpin who, disguised as a charismatic leader, is amassing dark power, it’s make-or-break time. For their lives, their love, and the world are about to be sucked into the undertow of the tides of an unstoppable evil.

Read an excerpt

Read Devon’s review of Bound by Shadow
Read Devon’s review of Bound by Flame

The other books in the series:

LauraD’s review of Playing Dead (Prison Break, Book 3) by Allison Brennan
Romantic Suspense released by Ballantine 30 Sep 08

I was quite happy to find Allison Brennan’s Playing Dead in the Big Box of Books that Sybil gave me. I’m a huge fan of romantic suspense, and I’ve enjoyed Ms. Brennan’s work before, so my expectations were quite high when the cat and I became one with the couch.

Claire O’Brien is an insurance fraud investigator and the daughter of a disgraced policeman-disgraced because Tom O’Brien was convicted of killing his wife and her lover. He has always maintained his innocence but since Claire had found him in the house with the bodies, she has never been able to believe him. After Tom was convicted, Claire was taken in by another officer and his family, as she had no one else. Four months ago, her father broke out of jail and he is asking for Claire’s help to prove him innocent.

FBI agent Mitch Bianchi lied about his identity to get close to Claire, thinking she knew where her father was after the jailbreak. He didn’t count on falling in love with her, and he didn’t count on bodies starting to pile up as the real killer began to try and cover what little evidence was left behind years before. He knows that eventually he will have to tell Claire who he really works for, and that she will probably hate him for it.

“Playing Dead” is a good, suspenseful story. Claire really doesn’t want to believe her father, but information about his case is revealed bit by bit and his version of events becomes more and more plausible. There are some really creepy scenes that are from the killer’s POV, and I have to admit the killer’s identity took me completely by surprise. I appreciated the author’s effort to include some solid forensic details, so the crimes were grounded in reality. While those kinds of details might make a book a little “darker”, to me they add an authenticity to the story that makes it much more engaging.

What was missing were the emotions and relationship between Claire and Mitch. Their affair had already been established at the start of the book, although Mitch had done some significant lying. They spent the majority of the story apart, at first leaving messages on each other’s cell phones and then just plain broken up. It felt like the author had a lot more fun with the villains in this story than she did with the h/h. Independently they were well drawn characters, but as a couple I never felt a spark.

Allison Brennan has ended another trilogy with a smart tale of greed and hate bested by love and justice. “Playing Dead” will keep you up reading later than your bedtime, but you might not have the best of dreams afterward-Ms. Brennan’s villains tend to be everyday folk gone twisted. I’m hoping Claire and Mitch do indeed have a HEA.

Grade: B

DEAD MAN RUNNING

Sentenced to death for crimes he didn’t commit, ex-cop Tom O’Brien is now a hunted fugitive. After fifteen years in prison, he’s determined to prove his innocence–but first he must convince his daughter, whose testimony helped put him behind bars, that he has damning evidence of a plot to frame him.

Claire is no longer the naïve teenager who arrived home to find her mother and her mother’s lover shot dead and her father holding the murder weapon. She’s a successful fraud investigator who assumes everyone lies. Though Claire is convinced of her father’s guilt, curiosity propels her to look into the disappearance of a law student who claimed to have proof of Tom’s innocence. But seeking answers only leads to more questions, reinforcing Claire’s belief that there’s no one left to trust.

Obsessed with the O’Brien case, FBI agent Mitch Bianchi befriends Claire under false pretenses, certain that Tom is not only innocent but in grave danger–and not just from the cops. As the three race toward the truth, a murderous conspiracy tightens its noose–and Claire becomes the target of an ice-cold psychopath who will kill to protect his secrets.

Read an excerpt (scroll down).

Devon’s review of Bound by Flame (The Dark Crescent Sisterhood, book 2) by Anna Windsor
Paranormal Romance released by Ballantine 29 Jul 08

Bound by Flame is the second in the Dark Crescent Sisterhood trilogy, which has been given back to back to back June-July-August release dates. I recently read and reviewed Bound by Shadow and found it disappointing. The hero and heroine were wooden, the world building was confusing, and the plot moved slowly. But it picked up at the end, so I decided to press on. I’m glad to say that Bound by Flame was a significant improvement.

After getting off to a rocky start, Cynda and Nick turned out to be a pretty good couple. Cynda, the Fire Sybil, seemed like she was going to be an abrasive bitch, but her characterization deepened into someone with a lot of defenses, but who was a good listener and friend. Though there was some annoying mental lusting, I got the sense that she and Nick were really friends. She also refrained from keeping ridiculous secrets from him, and TSTL behavior (always a plus).

Nick comes off as a confident guy, but not arrogant. He is at peace with his demon side. They work together, and he’s even given him a name. He is also comfortable with the power that Cynda and her fellow Sybils wield. They complement each other, rather than one taking the lead.

The storyline is much tighter this time around. Someone is targeting Fire Sybils, and using a legion of demons to do it. I did figure out who the bad guy was, but only a few pages before Cynda did, so it wasn’t too obvious. I found the supporting cast of characters to be more interesting as well. I am definitely interested in the next book, because I liked Jake and the other Astaroth demons.

The book moves pretty fast, but some of the action made me giggle. The Sybils get all decked out in leather jumpsuits and full face masks. The idea of them running around the Upper East Side with their bows and arrows and flaming Celtic broadswords…?? I don’t think it would be fun to be a Fire Sybil. They’re always smoking, literally, like from their shoulders and knees and stuff.

While some aspects of the Sybil’s world seem a bit nonsensical, overall this was a decent read. I suspect one could muddle along all right without reading the first. I am looking forward to Bound by Light, and hoping that it’s even better.

Grade: B-

The Summary:
Gorgeous flame-haired Cynda Flynn knows fire—its heat, its power, its magic. A fully trained Sybil warrior priestess, Cynda’s weapon is flame. But she’s unprepared for the passion ignited by Nick Lowell, an undercover cop in the NYPD’s Occult Crime Unit. He’s half human, half demon, and hotter than hell, with fathomless black eyes that ignite something buried deep inside Cynda, making her melt in all the right places.

