LynneC’s review of Loose Ends (Steele Street, Book 11) by Tara Janzen
Romantic Suspense published by Dell 25 Jan 11

This is, in a way, a letter of thanks to Ms. Janzten for writing a series of books that have given me so much pleasure for years. These books aren’t perfect, but they are the most fun you can have between two covers. Janzen is the kind of author who just writes and gets her books into the bestseller lists but rarely gets reviews and discussion online. So this is my letter of thanks to her. Although this is a review of the last book in the series, I want to say how much I enjoyed each and every one.

I started reading the series from a book I picked up at a conference. It was Crazy Wild, the book about Creed Rivera, the Hispanic blond with gray eyes, who, because of his coloring, never felt he belonged anywhere. I spent half the long flight home, in the worst seat on the plane, reading this book, totally taken away and loving every minute. It’s still one of my favourite books in the series.

The series is about a group of warriors who live and work in Steele Street, Denver, Colorado. They are led by Dylan Hart, a wealthy ex-secret agent, who gathered a motley group to form the elite force. The building used to be a chop shop, a place where stolen cars could be taken apart and reassembled, and the cover for the ops is now a place that restores old muscle cars. In fact, the cars are secondary characters. They all have names and each operative has a preferred car. It gives a great texture and continuity to the whole series. The series has a separate story per book and an overarching story arc that culminates in Loose Ends. I’m going to do my best to avoid spoilers. So you can read them as separate books or you can read them from start to finish. Either way, I guarantee you a good time.

There are plot holes in these books. The characters have sex at inappropriate times. There are a few inconsistencies. My advice? Ignore them. Just go with it. The sense of place is strong in these books, particularly when the story is set entirely in Denver, as Loose Ends is. The cars and the great warehouse that is a workspace and contains loft apartments for several of the operatives are so real you can see them.

Janzen has a gift for explaining a complicated scenario without getting you too bogged down or chucking in great swathes of backstory. And she has that “page turnability” authors strive for and don’t always achieve. I sat up far too late reading Loose Ends. Putting it down just wasn’t an option.

In the first book of the series, we hear how Peter Chronopoulos, with the wonderful nickname of Kid Chaos, and Christian Hawkins return from South America from an operation gone wrong, leaving one of their number, JT Chronopoulos, Kid’s brother, behind, tortured, and dead. (here’s the spoiler – unavoidable when discussing this book, but hardly a surprise to most) This book is JT’s story. He’s calling himself Con Farrel, has broken away from the organization that has made him a supersoldier, and is determined to spend what is left of his life hunting down and killing the man who has done this to him. Not for revenge, or not primarily for revenge, but to stop him from doing it to anyone else. The villain is doing it to others and he is wrecking lives, because the experiments are terrible and result in unstable human beings with a short lifespan. He’s done it to women, too, and one of them, Gillian, or Red Dog, is now a member of the Steele Street team.

That’s something I love about the series – there are badass female warriors, too. Dylan Hart, the leader of the group, is married to one of them, a woman with one of the best names in the whole of romance, Skeeter Bang. She’s now Skeeter Bang-Hart.

Each book contains a romance, and Loose Ends is no exception. Jane Linden used to be a pickpocket, one of the best. She’s now running an art gallery, but old skills die hard, and when she sees a man who looks just like her old love, JT, on the street, she takes a minute to grab his wallet out of his back pocket. After an explosive (literally) scene set back at Steele Street, she finds herself on the run with JT, now calling himself a different name and with his memory of events older than six years completely obliterated. Except he still wants her.

There is a secondary romance, and here you have to prepare yourself for a plot thing, because the person necessary for the first set piece has little to do for the rest of the book. So the secondary romance, between an operative and a more or less redundant character, isn’t as compelling, but Janzen gives these people character, instead of lazily putting characteristics into a shell. So you care about them and what they want. The resulting romance is sweeter and less fraught, but is an interesting counter to the main romance between JT and Jane.

Janzen writes graphic novels on the page. I don’t read many graphic novels, but this reads like one. Big, explosive set pieces, then smaller scenes, and never a moment to catch your breath. It’s hard to convey what fun these books are, so I’ll let Janzen do it for herself:

This is when Con (JT) first sees Jane in the street:

Keeping his pace steady, he allowed himself the luxury of letting his gaze travel over the jungle girl—urban jungle. She was “city” from the top of her head to the discreet black leather straps wrapped around the ankles of her boots. If beauty had an edge, she was it, the gloss of sophistication highlighting her attitude and the toughness he saw in the way she carried herself, in her awareness of her space. The sidewalk was crowded, but she had a way of not letting anybody get too close. He knew it wasn’t an accident, the way she kept herself apart, because he had the same skill, the same instinct. It was survival learned the hard way.

Thirty yards and closing, twenty yards, ten yards and he caught her scent, picking it out of the thousands in the air, exotic, sensual, female, and, yes, feral—a kindred spirit. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, and the smallest smile curved a corner of his mouth.

Wild Thing.

Five yards and something shifted in her stride, a hesitation. Her next step came slower, and then she stopped, her mouth opening on a soft gasp. She was looking straight at him. He could feel her gaze, felt her awareness of him spike and redline. He was scarred—on his face, on his arms, his hands, his chest—hell, everywhere—but it wasn’t horror reaching out to him from her. It was something … something … something else. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

See what I mean? Fun. Go read.

Grade: A

Summary:

WHITE-HOT, DOWN-AND-DIRTY PASSION IGNITES WHEN A SEXY SOLDIER ENCOUNTERS AN IRRESISTIBLE THIEF WHO’S CHANGED HER WAYS.

Six years ago, the Special Defense Force mourned the loss of J. T. Chronopolous. Now the striking soldier is back with scant memory, a new name—Conroy Farrel—and one single mission: to bring down SDF. But SDF has its own plan: get him back at any cost. And so they’ve set a trap for Con, a trap that Jane Linden accidentally steps into. With darkness falling and the night heating up, Con finds himself on the run in an oddly familiar 1967 Pontiac GTO with a drop-dead-gorgeous brunette named Jane by his side. Who she is he doesn’t know. Or does he? Jane certainly hasn’t forgotten him. When she was a teenager, he caught her picking his pocket. Now the former street thief is all grown up and gone legit—and the effect she has on Con is all too clear: pure, sweet longing. Con’s not sure if Jane is there to save him or to take him down. But one thing’s certain: With desire leading the way, all bets are off.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

LynneC’s review of Deeper than Midnight (Midnight Breeds, Book 9) by Lara Adrian
Paranormal Romance published by  Dell 28 June 10

I’ve read this Adrian series from the beginning. It’s one of the few series I’ve stuck with, but I’m seriously thinking of giving up, unless it ends very soon. I’ve stuck with it a lot longer than I stuck with Kenyon and Ward, but that’s mainly because I’m a romance reader, and urban fantasy doesn’t do it for me. If it does it for you, I think you’ll love this one.

One of the advantages Adrian has over Ward and Kenyon is her heroines. They are grown-ups and you can tell one from the other. Although they do it in different ways, none of them take anything mildly. They will always take their own fate into their hands, and rarely in a TSTL way.

The start of my doubts came for me with Andreas Reichen’s book, Ashes of Midnight. I love the descriptions of Andreas in earlier books—a family man who cared for his Darkhaven and had values. But all that is thrown away in his book. He becomes a badass warrior and is indistinguishable from any of the other vampires in the series. He turns into the steroid-muscled stereotype vampire. And, consequently, merely a foil for the heroine. There aren’t many books I read for the heroines, but this is one series where that is certainly the case.

The plot to this is well thought out and works through, as long as you don’t think too hard. The plot holes are common to most of the vampire series out there, like how do they keep hidden in this world of records and passports and certificates, where the IRS can trace you halfway across the world? Never mind, they live in this huge mansion, communally, as is also frequently done in these books, and nobody bothers them. In Boston, though, I don’t really get a sense of place in these books.

In this one, it’s Hunter. He’s best described as a male version of Seven in Star Trek – Voyager. Part of a collective, who is finally free of the Borg, or in this case his master Dragos, and is finding his own way. And a virgin. Never been kissed. That is a fascinating setup, isn’t it? But a lot of that is wasted, because I never feel really connected to Hunter. His third-person narrative is always light, never really exploring what it feels like to be free and what his years of slavery had done to him. There’s no going deep here. But he is a badass warrior.

The heroine, more interesting to me, is Corinne, who has been away from home for 70 years, having been in captivity as a Breedmate. She has a son somewhere, but she doesn’t know where he is. At first, I worried that it might be Hunter who doesn’t know his mother, but later in the story it becomes apparent that the son is 13, if he’s still alive, so that’s a relief. I could have done with that information earlier. But even her angst isn’t really fully explored, especially when she discovers who sold her to the ultravillain, Dragos. I can’t imagine getting such information and then thinking “what I need now is really hot sex,” but that is how it comes across, because Hunter is struggling with his own problems and is hardly a tower of strength, psychologically speaking. So they get it on, and after a few brief introspections, decide they’re in love.

My other problem is with the violence. These books have grown increasingly more violent, so that they are less romances and exploration of character than a blood and gore fest. I mean, once you’ve read about one person’s throat being torn out, you get pretty blasé as time goes on and more people come under the fangs, so to speak. There’s far, far more violence than there is sex in this book, and, for me, that’s an imbalance. I want it the other way around, because I find violence much more disturbing and problematic than sex in a book. I want more exploration of character, I want to know just how people, however extraordinary, would cope with the amount of trauma these characters go through. And instead I get an action-filled plot with lots of blood and a little bit of sex.

So that’s why the book might be for you, although it wasn’t for me. Adrian writes well, that is, her style is excellent, polished, and easy to read; her females are interesting; and her plots are logical and rocket along at a pace that, at times, leaves you breathless.

I think I must be out of step, because recent paranormals I’ve read from mainstream publishers have all been like that. I want a romance and an exploration of issues, coping with the problems rather than hurtling into another adventure. I’m more interested in how it feels to be a vampire than how many people a vampire can kill without getting tired. Is it just me?

And the title Deeper than Midnight, what does that actually mean?

Grade: C

Summary:

Delivered from the darkness, a woman finds herself plunged into a passion that is Deeper than Midnight.

At eighteen, Corinne Bishop was a beautiful, spirited young woman living a life of privilege as the adopted daughter of a wealthy family. Her world changed in an instant when she was stolen away and held prisoner by the malevolent vampire Dragos. After many years of captivity and torment, Corinne is rescued by the Order, a cadre of vampire warriors embroiled in a war against Dragos and his followers. Her innocence taken, Corinne has lost a piece of her heart as well—the one thing that gave her hope during her imprisonment, and the only thing that matters to her now that she is free.

