Sandy M’s review of Must Love Hellhounds by Andrews, Brook, Harris, and Singh
Contemporary Paranormal Romance published by Berkley Trade 1 Sep 09

I don’t read anthologies very often, but once in a while they’re a nice change of pace. I figured I’d love this one because after reading Lori Devoti’s hellhounds series, I fell in love with these evil but lovable dogs. I have to say that I was more disappointed than happy with the majority of the novellas in this anthology. I’ve only read one out of the four authors, Nalini Singh, and she is the standout of the group. The other three don’t even come close to her stellar story.

Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews

I do have the Magic series in my TBR pile, just waiting for me to get to it. The first part of this story didn’t do much to make me want to move the series higher in the pile, but that changed with the second half. Raphael, a werehyena, is full of charm but is as lethal as any other paranormal creature when pushed. He’s been in love with Andrea for quite a while, though she doesn’t know it. They grew up together, he’s like a brother to her, or so he thinks. Andrea’s just trying to get along in the world while keeping her inner self a secret. She doesn’t want to lose the life she’s mapped out so far just because of a little cross breeding in her background.

Trying to locate Raphael’s stepfather’s shade/soul when it’s stolen after his death, they start their investigation and eventually come upon a house guarded by a huge, very ugly and evil hellhound who takes his guard-dog duties seriously. The action during their journey is hair-raising, especially when battling with said hellhound. They come across a variety of different paranormal creatures that helps their trek along and keeps the story interesting. And their eventual tryst is quite steamy, and Raphael’s confession to Andrea is a highlight of the whole thing.

Grade: B-

Summary:

Kate is on medical leave and Andrea is sitting in her office. Everything is going well, until a giant hell dog escapes the Underworld and Raphael, the smoking-hot and very persistent werehyena, asks Andrea to help him track down…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Blind Spot by Meljean Brook

This is my second favorite story of the anthology. Ms. Brook gives a reader something different and that makes reading it so much more fun. What I found most interesting and different is the fact that Geoffrey is blind due to an ancient curse that has tainted his family blood — but he can see through other people’s eyes. I perked up even more when that little tidbit came along. Maggie works for Geoff’s uncle, a very old and dangerous vampire, and has been sent to help rescue Geoff’s sister who has been taken hostage for some unknown reason. With her is Sir Pup, a fun-loving but also dangerous hellhound. He plays guide dog and guard dog with equal aplomb.

I really enjoy Ms. Brook’s writing, her characters are perfect, and she gives a story that moves at just the right pace and with twists and turns where you least expect them. I will be moving this series to the top of the TBR pile.

Grade: B+

Summary:

The job was simple: find her boss’s niece, bring her home safely, and hand out a whole lot of pain to whoever had abducted her. But Maggie hadn’t counted on her boss’s nephew, the hellhound who loved to make her life difficult, or her own past rearing its complicated and ugly head.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

The Britlingens Go to Hell by Charlaine Harris

This novella is the disappointment of the bunch. Simply, I was bored the entire way. The idea of the Britlingen Collective is interesting, but this story just didn’t live up to the potential. Two of the Collective’s warriors, Clovache and Batanya, are chosen to  head to hell with a client who needs something found there. So all we get is the danger they go through as they journey through the halls of hell toward their end goal, all of which is not that interesting; a client who is not upfront with them, thus leaving them in more danger; slugs leaving slime on the ground; and at this point I don’t even remember the hellhound involved. And only a slight hint at romance.

Not a very good introduction for a reader who has a good majority of Ms. Harris’ books in the TBR mountain.

Grade: D-

Summary:

A pair of warriors, Clovache and Batanya, take on the task of safeguarding a thief, not realizing they’d be going to Hell in pursuit of Lucifer’s favorite toy and along the way, encounter some very interesting travelers.

No excerpt found.

Other books in this series:

Angels’ Judgment by Nalini Singh

I have yet to read the first book in this series, Angel’s Blood, but after reading this novella I’m now salivating to get to it.  That doesn’t surprise me one bit. I should have known I’d love this story just because it’s Nalini Singh.

Sara is being considered to take over as Guild Director who reports to the Cadre of Ten, archangels who rule the world. She enjoys her current job as a vampire hunter, returning rogues to their masters. But she knows Simon, the current director, is weary after so many years and wishes to retire. She’s on one last mission before she has to make her decision.

Hunting down the villain killing vampires is that mission, and Simon sends Deacon, The Slayer, along to help but also to protect Sara if need be, because he knows the archangels will test her. As they work together, an attraction between them grows, and with Deacon’s secretiveness and sexiness, I can certainly see why. Their fling, which Sara believes is all they can have – how can she date such a dangerous and secretive man once she becomes director? – is hot and steamy and the best parts of the story. I didn’t care about the hellhound – which is owned by one of the suspects in the killings – I just wanted more of these two together.