Luckily, Nick has found a way to control his dark side, but he’s done it old-school—through steel-willed self-control. And after five years working secretly within the deadly Legion cult, he’s unbreakable. Or he was, until Cynda came along. Now it’s personal—and even his big bad love may not be enough to halt a terrible new evil snuffing out fire Sybils like Cynda. It’s nasty. And if it can’t be stopped, they’re all going to fry.

Read an excerpt

Read Devon’s review of Bound by Shadow

Other books in the series:

Lawson’s review of Wicked as Sin (Boscastle Series) by Jillian Hunter (no author site found)
Historical Romance released by Ballantine 24 Jun 08

This is one in the many Boscastle family stories. I remember reading a couple of the first of the series, so it was like stepping into a Soap Opera after a year or so absence. There are characters there that I recognize and a new set for the romance to come along. Throw in some intrigue, a thief in London and a couple of other things and it plays well into Hunter’s Boscastle family.

Sir Gabriel Boscastle is rather restless after coming home from the war. He entertains himself by gambling and winning things he really doesn’t want. One of these thing is Helbourne Hall, in the town where he spent his childhood. Gabriel plans to go to the Hall and see if it is good enough to sell then head back to London. What he doesn’t realize is his neighbor next door, Lady Althea Claridge, and the rest of the town, want him to stay.

Helbourne Hall is full of tricksters, drunks and thieves and how they got hired as servants is explained by the curse on the Hall and the Hall having 3 previous owners in the past two years. Those masters didn’t stay and the servants ended up doing what they wanted. Gabriel stays to clean up the Hall, but more so that he can be near Althea, since she had been kind to him in his wild youth.

The path to true love, of course doesn’t run smooth. Althea isn’t married, though she’s well on the shelf, is the fact that it’s assumed that she’s pining for her lost love who died at Waterloo. It’s actually because he raped her the night she left and she feels she can’t ever make any man a good wife. The fact that these thoughts of hers get repeated over and over just make her seem more pitiful. She’s ready to be Gabriel’s mistress, but she doesn’t want to be his wife due to the shame she feels.

Gabriel’s no better with his idea of his wild ways and vices repeated over and over. The country view of London the town and Althea have make him think that his life as a Regency gentleman isn’t what he should have. It’s a rather conservative, the country is better than the wild city, point of view that I didn’t really like. It really was a fear of Althea to leave her home and go back to a life where she had been abused, but unfortunately that idea was overshadowed by the first.

As much as Althea’s problem was over repeated, it’s hard not to sympathize with a woman who’s been raped. How she feels about herself and hiding would be a natural response of anyone and the care Gabriel takes with her, even though he doesn’t know, is admirable and helps the story rise above the mire of the repetition of the hero and heroine’s issues.

The next story is started at the end of this one, and so the Boscastle family adventures continue on, with more appearances by the many cousins to come.

Grade: C-

Handsome cavalry officer Sir Gabriel Boscastle returns from Waterloo a hero, only to resume his pursuit of forbidden pleasures in London. There is no bet this cynical gentleman will not take–and no woman he cannot seduce. But when he travels to the country manor he wins during a card game, he discovers there is one gamble he has never risked and that he may have met his match. His opponent and neighbor is none other than Alethea Claridge, the only person who stood by him during his wildest years and the only woman ever to captivate his heart.

The beautiful and solitary Lady Alethea is seemingly still mourning for her fiancé, who died in battle. But beneath her shield of feigned sorrow, she hides an unspeakable secret–one that could destroy her reputation forever. So when this dark horseman thunders back into her life one night, she is understandably wary of him. She had defended Gabriel once when he was a wicked boy. But now, as a beguiling man, he makes his sensual desires well known even as he swears he will reform. Will the irresistible scoundrel redeem himself and restore her trust in love or ruin her completely? She will soon have her answer as Gabriel challenges everything she believes about love, about herself, and about what it takes to be a hero.

Excerpt (click on book cover).

LauraD’s review of Death Angel by Linda Howard
Romantic suspense released by Ballantine 1 Jul 08

Linda Howard’s last hardcover release was more mountain survival guide than romance, so I had some trepidation about buying her latest before the Big Box store had time to put their new release discount stamp on it. But yea! Linda Howard is back in fine form and I got to spend a perfect summer day off work camped in front of the AC unit reading Death Angel nonstop from cover to cover.

Drea Rousseau, born Andrea Butts, has carefully cultivated the image of a beautiful, brainless piece of arm candy and become the bedroom playmate of Rafael Salinas, a notorious drug importer. She’s counting on a few more years with Rafael, collecting gifts of expensive jewelry to finance her inevitable retirement. Simon is an assassin for hire, and the wild card Drea didn’t count on. When Rafael barters her for Simon’s good will, she’s shocked to realize that her brief time with Simon has changed her and left her unable to continue her relationship with Rafael. So Drea steals over 2 million dollars from the drug lord, and runs.

Death Angel is tightly written and very fast paced. Drea’s initial escape from Rafael is an adrenaline buzz, though detailed enough to make me feel like I could see it as it happened. I really liked her character. Along with a name change or two, she changes significantly as a person during the events in Death Angel. One happening might be a deal-breaker for some readers, but I felt like somehow Linda Howard pulled off what another writer might have fumbled quite badly.

Simon isn’t going to be for the reader who needs a knight for a hero. Tall, dark, handsome; and an unrepentant assassin. To me, it again shows Linda Howard’s strength as a romance writer that I could believe in this guy as the hero and love interest of the book. Her contemporary romantic suspense has sometimes included characters of moral ambiguity, but Simon has got to be near the front of that particular pack. Does he redeem himself? That’s a question every reader is going to have to decide for themselves.

Death Angel is a great mix of romance and action. Part road romance, part thriller, all good fun summer buzz. There will probably be readers who don’t like this book, I can see where some issues might be based. Bottom line, I am betting you’ll like Death Angel as much as I did. I’m going to put my copy on the keeper shelf, just as soon as I read it again!