Assigned to safeguard Corinne on her trip home is a formidable golden-eyed Breed male called Hunter. Once Dragos’s most deadly assassin, Hunter now works for the Order, and he’s hell-bent on making Dragos pay for his manifold sins. Bonded to Corinne by their mutual desire, Hunter will have to decide how far he’ll go to end Dragos’s reign of evil—even if carrying out his mission means shattering Corinne’s tender heart.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Ash’s review of The Edge of Night by Jill Sorenson
Romantic Suspense published by Dell 05 Apr 11

This book is a bit different from what I am used to. The romantic suspense books I read are usually about military heroes with lots of action. This is the first time I’ve read one featuring a patrol officer. It’s just not my thing, but I am glad I decided to give it a try.

April and Noah are our main couple, and I like them well enough. They have huge obstacles in their way, and right up until the end I wondered how they would overcome them. The relationship, the emotions, the problems, they all feel realistic. I think I would have liked more romance and more scenes with the two of them. A lot of time is spent focused on other things and not them. At the end of the book, I feel like I don’t know them as well as I should. Still, I did truly enjoy every part of this book. I’m not sure it would have worked if there’s more focus on them. So while I do wish there’s more of them as a couple, I don’t think any of the other stuff should be taken away.

Something I tend to do a lot with romance book is I get more interested in secondary couples, which is what happened here. There is another romance going on with Noah’s nineteen-year-old sister, Meghan, and a gang member, Eric. They have a sort of Romeo and Juliet thing going on and every time they aren’t on the page, I wish they were. Their relationship is heartbreaking, and I want so badly for them to get their happily ever after. I read on Jill Sorenson’s site that they might get their own book, and I really, really, really want them to. I’m disappointed that there’s no book already to look forward to.

The murder case fits in nicely. Everything kind of revolves around it, but it doesn’t take over the book. I could easily picture this as a movie or TV show, the way it all comes together perfectly. I definitely have to go see what other books Jill Sorenson has out now.

Grade: B+

Summary:

In a sultry California city on the Mexican border, a brutal crime pushes a struggling young mother and an idealistic cop to the edge of passion—and beyond.

To support her small daughter, April Ortiz does what she has to do—which means waiting tables in a skimpy outfit at a popular nightclub in a gang-infested area of Chula Vista. When one of her co-workers is raped and murdered, April does what she knows she shouldn’t—she defies the neighborhood code by giving the police a hardcore gang member’s name.

Clean-cut cop Noah Young wants a shot at breaking this case more than anything in the world—that is, until he meets the unforgettable April Ortiz. When April gives Noah the tip, a spark ignites. As the fire between them threatens to blaze out of control, the two are dragged down further into the dark mysteries of the graffiti-lined streets, taunted by a crazed killer who could strike again at any time.

Read an excerpt.

Ash’s review of As Lie the Dead (Dreg City Series Book 2) by Kelly Meding
Urban Fantasy released by Dell 27 JUL 2010

Kelly Meding continues to make me a happy reader, and once again I couldn’t put her book down until I finished it.

The one thing I was really hoping to happen in As Lie the Dead is for Evy is grow and figure out who she is now. Considering all she has gone through, and continues to go through, she does a good job of facing her fears about her new life. In this genre I think it’s almost like pulling teeth to get any character to open up and admit their fears, and be ready to face them. The moments between her and Wyatt, where they talk about their pasts and what they want for their future, were some of my favorite scenes. The tenderness between them is  perfect compared to the ugliness and sadness of the rest of the book. Kelly Meding handles the emotional aspect perfectly.

The new mystery of who the bad guy is, well, a mystery. Once again we don’t know who to trust, and there are more new characters to throw into the mix. Phineas is one of those new ones who becomes important to the story, and I was happy when he was in a scene. If Wyatt was not in the story that Phineas would have my vote for hero material. There is just something about a man with wings…

The violence continues to be almost non stop, with Evy coming very close to dying again. Going into this I was a bit skeptical about it happening right after the events of Three Days to Dead. Even I thought Evy needed a break, but it ended up feeling more like a part two, instead of a second book. The ending seems to be the end of this current battle, and I am excited to see what will happen after the fall out.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Evangeline Stone, a rogue bounty hunter, never asked for a world divided between darkness and light . . .

. . . or the power to die and live again in someone else’s borrowed body. After a murder plot meant to take her out leaves an entire race of shapeshifters nearly extinct, Evy is gnawed by guilt. So when one of the few survivors of the slaughter enlists her aid, she feels duty-bound to help—even though protecting a frail, pregnant shifter is the last thing Evy needs, especially with the world going to hell around her.

Amid weres, Halfies, gremlins, vamps—and increasingly outgunned humans—a war for supremacy is brewing. With shifters demanding justice, her superiors desperate to control her, and an assassin on her trail, Evy discovers a horrifying conspiracy. And she may be the only person in the world who can stop it—unless, of course, her own side gets her first.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Ash’s review of Three Days to Dead (Dreg City Series Book 1) by Kelly Meding
Urban Fantasy released by Dell 24 NOV 2009

I read Three Days to Dead in about four hours because it was just that good. I’m almost glad I waited to read it, only because now I can read the next book without having to wait.

Three Days to Dead starts different from most other books, our heroine Evy has already died and in a pretty gruesome way. She, of course, has changed, mentally as well as physically.

I like who Evy is now, and I get the feeling that I wouldn’t like who she used to be quite as much. My only complaint is that it is still unclear how much, if any, of Chalice’s personality has transferred to her. It almost made it seem like her feelings towards Wyatt aren’t actually real, which I didn’t like. I want them to be together, but I want it to be Evy who wants it. Their relationship is a huge part of the story. Wyatt is someone I hope is there until the end.

Kelly Meding has shown she isn’t afraid of breaking her readers’ hearts. Not that I am complaining, I don’t expect everyone to get a happy ending in this genre. There are some characters who we get to know and like who don’t make it. Actually, a lot of people seem to die or get injured, but it all makes sense. I never felt like people were dying or things were blowing up just to add in some more action scenes.

The world Evy lives in has vampires, weres, goblins, gnomes, fey, and a bunch of other creatures. Some are good, but most are bad. Kelly Meding has created a world that is different but familiar enough to keep from confusing readers. She has put her own unique twist on beings we already know, and she has done it pretty well.

The next book starts off right after this one ends, and I can’t wait to get started on it.

Grade: B+

Summary:

She’s young, deadly, and hunted—with only three days to solve her own murder…

When Evangeline Stone wakes up naked and bruised on a cold slab at the morgue – in a stranger’s body, with no memory of who she is and how she got there – her troubles are only just beginning.  Before that night, she and the other two members of her Triad were star bounty hunters — mercilessly cleansing the city of the murderous creatures living in the shadows, from vampires to shape-shifters to trolls. Then something terrible happened that not only cost all three of them their lives, but also convinced the city’s other Hunters that Evy was a traitor . . . and she can’t even remember what it was.

Now she’s a fugitive, piecing together her memory, trying to deal some serious justice – and discovering that she has only three days to solve her own murder before the reincarnation spell wears off. Because in three days, Evy will die again – but this time, there’s no second chance…

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of The Treasure Keeper (Drakon Series, Book 4) by Shana Abe
Paranormal Romance published by Dell 27 Apr 10

This is one of those series that I anxiously await for each book to hit the shelves. If you’re a shapeshifter fan, looking for something that’s different and written beautifully, these books are ones you don’t want to miss.

I suggest you start at the beginning with The Smoke Thief. You don’t have to, but this is a series that has a certain feel to it, that has a history to it, and to get the full effect, reading the books in order will only make your experience with it better.

Zoe is the seamstress of Darkfrith, a village of shapeshifters where only the men can alter their form from human to smoke and then to dragon. Their very existence is a secret from the rest of the world, and anyone labeled a runner is hunted down and dealt with quite severely. Zoe becomes a runner when her long-time fiance disappears while investigating the latest rumor of a cult of dragon hunters. Knowing their people do not return from such missions very often, Zoe isn’t able to leave Hayden to an unknown fate.

While she isn’t able to turn, Zoe does have a couple of unique gifts just as other female Drakon have, one of which helps her tremendously in her journey, the other which only adds to her stress and dispair – she’s able to communicate with the dead. And it is during her investigation that she begins to “see” Lord Rhys Langford, a younger son of the village Alpha.

Rhys is also sent to garner information about the dragon hunters and has been missing for some time. He and Zoe were childhood friends for a while, but as young people are wont to do, they each went their own way as they grew up, Rhys living the high life of a royal and Zoe remaining in her staid life in the village.

But seeing Rhys as she now does, Zoe begins to get to know him again, though she can’t say whether he still lives or not, and the odds are certainly not with him. Rhys also takes another look at the grown-up version of the girl he was sweet on years ago, and he definitely sees something  more than he did before.

The way Ms. Abe brings Rhys into the story, the way we get to know him in his “ghost”-like state, the description of the man/beast form he’s been left in when found is all so fascinating. She does a wonderful job.

It is Zoe, however, who is the star of this book. Though nearly a second-class citizen of Darkfrith, she, like all the Drakon women, has a hidden independence, steel for a backbone, and jaw-dropping courage as all admired women through the ages have had. Of course, her gifts help a lot and she’s ruthless when using them.

This is a very satisfying series for the paranormal fan in me. Ms. Abe’s writing is so lyrical you find you’re halfway through the book before you realize it. The stories and the characters, friend or foe, are captivating.

Do yourself a favor and pick these books up as soon as possible. You’re in for a spellbinding time.

Grade: A

Summary:

Something Dark is coiled around your heart.

Something scaled and glistening, and ferociously beautiful. It has been with you all your days and nights, all your years, in all your thoughts, shaping every single movement: your hands, your lips, your respiration.

It lives because you live. It lives because magic is real.

You are a dragon.

Drákon.

The lush green shire of Darkfrith, England hides a sparkling secret: a tribe of shapeshifting creatures who have the ability to Turn from human to smoke to dragon. Fierce, lovely, and dangerous, they’ve lived for centuries disguised as people, undetected by the human beings surrounding them. Until now.

The sanf inimicus, human dragon hunters, have found the shire. And now members of the tribe are going missing, one by one: a little girl. A devoted fiancé. And the reckless, handsome youngest son of the Alpha of the drákon: Lord Rhys Langford.