Now that I have some of the background of the series down, it’s time to start Angel’s Blood. And I know I will like it just as much.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Vampire trackers Sara and Deacon must discover who is murdering vampires; one suspect owns a hellhound…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Overall Grade: B

Shannon C.’s review of Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Series, Book 1) by Charlaine Harris
Urban fantasy published by Ace 1 May 01

I don’t read very much urban fantasy, mostly because a lot of the ongoing series seem a little bit repetitive. But UF pops up all the time in my Librarything suggester, which informed me that I would love Dead Until Dark. The suggester wasn’t wrong, though it wasn’t entirely right either.

This book is the first in the Sookie Stackhouse series, featuring mind-reading waitress Sookie Stackhouse, who works at a bar called Merlotte’s. The people in Bon Temps, Louisiana, think she’s a little bit nuts, but mostly she doesn’t mind. Then Bill, a sexy vampire who wants to try to be human, shows up and immediately stirs up people’s suspicions and prejudices.

OK, so I’ll start with what I liked, which was quite a lot. I really liked the town of Bon Temps, and I like Sookie’s charming voice. The world-building here also worked beautifully, and I believed the world that Ms. Harris set up for us. And boy are the supporting characters fun, from Sookie’s immature, irresponsible brother Jason, to Bill the vampire, to Sam, Sookie’s boss, who has secrets of his own.

My problem, unfortunately, was with Sookie herself. She starts off by telling us that her mind-reading gift is a disability, and that just kind of rubbed me the wrong way, given that I am a person with a more recognized disability. I also thought Sookie was terribly TSTL at times, even though, yes, her heart was in the right place. But mostly, I was bothered, toward the middle of the book, when the “everybody wants to dip their wick in my vajayjay” trope showed up. I hate that particular urban fantasy cliche with an all-consuming fiery passion. It’s not a symbol of girl power “yay look how much I kick ass!” to me. Instead, it reads like the woman in question is a willing receptacle who just can’t help herself.

Will I continue the series? Maybe. The book was good enough, but I’m not sure the folksy charm is going to be enough to keep me, personally, interested in reading more about Sookie’s complicated love life.
Grade: C+

Summary:

Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She’s quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn’t get out much. Not because she’s not pretty. She is. Its just that, well, Sookie has this sort of “disability.” She can read minds. And that doesn’t make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill. He’s tall, dark, handsome — and Sookie can’t hear a word he’s thinking. He’s exactly the type of guy she’s been waiting for all her life….

But Bill has a disability of his own: He is a vampire with a bad reputation. He hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of–big surprise–murder. And when one of Sookie’s coworkers is killed, she fears she’s next…

Aural Pleasures 103 – “What” Audio Books are Recommended

In Aural Pleasures 101, we looked at the “Why” and “Where” to buy audio books. In Aural Pleasures 102, we shared advice on “How” to select audio books. So now, for the “What” to buy. Here are a few of my recommendations (audio sample links provided when available, click the cover pics to go to each book’s Amazon page):

Within the Romance genre, most narrators will be female, so I highly recommend that Aural Pleasure novices who are also historical romance fans start with The Indiscretion by Judith Ivory (click to sample Audible.com audio), narrated by Barbara Rosenblat (pictured at right). This Victorian era “lady and the cowboy” story would be a light, enjoyable read on its own, but Rosenblat elevates it by breathing life into Liddy and Sam. She narrates the book in a nondescript American accent, then gives Liddy an upper class British accent that is somehow filled with humor, vulnerability, and playfulness. And the fact that a woman is doing Sam’s voice was lost to me in seconds because his mumbly Texas drawl IS Sam. I think I smiled through most of this audio book. What a JOY this was to listen to! But to illustrate the points I made in Aural Pleasures 102, Rosenblat is also the narrator for Katie MacAlister’s Light My Fire (Aisling Grey series). Even though I ADORED her in The Indiscretion, I listened to the sample and I just don’t think her voice “fits” the MacAlister series as well (could I request that all you rabid Rosenblat fans PLEASE throw only soft objects at me?)

For multiple eargasms, pick up The Highlander series by Karen Marie Moning, narrated by Phil Gigante. So far, the first three have been released – Beyond the Highland Mist (click for sample), To Tame a Highland Warrior (click for sample), and The Highlander’s Touch (Nov 20, 2007)- with the rest apparently to be released in sequence at two month intervals. Phil Gigante does such a good job with the female voices that I was quickly no longer aware that the narrator was a man. And what he does for the male voices… *shiver*… his different Scottish brogues gave me aural eargasm after eargasm! What an amazing talent Gigante is! My only caveat is that I seem to hit the back track button A LOT when listening to Gigante’s narration. Oh, it’s not HIS fault. Well, not really. It’s just that sometimes I get so swept away by HOW his swoonworthy character voices sound, that I forget to pay attention to WHAT they’re saying! (FYI: Phil Gigante is also the narrator for the first book in Nora Roberts’ new Sign of Seven Trilogy, Blood Brothers)

The last three books in Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series (Sookie Stackhouse) are narrated by Johanna Parker: Book 5, Dead as a Doornail (click for sample), Book 6, Definitely Dead (click for sample), and Book 7, All Together Dead (click for sample). This is a series that I initially didn’t care for because it moved too slow for me in print form. But now I can’t wait for each new release because Johanna Parker brings Sookie Stackhouse to Southern Fried life! I find myself stopping and just floating along with her smooth, small town Louisiana drawl filled with Sookie’s vulnerability and strength. Then she changes not only the pitch and tone, but also the cadence of her narration to bring all the characters in Sookie’s world to life. I notice that Book 1, Dead Until Dark (click for sample), has recently been released in audio, so I hope that bodes well for the release of all the earlier books in audio format, too.

As with the Harris’ series, I never quite heard the voice of Queen Betsy right in my head. The heroine of MaryJanice Davidson’s Undead series came across as a shallow bit of fluff to me. But thanks to narrator Nancy Wu I realized that Betsy’s irreverent snark is not to be missed (and wait till you hear Tina). All six books are available through Audible.com (click to sample).

I mentioned in Aural Pleasures 102 that “since an audio book forces the listener to slow down and read at the narrator’s pace, you will almost always discover things you never noticed before or see scenes in a different light when listening to a favorite book in audio format.” I have found that, even after multiple readings of Laurell K. Hamilton’s Merry Gentry series and Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series, I ALWAYS have new insights after listening to the audio books.

    Brilliance Audio produces Hamilton’s Merry Gentry series, and the narrator, Laural Merlington, does a heroic job of creating distinctive voices for all the characters. I particularly love the hint of Irish brogue she injects into Doyle’s voice. I’ve read the books multiple times, but I NEVER fail to catch something new every time I listen to the audio books. (click to sample Brilliance Audio)

Brilliance also produces Moning’s Fever series audio, narrated by Joyce Bean who, to my ears, has a voice a bit too mature for our heroine. And DOH! Why was I so discombobulated with her Southern accent? Mac IS Southern, yet I never heard it in my head when I read the book. When Darkfever was first released in print, I read it, turned it over, and immediately read it a second time. Then I splurged and downloaded this one from AudioBookStandDL (see Aural Pleasures 101). In this case, the story was so engrossing that it overcame my initial awkward reactions to the narrator. And it is amazing how much more I STILL got out of the audio even though I had just read the print book twice! (click to sample Brilliance Audio)

Virgin Books Limited produces the Black Lace (yes THAT Black Lace– erotica for women) audio books (click to sample Audible.com audio). One of my all-time favorite books is A Gentlemen’s Wager by Madelynne Ellis (to be re-released in print with this luscious new cover early next year followed by the long awaited sequel, Phantasmagoria), but the audio book didn’t quite live up to my expectations. To my Midwest American ear, the narrator, Betsy Garden, sounded too contemporary (the book is set in Georgian England) and did not create the distinctive character voices I’ve come to expect. So I couldn’t settle into the audio until I just accepted her narration as a Joan Collins or a Victoria Beckham reading the book out loud. [hee] Nevertheless, I STILL managed to view a couple of scenes in a new light. It wasn’t truly disappointing, I just think it was a missed opportunity to bring even more dimension to a story that contains one of the most deliciously complex characters (Vaughan) I’ve ever read (click to sample AGW).

And the Dud Duck Award goes to…

The Raintree Trilogy (Inferno, Haunted, Sanctuary), Silhouette Nocturnes published by Harlequin Enterprises LTD. The trilogy is an enjoyable, multi-author (Linda Howard, Linda Winstead Jones, Beverly Barton), three-book story that was ruined by a bad narrator/story “fit.” Narrator Stefan Rudnicki pairs up with a different female co-narrator in each book (Hillary Huber, Theo McKell, Gabrielle de Cuir). I thought it was just a matter of acclimating myself to his style and, when Audible.com had a sale, I bought the last two books before I was finished with the first one. BIG mistake. First of all, Stefan Rudnicki should never, EVER, attempt a female voice again– he just sounds like he’s mocking women. And second, by the time I hit book three, I was gnashing my teeth and tempted to just go buy the print books so I would never have to listen to his.slow.style.of.speaking.ever.again. GAK! Buy these books in print or ebook only! (click to sample Audible.com audio… if you dare)

I’ve also downloaded some non-romance audio from Audible, too– including several episodes of Evening at the Improv and several episodes of Biography on A&E. These hold-up surprisingly well in audio format!

So help the current and future audio addicts out– have you listened to any audio books that elevated the original print story (they don’t necessarily have to be Romance)? Listened to any duds we should stay away from? If there’s enough interest maybe Syb will take pity on us poor desperate addicts and let us periodically have audio book rec sessions, which should make the selection process easier for all of us. C’mon and share– you KNOW you want to!

Don’t Miss:
Aural Pleasures 101 – “Why” and “Where” to buy Audio Books – Tell us why you listen to audio books.
Aural Pleasures 102 – “How” to Select an Audio Book – Come share your tips for selection.

Read more from Bev at Cubie’s Confections.