Grade: A+

A striking beauty with a taste for diamonds and dangerous men, Drea Rousseau is more than content to be arm candy for Rafael Salinas, a notorious crime lord who deals with betrayal through quick and treacherous means: a bullet to the back of the head, a blade across the neck, an incendiary device beneath a car. Eager to break with Rafael, Drea makes a fateful decision and a desperate move, stealing a mountain of cash from the malicious killer. After all, an escape needs to be financed.

Though Drea runs, Salinas knows she can’t hide-and he dispatches a cold-blooded assassin in hot pursuit, resulting in a tragic turn of events. Or does it?
Left for dead, Drea miraculously returns to the realm of the living a changed woman. She’s no longer shallow and selfish, no longer steals or cheats or sells herself short. Both humbled and thrilled with this unexpected second chance, Drea embraces her new life. But in order to feel safe and sound-and stop nervously looking over her shoulder-she will need to take down those who marked her for death.

Joining forces with the FBI, supplying vital inside information that only she can provide, Drea finds herself working with the most dangerous man she’s ever known. Yet the closer they get to danger, the more intense their feelings for each other become, and the more Drea realizes that the cost of her new life may be her life itself-as well as her heart.

Devon’s review of Bound by Shadow (The Dark Crescent Sisterhood, Book 1) by Anna Windsor
Paranormal Romance released by Ballantine 24 Jun 08

Picture the paranormal romance landscape: studded with brooding leather clad vamps and rugged lone shifters, all bent on saving the world from evil and protecting their women. What’s missing? Chicks. Ass-kicking chicks. Sure, you’ve got a token here and there, but in Bound by Shadow, the sisters are doing it for themselves. The Dark Crescent Sisterhood can hold their own with any fictional warriors, using research, strategy, technology and weapons to fight their foes in this flawed but ultimately promising start to a new series.

There is a lot of world building in Bound by Shadow. The Dark Crescent Sisterhood, or Sibyls as they are known, are triads of women. Each woman holds a power rooted in one of the elements, and each triad is made up of an Earth Sibyl (“the mortar”), a Fire Sibyl (“the pestle”) and an Air Sibyl (“the broom”). The women are raised and trained at one of three “Motherhouses”: Russia (the Earth Sybils), Ireland (the Fire Sybils), Greek (the Air Sybils). The Earth Sibyl then chooses a broom and a pestle, and the triad is assigned an area to protect. The women also have other roles to play based upon their various strengths, and…well, let’s make a long story short. I found this world intriguing, and enjoyed the friendship factor between the women and the fact that they were intelligent, accomplished and tough. But there is a lot to follow, and a lot of magickal hooey, and it slowed the book waaaay down.

Slow was a big problem for a lot of this book. It put me to sleep a number of times. There were some really interesting things going on. NYPD detective Creed Lowell meets the Sibyls through his partner, Andy, when they are following leads on the ritualistic murder of a Senator’s son. He is immediately attracted to Riana Dumain (the Earth Sibyl), and vice versa, but Creed has a beast inside him and Riana knows it. What’s inside Creed? What happened to the murdered boy? I kept falling asleep while waiting to find out. With the world building, the romance, and the mysteries, everything just seemed to move slow. But once things come together at the end, the last hundred pages or so were great, action packed.

I didn’t find Creed and Riana’s romance particularly compelling either. It started with instant lust. Riana had her hand on Creed’s junk for silly reasons twice in the first fifty pages. Although there were some hot love scenes later, I never got past the weak start to their romance. It didn’t help that neither were particularly interesting characters. I never got a sense of them as people. I think that happens a lot in the first book in a series. So much other stuff has to get done, the love story gets the shaft.

Bound by Shadow fell victim to the “everything but the kitchen sink” syndrome that can happen with a paranormal romance. There was an interesting but overly involved mythology, an overwrought yet underdeveloped romance, and an intriguing mystery that was dropped for chapters at a time. The hero and heroine of this book were kinda cardboard, but I like the idea of the Sisterhood. So I will stick around for Bound by Flame (due 29 July 2008), in hopes that the storyline tightens up and the romance gets more compelling.

P.S. I just visited the author’s site, and have deduced that the third book (Bound by Light, 26 August 2008), features a character that I hoped would get a book and the excerpt was great, so I’ll be reading that one too.

Grade: C

The Summary:
Falling for a demon can be hazardous to your heart.

Riana Dumain is a fully trained Sibyl, a warrior priestess battling evil whose practical magic keeps her grounded in earthly science–and desires. She knows that gorgeous NYPD detective Creed Lowell is dangerous, and possibly a foot soldier for the evil Legion cult, using his badge and drop-dead looks to consolidate demonic power.

Creed’s low profile Occult Crimes Unit pulls Riana and her two sister Sibyl into the case of a politician’s son, murdered in a ritualistic sacrifice. Soon, Riana’s instincts prove true. Creed, the hottest half-human she’s ever known, a demon in bed and out, is guarding a trapdoor to hell. And unless Riana can find a way to tame her mystery man’s treacherous inner self (and her heart), all of Manhattan may be enveloped by darkness.
Read an excerpt here

Connie’s Review Mercy Street (Mercy Street Foundation, Book 1) by Mariah Stewart
Romantic Suspense released from Ballantine (Hardcover) 13 May 08

When a scandal forces Mallory Russo to quit the police department, she decides to write a true crime book. However, her heart lies in investigating the crime and she agrees to help a grandmother find her grandson who is suspected of murder and has been missing since the incident.

While checking out the crime scene she runs into the new detective who is assigned to take over the case. Together they hope to be able to bring the matter into the open and give several people some closure.

The priest where the kids go to school has a wealthy cousin who no longer has any interest in life after the loss of his wife and only child. Hoping to resolve the matter, he agrees to pay for Mallory to look into it. Mallory and the detective bring the matter to a successful conclusion, bringing closure to the wealthy cousin and giving him a new lease on life.