Zoe Lane is only the village seamstress. Her intellect and ice-cold beauty has left her isolated even amid her own kind. Her final chance to fit in among the tribe was the promise of marriage to Hayden James, a loyal drákon scout sent out into the world to help battle the sanf.

When Hayden vanishes without word, Zoe at last lets loose the Gifts she’s kept hidden from her clan: the power to Turn invisible. The ability to see ghosts in glass, to hear the voices of the dead. To read thoughts.

She’s determined to find her fiancé and bring him home again if she can. But when she reaches glittering, simmering eighteenth century Paris, she discovers the ghost who haunts her every move isn’t Hayden, but Rhys.

Her childhood love.

Rhys’s world has gone gray and thin; he isn’t even certain if he’s alive or dead. His existence is focused solely around Zoe, the only spark of color and true life left to him. Protecting her is going require all of his drákon skill—even as a ghost—because she’s determined to strike a blow against the sanf they won’t soon forget.

She’s his last lifeline to the living world. And he’s the one drákon who ever touched her heart.

Only together can they discover the true fate of their kind, and save them all from the traitor in their midst who would destroy them in a heartbeat….

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

LynneC’s review of Shades of Midnight (Midnight Breeds Series, Book 7) by Lara Adrian
Paranormal Romance published by Dell 29 Dec 09

After the disappointment of the last book about Andreas Reichen, in Ashes of Midnight, there is a return to form in this book. I like this series, which is more straightforward than others, keeps its heroes on this side of believability and contains some strong heroines to match the hero.

Alex is a bush pilot, flying over her patch of Alaska when she sees what looks like a body on the ground and discovers a whole family has been massacred. She recognises the attack as a vampire attack, because her own mother and sibling were killed in the same way, but since the attack she’s suppressed the memory.

Kade, who has been a member of the Order for a year, is sent to his home territory in Alaska to investigate the killings. He takes time to visit his Darkhaven, where his parents are in charge, but they know nothing about the killings. Kade left home partly because he was aware that his twin brother, Seth, was growing darker.

With the conflicts set up, I settled down for a good read and on the whole I wasn’t disappointed. I enjoyed the new setting, a new place for the Breeds to enjoy but I couldn’t help wondering what they did in the sunny part of the year, when nights are so short. Maybe that’s when they go on vacation.

I liked Alex, with her courage in the face of her problems and her determination to make the best of her life without getting all Pollyanna about it. She has a skill which she uses to the best of her ability and it does become an important part of the story.

I wished the conflict between Kade and Alex had led to more. Kade is a Breed, and half Alex’s family was murdered by vampires. She can’t see the shades of grey that Kade believes in, she sees only in black and white. I wanted to see her progression from certainty to healthy questioning, but she fell into bed with Kade and he made everything better for her.

The sex/love scenes are tender, passionate and well written and by the time they make it to bed you’re ready to follow them into the bedroom. The sexual tension between the two was well built up to, but the conflict that occurs afterwards is a little artificial and the denouement a little messy.

But I enjoyed the exploration of the characters of two wounded but still fighting people, who come together with more than a biological imperative. The story was predictable, but good enough to keep me turning the pages and it was nice to see the other Breeds in the story, but without obvious sequel bait.  I’ll definitely be looking out for the next in the series.

Grade: B-

Summary:

In a frozen wilderness steeped in darkness, the lines between good and evil, lover and enemy, are never black or white but drawn in SHADES OF MIDNIGHT . . .

Something inhuman is stalking the frigid Alaskan wilds, leaving unspeakable carnage in its wake. For bush pilot Alexandra Maguire, the killings stir memories of a horrific event she witnessed as a child and evoke in her the inexplicable sense of otherness she has long felt but never fully understood . . . until a darkly seductive stranger with secrets of his own enters her world.

Sent from Boston on a mission to investigate the savage attacks and stop the slaughter, vampire warrior Kade has his own reasons for returning to the frigid, forbidding place of his birth. Haunted by a secret shame, Kade soon realizes the stunning truth of the threat he faces–a threat that will jeopardize the fragile bond he has formed with the courageous, determined young woman who arouses his deepest passions and most primal hungers. But in bringing Alex into his world of blood and darkness, Kade must confront both his own personal demons and the even greater evil that could destroy all he holds dear.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Gwen’s review of Bound to Shadows (Riley Jensen, Book 8 ) by Keri Arthur
Urban Fantasy released by Dell 27 Oct 09

It’s been a while since I read and reviewed one of the Riley Jensen books.  Have I told you lately how much I love this series?  Well, I love this series.  Of all the Urban Fantasy, first person POV series out there, this is one of the best.  I’m always amazed at how totally immersed into Riley’s  stories I become.  And since Arthur is one of the more prolific writers out there, there’s plenty to jump into.

In this entry to the Riley-verse, our heroine is relishing her role as a Guardian – one of the enforcement types who keep the paranormals from consuming humans and each other.  Until recently in the series, Riley resisted this role.  She’s also firmly in love with Quinn – an ancient vamp who is the love of her life.  She’s also in reluctant lust/hate with her soul-mate, Kye.  As per normal, Riley’s personal life and libido is wild and crazy, and very eventful.  Arthur is in fine form in the sensual scenes with this entry.  If you enjoy Riley’s lovelife, don’t miss this book.

As usual, Riley is also doing a kick-ass job kicking bad guy butts all over Melbourne.  There’s a very good suspense element to this entry that is actually rooted in somewhat normal, human motivations.  Sure some otherworldly (and very creepy) things happen, but Shadows has a very good suspense element.

If you’ve never read a Riley Jensen novel, this might be a passable standalone. You may be at bit at sea with some of the details and history, but if you just roll with the story, you’ll be entertained.  Nevertheless, I highly recommend trying to read as much of the series as possible.

The only reason I’m giving Shadows a B instead of an A is because of the first person POV.  Even though Arthur is one of the absolute best authors out there with this POV, it’s still a pet peeve of mine when a story is told using it.  This POV is too limiting to the story and I’m left guessing too much.  I have a very difficult time giving them A’s unless something about the book just blows my socks off.

I recommend this book to any UF fans and anyone following the Riley Jensen series.  Good storytelling, good romance, good action… good book.

Grade: B+

Read other reviews and information on this series by following its tag here.

Summary:

In the darkness, demons come out to play… and someone must bring their sins to light.

Part vampire, part werewolf, Riley Jenson knows what can happen when vamps don’t play well with others. But she’s never seen anything like this: a series of brutal murders surrounding the latest hot spot for vampire-human hookups—and the victims aren’t just killed, they’re beheaded. Now Riley is launching into action, toying with a seductive—and highly suspicious—club owner, and finding herself in the middle of another mystery: women being killed one by one, without a trace of violence.

For Riley, solving multiple cases—in a world going mad with human and vampire passions—would have been tough enough. Instead she has two jealous lovers on her hands: Kye Murphy, the amber-eyed werewolf who makes Riley’s wolf blood howl—and Quinn, the cool, elegant vamp who has over a thousand years’ experience at fulfilling women’s desires. While she’s busy juggling these two sexy beasts, Riley’s detective work takes a stunningly violent turn. Finding a murderer is now a matter of life and death. Especially since the killer has long since found her…

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

Gwen’s review of Ashes of Midnight (The Midnight Breed, Book 6) by Lara Adrian
Contemporary paranormal romance released by Dell 26 May 09

For some reason, Lara Adrian’s books continue to surprise me with how much I enjoy them.  I suppose this is the product of the inevitable comparison with other novels about another warrior vampire group, which I have generally loved.  I keep waiting for Adrian to “jump the shark” and it hasn’t happened yet. Plus there isn’t a single mention of Escalades, Armani, or Ketel One in sight.  Read on to see what worked in this new entry into Adrian’s Midnight Breed novels… 

Adrian’s Breed books are engrossing in that key characters die, mates betray each other, and general mayhem often ensues.  You’re never really sure how things are going to work out, and, call me a masochist, but I kind of love that about these books.  Adrian isn’t afraid to “go there” and take risks with your emotions.  I like that these books aren’t safe and that I can’t see what is around the next bend.

First, some background, because this book does not stand alone well.  There are significant details left out of it that are integral to understanding much of the subtexts in the story.  Good for someone like me who has read them all, but not so good for a newbie.  As a result, if you pick up this book without having read at least some of the previous, you may be a bit at sea.

This series is the story of an alien race, the Breed, who when marooned on Earth thousands of years ago, found themselves able to breed with a few select human females, or Breedmates. The all-male aliens subsisted on human blood and were sensitive to U.V. light.  However, they had psychic abilities and were faster, stronger, and more brutal than humans – using mankind as little more than cattle and wombs.  Now, I know this all sounds very sci-fi’ish, but it actually works.

A thousand or so years ago, the first generation of (male) offspring, or First Gens, rebelled against their brutal forebears, killed (they thought) all of the original aliens, and started a “vampire” society called the Breeds.  These Breeds typically live in communal settings, “Darkhavens”, for mutual support and protection.  The Order, our vampy warriors, tasked themselves with protecting innocent humans, Darkhavens, and the Breed in general against Rogue vamps (Breeds who have succumbed to Bloodlust).

Take note that the closer to the original aliens a Breed is genetically, the more powerful he is, thus First Gens are more powerful than Second, etc.  Introduce into this mix power struggles, political in-fighting, a Breed law enforcement organization who calls the Order “renegades”, plus an Ancient (original alien) whom someone is using to sire more First Gens for their own use, and you can imagine the fun and tension that ensues.

Now to this sixth book in the series.  The love story in this entry begins as a bittersweet tale of a love rejected and a man who struggles mightily with his internal demons.  Our hero Andreas, rejected his lover, our heroine Claire, thirty years ago when he had a horrendous life-changing event that caused him to fear for her life.  Rejected and bereft, she turned to a man who hated Andreas and Mated with him.  Thirty unhappy, and childless years later, Andreas and Claire find themselves thrown together in a cataclysmic event that forces them to address their feelings and their lives.

Lara Adrian always manages to weave some very primal struggles into her stories and I think that’s why they work so well for me.  There’s something very basic about the main characters’ struggle to survive and thrive that is very appealing.  I enjoyed Andreas and Claire’s story, though perhaps not as much as the earlier Breed novels.  I think it’s because less time is spent building the heroine’s backstory – I related less with her than previous heroines. I can see why Adrian did this – this entry in the series had a lot of action and suspense ground to cover.