Mallory is a well-drawn character who became the victim of a couple of people who called themselves cops. Eventually they are found out but the damage was done. The new cop on the local police force, Charlie returns to his dying hometown only out of obligation to his family. Both of the main characters were enjoyable and figured out how to carry on when life dealt them some bad blows. I enjoyed reading this book.

Grade: B

Summary:

On a balmy spring evening, four high school seniors–three boys and a girl–enter a park in the small Pennsylvania city of Conroy. The next morning, two of the boys are found shot to death, and the girl and the third boy are gone. After three weeks with no leads and no sign of either of the two missing teenagers, the chief of police begins to wonder if they too were victims. But with no other suspects, the authorities conclude that one of these kids was the shooter.

The missing boy’s grandmother, a secretary at the local parish church, maintains his innocence. On her behalf, the parish priest, Father Kevin Burch, hires former detective Mallory Russo as a private investigator to figure out what happened in the park that night. Mallory had ended her nine-year stint with the Conroy police force some time ago after becoming a target of a smear campaign. Now a true-crime author, Mallory is surprised to receive the priest’s offer–and highly intrigued by the case. She can’t help but accept the challenge–especially when she learns that her investigation will be financed by Father Burch’s cousin the reclusive billionaire Robert Magellan, a man whose own wife and infant son disappeared without a trace a year ago, a man who understands the heartache of not knowing what happened to a loved one.

Detective Charlie Wanamaker is facing another sort of tragedy. He fled Conroy years ago with no plans to return to what he considered a dying factory town–until a family emergency brought him back. Finding the situation much worse than he’d thought, he trades his job as a big-city detective for one with the Conroy police department. Assigned to the park shooting case, Charlie quickly realizes that the initial investigation left a lot of questions unanswered. Unofficially, he teams up with Mallory to uncover the truth and find the two kids, dead or alive. What Charlie and Mallory discover will take them down a twisted path that leads to an old unsolved murder–and justice for a killer with a heart of stone.

Read an excerpt.

Limecello’s review of Howling at the Moon by Karen MacInerney
Paranormal romance released by Ballentine Books 26 Feb 08

The first book in the trilogy, Tales of an Urban Werewolf, was a pleasant read. I found the premise of the story interesting and extremely cute. Wolves make us think wilderness, open spaces, and a complete lack of domestication. What happens when you trap a wolf, who is also a glamor girl in the city? Well, Howling at the Moon tells you.

Sophie is an interesting character, but has little depth. You know a lot about her materially- what purse she has, shoes, car, job, and even what her mother wears. But you don’t get a lot about her. The conflict didn’t really seem that believable to me either, and there were too many questions left unanswered. I felt that because this book is part of a series the issues were excessively drawn out and too much was left open. Sophie also was a bit too flaky for me.

I really liked the boyfriend, Heath, but he wasn’t believable. He’s too perfect, with no flaws other than checking up on Sophie a bit too obsessively. (That’s just my opinion – nobody in the book seems to think anything about it.) Also, it doesn’t seem that Heath and Sophie are that into each other, even though they say “I love you” so much it’s nearly nauseating.

Then there’s Tom, the potential other love interest, and only other werewolf Sophie has ever met. He’s hot, and he’s mysterious. She’s madly attracted to him,. Yup – that’s pretty much all you find out about him in 360 pages. Obviously he’ll come back in the next book – so maybe we’ll find out a few more things about him. Maybe like his age, and what he actually (and concretely) does. So, yes, there is a love triangle. Normally I love those, but since so little happens in this book, it’s not developed at all, and it doesn’t seem like there’s much of a relationship between anyone.

While I enjoyed the story, I didn’t love how it read. This book is extremely dialogue heavy, and the problem is while the characters say many words, they aren’t saying much. The secondary characters aren’t very appealing. I loved that this book was set in Austin, Texas, and that the Saltlick got a shout out (delicious barbecue!), but that wasn’t enough to cover the other flaws. A few of the scenes providing comic relief weren’t that believable. A werewolf in pantyhose, stuck to a bush? Ha ha, right? Unfortunately, I didn’t believe it. If pantyhose stays – what about underwear? A bra? Tshirts, etc. You can’t have one without the other(s).

I normally don’t like series, because I need closure, and a happily ever after. I needed it in this book too. Still, I enjoyed the book and want to read the next one to see what happens, even though I know I’ll have to wait for yet another book for my closure. While there were a lot of things I didn’t enjoy in this book such as the slow moving plot and excessive dialogue, not to mention certain secondary characters that I found irritating … I find myself still eager to find out what will happen with Sophie and Tom (or, I suppose, Heath) in the next book On the Prowl.

Grade: C-

     Romance is about to get a little hairy.

     Sophie Garou seems to have it all: a great job at a prestigious accounting firm, a closet that rivals a Nordstrom showroom, and a terrific boyfriend who isn’t afraid to use the “M” word. There’s just one little itty-bitty problem: Sophie is a werewolf-and her time of month has a whole new meaning.

     Needless to say, life among yummy flesh-and-blood humans is no piece of steak . . . er, cake!, but regular doses of wolfsbane tea and a mother who runs a magic shop have helped Sophie keep her paranormal pedigree under wraps. Still, when a sexy, golden-eyed werewolf prowls into town, Sophie finds herself struggling to keep her animal impulses in check-not to mention trying to keep things on track with her super hot (and super human) lawyer boyfriend. What’s more, someone is threatening to expose Sophie for what she really is. And when her mother is accused of selling a poison-laced potion, Sophie must sniff out a culprit before the fur hits the fan.

     Read an excerpt here.

Lawson’s review of Her Every Pleasure by Gaelen Foley
Historical romance released by Ballantine 25 Mar 08

I have to admit that maybe I should have learned my lesson after the first two books in the Spice Trilogy, Her Only Desire and Her Secret Fantasy. When Sybil gave me this one, though, I couldn’t say no. I’ve loved Foley’s Knight Miscellany series and even though the first two didn’t work for me, I had hopes that Gabriel Knight’s story could help redeem things. With intrigue, a small measure of scandal and a enough chemistry to start a few explosions things may be looking up.

Last seen, Gabriel Knight had given up his inheritance to go live in the country to find peace after his life of warfare and violence in India. His near death experience has given him a new view of life, but when he finds a wayward girl in the loft of the barn things get thrown out the window. He things she’s been sent by his brother to ease his many needs, but he instead offers her a job as his maid.

Some sudden attraction later and a couple of misunderstandings they end up doing some things strangers usually don’t do and she steals off the next day leaving Gabriel hurt. He’s then summoned to help in a diplomatic matter and finds out his maid is in fact the princess, and soon queen, of a small Mediterranean island country that England wants to help. Gabriel then agrees to help protect Princess Sophia, but ends up promising more than his military knowledge and skills, and of course, risks everything.

What could be seen as a run of the mill plot, well it really is. If you’ve seen “The Bodyguard,” you’ll know how things work in this story. The only good thing was that Sophia never really did anything TSTL. She followed orders, protocol and had a sense of duty that a princess would have. At least where her safety was concerned. After Gabriel becomes her lead bodyguard, she’s rather reckless with her virtue for a princess and acts as petulant as a spoiled 21 year old princess might.

Gabriel is definitely the main attraction to the story and his nobility, honor and sensuality saved some of the dreary maudlin parts that Sophia tends to bring out. Their chemistry overrode the kidnapping and assassination plots on Sophia’s life by her enemy the Terrible Turk, Ali Pasha. Some of the secondary characters had some life, such as her Greek royal guards, but most of the secondary characters were members of the Knight family Foley wanted to revisit in this, which is probably the last of the Knight stories.

Unfortunately the great hero that Gabriel is and the nearly burn off the page chemistry can’t make up for one major flaw that I’ve tended to notice in Foley’s recent books. The dialogue is great, but it’s become more and more. . .modern. Not that I don’t mind that really, but the phrasing, some of the words and even the thoughts of the characters just don’t fit with the setting Foley is trying to create. For someone who takes pride in historical accuracy, how the characters talk, interact and think might help promote that feeling with the rest of the setting descriptions.

Though a good way to end the Spice Trilogy, with a better story than the first two, it seems the series was just a way to extend the Knight family when it wasn’t necessary. Hopefully Foley’s next series will help her have a fresh start and give a new set of characters to enjoy instead of going where she didn’t need to to continue the Knight stories.

Grade: C

Blurb:

From the glittering ballrooms of Regency England to the sapphire waters of the Mediterranean, the dazzling finale of Gaelen Foley’s Spice trilogy unfurls the passionate tale of a rebel princess and the powerful warrior destined to become her champion.

Princess Sophia was only a child when Napoleon conquered the island paradise ruled by her father. Raised in England and now twenty-one, she means to claim the throne that is rightfully hers and bring peace to her war-torn land. But an ambush by enemies forces Sophia into hiding outside London. Disguising herself as a peasant girl until she can safely return, she meets Major Gabriel Knight, a wounded warrior whose brush with death has utterly changed him.

Heir to a great fortune, and a master swordsman, Gabriel has given up his worldly possessions and laid down his arms. Sophia is fascinated by his brooding magnetism, and Gabriel, lured by her fiery beauty and healed by her touch, is drawn back inexorably toward the world of the living.

But when Sophia’s royal destiny is revealed, Gabriel knows he must take up his sword again, whatever the cost, to protect his princess from those who would destroy her. And as longing blossoms into passion, Gabriel discovers the one cause that is truly worth fighting for. . . .

Holly’s review of To Pleasure A Lady (Courtship Wars, Book 1) by Nicole Jordan
Historical romance released by Ballantine Books 29 Jan 08

Sometimes you need a book just because it’s mind candy. Kind of sweet and fluffy, but not deep or emotionally investing. That’s what this book was for me. Mind candy.

I enjoyed the basic premise behind this story: Woman wants independent freedom and to remain single for the remainder of her days. Man wants woman safe and cared for and out of his hair. Then man becomes attracted to woman and decides to keep her for himself, only woman isn’t having it.

Unfortunately I don’t think it was as well done as it could have been.I like that Marcus was the one doing the pursuing and I love that Arabella was completely honest about her feelings. She said she wasn’t interested in marriage, but when Marcus asks her if she enjoyed their kissing/touching/etc, she didn’t pretend not to. She flat out said, “Yes, I enjoyed it.” That was a refreshing change from so many other novels where the heroine doesn’t want marriage.

I also loved Marcus and his friends, and the way they interact with each other. I literally laughed out loud and their reaction to him saying he wanted to get married. Hilarious. I think too often authors focus on the relationship between women (whether it be friends, sisters, etc) when there is so much fun to be had in observing men and the way they interact with each other. Kudos to Ms. Jordon for that.

I did have a hard time suspending disbelief long enough to get on board with the fact that Marcus knew he wanted to marry Arabella within hours of meeting her for the first time. She went from being a “hellion” he didn’t want to have to deal with to being the woman he wanted as his Countess within the space of about two hours. It didn’t ring true for me. I also had serious issues with the constant use of key phrases, such as “lovely face”. Arabella had an exceptionally “lovely face”. He loved staring at her “lovely face.” Blech.

I was also left wholly unsatisfied by the development that comes about late in the story regarding Arabella’s past. I don’t wish to spoil it for those who are interested, but I was frustrated with the way a certain aspect of the conflict was resolved. Frustrated enough that it detracts from my over all grade.

Still, it was a cute story with fun characters and steamy love scenes.

Grade: B-

     Blurb:

     Marcus Pierce, a strikingly handsome aristocrat with a wicked reputation, inherits guardianship of spirited Arabella Loring and her two younger sisters – and immediately declares his intention to marry them off. But enchantingly defiant Arabella sparks frustration – and something deeply erotic – in Marcus. After matching both wits and swords with her, the possessive nobleman concludes this beautiful and formidable foe must be his.

     Having sworn off marriage and men, Arabella wishes to be left alone to run her finishing school for young ladies. To that end, she boldly accepts Marcus’s intimate challenge: if he can woo and win her within two weeks, she’ll take her place in his bed as his wife. However, if she can resist his considerable charms, the Loring sisters will be granted their independence. Thus an extraordinary game of seduction begins….

     Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of The Accidental Mistress (Mistress Trilogy, Book 2) by Tracy Anne Warren
Historical Romance published by Ballantine 27 Nov 07

I loved the hero and heroine in this book. Before they meet they each have taken steps to insure their futures, one to marry to carry on the family line and the other to never marry and have an independent life. Even their first meeting is fun and humorous and later their love affair is romantic and lovely but doomed to be lasting, but the author keeps everyone’s hopes up in a lively albeit dangerous way.

Lily is quite inventive in getting out of marrying the lecher her stepfather has promised her to. She fakes her death by swimming into the ocean in the middle of a storm, and then, dressed in men’s clothing, makes her toward London. On the way, however, during a stopover at an inn, her masquerade is discovered by Ethan, Marquis Vessy, a handsome man who pays attention and figures out the young boy traveling alone is really a woman, an intriguing woman with an adverturous spirit and courage to boot. I so enjoyed the scenes between these two when Ethan buys “Jack” a meal and keeps pressing food on her, telling her when he was young he never seemed to be able to get enough to eat. She has pluck and keeps shoveling the food in. He even offers her a cheroot when she shows interest as he lights up, and it’s quite humorous to see her try to keep her disguise in place when Ethan is trying to expose her.

They even play a delightful game of guess “Jack’s” real name as they head toward London together due to Lily refusing to tell him anything about herself. Secrecy is utmost in her mind, the only way to insure her stepfather never finds her. When they part ways, they can’t get each other out of their minds and fortuntely fate brings them together again.

Ethan is like a man possessed trying to get Lily in his bed, even going so far as to give her driving lessons and promising to keep their outings platonic, which he does do an admirable job of until her last lesson and then nothing but seduction is on his mind. Things don’t go quite as planned and Lily is then adamant they not see each other anymore, she’s still very skittish about marriage and having someone else, especially a man, control her life. But the time they spend apart is hell on them both, and when Ethan pushes his way into her home to talk and to hopefully seduce once again, the passion between them erupts and flares and eventually leads them into a secret affair that flourishes beyond their expectations. And just when they both come to their own conclusions about what they want from one another, outsides sources from different fronts conspire to keep them apart.

But they bring out the best in each other and Ethan is now as inventive as Lily in ways to get they want and need to be together, coming up with a plan to rid himself of a fiancee he doesn’t want. The scenes between them when Lily finds out Ethan is engaged are heartbreakingly wonderful, as is the scene when he finally rescues her from her fate that’s worse that death.

I’m hoping the other two books in the trilogy are this fun, romantic, and uplifting. It was simply a pleasure to read this one.

Grade: A

     From the back cover:

     To escape an arranged marriage, spirited Lily Bainbridge has staged her own death and, disguised as a boy, fled to London and a life of freedom. Yet her plans to masquerade as an independent widow are thwarted by an encounter with a powerful and dangerously attractive marquis who wants to make her his mistress. Lily is afraid that if she gives him her innocence, he’ll steal her heart.

     Having agreed to a marriage of convenience to honor his family duty, Ethan Andarton, the Marquis of Vessey, has no intention of abandoning his rakish ways. Then fate intervenes in the guise of an impetuous young lady—a woman bold enough to scheme her way to London, who tempts him with her mystery and her sensuality. Kiss after kiss, caress after tender caress, Ethan vows to discover all of Lily’s hidden secrets. For beneath the layers of her clever ruse lies a burning passion that will ignite a tempestuous love neither of them can deny.

     Read an excerpt here.

Lawson’s review of Her Secret Fantasy by Gaelen Foley
Historical romance released by Ballantine 27 Nov 07

Gaelen Foley has been an author I’ve always watched for. She’s got a wonderful way with dialogue, historical detail and characterization. The Knight Miscellany gave some great, dashing heroes and wonderful independent heroines. I had high hopes for the Spice Trilogy and the first book was a bit of a let down. The promise of exotic India and the secrets of the East wasn’t enough for me to go out and grab this book after reading the first one. But, it’s Spring Break, this was in my box o’ books from Syb, and I thought I’d give it a try.

What I found was a decent first half of a story, but a second half that is one mishap and trite conversation after another. Lily Balfour is working hard to keep her family’s good name and fortune. She had been seduced at a young age and now is forced to marry someone with money to keep her home from falling down around her ears. So she plans to marry someone rich but stupid. The kink in the works is when she meets Major Derek Knight at night in a garden at a costume party.

The attraction is instant, but Lily has found her rich but stupid man and so she leads Derek on a merry chase until they both realize that the love each other. Through all this there is an investigation into government corruption with a large sum of money earmarked for the army, treacherous so-called friends, Derek’s brother Gabriel’s melancholy, and Lily’s constant desire to be someone she’s not.

Lily comes off not naive, not even stupid, but just clueless. She does things that she shouldn’t, she worries over the wrong things and is rather selfish in some of her actions to other people. Derek is made to be a perfect hero, but he’s got his own demons and rather than dealing with him, he wants to chase them away and not accept responsibility for his future. There is some heat between the two, but it comes off as trite as it takes them far to long to get to the main attraction, even though they have plenty of opportunities beforehand. It stalls the main even way too long and shows the insecurities and faults of Lily far too much.

This book was a big disappointment on all levels from an author I had eagerly awaited new books. Now I’m not sure I want to get Gabriel’s story or not. Could it be that the Knight family have overstayed their welcome?

     Regency London’s elegant ballrooms mask a daring world of erotic adventure. In this second novel in Gaelen Foley’s Spicy Trilogy, a mysterious beauty with a devastating secret discovers, in the arms of a bold and fearless cavalry officer, passion that breaks all boundaries.

     Some say the aristocratic Balfour clan is cursed, a once-great family now in slow decline. Graceful Lily Balfour is her family’s last hope, and she has come to London with one goal–to marry a rich man. Her well-laid plans are balked, however, by the irresistible Major Derek Knight, a handsome highborn soldier and adventurer newly returned from India.