If you’re itching for a new vampire warrior series, this is a good one to try.  You won’t be disappointed.  If you’re following this series, you’ll like this new entry and will be gobsmacked by the cliffhanger – it’s a doozy.

Grade: B

Read more reviews of this series by following its tag.

Summary:
.
A woman driven by blood. A man thirsting for vengeance.
.
A place where darkness and desire meet…
.
As night falls, Claire Roth flees, driven from her home by a fiery threat that seems to come from hell itself. Then, from out of the flames and ash, a vampire warrior emerges. He is Andreas Reichen, her onetime lover, now a stranger consumed by vengeance. Caught in the cross fire, Claire cannot escape his savage fury-or the hunger that plunges her into his world of eternal darkness and unending pleasure.
.
Nothing will stop Andreas from destroying the vampire responsible for slaughtering his Breed brethren . . . even if he must use his former lover as a pawn in his deadly mission. Blood-bonded to his treacherous adversary, Claire can lead Andreas to the enemy he seeks, but it is a journey fraught with danger-and deep, unbidden desires. For Claire is the one woman Andreas should not crave, and the only one he’s ever loved. A dangerous seduction begins-one that blurs the lines between predator and prey, and stokes the flames of a white-hot passion that may consume all in its path. . . .
.
Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

		Kade’s book is next, lucky #7 – no date as yet

Sandy M’s Retro Review of My Dearest Enemy by Connie Brockway
Historical Romance released by Dell 6 Jul 98

Welcome to the new and improved Retro Reviews at TGTBTU, A Duckie Looks Back. When revisiting some of our old faves or even first-times reads for a few of us here at the Pond, this is how our reviews will now look for any books published before 2005. These are the books that are classic romance that everyone should read at least once. So sit back and relax with a comfort read you enjoyed years ago or with that book you were always going to get to but you just never quite made it. What forgotten books are still sitting on your TBR shelf that you’ve yet to break open to find new friends who have a story to tell?

I have a friend who always tells me about this book when we talk about Connie Brockway. So when I was recently between books and pilfering through a drawer to find a book to read, I came across My Dearest Enemy and figured now is as good a time as any to finally read it myself and see what my friend has been talking about all these years.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters, this one isn’t a keeper for me like it is for said friend. So far my favorite Brockways are her three Rose Hunters books. But there are plenty of things in this book that make it worthwhile reading, one of which is the way the hero and the heroine communicate for a good portion of the book, all by letter.

Lillian is given the chance to have Mill House, Avery Thorne’s inheritance, for her own when Avery’s uncle inserts a stipulation in his will that she must turn a profit for five years while running the estate and she must stay away from the women suffragists that Lillian congregates with. Never having had a home of her own, Lillian takes on the challenge, even knowing she’s stepping on Avery’s toes when it comes to his future.

Avery is confident Mill House will be his in five years, there’s no way on earth Lillian will be able to handle the day-to-day running of the estate, so he hightails it out of England to run around the playground of the world while he waits for the home he’s wanted since he was a kid. During his travels he and Lillian keep in contact by letter, continuing their bickering and bantering as if they were face to face.  Life goes on for each of them, and suddenly five years has run its course, Avery has returned home, unexplained events begin to happen that keep Lillian from making her usual profit until nothing more can be done to keep her loss of Mill House at bay.

I enjoyed both of these characters. Both are quick witted and their repartee is quite fun, even in their aforementioned correspondence. I did feel that Lillian takes a little too long to let her feelings go, and I admired Avery for his restraint in just wanting to take her and never let her go. There’s a scene near the end of the book when he wants to do nothing but reach out and grab Lillian, thinking she’s there to say goodbye that is just simply full of emotion and brilliantly done. I wasn’t quite convinced of the culprit at the end, however. It seemed too easy, too convenient. But, hey, I was still entertained and that’s always the bottom line.

Grade: B+

Summary:
Dear Mr. Thorne,

I give you fair warning. I intend to do whatever I must to abide by your late uncle’s will and win Mill House. Though I know he never expected me to succeed, and for whatever reasons is using me to shame you, I accept his challenge. For the next five years, I will profitably manage this estate. I will deliver to you an allowance and I will prove that women are just as capable as men. And at the end, I shall accept Mill House as my reward.
Sincerely,
Lillian Bede
My Dear Miss Bede,
Forgive me if I fail to shudder. Pray, do whatever you bloody well want, can, or must. I shall look forward to making your acquaintance in my lawyer’s office five years hence, when I take possession of Mill House.
Avery Thorne

Read an excerpt.

Gwen’s review of At Last Comes Love (Huxtable Quintet, Book 3) by Mary Balogh
Historical romance released by Dell 28 Apr 09

I’m not some gushy little fangirl who swoons at every word written by an author.  When I review I am not afraid to give authors I normally love a not-so-good or even bad grade if the work isn’t up to snuff.  So color me surprised when, once again, Mary Balogh blew me away with yet another stellar effort.  At Last Comes Love was such a perfect romance to me that I am definitely going to have to read it again.  And that’s saying something – I seldom re-read books. 

If you, like me, haven’t read the other books in the series, have no fear.  ALCL stands fine on its own.  Though I am definitely going to make sure they’re in my TBR for some future lovely romance-reading time all to myself.  These first four books are all coming out back to back between February – May 2009 and I couldn’t be happier.

The book opens with a heroine that we are familiar with from the earlier two books in the series, Margaret Huxtable. She’s the eldest of the Huxtable siblings and, since her late teens and as a result of a promise to her dying father, she has raised her younger siblings almost single-handedly.  No small task and one which she loved, but one which left no time for her personal life, beyond a brief secret engagement 12 years earlier with a faithless cavalry officer.  All of this culminated in her being 30-years old and single – an almost unheard of event in Regency England among the ton.

Margaret had very nearly resigned herself to being the spinster elder sister, but her natural stubbornness revolted against that notion.  She martials her internal fortitude and resources and sets out to get hitched.  Her first foray along this plan is a ball where she hopes to accept a perennial marriage offer from an old friend.   At this ball, she discovers her old friend is already engaged, then she runs into her faithless former fiancée, and, to save face, fakes an engagement to our willing hero, Duncan, Earl of Sheringford. Margaret’s nice orderly world is shattered in a matter of minutes.

The hero is a unique character.  To all who listen to gossip, he’s a rogue, a scalawag, and a bounder.  Five years earlier he left his bride at the altar, ran away with her sister-in-law, and they both lived in sin until the SIL died four-months before the novel’s events. He’s looked askance at even by friends and family. He’s even at risk of losing his childhood home – the place he’s hoped to raise his young son – if he doesn’t marry by his curmudgeonly grandfather’s 80th birthday, only a few short weeks hence.  Duncan is in a pickle when he attends the fateful ball, when his predicament seems to have a resolution at hand.

The description of all these events, the dialogue, and the emotional turmoil felt by both the hero and heroine is a delight to read. Both Duncan and Margaret are older, wiser, and respect themselves far too much to lie to themselves, let alone each other.  What a relief to read characters who are honest and open.  I’m really quite tired of romance plots where The Big Misunderstanding is the single force keeping the lovers apart.  I’m one of those readers who yell, “Just TALK to each other already!” while throwing the book at the wall. I never had the urge to do that once with this book.

ALCL tells the story of two people who managed to overcome what society thinks of them, developing a deep bond, and surmounting some huge hurdles along the way.  This is my favorite kind of romance – the one that tells us how a relationship actually works between to very believable characters.  No bells or whistles – no tricks.  Just a straightforward romance.

I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a romance that just makes you want to go “Awwww!” at the end.  Frankly I smiled throughout and had tears on several occasions.  It’s a wonderful story.

Grade: A+

Read more about this series by following its tag.

Summary:
.
Step into a world of scandal, intrigue, and enthralling passion as New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh sweeps us into the lives of an extraordinary family: the Huxtables. Margaret, the eldest, embarks on the most risqué adventure of her life and agrees to marry the most notorious man in London….
.
Only desperation could bring Duncan Pennethorne, the infamous Earl of Sheringford, back home after the spectacular scandal that had shocked even the jaded ton. Forced to wed in fifteen days or be cut off without a penny, Duncan chooses the one woman in London in frantic need of a husband. A lie to an old flame forces Margaret Huxtable to accept the irresistible stranger’s offer. But once she discovers who he really is, it’s too late-she’s already betrothed to the wickedly sensual rakehell. Quickly she issues an ultimatum: If Duncan wants her, he must woo her. And as passion slowly ignites, two people marrying for all the wrong reasons are discovering the joys of seduction-and awaiting the exquisite pleasure of what comes after….
.
Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series (these are mass market paperback releases except for the last book, Seducing An Angel) (aren’t these covers lovely?):

and Book 5, Constantine’s story – no title yet

Gwen’s review of The Sins of Lord Easterbrook (The Rothwell Series, Book 4) by Madeline Hunter
Historical romance released by Dell 3 Feb 09

This book has engendered such a wide range of reactions in the romance reading world, that I wasn’t’ sure if I should add my voice to the fray.  But I felt this book got short shrift by some reviewers and that I needed to stand up for what I enjoyed about it. 

This is the latest entry in the Rothwell series by Hunter.  You’ll remember that the previous book, Secrets of Surrender, was about a “spinster” wedding a “scoundrel” and several of the other books deal with scandal in equal measures.  So it’s no surprise that Hunter keeps our hero, Christian, and heroine, Leona, very much in the forefront of scandal with this entry.

There’s a delightful tendency of Hunter’s characters to want to TRY to avoid scandal, but perfectly willing to dive right into it if it’s unavoidable.  I love that in a historical – recognize it, and avoid if possible, or embrace it if there’s no other way around it.  The characters don’t force themselves into untenable situations just for the sake of proprietary.  I find that refreshing and it helps assuage my 21st century feelings of impatience with propriety.

Hunter has introduced an odd and mildly paranormal element to this book: Christian is empathic.  It’s explained as the main reason for his eccentricity in the earlier novels and for his seeming omniscience for all things to do with his family.  He struggles with this ability through this book and eventually seems to master it with the help of Leona – the one person who can block his ability, thus giving him respite from the deluge of another’s feelings.  He also comes to realize that his ability has flaws – something that is quite shocking to him since he proclaims “I am Easterbrook” in his oh-so-imperious manner.

Leona is more of a mystery to us.  Her personality and appearance is a mixture of East and West, as is her character and actions.  She accepts all parts of Christian, even if he did deceive her when they first met in Canton.  She’s also on a mission that Christian is determined to protect her from – finding out what really happened to her father.