     Hardened by battles on India’s lawless frontiers, Derek is not just a fighter but a skilled and insatiable lover–a master of the Eastern arts of pleasure. Though Derek finds no shortage of willing women in London, it is the untouchable, aloof Lily who haunts him. After one stolen moment, he hungers for nights of sensual abandon to fulfill her fantasies and free her from her self-imposed prison. But he has come to England on a vital mission, and when Lily is pledged to a wealthy man suspected of corruption, Derek must thwart the treachery that ensnares them both–for only then will ecstasy and the sweet promise of her heart be his to claim.

     Read an excerpt.

New paranormal romance trilogy coming from Anna Windsor, the Dark Crescent Sisterhood.  Go and mark your calendars!  This back to back release starts June 24, 2008. 

Book 1 – Bound by Shadow by Anna Windsor.  From the back of the ARC:

Falling for a demon can be hazardous to your heart.

Riana Dumain is a fully trained Sybil, a warrior priestess battling evil whose practical magic keeps her grounded in earthly science – and desires. She knows that gorgeous NYPD detective Creed Lowell is dangerous, and possibly a foot soldier of the evil Legion cult, using his badge and drop-dead looks to consolidate demonic power.

Creed’s low profile Occult Crimes Unit pulls Riana and her two sister Sybils into the case of a politician’s sons, murdered in a ritualistic sacrifice. Soon, Riana’s instincts prove true. Creed, the hottest half-human she’s ever known, a demon in bed and out, is guarding a trapdoor to hell. And unless Riana can find a way to tame her mystery man’s treacherous inner self (and her heart), all of Manhattan may be enveloped by darkness.

 The fact that this amuses me, really should shock no one.  Heeeeeee!!  **note I couldn’t find the backcopy online so I typed it all typos bes mine, mine, mine all mine

Alicia’s review of All Through the Night by Suzanne Brockmann
Romantic Suspense published hardcover 30 Oct 07 from Ballantine

This is the spot where I say why I picked up the book. Duh. I’ve been waiting to read Jules’ story for years. All Through the Night does not stand alone. I’m writing this review assuming you’ve been reading Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooter series, already.

How this book hits will depend on where you’re coming from. This is not the first Brockmann book to try if you’re not a fan, already. There is some suspense but every aspect of the plot has the sole purpose of resolving Jules and Robin’s relationship.

There’s a terrorist incident that feels kind of just stuck in there. It shows how that aspect of Jules’ job is going to affect their relationship. There’s a stalker but he’s just there to force the Adam issue. There is a secondary romance which I enjoyed a lot but even that was involved with Jules and Robin. If you’re looking for classic Suzanne Brockmann romantic suspense you may be disappointed.

On the other hand, this is Jules’ story! I had no problem with everything being about the romance. I loved seeing Jules so happy and I totally believed Robin had it together. When a story is built up this much there’s a danger that the realization of the HEA will fall short of my expectation. The end of All Through the Night left me with a good, solid, satisfied feeling.

So, bearing in mind the grading system here says a “C” is still a good book, that’s where I’m going with this one. There are a lot of things that feel sort of cheated in the story but they were sacrificed for a worthy cause. If you are a Troubleshooters fan, don’t miss All Through the Night.

Grade: C+

It’s Christmastime in Boston, and this year the silver bells will be wedding bells as FBI agent Jules Cassidy ties the knot with the man of his dreams, Hollywood heartthrob Robin Chadwick.

The pair plan a quiet, intimate ceremony, to be witnessed by family and close friends from the FBI, SEAL Team Sixteen, and Troubleshooters, Incorporated, including Sam Starrett and Alyssa Locke. But the holiday season brings more to the happy couple than they expect.

A waterfall coming through their kitchen ceiling, a bat colony in the attic, old family tensions.even an international incident can’t dampen their spirits. But add to that a parade of unexpected guests, including a reporter looking for a scoop, an ex-lover hell-bent on causing trouble, and a dangerous stalker, and suddenly the wedding is poised to unravel in chaos.

But nothing will stop Jules and Robin from getting their happy ending, because along with a guest list featuring the most elite counterterrorism force in the world, they have their own secret weapon – true love.

read an excerpt

Alicia’s review of Into the Storm by Suzanne Brockmann
Romantic Suspense published hardcover by Ballantine 15 Aug 06 & mass market 31 July 07

I got so behind reading Brockmann’s books. I wasn’t crazy about Breaking Point so I put off reading Into the Storm way too long. This book felt just like old times.

Jenk is just a nice guy, well, and a SEAL. He almost gets killed and decides he wants to move ahead with the wife/family thing before it’s too late. So, he looks at the situation and chooses the person he wants to marry an starts working toward the goal.

When his SEAL team is set to train against the Troubleshooters and Lindsey Fontaine walks into the meeting room, the two have instant chemistry. The problem is, oops, she’s not the one he’s decided to woo and marry. The target bride is the inept receptionist Lindsey’s been struggling with recently because Jenk got her hired. No matter that said prospective bride still thinks of Jenkins as her friend’s almost invisible little brother.

Lindsey and Jenkins are really good together. I liked the way they interacted. Brockmann built heat, as usual, very well without being explicit. Mark Jenkins’ personality stayed true in his patience with Lindsey’s personal baggage. Lindsey is tough without being hard. She also has a great sense of humor.

As familiar couples get their HEAs I’m looking to see which new characters are going to be getting books. We get a little more of Sophia and Decker and Dave. Jules is mentioned but not seen. We get a lot of Izzy Zanella. I’m wondering if we’ll see the victim, Beth, again.

The suspense was great. If you don’t want to read about a serial killer, don’t read this book because the suspense side of the book is strong. I enjoyed it. It’s well done and quite creepy. He’s not so easy to just take out. The storm is almost another character. Everything the rescuers do is pitted against this huge, fierce entity which almost defeats them all by itself.