This book, like several of those I’ve read lately, has a lot of historical intrigue and derring do in it.   It all spices up the plot, but doesn’t detract from what occurs between the main characters.  Unlike Secrets, that was all about the relationship between the hero and heroine, the historical detail in Sins takes a much more central stag.  We read more about what the East India Trading Company was doing in Asia and how many English noblemen made a fortune off of smuggling opium (among other things) under that company’s auspices.  It was all very interesting.

Nevertheless, the reason we’re reading the book is because of the romance and Hunter doesn’t fail us.  These two characters bring out the best in each other.  I enjoyed reading how they worked out the various misunderstandings and how they worked out how they could live together as man and wife.  It was fun to read Easterbrook come to terms with his emotions.  Some reviewers never were able to connect to him on this level.   I think I didn’t have any trouble since I, like the Easterbrook character, prefer to spend time alone, in my head as well.

This historical is not for everyone.  If you like your characters a bit odd and your romances non-traditional, then this is the book for you.  If you’re following the series, you definitely need to read it.

Grade: A

Read more reviews and information about this and other books in the series by following its tag.

Summary:

Journey back to a time of scandal, intrigue, and reckless desire in Madeline Hunter’s sensuous new novel, the tale of a man who will give up everything for the woman he’s determined to possess-even reveal his most sinful secret.

Only a desperate mission could bring Leona Montgomery face-to-face with the scoundrel whose dangerous sensuality once sent her fleeing from his arms. But she has under-estimated Christian, Marquess of Easterbrook. As irresistible as ever, his past swathed in mystery, Christian has his own plans for the woman he has waited seven years to claim. Yet once desire reignites, bringing a dangerous secret into the open, Leona will find herself bound to the seductive nobleman in ways she could never have imagined. Seven years have changed nothing: this man can tempt her to ruin with just one touch. With Leona’s reputation and hopes for her family’s salvation in tatters, she must follow the only course left to her…even as each step brings her closer to a shattering truth and a passion she can no longer live without….

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

Limecello’s review of Simply Unforgettable (The Simply Quartet, Book 1) by Mary Balogh
Historical romance published by Dell on 25 Jul 06

Simply Unforgettable is the first novel in a quartet of books about teachers at a girls’ school finding love, and a happy ending. I’ve been meaning to read this book ever since I read Simply Love which I enjoyed very much. It helps that I don’t mind reading series out of order. Mary Balogh is a wonderful author of a number of historical romances, and I’ve liked every book of hers (that I’ve read). Simply Unforgettable is an extremely well written novel- everything flows naturally and is very believable.

Frances Allard may be one of my most favorite romance heroines ever.She’s smart, and sensible. She goes after what she wants, has a life plan, and sticks to it. I loved that she turned the hero down three separate times. Not to be a jerk, or out of cruelty, simply because it was what she believed was the best course of action for all involved. And Frances was right.

I liked that she was honest with herself, especially in regards to her emotions, but let her mind take precedence over her heart throughout the majority of the novel. Frances is an incredibly well written, and well developed character. I not only felt that I understood her personality, but also that I admired it. She’s someone you’d like to have as a friend – if you could be so lucky. I also liked how human she was. Frances gets frustrated, has regrets, and strong emotions, but she doesn’t let that turn her into a fluff brain or a sniveling idiot. At the same time, she doesn’t ruthlessly quash all emotions just for the sake of plot. (After all, Frances agrees to marry Lucius, even though it’s not the most sensible thing to do.)

Lucius Marshall is an excellent hero. Lucius is a good man, and good-natured. However, he’s bratty, and Frances knows it. She also lets him know it. Lucius is someone that does not look before he leaps, and so acts as a wonderful foil for Frances. I liked how Ms. Balogh got into Lucius’s head. He gets mad at Frances, and is bewildered by her, but his reactions are fitting. He doesn’t fall into cliches or some excess of emotion just to create drama. I also felt that Lucius grew as a person throughout the novel, and that was nice to see. I found Lucius’ actions and feelings exactly how a man in love for the first time would be – especially one who up to this point, has been catered to his entire life. Although Lucius can be selfish at times, he’s so earnest that his flaws (and there truly aren’t that many) are easy to dismiss.

Oftentimes I read a book, and regardless of how I feel about it (generally they’re ones I enjoy a lot), there will be one line that jumps out at me. A line that I want to remember forever, and incorporate into my normal every day conversations.  What better way to keep it than memorializing it in a review? Accordingly, I’m sharing it with you. This is immediately after another minor conflict between Frances and Lucius.

But sometimes, he thought, love could feel remarkably like hatred.
This was one of those times.

It was perfect right there, and conveyed well… everything. Simple Unforgettable is a character driven novel, and that’s what I love most about romances. The people, their emotions, and how they go about dealing with them. It was also nice to see a number of secondary characters that have appeared in previous novels, as well as those that will have their own stories told in the Simply series.

I really liked this novel, but I’m beginning to think that I can’t read Ms. Balogh’s novels in rapid succession. I tried picking up Simply Perfect the same night I finished Simply Unforgettable, but it didn’t really hold my interest. I’m pretty sure it’s not the books, because the same thing happened with The Secret Pearl – which I tried to read after Simply Love. (Likely it’s that and my mood which is making this review less effusive than it might otherwise be.) What I think is great is that Ms. Balogh’s books – even the ones in series, can be read out of order as they can stand alone. In fact, I’m going to buy Simply Unforgettable. (The copy I read and reviewed was provided by my wonderful local library.)

I recommend this book to all of Ms. Balogh’s fans [if you've already read it, why not read it again? ], as well as anyone who enjoys historical romance. Or even someone looking to try historicals.

Grade: A-

Summary:

Frances Allard is returning to Miss Martin’s School for Girls in Bath, where she is the French and music teacher, after spending Christmas with her great-aunts in Somersetshire. She hoped for snow all over the holiday, and it has finally come–when she no longer wants it. The journey, in her great-aunts’ ancient traveling carriage, with their elderly coachman at the ribbons, is soon made very difficult indeed by the worsening conditions.

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series (these are the mass market paperback releases of the original hardcovers):

Sybil’s review of The Sins of Lord Easterbrook (The Rothwell Series, Book 4) by Madeline Hunter
Historical romance released by Dell 27 Jan 09

The Sins of Lord Easterbrook is a novel I have been waiting for since “the end” of The Rules of Seduction. Christian, Marquess of Easterbrook is a puzzle, an enigma, you know there is such a story there to be told.  Who is this man who walks around ‘half dressed’, obeys no rules but his own, does not suffer society and still manages to remain in favor.  He IS Easterbrook. And Madeline Hunter made us suffer through three books to get here, it is a damn good thing they were good books. Of course the problem that always leaves us with is… does the book live up to the wait?

To be completely honest, I got a few chapters into the book and was some what annoyed and put the book down. In fact I didn’t make it back to the book for a few weeks because I thought The Sins of Lord Easterbrook was going to take a turn off into a paranormal direction. It was rather short-sighted of me and I didn’t give the book enough of a chance, once I picked it back up and decided to just see where the author was taking us (and did learn that no woo woo was involved in Easterbrook’s Sins) it was all good.

The book opens with Lord Easterbrook trying very hard to find his ‘center’ and his valet pretty much thinking his job sucks.  There is a disturbance in the force so to speak and next we know Lord Easterbrook is having Leona Montgomery kidnapped (in a most polite way) off the street and taken to his home for a chat.  There she learns Christian, Marquess of Easterbrook, is really Edmund the same man who once stole her heart a life time ago and who she thinks might hold a key to why she is now in England.

This all happens in the first two chapters of the book.

As always she [Madeline Hunter] has wonderful characters, awesome detail and grand attention paid to her research.  Or she fakes it really well .  For someone like me who has pined for a character for as long as I have, and she did make me wait a good long while to get Christian’s HEA, she delivered and delivered well.

I know it seems like I am not giving you a ton of detail and I almost feel like I should say “sorry” but seriously – I put this book down or at least a month after waiting 100 years for it – you think I am going to give you spoilers?  READ it.

Grade: A

Read more info and reviews of this series by following the its tag.

Summary:

Only a desperate mission could bring Leona Montgomery face-to-face with the scoundrel whose dangerous sensuality once sent her fleeing from his arms. But she has under-estimated Christian, Marquess of Easterbrook. As irresistible as ever, his past swathed in mystery, Christian has his own plans for the woman he has waited seven years to claim. Yet once desire reignites, bringing a dangerous secret into the open, Leona will find herself bound to the seductive nobleman in ways she could never have imagined. Seven years have changed nothing: this man can tempt her to ruin with just one touch. With Leona’s reputation and hopes for her family’s salvation in tatters, she must follow the only course left to her…even as each step brings her closer to a shattering truth and a passion she can no longer live without.…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

Sybil’s review of The Rules of Seduction (The Rothwell Series, Book 1) by Madeline Hunter
Historical romance released by Dell 31 Oct 06

Since Gwen recently reviewed Secrets of Surrender (Roselyn Longworth and Klyle Bradwell’s tale), I figured I would review the book that started the Rothwell series. And a note as I happened to to read the review after having reread all the books: The Sins of Lord Easterbrook (Book 4), Secrets of Surrender (Book 3), Lessons of Desire (Book 2), and The Rules of Seduction (Book 1) (yes in that order *g*) and for anyone wondering if they can be read out of order and as standalones. Read on for more info but be warned I find it only fair since Madeline tried so hard to not have one book spoil the others (for those who do want to read them all) I am going to try not to be my normal spoilerwhorishself (I said try – I should get points for that).

The Rules of Seduction sets up the journey of The Rothwell series. A tale of a noble family, the Rothwells, and the Longworths trying like mad to hold on to their ‘gentry’ status. I rarely say this about a book but I honestly think if you pick up TRoS and read the first two chapters that will tell you if this book is one for you to try. The banter between Alexia and Hayden sets the tone for their interaction for most of the book as well as we are introduced to most of the Longworth’s. I admit I spent most of the time wanting to slap Timothy upside the head.

Alexia Welbourne is a graduate of life’s course on No Good, Awful, Very Bad Things, she knows when she see Lord Hayden Rothwell at her cousin’s home the worst kind of BAD things are about to happen. It is clear, it is in the air bad things are a coming and in something of a twist the reader learns right away that Timothy Longworth has been up to no good and is a bastard. Rothwell makes a huge mistake in giving him leave to tell his family whatever to save face and leaves Rothwell tied to his word to let them think he ruined them by removing the Rothwell family money from Longworth’s bank.

There are different plots and new discoveries you will no doubt find to feast upon. This is truly an amazing tale — one almost anyone could sit down and reread because there is so much to find. The thing is nothing overwhelms because at the heart of every book in the Rothwell series is the romance. And as with every Madeline Hunter novel, the characters are what set it apart. From the bond Christian, Hayden, and Elliot display to the friendship Alexia has with her cousin Roselyn and the outlandish Phaedra Blair. It is the human emotions and love these characters feel for each other and the things they have to overcome that make for such an emotional read and wonderful story I would highly recommend.

And it might just be me but Lord Hayden Rothwell did so remind me of David de Abyndon in some ways. If you have read both By Arrangement (and if you haven’t – why not?) and The Rules of Seduction I would love to know if you saw it as well *g*. My only real complaint is the same I had with By Arrangement in the way that both Hayden and David kept something from the heroine they felt they had to for WAY too long. At least in my opinion but it was a small thing and one I was able to overlook.

Grade: A

Read more about this series by following its tag.

Summary:

Dangerous. Sensual. Handsome as sin. Meet Hayden Rothwell, the shamelessly erotic hero of The Rules of Seduction and author Madeline Hunter’s most irresistible alpha male yet: a man of extraordinary passion and power, a man who can bring out the seductress in any woman….

He enters her home without warning or invitation-a stranger of shadowy motives and commanding sensuality. Within hours, Alexia Welbourne is penniless, without any hope of marriage. Until Hayden Rothwell takes her to bed. When one impulsive act of passion forces Alexia to marry the very man who has ruined her, Hayden’s seduction of Alexia is nearly complete. What Alexia doesn’t know is that her irresistible new husband is driven by a secret purpose-and a debt of honor he will risk everything to repay. Alexia is the wild card. Reluctant to give up their nightly pleasures, Hayden must find a way to keep Alexia by his side…only to be utterly, thoroughly seduced by a woman who is now playing by her own rules.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

Gwen’s review of Secrets of Surrender (The Rothwell Series, Book 3) by Madeline Hunter
Historical romance released by by Dell 20 May 08

Imagine my total surprise that while we have talked about this series on TGTBTU, we’ve yet to review any of the books!  Were I a late Regency/early Victorian young miss, I’d be having vapors right about now.  Someone pass the smelling salts and allow me to rectify this egregious oversight with a well-reasoned treatise on why this is a very satisfying read.  Plus, the next book in the series, The Sins of Lord Easterbrook, is out next week and now Sybil and I are both are squeeing about it… 

How was that for some pseudo-Victorian speak?  Not bad for a cowgirl from San Antonio, huh?  Well, minus the “squeeing”, of course.

I picked this book up because I love yellow and the cover caught my eye.  How’s that for a selection criteria?   Plus, I was pretty paranormaled out and was itching for a historical.  And, reading the blurb, this looked like just what I needed: well-born damsel in distress heroine, common man who makes good hero, some scandal, some redemption.  So I settled in for a nice long read.

Wrong.  Sucked this puppy down in 1.5 days.  Sob!  NOOO!  KAAAAHHHNNNN!!!!!!!!  Sorry.  Sorry.  Small break with reality there.  I’m back now.

So, I read this thing fast.  The story was engrossing and covered a LOT of ground.  Plus there were so many places the plot could have gone – so many side-stories that could have been pursued and the author would have had a perfectly good book.  There was the whole “run away with the brother” thing.  Then there was the “mine shaft collapse and rescue” thing.   The “rescue her from the rapist” thing.  It would have all been perfectly acceptable side-trips to take to bring about the conflict, climax, and denouement.  Instead, Hunter stays true to the main characters, keeps her focus, and lets the story be about the romance and not all the fluff and bother of all this other stuff.

Instead of a “road novel” or “social message” or “white knight” story, we get a story about a man and woman who are flawed, have made mistakes, have married according to their then-current social norms, and ‘find’ each other as well as themselves in the process.  They fall in love in the midst of a series of surprisingly torrid scandals (for the day – well, for today too), but still have some very big personal hurdles and lots of sacrifice on each other’s parts.

I loved the story of this hero and heroine, Kyle and Roselyn.  Were there small things about both characters that weren’t perfect in the book?  Sure, but I didn’t care.  I just loved the story.  At the start, Kyle is so proper and tightl-laced, the guy very nearly squeaked as he walked; and Roselyn is such a selfish idiot with some very boneheaded ideas that I wanted to slap her and say “wake up you ninny!”  But what’s wonderful is they both muddle their way through and, in the process, bring out the best in each other.  And isn’t that what a good marriage is about?

This is really a very lovely story of how to love someone.  How to let your partner be their own person, make mistakes and support them anyway.  How to be a friend before you’re a lover, but still be a lover when it counts.  It’s EXACTLY what I love to read in a romance novel – crisis, redemption, and resolution.  Overcoming what life throws at each of us every bloody day and still hanging in there, because if there’s one thing we all know, life is a bitch sometimes and having a supportive partner sure makes it easier.

You go a long way emotionally with these two characters.  Watching their process – well, reading about it – is worth the emotional investment.  Reading about all the fascinating secondary characters and trying to keep track of the rather large cast, is worth it.  Wondering if the author is going to take the easy way out and let the story devolve down one of the side trips is worth it.

I recommend this book to any fan of historical, or non-historical, romance.  It can be read as a standalone, but based on this entry, I’m going to have to find the other books in the series and absolutely get Lord Easterbrook’s entry next week.  Thanks, Madeline, for a terrific read – even if I did finish it in one night!

Grade: A

Read other information about this series by clicking on its tag.

Summary:

First he’ll learn her most intimate secrets. Then he’ll arouse her deepest passions. He’s the lover she’s been waiting for: the man who can rescue her from her wicked past-for a price-in Madeline Hunter’s tale of sin, seduction, and irresistible, impossible love.

He catches her eye across the dining room-a handsome stranger who stands out among the lewd noblemen and bawdy painted women. But their worlds are about to collide in a way Roselyn Longworth could never have imagined. For before the night is out, she will be auctioned off to the highest bidder…and Kyle Bradwell will lead her from one kind of hell to another. Yet from the moment he wins her, Kyle treats Rose with a gentleness she hasn’t known since a family scandal destroyed her reputation. And when she finally learns what is really driving Kyle, it’s too late. For Rose has fallen for the man who knows her most intimate secrets. Now he has stunned her with a proposal of marriage-the first step in a seduction that will demand nothing less than her complete surrender….

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

Gwen’s review of Veil of Midnight (The Midnight Breed, Book 5) by Lara Adrian (warning! site has music)
Contemporary paranormal action romance released by Dell 30 Dec 08

This series consistently surprises me – in a good way.  Just when i think it’s going to go down a predictable path, it veers just a bit to the left or right.  Something I find to be very cool in what can be a very formulaic genre.  That’s not to say I didn’t have a bone or two to pick with the book – au contraire. I did. But I did like reading it… mostly.

This book had a very interesting heroine and an excellently distracting hero.  They both added a lot to the story and the suspense plot.  I loved how they met. I was glad to see that the heroine was more consistent in this entry than they have been in the previous books.

What I wasn’t happy about was the premature confessions of lurve.  The one thing I like about Adrian’s Midnight Breeds books is that the relationships have always seemed to grow organically – with very little help from pheromones or soulmating crapola, or the like.  I liked that sometimes they don’t like each other for large portions of the book and have to work thru issues.  That fell apart a bit in this book – both the hero and heroine did have to develop the feelings, but before you knew it, they were telling each other they loved each other and that just didn’t ring true to me.

Nevertheless, this was a cracking good story.  The action was top notch – as always – and the sensuality was burning up the pages.  There was a lot of whipsawing emotion all the way with several of the secondary characters as well.  Really sets the scene and helps to flesh out the story.

The pacing and multi-layered story arcs are all excellent. There’s a twist with one of the bad guys that I did NOT expect.  And another twist for a future hero (Andreas Reichen) that just breaks your heart.  I can’t wait to see where some of these twists are going to lead.

You’ll enjoy reading this if for no other reason than it’s a good vampire action romance.  With the exception of an ending that could have ruined the book for me – but didn’t -  I can recommend this book to anyone following the series. If you haven’t read any of the previous Midnight Breeds novels, I wouldn’t start here, but you should only have to read the first one to get into the swing.

Grade: B-

Read reviews of books in this series by following its tag.

Summary:

BOUND BY BLOOD, ADDICTED TO DANGER, THEY’LL ENTER THE DARKEST–AND MOST EROTIC–PLACE OF ALL . . .

A warrior trained in bullets and blades, Renata cannot be bested by any man–vampire or mortal. But her most powerful weapon is her extraordinary psychic ability–a gift both rare and deadly. Now a stranger threatens her hard-won independence, a golden-haired vampire who lures her into a realm of darkness . . . and pleasure beyond imagining.

A combat-loving adrenaline junkie, Nikolai dispenses his own justice to enemies of the Breed–and his latest quarry is a ruthless assassin. One woman stands in his way: the seductive, cool-as-ice bodyguard, Renata. But Renata’s powers are put to the test when a loved one, a child, is threatened and she’s forced to turn to Niko for help. As the two join forces, as desire fans the flames of a deeper hunger, Renata’s life is under siege by a man who offers the exquisite pleasure of a blood bond–and a passion that could save or doom them both forever. . . .

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Ashes of Midnight, coming May 2009 – Andreas Reichen’s story! cool…

Limecello’s review of Simply Love by Mary Balogh
Historical romance released by Dell on 27 Feb 07

I haven’t read many of Mary Balogh’s books, but I’ve liked those that I have. Her writing has a subtlety that’s quite enjoyable and definitely apparent in Simply Love. I’m not quite sure if it was my mood – but everything just worked. It’s not your typical romance, and there are a lot of elements that could be exploited, but Ms. Balogh manages to craft them together skillfully and delicately.

Anne Jewell is not your typical heroine for a historical romance. First of all, she’s “much older.” (All of 29, which for the time is quite on the shelf.) Then, she’s an unmarried mother, although not by choice. It was nice that Ms. Balogh picked such a non-traditional character to write about. Anne is a lovely person, though she makes mistakes. She’s honest with herself, and realistic. Anne also is well rounded, with her moments of foolishness balanced with great pragmatism. She’s also quite likeable, and a heroine you feel a lot of sympathy for.