Grade: B+

Blurb:

     In a remote, frozen corner of New Hampshire, a Navy SEAL team and the elite security experts of Troubleshooters, Incorporated are going head-to-head as fierce but friendly rivals in a raid-and-rescue training exercise. Despite the frigid winter temperatures, tension smolders between veteran SEAL Petty Officer Mark “Jenk” Jenkins and former cop turned Troubleshooter Lindsey Fontaine after an impulsive night goes awry. And then, suddenly, Tracy Shapiro, the Troubleshooters’ new receptionist, vanishes while playing the role of hostage during a mock rescue operation.

     Teaming up with the FBI to launch a manhunt in the treacherous wilderness, Jenk and Lindsey must put aside their feelings as a record snowstorm approaches, dramatically reducing any hope of finding Tracy alive. The trail is colder than the biting New England climate until a lucky break leads to a horrifying discovery-a brutally murdered young woman wearing the jacket Tracy wore when she disappeared. Suddenly there is a chilling certainty that Tracy has fallen prey to a serial killer-one who knows the backwoods terrain and who doesn’t play by the rules of engagement.

     In a race against time, a raging blizzard, and a cunning opponent, Jenk and Lindsey are put to the ultimate test. Rising everything, they must finally come together in a desperate attempt to save Tracy-and each other.

     Read an excerpt.

Bev(QB)’s review of A Lick of Frost (Meredith Gentry, Book 6) by Laurell K. Hamilton
Fantasy fiction released by Ballantine Books on 23 Oct 07

It all started with Hamilton wondering “What if?” What if the myths of Faery were real. How would the Fae be perceived in our modern culture of paparazzi and celebrity worship?

The series centers around Meredith Gentry, an L.A. private investigator who is also a part-mortal faery princess, fifth in line to the Seelie throne, and one of only two contenders for the Unseelie throne. To be crowned Unseelie Queen, she must first give birth to an heir of the royal bloodline. If she fails, her sadistic Aunt Andais, the current queen, will seal the fate of the Unseelie by placing her demented son, Cel, on the throne instead. Surrounded by her guards (and potential kings, if they father her child), Merry must evade assassination attempts and maneuver through the complex intrigues of multiple Fae courts in what may turn out to be a race to save all of Faery.

Unlike Laurell Hamilton’s Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series, the Merry Gentry series really must be read in order (see below). In fact, the world building and cast of characters is so complex it is not unusual for fans to discover that multiple readings yield previously unnoticed pertinent facts. I’ve read them several times and supplemented those readings with the audio books. It’s fascinating to note that, as many times as I read the print books, listening to the audio books brings out nuances I didn’t catch with my readings. The Anita Blake series may be more commercially successful, but the Merry Gentry series, in my opinion, truly exemplifies Laurell Hamilton’s unmatched skill in world building.

A Lick of Frost opens in Los Angeles a month after Mistral’s Kiss and the chaotic events that sent Merry and her guards fleeing for their own safety from the Unseelie sithen in St. Louis. Merry is giving her statement regarding the rape charges that have been leveled against three of her Royal Guards, Galen, Abeloec, and Rhys, by the Seelie noble, Lady Caitrin. Since it was Merry’s uncle, the Seelie King Taranis, who brought the charges to the human, rather than the Faery, justice system, and since all three of the accused can be proven innocent, the motives behind Taranis’s actions are of the greatest concern to Merry and her guards.

It quickly becomes frightfully obvious that Taranis considers himself above the laws of Faery and is endangering all of Faery by blatantly ignoring the conditions of the agreement that allow the Fae to remain on American soil. But Taranis’s manipulations prove to be almost minor compared to the other jaw-dropping events that take place in this riveting book.

There were complaints about the last book, Mistral’s Kiss, and, while I didn’t consider it a disappointment, I agree it was the weakest book in the Merry Gentry series. But Hamilton is back on track with A Lick of Frost (FYI: ALoF’s first sex scene doesn’t appear until Chapter 16). I’ve only read this book once (so far) but I think it may well end up being my favorite of the series! Events proceed at a breathtaking, spectacular pace. Plus, Rhys FINALLY appears “on stage” for some one-on-one time with Merry and we learn some of Frost’s fascinating history.

Hamilton blogged while writing A Lick of Frost that she needed to whittle down the amount of men surrounding Merry. And she does it in a world altering way! Several of the events in this book would have been expected at the end of the series, however Hamilton is anything but predictable and chose to instead transform Merry’s world in ways that leave me at a booklust filled, complete loss to even GUESS where she will go with the rest of this 8 to 15 book saga!

Grade: A+

     Summary:

I am Meredith Gentry, princess and heir apparent to the throne in the realm of faerie, onetime private investigator in the mortal world.

To be crowned queen, I must first continue the royal bloodline and give birth to an heir of my own. If I fail, my aunt, Queen Andais, will be free to do what she most desires: install her twisted son, Cel, as monarch . . . and kill me.

My royal guards surround me, and my best loved-my Darkness and my Killing Frost-are always beside me, sworn to protect and make love to me. But still the threat grows greater. For despite all my carnal efforts, I remain childless, while the machinations of my sinister, sadistic Queen and her confederates remain tireless. So my bodyguards and I have slipped back into Los Angeles, hoping to outrun the gathering shadows of court intrigue. But even exile isn’t enough to escape the grasp of those with dark designs.

Now King Taranis, powerful and vainglorious ruler of faerie’s Seelie Court, has leveled accusations against my noble guards of a heinous crime-and has gone so far as to ask the mortal authorities to prosecute. If he succeeds, my men face extradition to faerie and the hideous penalties that await them there. But I know that Taranis’s charges are baseless, and I sense that his true target is me. He tried to kill me when I was a child. Now I fear his intentions are far more terrifying.

     Read Chapter One and Chapter Two.  And watch/listen to LKH read it.

Other books in this series:

Coming soon:

Book 7, Swallowing Darkness, November 2008

Drop by my personal blog, Cubie’s Confections. It’s the often bawdy, and not always work safe, musings of a pervy old broad with opinions about books, chocolate, and eye candy (you know– the important stuff), and who is convinced that hot flashes burn away brain cells.