Sydnam Butler is even more of an anomaly in terms of a main character. He’s a war hero – and comes from a good family, but not only is he an amputee, he’s disfigured. I had a difficult time picturing Sydnam, and a small part of me is glad of it. It was interesting to look into Sydnam’s past and see the changes it’s wrought in his person and personality. Sydnam is an admirable hero, and he has this quality that makes him extremely appealing. I also loved how he was extremely handsome – and half his face still is. Sydnam is an extremely interesting character that I wouldn’t mind seeing more of.

I love how Anne and Sydnam were quite content with their lives until they meet each other. This isn’t a bad thing, because the time they spend together reveals to them how much more life has to offer them. One could be distracted with their “flaws” and be upset with how Ms. Balogh saw fit to pair two “broken” people together- as if that’s all they deserved, but that’s not how the book is written. Anne and Sydnam complement each other, and, while this sounds sappy, makes them better people.

The book isn’t at all fast paced – it’s quite mellow and focuses on the character’s thoughts and emotions. In fact, there isn’t much of any action at all in Simply Love. Maybe the simple fact that this book is so different from so many other books being published makes it so enjoyable. It’s quite different, but at no point is there a lull, or does the reader think the book is dead.

One aspect of the book I couldn’t quite decide if I liked or not was how Ms. Balogh had the characters repeat each other when one of them had a “one-liner.” They were all good quotes, but it got a bit old. However, doing so did emphasize the point, and act as another method in tying the plot and characters together from beginning to end. Another minor thing was that at times the characters did get a touch too maudlin. However, both went through extremely difficult and horrifying experiences, so it was easy to excuse that.

Simply Love is of course part of Ms. Balogh’s “Simply” series, but it’s also loosely tied to her “Slightly” series. It was fun to see characters make a re-appearance and see a “where are they now” in Ms. Balogh’s story world. I really enjoyed Simply Love and plan on reading the other books in this series. I definitely recommend reading this book, especially if you want something that offers a break and escape from constant rushing and stress.

Grade: A-

Summary:

She spies him in the deepening dusk of a Wales evening-a lone figure of breathtaking strength and masculinity, his handsome face branded by a secret pain. For single mother and teacher Anne Jewell, newly arrived with her son at a sprawling estate in Wales on the invitation of an influential friend, Sydnam Butler is a man whose sorrows-and passions-run deeper than she could have ever imagined.

As steward of a remote seaside manor, Sydnam lives a reclusive existence far from the pity and disdain of others. Yet almost from the moment Anne first appears on the cliffs, he senses in this lovely stranger a kindred soul, and between these two wary hearts, desire stirs. Unable to resist the passion that has rescued them both from loneliness, Anne and Sydnam share an afternoon of exquisite lovemaking. Now the unwed single mother and war-scarred veteran must make a decision that could forever alter their lives. For Sydnam, it is a chance to heal the pain of the past. For Anne, it is the glorious promise of a future with the man who will dare her to reveal her deepest secrets…before she can give him all her heart.

Read an excerpt here.

Love the cover HATE the format of the series. First three out in Mass Market, last of the series will be out in Hardcover.

from Mary Balogh’s site:

I will be writing through the summer, starting as soon as I return from the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Pittsburgh in mid-April. This will be Book 4 of the Huxtable quintet. Books 1, 2 and 3 are already written and will be out in successive months in the spring of 2009-March, April, and May. They are First Comes Marriage, Then comes Seduction, and At Last Comes Love. They will all be in paperback. Book 4 will be a month or so later in hardcover-provided I can get it written in time, that is!

Gwen’s review of Bloodfever (Fever Series, Book 2) by Karen Marie Moning
Contemporary paranormal fiction mass market paperback released by Dell 26 Aug 08
(Delacorte released hardcover 16 Oct 07)

Moning has started a different kind of series with the Fever books. They’re part urban fantasy, a (very) little bit young adult (so far), some paranormal romance, and lots of adventure. They’re the saga of a young woman’s journey thru some rather horrific events. A journey she takes with a gorgeous man who is a complete mystery to her, who saves her life time and again, and whom she cannot trust as far as she can throw. At least, that’s what she thinks at the beginning of this second book…

I love Moning’s writing. Her Dark Highlander series are some of my favorite paranormal romances, with Beyond the Highland Mist my absolute favorite of all. We’re very fortunate that the Fever books are told in the same world as the Highlander novels. We even get to meet, briefly, one of the MacKeltar‘s in Bloodfever (I just got a shiver – eek!) and there’s foreshadowing of more to come from him. I canNOT wait to see how that turns out.

In the Fever series, Moning departs from her typical writing style and gives us a first person telling from the heroine’s POV. Normally, I intensely dislike first person writing. It’s just so difficult for an author to do well. However, KMM makes it work with this series. The first person writing gives the action a sense of freshness and tension you probably wouldn’t feel if it weren’t told this way. Part of that is how incredibly funny and approachable I find the heroine, Mac. She approaches her predicaments with humor, courage, and a modern girl’s sensibilities.

The male lead – I hesitate to call him “hero” – is Jericho Barrons. We learn quite a bit more about this mysterious man in this book, but we still don’t know his motivations or history. There IS one very hot scene where he and Mac almost manage to get in each others’ pants. VERY steamy and classic Moning, but still no cigar, so to speak. I love Barrons as a hero. He’s an anti-hero hero. My favorite kind.

The story of what Mac is here to do with Jericho takes some forward steps in Bloodfever, but the story’s master plan still evolves slowly. We’re still left learning what is going on in this adventure. I could wish the plot moved a bit faster – same desire I had with the first book. According to Moning’s site, there are to be five Fever books. I hope the plot is like a snowball, gaining momentum as we reach the apex and start to go “downhill” in book three, Faefever. Regardless, it’s still very entertaining and there are a couple of interesting plot twists in Blood.

I can recommend this eminently readable book to anyone following this series, fans of Moning, and fans of contemporary paranormal fiction. I think it could stand alone – it has been quite some time since I read the first and I’ve forgotten (apparently) quite a bit of it, but I was still able to follow along.

Brava, KMM. I’m looking forward to book 3, Faefever, coming in September.  Bloodfever releases in mass market paperback 26 Aug 08.

Grade: A-

Summary:

Mackayla Lane’s ordinary life underwent a complete makeover when she landed on Ireland’s shores and was plunged into a dark, deadly realm unlike any she ever imagined. In her fight to stay alive, Mac must find the Sinsar Dubh—a million-year old book of the blackest magic imaginable that holds the key to power over both the worlds of Fae and Man. Pursued by Fae assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she cannot trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and irresistible men: V’lane, the insatiable Fae, who can turn sensual arousal into an obsession for any woman; and the ever-inscrutable Jericho Barrons, a man as alluring as he is mysterious.

For centuries, the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Book 4, Dreamfever, tbd

Book 5, Shadowfever, tbd

Gwen’s review of The Darkest Kiss (Riley Jensen, Book 6) by Keri Arthur
Urban fantasy released by Dell 29 Apr 08

I’m a Riley Jensen fan from “way back” – well, as far back as 2006, I suppose. I’m easy when it comes to urban fantasy, though. I’ll read just about anything, as long as the characters are interesting, and I don’t even need a happily ever after. This is why I’m a huge Lilith Saintcrow fan – LOVE me some Dante Valentine. I enjoyed the hell out of Kiss, too, and am seriously glad there’s a Riley Jenson Book 7 on the horizon.

Plus, Keri Arthur must be one of the hardest working authors in the universe. The woman writes like a fiend and still manages to travel all the way to this side of the equator to attend book conventions, etc.

In this Riley Jenson entry, our intrepid heroine is doing a variety of things:

1. Growing up.
2. Becoming accustomed, and even liking, her Guardian role.
3. Learning to live without Quinn and Kellen.
4. Did I mention growing up?
5. Getting good at kicking ass.

All of these changes bode well for the story. The angst comes from Riley dealing with life as an adult – not ping-ponging around like a pinball between her various love interests. The tension in the story comes from dealing with two different bad guys in related but separate cases.

I also really dug what Arthur does with Riley’s love life. I feel like Riley finally “gets it,” as does her love interest. An HEA actually seems within her grasp by the end of Kiss. Well, a Riley-version of HEA, at least. There isn’t the gratuitous boinking with every available penis on every available surface in Kiss – I missed that, but I also really liked that Riley and an old flame finally seem to be making something work. It shows some maturity and that maybe, finally, she will manage to find her mate.

To those of you new to the series, Riley’s universe is an alternate reality where humans and non-humans live side by side, aware of each other. Kiss is set, as all her other books are, in Melbourne, Australia. There’s surprisingly little Australian slang – the author makes efforts to “Americanize” her books for our market, apparently – and it’s fun to me to read a book centered in such a far away place that is still recognizable. This world is populated with all sorts of paranormal beings.

Riley is a dhampire – half werewolf, half vampire – so her ability to kick butt is well up there with the best of them. Riley is a member of the non-human law enforcement arm called the Guardians. If you haven’t read the other books in the series, she was brought reluctantly into the role and much ink is wasted spent on this bit of angst early in the series. Riley finds her Guardian stride in this book and her growth is gratifying to see.

In a nice note of reality, Riley regularly gets her ass handed to her by more powerful bad guys, and this book is no exception. While there is little of the intrigue and uber-baddie plotting in Kiss that we see in the other entries, she’s still fighting some seriously powerful beings. Though, thankfully, Kiss‘s bad guys are just bad guys – no evil genius behind them. Actually a refreshing change and simpler to follow.

This is another excellent entry into the Riley Jensen universe. If you’re a Keri Arthur fan, you’ll love this book. If you’re an urban fantasy fan, I highly recommend this series. Some of the entries are better than others and The Darkest Kiss is one of the best. I’ve followed this series from the beginning, so it’s difficult for me to say if it reads well as a standalone – I don’t think it would, but don’t let that turn you away from an engrossing series.

Grade: A-

     Summary:

     Danger turns her on. Desire turns her dangerous…

     Riley Jenson hunts evildoers-and does it with a style all her own. With vamp blood coursing her through her veins, and a werewolf’s uncanny instinct for danger, Riley wears snakeskin stilettos and pure, in-your-face attitude when she plunges into her latest case: hunting down a killer whose victims are high-society strumpets-and the rich and powerful men they’ve dated.

     But for Riley, the case takes a chilling turn when a second killer starts trailing mutilated bodies of his own: a crazed young vamp choosing victims from a past marked by tragedy. Riley knows she’s got the skill and cunning to catch two serial killers at once…until one of them strikes inside her own tight-knit clan-and a sexy beast of a vampire reenters her life to aid in the hunt. His name is Quinn. He’s lived forever, shed blood, and shared pleasure…and he’s the only man over whom Riley has absolutely no control….

     Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series (I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed any of them for TGTBTU):

Holly’s review of Cutting Loose (Steele Street, Book 8 ) by Tara Janzen
Romantic suspense released 26 Dec 07 by Dell

Tara Janzen has become like crack for me. There isn’t much substance (meaning I have to suspend all disbelief to buy what she’s selling), and the love angles generally don’t work for me (or at least in this case the love angle didn’t work) but I keep reading them, and liking them, and wanting more of them. I think I’m addicted.

I liked Zach. I liked Lily. But I didn’t really buy that they loved each other.

Their story began in On the Loose, the book that came out before this one. When I found out this book would be about them, I was anxious to read it, because they intrigued me. While the action and plot were good, I just didn’t feel that the relationship between the two was fully explored. In the past, Tara Janzen has always jumped around a lot, and that’s worked fine for me. But I think in this case it was a detriment to the overall love story. Every time I started to get into Zach and Lily as a couple, the focus would shift and I’d lose it. What saved previous stories really seemed to kill this one.

I had a hard time believing two people who spent less than a few days together were truly in love, the kind of love that lasts forever and ever amen.  More like lust, with a good case of liking thrown in.  Had Janzen kept the focus on Zack and Lily, rather than on all the characters from previous books, and the secondary story between Red Dog’s brother and Cherie, I think the love angle would have worked better.

I was excited to see the crew from Steele Street again, however. I missed them in the last book, though I wish Superman would have been around, instead of Dylan. The action was great, car chases, stray bullets, quick, witty dialogue.

I’ll definitely be picking up the next book, but I think it’s more because my inner child (the one who grew up with 4 uncles who loved fast cars and guns) wants the action, not because my romantic side wants a love story.

Grade: B

From the back cover:

She’s the unsuspecting beauty with something everybody wants.  He’s the secret agent in so deep nobody can find him.  Until now…

CIA operative Zachary Prade made his name taking out world threats. But now he’s tracking a very different kind of danger and her name is Lily Robbins. Lily holds the key to a valuable encoded file that’s about to fall into the wrong hands. All Zach has to do is retrieve the key and forget the rain-soaked beauty who came to his Central American plantation seeking shelter from more than the weather.

Lily knows him as Alejandro Campos, the seductive drug lord who saved her life. They met when she traveled to El Salvador to film a documentary…and got caught in the middle of a nasty drug-and-guerrilla war. Now, back in the U.S., hunted by spooks and assassins, Lily has to trust Campos again. Except his name isn’t Campos, and he’s arousing a passion so hot it’s criminal. That is, if they can survive long enough to enjoy it…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Read more from Holly at The Book Binge.

Gwen’s review of Midnight Awakening (The Midnight Breed, Book 3) by Lara Adrian
Contemporary paranormal romance released by Dell 27 Nov 07

I really liked this novel. Adrian doesn’t drag us thru some sudden soul-mating, nor does she bank on a mysterious physical bonding thing. She lets the hero and heroine get to know each other thru the course of the book. Their relationship grows naturally (well, vampire naturally) and evolves.  It was a nice change and very deftly done. 

The suspense is very well drawn and the characters believable throughout the book. I loved that Tegan was the “unapproachable warrior” at the start and he was still one at the end, only he had a woman in his life. It was nice to see him not turn into some love-struck dummy, even if he WAS in love.

What I didn’t like was how the opposite could not be said for the heroine, Elise. At the beginning, she was a kick-ass warrior herself – kicking butt and taking names (well, cell phones). But by the end of the book, she regresses into a woman who was too soft to fend for herself. It was depressing.  I wanted her to kickass again!  I wanted her to succeed over the baddies!

Even with that flaw, I still liked this book. Midnight Breed is an excellent series and is evolving to be very different from Ward’s BDB.  I’m really looking forward to the next entry – Midnight Rising, coming out 25 Mar 08.

I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the vamp genre or Adrian’s writing. If you’re new to the series, you may be a tad at sea with a couple of details, but I don’t think it will keep you from enjoying the book.

Grade: B-

Blurb:

With a dagger in her hand and vengeance on her mind, Darkhaven beauty Elise Chase prowls Boston’s streets in search of retribution against the Rogue vampires who took from her everything she cherished. Using an extraordinary psychic gift, she tracks her prey, well aware that the power she possesses is destroying her. She must learn to harness this gift, and for that she can turn to only one man – he deadliest of the Breed warriors, Tegan.

No stranger to loss, Tegan knows Elise’s pain. He knows fury, but when he slays his enemies it is with ice in his veins. He is perfect in his self-control, until Elise seeks his aid in her personal war. An unholy alliance is forged – a bond that will link them by blood and vow – and plunge them into a tempest of danger, desire, and the darkest passions of the heart…

Read an excerpt.

P.S.  Did anyone else notice how this cover’s colors are the “wine, gold, and indigo” the Breed male’s body glyphs are supposed to be when they’re aroused?

Other books in this series:

Connie’s QQ review of Unmanned by Lois Greiman
Mystery published 06 Nov 07 by Dell

Psychologist Christine McMullen seems to have a lot of people trying to kill her, of course her family is reason enough. Mostly she just needs to get laid but our cop is holding back.

The author has a lot of sassy things to say but I see that wearing thin over time. Liked the dog.

Grade: D

Sybil’s review of Unmanned by Lois Greiman

I typed this up about 1am this morning and before I knew it was 3:30 and I had read the book. A couple of things to note: this is a mystery, number 4 in a series, 1st person, naughty words a plenty, fucktard usage made me giggle and there no HEA. Unnerved is set to come out in 2008.

This is the only book in the series I have read and it is cute, fun, flirty and if I had read all four books and if Christina and Rivera have been dancing around each other the whole time I would be really annoyed. So it would be interesting to see what someone thinks who is a reader of the series.

I can’t make up my mind really why I liked this book. Christina gives new meaning to stupid at times. Rivera can be something of an ass. I have no clue why Christina deals with her family or why her brother Pete didn’t make me throw the book at the wall.

But Chrissy and Rivera are cute together. And banter goes from sweet to hawt and I will be checking out the next book because if these two end up together I would be interested in reading more. But I couldn’t do another book of lusty wooing. I don’t think Chrissy can either since she was about ready to go off and get down with just about any man who wanted her. And of coure they ALL did.

Connie said it best, Christina seriously needs to get laid.

Grade: B-

Even in a city of long, tall beauties, psychologist Christina McMullen is used to getting hit on. But she’s definitely not accustomed to having a hit on her. Until the day a charming stranger shows up at her door and someone guns him down right in front of her.

For Chrissy, shootings and explosions are what pass for normal in her tempestuous relationship with sexy LAPD lieutenant Jack Rivera. But the real mayhem begins when her brother Pete blows in from the Windy City trailing clouds of trouble in the form of a pregnant girlfriend, “borrowed” money, and a mobster named “D.” Chrissy always said her family would be the death of her… but even L.A.’s sassiest shrink isn’t prepared for the truth behind her brother’s link to the dead stranger… or the killer who threatens them both.

read the excerpt

Gwen’s review of Embraced By Darkness (Riley Jensen, Guardian, Book 5) by Keri Arthur
Urban Fantasy released by Dell 31 Jul 07

This series is difficult to pigeon-hole.  It’s fantasy, paranormal, futuristic, suspense, mystery, and romance all rolled in one.  The heroine is Riley Jensen – a werewolf/vampire half-breed.  The heroes are as numerous as the situations she finds herself in, but this book’s hero is Kellen, another werewolf and, she thinks, the love of her life.  Riley and her twin brother, Rhoan, fight the baddies, try to have normal personal lives, and deal with pack politics all in one.  Riley is a vulnerable, kick-ass heroine and I like her honest approach to life. 

I found this series shortly after the first book came out last December.  I proceeded to wait for each release with barely contained excitement. And, because of the back-to-back release dates, I was able to satisfy my jones quickly – no suspension of self-gratification for me.  BONUS!

Riley is a heroine I can identify with.  She wrestles with normal (though perhaps not the “getting fuzzy” part, but I’m not speaking for Sybil    ) – juggling personal life, work, life-goals, etc. She’s a funny, honest character whose approach to life is scarily “normal” for all the abnormal stuff she deals with.

A big complication in Riley’s life is she is evolving into something ”more” due to exposure to a drug (unbeknownst to her, in book 1).  As a guardian, she’s forced to kill bad guys and in this book, to her personal horror, she begins to kill more easily. All of this makes her relationship with Kellen – an alpha werewolf - difficult.  He wants/needs to protect her and, because of her job, she keeps getting her ass kicked and not letting him help.  She doesn’t even call him on a couple of occasions. (Personally, I think she is suppressing her her real self to have this relationship with Kellen – she’d end up being really unhappy in the long run.)

Ms Arthur’s storytelling is getting better and better with each book.  As with the other books, Embraced has suspense, interesting concepts, terrific main and secondary characters, well developed story arcs, and the world-building is highly entertaining. In addition, Ms Arthur is one of the very few authors who can write from first person and I don’t hate it.

I think this series is worth the time and emotional investment to read.  Be aware, however, that there be a lot of boinking goin’ on in several of the books.  Riley has lots of different partners but it’s appropriate to the story, rather than squick-worthy.  However, in this book Riley tries too hard to get what she’s always imagined she wanted - soulmate to another wolf, white picket fence, kids running around, etc.  As a result, she suppresses her natural wolf-tendencies to have sex with men she’s attracted to, and she’s faithful to Kellen (at least in body, if not mind).  Not that this book isn’t still steamy and oh-so-hot – it just didn’t have the ultra-steaminess of the other entries in the series.

This is a great summer read.  Be forewarned it doesn’t have the typical HEA ending.  But I can’t wait to find out what happens to Riley in the next entry; which according to Keri’s blog, will be called The Darkest Kiss and QUINN COMES BACK in it! Not sure about the release date, but it looks like it will be next year.

Grade: B

Read more reviews by following the series’ tag.

Summary:

Now a full-fledged guardian–or supercop–Riley Jenson is riding high…until her family comes calling. When her pack’s alpha demands that she solve the mystery of a vanished girl, Riley can feel a trap closing in around her. Soon she is caught between a lover who demands that she give up her work, a serial killer who knows no boundaries, and a club where humans and supernaturals mix–at their own peril. Thrust into a realm of seduction and violence unlike any she could have imaged, Riley has to battle to save everything she holds dear. But the ultimate hunt has only just begun…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series: