Book Pimping One Review at a Time

Moving!

2007-09-25T08:20:00.000-06:00

After much consideration, I've joined my friends at Book Binge as a contributor. You can now find my reviews there. I'm very excited to be a part of Book Binge b/c they offer more than just reviews. They discuss topics that are very interesting and enlightening to me as a romance reader. I just posted my first review, so go check it out!

I haven't decided what to do w/ this blog yet. I'm thinking maybe about transitioning to a personal blog, but am still on the fence about that.

Stay tuned!

Edge of Midnight by Shannon McKenna

2007-09-20T09:44:00.000-06:00

Book description:

Sean McCloud must protect the woman he has never stopped loving: Liv Endicott. Years ago, Sean had to send Liv Endicott away to save her life. Now he has tokeepher close, very close—for the same reason...

On the very day an arsonist burns down Liv's bookstore in a smalltown in theWashingtonmountains,she finds fate has anothershock in store for her. Amid the smoke, rubble, and tears, Sean McCloud appears, calling her name. He's every inch the man he always was—the man she kept on wanting. But wantingis not the same as trusting, and she doesn't dare let himget tooclose. Yet a ruthless killer is gunning for Liv, and she'll die unless they join forces to unearth a chilling truth—and come together in a blaze ofsearingpassion.

Page 287. What is that you ask? That is the page that I finally figured out that Kevin McCloud (Sean's twin brother) is still alive. Knock me over with an effing feather. Why? Well, I've been reading Shannon McKenna since her first book came out. Behind Closed Doors introduced the McCloud brothers. In all the subsequent McCloud books, it's always been a FACT that Kev McCloud was dead. D-E-A-D. Is the sky blue? Yup. Does the sun rise in the east? Yup. Is Kev McCloud dead? Yup. So while I was slow on the uptake here (as usual), I don't feel bad about it b/c it was so unexpected. For me anyway.

So we already know that McCloud brothers' dad, Eamon McCloud, was one paranoid mother-f-er. We find out a few more nice little tidbits, too. Such as the time that he tattooed Sean and Kevin's name on their thighs b/c they kept playing jokes on him. Or how he wouldn't take his kids to the dentist b/c he was afraid someone would put bugs (tracking device bugs) in their teeth. Yes, he was definitely a stellar father. Of course all of his kids now have some sort of fear that they will end up like the old man.

Sean gave up the love of his life fifteen years earlier so she would be safe. When Liv Endicott delivered a coded note from Kev, he couldn't take the chance that what Kev wrote could be true. Even though just about everyone thought Kev was looney like their father, Sean always had faith in his twin. He ran Liv off the only way he knew how. By being a total rat bastard and saying really mean things. Isn't that how they always run the women off?

Fast forward fifteen years. Liv has returned to Endicott Falls from Boston. Opening her own bookstore/cafe, Liv is finally on her own and loving it. When her bookstore is burned my an arsonist/stalker, she's shocked to find Sean McCloud arrive. Though her family and would-be fiancee try to convince her Sean is responsible, Liv knows better. In no time flat, Liv finds herself in bed with Sean. While it was a little fast to the sack for my taste, it was believeable b/c of the past these two had. Sean doesn't believe Liv is safe and he always follows his instincts. So he sneaks into her room at her parents' house to plant tracking devices all over her stuff. He didn't plan on having s-e-x with her. They never do, do they?

Secondary characters Miles and Cindy return. Miles is now a smokin' hot genius. Though I can't remember if Cindy was TSTL before, she is SOOOOOO TSTL in this book. O-M-G. This goes beyond what I can stomach.

Let me rewind for a minute so you can better understand the TSTL issue I have...

Sean and Liv go on the run after Liv is kidnapped by "T-Rex", who is her arsonist/stalker. Though intially clueless, T-Rex aka Gordon, spills his guts to Liv when he thinks he's about to kill her. Of course he didn't consider that Sean planted a tracking device on her and would arrive at any minute. Liv finds out that this is about Kev and how he was murdered. Everyone thought that Kev committed suicide b/c he was mentally ill. See, there was some sick frak doctor who loved experimenting on people's brains. Not just any brain would do, however. He needed extra smart brains. Which he found in Kev. Sean and Kev were both off the chart geniuses, though people rarely knew that about Sean b/c he never really "acted" like a genius (however geniuses act). So they start trying to decode Kev's sketch book which is supposed to probably lead them to some video tapes. Maybe.

Miles is working on something for Connor (Sean's brother). Seems there's some sicko that is luring really smart people away and then they disappear. He meets them on the internet, so Miles is pretending to be a smart girl. At this point they have no idea that this case and Kev's "death" are related. Enter TSTL Cindy. After overhearing Miles talking to Sean on the phone about one of Kev's old professors, she asks Miles what it's about. Miles tells her is none of her business, stay out of it, it's dangerous, blah di blah. After they almost get it on, Cindy decides she's going to show Miles she's more than a slutty piece of fluff [insert foot stomping here]. She goes to the professor's house and pretends to be a dumb ex co-ed (when she's really a TSTL ex co-ed). She realizes that she messed up soon enough. That night she stays at her sister's house (who is married to Connor) and someone breaks into her parents house. She finally fesses up to Connor and Miles about what she did. Does it end there? No, of course not. She decides that she's going to "disappear off the radar" by continuing Miles' case of the internet predator. She's going to show them she's not as stupid as she seems. Ha. That part really effing annoyed me. She went beyond TSTL.

Eventually they beat the bad guy and Sean leaves Liv again. He's afraid that he will kill her after what the sick frak doctor did to his brain. She just knows that this is the second time he's abandoned her, seemingly for her own good. He makes nice with her and they have make-up sex on the couch in her new shop.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Dark Possession by Christine Feehan

2007-09-18T08:58:00.000-06:00

Book Description:

Manolito De La Cruz discovers his lifemate only to hear she would never accept a male of the species. MaryAnn Delaney has been around the Carpathians for a little while now, and having met several of the men, she knows she would have a difficult time being a lifemate to any of them. She's a city girl, a counselor for women and she wants to go back to her home turf. Manolito was born and bred in the Carpathian mountains, but has lived in South America with his four brothers on their extensive cattle ranch. They are laws unto themselves, and have long ago taken on possessive, passionate and arrogant ways that only magnify the already dominant traits of their race. MaryAnn, modern city girl, is about to meet a rainforest predator.

I believe this is the 18th (or some such other crazy number) installment of Feehan's Dark series. This series has always been special to me because my first vampire/paranormal book was Dark Prince back in 2000. I remember being home with my son, who was born in September of that year and reading books faster than I could buy them. I was in the used bookstore and looking at this book thinking 'Vampires?'. Then I read the first few pages and thus began my love affair with Mikhail Dubrinsky. Through the years, there have been hits (Dark Prince, Dark Desire) and misses (Dark Symphony) for me. Honestly, how original can an author keep it after this many releases? Though I am a diehard fan, I definitely think that Feehan ought to consider winding the series down. Unless she can come up with some new meat.

Well, she tried (and somewhat succeeded) to do that in Dark Possession.

We first meet MaryAnn Delaney in Dark Destiny. She returns in Dark Celebration where she is unknowingly mated to Manolito De La Cruz. When Manolito dies by saving the life of Shea Dubrinsky (Dark Desire), MaryAnn has no idea the profound effect that it will have on her life. By the end of Dark Celebration, she is still totally clueless to the fact that she was mated to a Carpathian male (who she thinks are overbearing, arrogant, and pompous).

Fast foward to Dark Possession. Somehow Riordan and Juliette (whose book I don't remember) talk MaryAnn into coming to South America to help Juliette's sister, Jasmine (who I vaguely remember), after she was kidnapped and held by the jaguar people. MaryAnn has the unique ability to help people, which is why she's a counselor. Unfortunately MaryAnn finds herself depressed and unable to help for the first time in her life. Looking at the situation as a counselor, MaryAnn knows that she's clinically depressed, but she can't understand why. She refuses to believe she's depressed over the death of a man she only saw from a distance. It doesn't matter that she's cried buckets of tears over the death of Manolito.

When Riordan and Juliette tells MaryAnn that Manolito is still alive, her heart believes it even if her head tells her it can't be true. Apparently Feehan has divised a way to bring people back from the dead. There's a world between alive and dead and that's where Manolito is. He's really effed up because he can't remember anything. All he knows is that MaryAnn is his lifemate and she isn't there. In the soul world, the vampires insidious whispering cause him to doubt himself and MaryAnn. Talking of joining the ranks of the vampire and having endless power, Manolito finds himself weak. Not that he wants to join the vampires of course, just that he doesn't think anything is worth fighting for without his lifemate.

Eventually Manolito and MaryAnn reunite and there is an explosion of chemistry, which is very Feehan-like. Lots of sex, of course. Possessive jealously from Manolito. Confusion from MaryAnn. Exactly what you expect when you read about Carpathians. I did giggle a little bit over Feehan's descriptions of a woman's va-jay-jay. I really hate flowery descriptions (unless it's a historical), especially considering how "earthy" these books are supposed to be. I mean, they're getting down and dirty in the jungle, fcol.

Feehan reintroduced the Jaguar shapeshifters, who have always intrigued me. She hasn't written a Jaguar book since Wild Rain. Personally, I think she's overdue. She also introduced a new species into the series. What you ask? Werewolves. Yes, you read that right. The Werewolves are the only other species that can bring absolute destruction to the Carpathian people. Though they were allies, over time they separated and lived their own lives. Eventually the werewolves disappeared off Carpathian radar.

I'm sure you can already guess why this is important. MaryAnn is a werewolf. Of course she has no idea. I figured it out though. A page before it was revealed. LMAO. When I think back, that fact all but smacks you in the face throughout the book. Since MaryAnn didn't know, Manolito didn't know which meant that she was unknowingly converting Manolito everytime he fed from her. Then the arrogant ass has the gall to blame that on her. *snort*

I think that Dark Possession infused the Dark series with a much needed and long overdue new life. It was seriously lagging. I really thought this was a good addition to the series.

4 out of 5 stars.

Reviews Up Next

2007-09-14T08:24:00.000-06:00

Sometimes when I start a review, my thoughts just don't flow. That makes the review sound all choppy. When that happens, I decide to come back to said review at a later date. The problem is that I don't come back. Or that by the time I do, I don't even remember the h/h names. Pathetic, isn't it?

So here are the reviews I'm going to be putting up soon:

Dark Possession by Christine Feehan (today)
Wicked Magic by Cheyenne McCray
White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz

I also really want to do the Joey W. Hill reviews. I never thought I'd enjoy the BDSM storyline, but she is a fantastic author who writes extremely well.

Missing by Jasmine Cresswell

2007-09-10T10:14:00.000-06:00

Book description:

For twenty-five years, multimillionaire businessman Ron Raven played the loving husband and father— to two very different households. But when Ron disappears, his deception is revealed. Now both families are left with questions, while the man who holds the answers is...MISSING.

Megan Raven is desperate to save her mother's Wyoming ranch, used as collateral on a three-million-dollar loan—money that disappeared with Ron. Worse, the loan is being called in by Georgia bank manager Adam Fairfax—brother to Ron's other wife.

Brought together by their families' turmoil, Megan and Adam head south of the border in search of the missing millions. But what they find is a whole new web of lies, secrecy and greed.

I've been a long-time fan of Jasmine Cresswell. When I first read The Daughter, I was a fan for life. That book is in my Top 10 favorite books of all time. I think it's been about 2 years since Cresswell has released a book. Her website said that she was working on a trilogy that was going to be released consecutively, starting in September. It just seemed to take for-evah.

A bigamy plot is a hot button for me. I've only enjoyed one book with this storyline and I think it was because it showed a POV from the bigamist himself. While I still abhorred what he did, it was heart breaking b/c of how many people were hurt, including the bigamist. Mostly I just wonder how the freaking freak an author actually tries to convince the reader that both wives had no idea that the husband was getting it on with someone else, let alone have a separate life all together. In this case, one of the wives finally admits to herself that she had an idea he was having an affair. Honestly, what woman would actually consider that their husband married another woman? Anyway, see how I get going when I get on this topic? LOL

Onward...

When police found Ron Raven missing from his Miami hotel room, they were relatively certain that he met with foul play. If the broken furniture, cut up matress, and missing man didn't clue them in, the blood did. When they went to notify his family, they found something interesting. Two wallets, two Blackberries, two cell phones. This is a little off topic, but who carries a Blackberry AND a cell phone? Anyway, the police sent info to both Wyoming and Illinois, the states in which Ron had a drivers license. After that, the shiznit hit the fan. Both wives (and their respective children) were horrified to find out that their loving, near perfect husband and father was not only dead, but a bigamist as well. Not to mention that he had been married to both of them for over 20 years. Honestly. Are you freaking kidding me?

To make matters worse, good 'ol Ron borrowed 3 million dollars against his first (and legal) wife's ranch for a "business" venture. As if Ron wasn't fucked up enough, he borrowed it from the bank that his second wife's brother owns. Ron enjoyed screwing with people, even if only he knew what he was doing. So he really enjoyed pulling one over on his brother-in-law. When he was presumed dead, his brother-in-law, Adam Fairfax, decided to call in the loan. He wanted to stick one to Ron's first family because it's their fault that their husband/dad was a cheating loser.

Anyway, Megan Raven (daughter of his first wife) takes her plea to Adam to give her a chance to find the money. The Wyoming ranch has been in her mother's family for years and it would devestate her to lose it, especially now. She eventually talks him into working with him.

Chaos ensues.

If it's not bad enough that they owe the money to Ron's "other" family, Megan and Adam are instantly attracted to each other. Of course they both know that nothing can ever come of it, but true love will not be denied. Together they travel to Mexico and after the missing money.

As the 1st of the trilogy, the ending is kind of murky. With assassins after them, a murderous uncle, and their distrust and lust for each other, it is an action packed book. This book was really good as I was reading it and I found that I couldn't put it down. Of course, I was in an airport at the time, so there was nothing else I could have done. It was only as I was starting the review that I realized how laughable some of the book was. Maybe I'm just cynical today.

3 out of 5 stars.

Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh

2007-09-06T07:55:00.000-06:00

Book description:

Brenna Shane Kincaid was an innocent before she was abducted—and had her mind violated—by a serial killer. Her sense of evil runs so deep, she fears she could become a killer herself. Then the first dead body is found, victim of a familiar madness. Judd is her only hope, yet her sensual changeling side rebels against the inhuman chill of his personality, even as desire explodes between them. Shocking and raw, their passion is a danger that threatens not only their hearts, but their very lives…

First, I have to say that I am SO HAPPY that Nalini stayed true to the person that she created Judd to be. That was my fear with this book, that to make Judd into hero material, she would have to change things about him that shouldn't have been changed. That didn't happen AND he was still a great hero. So much so that I want him for myself. Just like I wanted Lucas. And Vaughn. *sigh*

Obviously we learn a lot more about Judd's life in the PsyNet and his time as an Arrow. His Psy designation is Tk-Cell which is one of the most deadly designations out there. Apparently the Psy Scientists think that for every child that is born of this designation, there was some sort of mutation in utero. So not only can Judd move things with his mind, he can also regenerate cells or stop things from doing what they're supposed to do. Say like the heart. He can stop the heart from beating. With no more than a thought. Judd is one deadly mofo. The good thing about that is that he knows it. So when he starts to actually feel things for Brenna, he pulls waaay back. Too bad she's a wolf who won't take no for an answer.

I really felt oh-so bad for Brenna in StS. I still cry when I re-read it and Sascha is trying to talk her into coming out of unconciousness. So even though I totally felt for her, I had doubts that she would be a strong enough heroine so soon. Why do I even doubt the genius that is Nalini Singh? I mean, really. She portrayed Brenna as the victim who wouldn't give into fear. The fear that Santano Enrique did something so vile to her that she was now like him. After a particularly horrific nightmare, Brenna soon finds out that she witnessed the murder of her own packmate. Not only that, but in her dream, she enjoyed every bloody minute. Needless to say, this freaks Brenna out a bit. The only person she feels she can turn to for the truth is Judd Lauren. After being coddled for months by her brothers and her pack, Judd is the only one that doesn't show her sympathy. Though she is somewhat turned off by his emotionless facade, she is also strengthened by his belief that Enrique didn't turn her into the same monster he was.

I loved the build up of Brenna and Judd's relationship. While Sascha was literally silenced by Silence, it was different for Judd. Silence enables him to keep his emotions completely contained so there are no oopsies. Oopsies like people dying. Stuff like that. So even though Judd wants Brenna, he's not willing to sacrafice her life for his wants. *sigh* Awwwww. Actually imagine a man that wouldn't put himself first. Judd is physically attracted to Brenna, but he literally can't touch her without causing himself pain. That pain is supposed to remind him who he is and what he can do. See, if he has an orgasmic orgasm, he could actually kill Brenna in his excitement. So you see why he would be a little leery of sex. Oh and did I mention he's a virgin? LOL. Even though I technically figured that (yes, I actually figured that out), it still was a surprise because he's soooo alpha. Oh and when they actually do make it to bed, he's like an 11 out of 10.

Of course there was more to the story than the romance between Judd and Brenna. Though Judd and his family defected, Judd is still loyal to the Psy race. He really believes that there is a need for Silence for some Psy, but not for others. When he is contacted by a Psy he only knows as "The Ghost" and told about Protocol I (yes, it's as bad as it sounds), Judd agrees to help TG destroy the lab and research that would take Silence to a whole new level. There's also some insight into the new Councilor, Kaleb K-somethingorother. It seems that he's as evil as they come, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was The Ghost or some other double Psy agent.

Nalini did such a fantastic job with this book. It's days later and I am still thinking about how great it was. Six months really isn't that long, but it can't get here soon enough.

5 out of 5 stars.

Die For Me by Karen Rose

2007-09-04T11:03:00.000-06:00

Book description:

The first victim is found in a snow-covered Philadelphia field. Detective Vito Ciccotelli enlists the aid of archaeologist Sophie Johannsen to determine exactly what lies beneath the frozen ground. Despite years of unearthing things long buried, nothing can prepare Sophie for the matrix of graves dug with chilling precision. The victims buried there haunt her. But the empty graves terrify her-the killer isn't done yet.

He is cold and calculating, the master of a twisted game. Even with Vito and Sophie hot on his trail, he will not stop. One more empty grave must be filled, and one last scream must be heard-the scream of an archaeologist who is too close for comfort and too near to resist...

I luuuuuurve Karen Rose. I picked up her first book, Don't Tell on a whim. Since then, I've been a RFG of hers.

I met Karen for the second time in Dallas. We chatted about Die For Me and she said that the villain was her evilest one yet. Though I luuuuuurve Karen, I have to respectfully disagree. To this day, I still think her most evil villain is Rob Winters from Don't Tell. There was just something about him that can still make me shudder even when I re-read the book for the 20th time. Not saying that this villain wasn't evil, but he didn't take the cake.

Vito Ciccotelli (from You Can't Hide) thought his day couldn't get any worse. I mean, seriously. All he wanted to do was go visit the grave of the woman he loved and lost. Instead, he finds himself at a mass grave where they have no idea how many victims there are. All he does know is that the likelihood that there is more than one is high. That's when archaeologist Sophie Johannsen is called into the fun. It's actually pretty funny how they first met. Vito thought Sophie was a college student (he picked her up at a local college) and that she was hitting on him. Heee. Of course when he realizes who she is, he's even more attracted to her yet determined to keep his distance.

Sophie finds more than one grave. The scary thing is that there are several empty graves. Though both her and Vito figure that her work with them is done, he has to call on Sophie's knowledge of medeival torture devices. This shit is wack. Creepy. Evil. *shudder* It's been over a week since I've read this book and it still gives me the creeps. A chair of nails. A "stretcher" (exactly what it sounds like).

So while Vito and Sophie are trying to figure out what drives this guy, he's picking out more victims. Picking them out from acting/modeling websites that are looking for work, he pretends to be a documentary filmmaker who needs actors. Then he kidnaps, tortures, and kills them. Why? Well, he's an artist. He captures the moment of death, but has no one to share it with. Poor guy. The only way he can get around this travesty is by getting hired as a graphics designer for a company that designs video games. His graphics have made the game (and company) wildly popular and successful. The owner of the company wants more, more, more. Simon is happy to oblige.

Meanwhile, down in Georgia, an agent named Daniel (totally blanking on the last name) is trying to track his parents down. Though it seems very strange going from Philidelphia to Georgia, Karen ties it together quite nicey. Daniel realizes that no one has seen his parents for months. Though he himself hasn't been in contact with his parents for years, as a Judge, it is very odd for his father to be out of contact for very long. Eventually he follows the trail to Philidelphia where he believes that his mother was being treated for cancer. He didn't expect to find the family skeltons that he thought were long buried.

The relationship between Vito and Sophie was built quite believeably. Sophie is extremely wary of relationships after being burned when she was a grad student. Though 10 years removed from the situation, Sophie still recalls the heartache she felt when she realized that she was used by her own professor. What was somewhat annoying is that though Sophie was a capable, highly intelligent woman, she still believed that Vito would believe the horrible lies that were spread about her. As soon as she had to put Vito in contact with said professor, she was absolutely sure that Vito would judge her like everyone else did. So obviously Sophie has issues which interferes with her ability to have a relationship with Vito. That's okay though, 'cuz Vito has issues of his own. Does he ever.

In between the search for the killer, Karen finds enough time to bring in the Ciccotelli family. Rather than bogging the book down, it lightens it up when it almost gets too morbidly dark to handle. When Vito's sister-in-law has a stroke, Vito finds his house taken over by his four nephews and his sister, Tess. It was nice to revisit Tess and see her interact with her family, especially her father. Oh and Vito's brothers? Dino, Tino, and Gino? She even makes it so it doesn't seem completey ludicrious. LOL.

Even with all that, there was still something that was missing. I can't put my finger on what it was, but it was enough that I can't give this book five stars. Every book prior (except Have You Seen Her?) has been above a 5 star rating. Like nothing can compare.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

What I've been reading

2007-08-31T14:04:00.000-06:00

I really thought I'd be able to review every book I read. In the last few weeks, I've found that's not the case. The fact that I actually have to work when I'm at work is really cramping my style. So here's what I've read that I haven't gotten around to reviewing yet.

~~Die For Me by Karen Rose (coming up next)~~
Mac's Law by Sarah McCarty
Natural Law by Joey W. Hill
A Reason to Live by Maureen McKade
The Assassin by Rachel Butler
Checkmate by Annmarie McKenna
Paint it Red by Carla Cassidy
Tangled Up in You by Rachel Gibson (another book that takes place in Idaho)
Next to Die by Marliss Melton

~~Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh~~

The Ice Queen by Joey W. Hill

~~Missing by Jasmine Cresswell~~

Play Dirty by Sandra Brown

2007-08-24T14:14:00.000-06:00

Book description:

After five long years in federal prison, Griff Burkett is a free man. But the disgraced Cowboys quarterback can never return to life as he knew it before he was caught cheating. In a place where football is practically a religion, Griff committed a cardinal sin, and no one is forgiving.

Foster Speakman, owner and CEO of SunSouth Airlines, and his wife, Laura, are a golden couple. Successful and wealthy, they lived a charmed life before fate cruelly intervened and denied them the one thing they wanted most -- a child. It's said that money can't buy everything. But it can buy a disgraced football player fresh out of prison and out of prospects. The job Griff agrees to do for the Speakmans demands secrecy. But he soon finds himself once again in the spotlight of suspicion. An unsolved murder comes back to haunt him in the form of his nemesis, Stanley Rodarte, who has made Griff's destruction his life's mission. While safeguarding his new enterprise, Griff must also protect those around him, especially Laura Speakman, from Rodarte's ruthlessness. Griff stands to gain the highest payoff he could ever imagine, but cashing in on it will require him to forfeit his only chance for redemption...and love. Griff is now playing a high-stakes game, and at the final whistle, one player will be dead.

Play Dirty is Sandra Brown's wildest ride yet, with hairpin turns of plot all along the way. The clock is ticking down on a fallen football star, who lost everything because of the way he played the game. Now his future -- his life --hinges on one last play.

I seriously need to be sitting here making a grocery list, but I have been looking forward to doing this review since I realized that the hero is a bonified man-whore. I was giggling to myself the whole time I was reading about Griff's "job" and how much fun it would be to review about.

The Plot: Griff Burkett was the star quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys when he threw a game for money. Those Texas football fans must be bloodthirsty b/c they still remember Griff after five years. His reception is far from nice. When he receives a mysterious call from Foster Speakman, Griff figures he has nothing to lose. When he meets the paraplegic Speakman, Griff figures he has a job offer, but he has nooooo idea that his job description would be male prostitute. Though at first he figures it's a joke, he soon realizes that the Speakman's are serious and dead set on hiring Griff as the sperm donor of the child that Foster Speakman can't father. There's only one catch: no medical labs for his baby. No siree. Foster wants Griff to get his wife, Laura, pregnant in the old fashion way. Some how, Foster explains his need to have it done traditionally in a totally logical way. Which sounds weird, yes?

So in the midst of selling his body for money, Griff is also being hounded by (what you later learn) is a Detective w/ the Dallas P.D, Stanley Rodarte. It's a bit of a shock to find out this guy is a cop because he is e.v.i.l. At first he's just creepy, following Griff around, having him beat up. Normal gansta stuff. Then he viciously attacks a friend of Griff's (who is also a high-priced prostitute). When I found out that he was a Detective, I groaned a little.

My Thoughts: I liked Griff. Honestly, I was wondering how Brown could make the reader like a man who would take money for sex and have no regrets about it. A man who threw his whole career away for money. A loner. A really unlikable guy. That's what he was at first. I also had to admire the fact that he fully admitted that he was available for a high enough price. He had no delusions about who he was. Of course he did have a hard time the first few times that he was called upon to "perform".

I liked Laura Speakman, too. This is another character that I didn't expect to like. Obviously she must be a gold-digging slut b/c she'll sleep with another man just b/c her husband wants her too, right? No, not really. She just really loves her husband. She's in love with him. She respects and admires him. That's why she can't get over the guilt of being responsible for him being in a wheelchair. So if he wants her to get pregnant the old-fashion way, she'll do it. Even if it feels morally wrong, she'll do it. It's only when she starts having feelings for Griff that she starts to pull back. Her intention was never to develop feelings for him.

Eventually Laura gets pregnant. This was after their last time together, which rocked both their worlds. Foster invites Griff over to celebrate and to give him a $500,000 bonus for his "performance". This is where you kind of realize that Foster is farther off his rocker than you thought. He keeps taunting Griff about his relationship w/ Laura, etc. Foster is also OCD, so he does his taunts in sequences of three "Poor Griff, Poor Griff, Poor Griff".

Then Foster ends up murdered. And Griff's hands are all over the murder weapon. Foster's personal aide has disappeared. Seems like an open and shut case. Of course Brown makes you doubt Griff because he was looking for a way to shut Foster up when the scene ended. Next thing you know, bam, Foster's dead.

This is where Stanley Rodarte enters the picture, yet again. And boy is his slimy. *shudder* He's determined to get Griff. We eventually find out why he's so determined, which makes sense. I think he should have just left well enough alone. But no, he's going to bring Griff down.

Of course, yet again, I didn't figure out who did it. I thought I did, but I was wrong. I was annoyed b/c I was so sure I was right! I really liked how the book ended. It was wrapped up quite nicely. Believably, too, which is always important to me.

4 out of 5 stars.

Force of Nature by Suzanne Brockmann

2007-08-22T16:00:00.000-06:00

Book description:

Florida private investigator and ex-cop Ric Alvarado's life is spiraling out of control. First, his beautiful new Girl Friday Annie Dugan is far more interested in fieldwork than filing. Sparks fly between them from the word go.

Then one of their clients turns femme fatale and tries to gun down an innocent man. With quick thinking and reflexes, Ric comes to the rescue, only to learn he's done a good deed for some very bad people.

Suddenly Ric finds himself deep undercover with Annie, working for notorious crime boss Gordon Burns. One mistake from his painfully inexperienced partner, and they're both dead.

FBI Agent Jules Cassidy's life isn't in much better shape. For years, the FBI has been trying to prove Gordon Burns's ties to terrorist activity. Now, thanks to Ric and Annie, Jules has found a way into the lion's den. But in the course of his investigation, he comes face to face with Robin Chadwick, the charismatic but self-destructive, closeted movie star for whom Jules still feels a powerful attraction. Robin's in town promoting his latest film - and Burns is a star-struck movie buff.

With Robin and Jules's help, Ric and Annie are soon entrenched inside Burns's organization, surrounded by killers who may already have executed an FBI infiltrator. Before long they realize that many more lives than just their own will be at stake if they make a false move. As the heat rises, so do the risks they're willing to take - in the line of duty, for the sake of loyalty, and in the name of something that runs even deeper.

Small note: I'm going to try a different format for this review. Let me know what you think.

Annie Dungan is my new favorite Brockmann heroine after Gina. I hate almost all her heroines. While trying to portray them as strong women, she crosses the line into ball-busting bitch. Not so with Annie. Which was a refreshing change.

I know the #1 question everyone is wondering. Did Ric Alvarado cry? Let me just get that out of the way right now. Yes, he did. Mother-f-er. I had high hopes that we wouldn't get a cry-baby. In the first scene where Ric cried I was like, damn, he's pussyfied. Then in a stellar rebound, he was actually acting like he was crying, so I was actually thinking we'd finally get one. Sorry to say folks, he did cry toward the end of the book. Which is a damn shame. Onto the review.

The Plot: After quitting the Police Force, Ric Alvarado starts his own P.I. firm. Doing a favor for an old friend's sister, Ric hires Annie Dungan to be his "secretary". This is not a position she is thrilled to be in and is continually trying to talk Ric into being partners (as in working partners). Ric refuses to consider it b/c he's a macho man and he's not going to put Annie in harm's way. Which he does anyway when he takes on a case to find a missing person. What seems like an open and close case turns into the goatfuck of the century after Ric's client tries to gundown someone Ric thinks is an innocent civilian. Little does he know that saving the life of Gordon Burns Jr will take Annie to the front of the class and bring her to the attention of a family that is currently being investigated by the F.B.I. Yup, none other than Agent Jules Cassidy. Once Ric and Annie are in the "inner circle" of the Burns family, Jules enlists their help with his investigation. Chaos ensues, as you can imagine.

My Thoughts (on Ric & Annie): I really liked them as a couple. After Annie and Ric first made out hot and heavy (as a distraction technique of course), I was really bothered when Ric almost jumped right into bed with the client that just shot him. Seriously, it bugged. Especially because Annie walked in and saw him almost boinking the crazy-ass bitch. Suz made it all right though because Ric thought Annie was a lesbian. Why? Because Annie's brother and Ric's good friend, Bruce, told Ric that Annie was gay right around the time he started noticing her as a woman. Yup. That was hysterical to me. I laughed my ass off. Literally. Like my kids were asking me what was so funny. LOL. It was a little lame how Ric always thought Annie would be "the one", if she wasn't a lesbian. Umm-hmmm. I really liked how Annie didn't let Ric get away with anything. She called him on shit.

My Thoughts (on Jules & Robin): Jules got his HEA by the end of this book. I think it was supposed to be this whole big secret. I know I would have enjoyed it more if I would have known he would be getting his HEA. Why? Because the love life of Jules has been dragged on long enough. Halfway through this book (not knowing he'd get his HEA), I was almost hoping that Robin would die b/c I didn't think that he was good enough for Jules. He was an alcoholic, so far in the closet-he-has-mothballs, pansy ass mo-fo that I wasn't having good thoughts about him. While Robin finally admitted to himself that he was gay, he still couldn't have sex with a man w/o being drunk. Of course he didn't think he was a drunk. *rolleyes* Not even his sister, Jane (Hot Target), telling him that her and Cosmo didn't want him babysitting made him think he had a slight drinking problem. So that's why I didn't think he was good enough for Jules. He eventually came out of the closet, in a big way. Went to rehab. Committed to Jules. What I didn't like in this book was my feeling that Suz used it as a sounding board for gay rights. I understand that she is a huge advocate and I don't blame her. That doesn't mean she needs to get all preachy in a work of fiction. Which is the way it felt as I was reading. I don't know if it's worse in this book, but I never really noticed it before. I might have to do a reread b/c I really don't remember feeling like she was shoving info down my throat. Btw, there is some m/m action, but it's very subtle. Nothing like Carol Lynne. *g*

Overall, this is a worthy addition to the Troubleshooter series. I'd even go so far as to say it was worth the HC price. I know that I'll be picking up her Christmas hardcover.

4 out of 5 stars.

Author Pimp: Nalini Singh

2007-08-22T10:31:00.000-06:00

Since her newest book in her Psy-Changeling series is coming out on September 4th, I thought this would be a good time to pimp her books. Nalini Singh was my best find of 2006. I honestly mean that. It's not just b/c I'm a huge fangirl of Nalini herself. *g*

Thank God for Amazon.com. I always look at what they recommend based on what I buy (and I buy a lot). They recommended Slave to Sensation and after reading the blurb, I immediately ordered it. Once I received it, I couldn't put it down.

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of “rehabilitation”— the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was….
Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a Changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy co-existence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several Changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion—and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities—or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation…

Lucas Hunter is the kind of hero I love. Although he was a little too perfect, he was an alpha through and through. Once he realized Sascha was his mate, he got even more alpha. Which kind of doesn't seem possible, but it happened. LOL. Sascha is in my top ten favorite heroines of all times. She's kick ass, in a very subtle way, though. You can order Slave to Sensation here.

Used to cold silence, Faith NightStar is suddenly being tormented by dark visions of blood and murder. A bad sign for anyone, but worse for Faith, an F-Psy with the highly sought after ability to predict the future. Then the visions show her something even more dangerous-aching need...exquisite pleasure. But so powerful is her sight, so fragile the state of her mind, that the very emotions she yearns to embrace could be the end of her. Changeling Vaughn D'Angelo can take either man or jaguar form, but it is his animal side that is overwhelmingly drawn to Faith. The jaguar's instinct is to claim this woman it finds so utterly fascinating and the man has no argument. But while Vaughn craves sensation and hungers to pleasure Faith in every way, desire is a danger that could snap the last threads of her sanity. And there are Psy who need Faith's sight for their own purposes. They must keep her silenced-and keep her from Vaughn...

Slave to Sensation is still my favorite of the two, but Visions of Heat still rocked my socks. I own three copies of it. I found a copy before the release date, which I snapped up and read immediately. Then I felt guilty for buying it before the release date, so I ordered another copy. THEN, I had to get a copy at RWA in Dallas. Had, had, had to. I wish Nalini would have had copies of StS available, too. Unfortunately I didn't bring mine. :( Vaughn and Faith's book was a fab-u-lous addition to the series and showed more insight into the characters of the next book. You can buy Visions of Heat here.

As an Arrow, an elite soldier in the Psy Council ranks, Judd Lauren was forced to do terrible things in the name of his people. Now a defector, his dark abilities have made him the most deadly of assassins—cold, pitiless, unfeeling. Until he meets Brenna… Brenna Shane Kincaid was an innocent before she was abducted—and had her mind violated—by a serial killer. Her sense of evil runs so deep, she fears she could become a killer herself. Then the first dead body is found, victim of a familiar madness. Judd is her only hope, yet her sensual changeling side rebels against the inhuman chill of his personality, even as desire explodes between them. Shocking and raw, their passion is a danger that threatens not only their hearts, but their very lives…

Both Brenna and Judd were first introduced in Slave to Sensation. Judd is an AWOL Psy who lives with his family in the wolf-den. There is more to him than meets the eye, as we learn in Visions of Heat. Brenna is a seriously tortured heroine. I am counting down the days until the release of this book. SEPTEMBER 4, 2007!! You can pre-order Caressed by Ice here.

Nalini also has a blog. She posts almost every day. Contests, reader interviews, author/book spotlights. You name it. It's one of my favorite author blogs.

So not only is Nalini a wonderful author, she's also this amazingly sweet person. I had the honor of meeting her in RWA and she is as sweet in person as she is online. And she's cute! Here's a pic of her and I in Dallas. I didn't have time to photoshop myself. ;)

Caressed by Ice Quiz

2007-08-22T10:23:00.000-06:00

Which Psy-Changeling Hero Is For You?

Your Psy/Changeling Hero: Lucas

Tough, dangerous and highly intelligent, the alpha of the DarkRiver leopard pack is a man who will demand everything from his mate. But he will give the same in return. And he will never let go.Find out more about Lucas and the series at www.nalinisingh.com
Take this quiz!

Go take this quiz and post it on your blog. Post on Nalini's blog and you're entered in her CBI contest!

Tanner's Scheme by Lora Leigh

2007-08-20T13:56:00.000-06:00

Book description:

A sexy paranormal series set in a world where genetically altered Breeds and the humans who created them sometimes come together in the fiercest of passions.After the Feline Breeds’ main base is attacked, Tanner desires revenge. So he kidnaps Scheme Tallant-the daughter of a one-time high-ranking member of the Genetics Council. But when Tanner discovers that Scheme herself is a target of her father’s ruthless mission, his vengeance takes a back seat to saving the life of the woman he hopes to claim as his mate.

I luuuuuurve this cover. I think it's the best cover of the summer. Usually I don't like covers that have actual people on them, but this one really rocks my socks.

For the readers who have read this series from the beginning (Ellora's Cave), this is the long awaited story of Tanner Reynolds. First introduced in Tempting the Beast, Tanner and his brother Cabal were known for their penchant for sharing women. I was wondering how LL would spin Tanner's book b/c she's written Breedmates as unable to stand the touch of someone that is not their mate.

Scheme Tallant (I didn't even get the title until halfway through the book. *rolleyes*) is the daughter of the Breeds' most hated enemy. General Cyrus Tallant of the Genetic's Council has made it his mission in life to show the Breeds as they really are. Souless and empty. Not fit to be in society. Unfortunately for him, the world's view of the Breeds does not coincide with his own. So he takes them out one by one. He trusts no one, not even his own daughter. When he finds out that his daughter is working for the enemy, he can do nothing other than order her death. He sends his most trusted assassin to kill her quickly. Oh, his most trusted assassin is also Scheme's ex-lover and was the father of the baby her father had aborted against her will. Great father, isn't he?

While Scheme is waiting to get picked up by Jonas Wyatt, her contact, she's kidnapped by Tanner Reynolds. Tanner has been watching Scheme for years. Years and years. Like ten years. Tanner is sickened by his attraction to Scheme, whom he believes has ordered the deaths of innocent Breeds. After he kills the man sent to kill her, Tanner takes her and runs, realizing that she's not who he always thought she was.

Tanner takes Scheme to his underground lair where no one can ever find her. At first he took her because he wanted to punish her, but now he just wants to keep her. As the days go by and Scheme fights to get free, Tanner hopes that she is his mate. Unfortunately, there are no signs of the mating heat. Signs like enlarged taste buds on his tongue and a special barb that is in his penis and makes an appearance when mates do the nasty. Is it just me or does that sound weird to anyone? Anyway, because Tanner and his twin brother, Cabal, are genetically identical, Tanner starts thinking that Scheme is Cabal's mate. He can't do anything other that bring them together even though it's the last thing that he wants to do.

So while Tanner realizes that Scheme is not who he thought she was, he isn't 100% sure that she's the spy that Jonas had in the Genetics Council. Likewise, Scheme isn't sure that Tanner isn't the spy that her father has in Sanctuary, the Breed stronghold. One thing that I really liked about this book is that the Breed spy was finally outed. This spy has been in Sanctuary for over TEN YEARS. That's a long damn time.

So overall I really liked this book. I liked how LL didn't have Tanner and Scheme mate right away. It was really powerful how they eventually came together, which made the book that much better.

4 out of 5 stars.

Devil May Cry by Sherrilyn Kenyon

2007-08-13T08:31:00.000-06:00

Book description:

Ever since the moment his godhood was taken by Artemis, Sin has done nothing but plot his revenge. But when he kidnaps a woman he believes to be the goddess, he quickly finds out that she is not Artemis, but her servant, Katra. And instead of capturing her, Katra captures him. She refuses to release him until he promises not to seek vengeance on her mistress. In spite of himself, Sin is intrigued by Katra, who is nothing like the deceitful Artemis. She's fierce and true, but also compassionate and loyal. However, Sin is not the only enemy Artemis has and it quickly becomes apparent that he must help Katra save her mistress... or life as we know it will cease to exist. What's an ex-god to do?

I had virtually no expectations going into this book. Zero. After the last two books (The Dream Hunter being one), I really didn't have much hope that Kenyon could bring the series back from what I saw as its' ruin. Don't get me wrong, I still would have read the series through to the bitter end. I guess I have held out hope that she would make me love the series as I loved it after reading the first 4 or 5 books.

Onto my review.

What did I love most about this book? Any doubts I had over Artemis being Ash's heroine were laid to rest. THANK GAWD. There is no way in hell that Kenyon will pair these two characters together. There is too much history between the two of them. Way too much. Eleven thousand years is a lot of time. Especially when Artemis screwed Ash over so many times. Holly and I have had a long running discussion on Satara being Ash's heroine. I flopped back and forth, thinking that it could be possible, but also thinking that Kenyon would try to pull off the impossible (and alienate her readers) by putting Ash and Artemis together. I think that Satara is going to be his heroine (I'll probably change my mind before his book is out, though). He's not going to get his HEA very easily and pairing him with Tory (from The Dream Hunter) would be waaaay too easy. He needs someone that is as jaded as he is.

Okay, onto the review. *g*

After Artemis took his godhood from him, Sin has vowed to himself that he would kill her. Kidnapping a woman who he believes in Artemis, he feels triumph that he will finally have his revenge. He soon realizes that it's not Artemis he has taken, but her daughter. Though he fights it at first, Sin finds himself attracted to the daughter of the person he despises more than anyone else. When Kat offers her help in his battle against the gallu demons, Sin can't turn her down, especially when she freely offers him the knowledge that would kill her.

Kat has been cloistered by both her mother and her grandmother for as long as she can remember. Considering that she's about eleven thousand years old, you have to wonder how far back she can remember. There was one scene where she was "showing" Ash how Artemis was as a mother. She was about 7 in the flashback. I was wondering how she can remember back 10,993 years ago. Anyway, Artemis sends Kat to kill Sin. Though she doesn't blindly follow her mother's wishes, after she sees Sin fight some demons and then cut off their heads along with the head of their human victim, Kat thinks her mother may be right in this case. What she doesn't count on is her resemblence to Artemis and Sin's hatred for her.

Eventually Kat talks Sin into accepting her help in his fight against the gallu demons. Of course this is another time where this is the end of the world if they don't [insert whatever they have to do to save the world here]. I wasn't as interested in the fight with the demons as I was in the Ash/Kat interactions. Or the Ash/Artemis interactions. Obviously Sin and Kat saved the day. Kenyon also introduced a few new characters. Xypher, who is a Dream Hunter will have his book in February. That should be good. Xypher is majorly tortured. Like Zarek-type torture. Also, Sin's brother who died, but was brought back to life by Ash.

As in the last few DH books, the world of the Dark Hunters has gotten way too complex. I miss the days of Night Pleasures and Night Embrace. While it was complex at that point, it was still manageable. Now when I think about about Atlanteans and Dark Hunters and Dream Hunters and demons and Damions, it's enough to give me a headache. That doesn't mean that I didn't like this book, because I did. After the last DH book (which all I can remember is the guy being some kind of cat and the girl being allergic), I was extremely happy with DMC. I'm a diehard Kenyon fan. Maybe after Ash's book comes out, I won't be so gung-ho on reading these books.

So this isn't much of a review, other than to say read the book. I can't even put my thoughts together on it because they seem so disjointed. I would recommend you read this, even if you've given up on the series. *ahem*

4 out of 5 stars.

The Best Autograph Evah.

2007-08-10T07:48:00.000-06:00

I think the highlight of the Dallas trip was my autograph by Robyn Carr.

I've only been to two Literacy signings, but I walk around with the same person. Basically I point, she buys. It's a system that works out very well for both of us. So we get to Robyn Carr's table and my friend whips out an amazon.com packing slip that came with the copy of Virgin River I had sent her. Robyn "awwwwed", so I started pumping her for information on what she has planned for Virgin River. Hey, never say that I don't take full advantage of an opportunity that's dropped in my lap. She tells us that her Grace Valley trilogy is going back into print because of how wildly popular the Virgin River series was. My friend made my love her even more (you know who you are) by telling Robyn that it's all thanks to me. Why? Because once I like a book and/or author, I'm like a dog w/ a bone. If you won't read it, I'll send it to you. I'll badger you. I'll cajole you. Maybe even threaten you. The end result? You'll read it. You'll love it. And I get that warm mushy feeling inside that someone loves a book as much as I do.

Without futher ado, here's my autograph. Those who know me know how I am when my name is spelled wrong. In this case, I don't even care!

Dead Right by Brenda Novak

2007-08-07T14:19:00.000-06:00

Book description:

The people of Stillwater, Mississippi, are asking questions about murder. Again.

Twenty years ago, Madeline Barker’s father disappeared. Despite what everyone else thinks, she’s convinced her stepfamily had nothing to do with it. But the discovery of his car proves he didn’t just drive away. Worse, the police find something in his trunk that says there’s more to this case than murder.

With no other recourse, Madeline decides to hire a private investigator—even if the cops don’t like it. Even if her family doesn’t like it. But when PI Hunter Solozano begins to uncover some shocking evidence, someone in Stillwater is determined to put a stop to Madeline’s search for the truth. And that means putting a stop to her. Permanently.

This is the 3rd and final installment of Novak's Stillwater, MS trilogy. So don't start with this one.

When her father's car is found after 20 years, it's the first real sign that he met with foul play. For Madeline Barker, it means that he didn't abandon her. This is a big deal to Maddy because her own mother comitted suicide when she was 10 (or maybe 11). It also makes Maddy even more determined (if that's even possible) to find out what happened to her father. The general belief around Stillwater is that her stepfamily, the Montgomery's, killed Reverend Barker and are hiding his body somewhere at the farm where Maddy grew up. Maddy has always scoffed at these beliefs and has done whatever she can to defend the family she loves.

Though she can scarcely afford it, Maddy hires a P.I. from California to investigate. After much browbeating, Hunter Solozano arrives and is on the case. Maddy is chagrined when she realizes that she's hired a California beach bum to investigate her father's disappearance. Not to mention the attraction she feels for a man that is four years younger than her. It makes for a very uncomfortable few days. Maddy soon realizes that there is much more to Hunter than meets the eye and if anyone can find the truth, it's Hunter.

Of course as I was reading this I already knew who killed the good Reverend and why. No, I didn't figure it out on my own. It was explained in the 1st book. See, Maddy's daddy wasn't a man of the cloth. He was a vile, disgusting, hideous excuse for a human being. Not not to mention a pedophile. While the Montgomery's (Irene, stepmom-Clay, stepbrother-Grace, stepsister) knew exactly what kind of man Barker was, they have always kept the truth from Maddy. They didn't do it for any other reason that the fact that they were trying to protect her.

Novak kind of danced around the rape of Grace by the Reverend in the 1st book, but was very graphic in this last book. A suitcase is found in the back of the Reverend's car, which contains a dildo, three pairs of girls panties, and a camera. A part of me can understand Maddy's absolute denial that those are her father's things. The girl grew up believing her father was a saint. All her life people protected her from her father's true character. At the same time, her naivety was a little annoying. Sure, the suitcase could be the murderers. It could be something that he was given by a parishoner. But after little things start coming to light about her father, she's still in total denial. Borderline TSTL. Not enough to ruin the book, but enough to be noticeable.

Anyway, Barker's partner in crime is still alive and getting nervous about the extra attention the case is receiving. So what does he do? Like the brainbox he is, he starts sending Maddy gifts. He breaks into her house. He calls her. Then he decides to kidnap her. His reasoning? Barker used his daughter, but refused to let him use Maddy. Pay back is a bitch. Even if the person is dead.

I really thought this was a suitable ending for Stillwater. Obviously Hunter helped Maddy resolve her abandonment issues. We also got glimpses into Clay and Allie's marriage (book 2), which was "awww" inducing. I did feel bad for Irene, who was only trying to protect her children. She married Reverend Barker thinking she had found sanctuary for her and her children. Instead she took them straight into a nightmare.

Novak does a terrific job of cultivating the relationships between the characters. It really came through the pages how the Montgomery's were determined to protect Madeline. The ending was a good one, if a bit rushed.

If you haven't read this series, run out right now and buy it.

4 out of 5 stars.

Almost Dead by Lisa Jackson

2007-08-07T10:20:00.000-06:00

Book description:

The first victim is pushed to her death. The second suffers a fatal overdose. The third takes a bullet to the heart. Three down, more to go. They're people who deserve to die. People who are in the way. And when she's finished, there will be no one left.

Cissy Cahill's world is unraveling fast. One by one, members of her family are dying. Cissy's certain she's being watched. Or is she losing her mind? Lately she's heard footsteps when there's no one around, smelled a woman's perfume, and noticed small, personal items missing from her house. Cissy's right to be afraid--but not for the reason she thinks. The truth is much more terrifying.

Hidden in the shadows of the Cahill family's twisted past is a shocking secret-a secret that will only be satisfied by blood. And Cissy must uncover the deadly truth before it's too late, because fear is coming home. With a vengeance.

I was soooooo super excited when I read about this book coming out. I am a huge fan girl of Lisa Jackon's earlier work (If Only She Knew, Twice Kissed, Intimacies). Almost Dead is a sequel to If Only She Knew.

Let me just right in and say that I hated the heroine. Hated her. Okay, so I bounced back from kind of liking her to hating her. She was such a whiny bee-yotch. Plus she had such disdain for her aunt and uncle (h/h of If Only She Knew). That really annoyed me because from what I remember, they both did a lot for her. Jackson tried to write this off as Cissy's inability to let people close to her. When you have a psyhcotic mother and a dead beat dad, you're bound to be a little messed up. I get that. Add in a controlling grandmother and you have no chance. I get that, too. It was still annoying.

When Cissy Cahill-Holt (why would she hyphenate when she hated her family?) found her grandmother dead at the bottom of the stairs, she assumed that it was because of a fall. When she learns that her grandmother was murdered, she wonders if her mother, escaped convict Marla Cahill and bonified sociopath, could have anything to do with it. While she wouldn't put much past her murderous mom, she doesn't think that she really doesn't believe that her mother would kill her own family.

When members of her family start turning up dead, Cissy still doesn't think that her mother could be doing it. Her soon-to-be ex-husband, Jack, is determined to protect Cissy and their son, B.J. Having some of the book told from Jack's POV really nails home the fact that Cissy has major issues. Pushing him away before he can push her away, Cissy drove Jack into the arms of another woman. Even though he didn't sleep with the woman, Cissy thinks he did and kicks him out.

Aside from the heroine, another thing that annoyed me is that Jackson kept trying to get the reader to believe the villian was Jack. I'm the first to admit, I SUCK at figuring out who the bad guy is. Totally and completely suck. A good example of how bad I am at putting things together? In JRW's BDB series, I didn't know that John Matthew was Darius until a friend told me (after she laughed at me). But I never for a second considered that Jack was the villian.

We did get the villian's POV. Dude. That is one effed up person. I'm not going to tell you who it is, though. Not even Holly will guess this one.

Overall it was good. It was just a long book. I think 100 pages could have been cut out and it still would have had the same effect.

3 out of 5 stars.

Seeing Eye Mate by Annmarie McKenna

2007-08-02T11:31:00.000-06:00

Book description:

He's a shape-shifting wolf, she's a psychic and his other half. In order to catch a killer he has to rely on his Seeing Eye Mate.

Caelan Graham is on the hunt for a shape-shifter bent on killing female mates. As Prime, it's Caelan's duty to protect his entire pack, so it's a good thing he doesn't have a mate of his own to look after right now. Too bad the most alluring female has just walked past his nose.

As a clairvoyant, Tieran Jones has given up on men and their lack of understanding her gift-until Caelan. The man ignites her passion, sets off a vision of a gruesome wolf attack, then shows up in her bed. In wolf form. To top it all off, he keeps insisting she's his mate.

When the attacks continue, Tieran's visions evolve and point in one direction. Caelan's twin brother. With a lack of physical evidence, Caelan must depend on Tieran's sight for clues. An act making her a prime target.

I literally don't know where to start. There are so many problems that I had with this book, but I couldn't put it down. I mean, seriously. What is with that?

This book wasn't short on humor. I'm sure that the author didn't intend for it to be that humorous, but when you have lines like: "One minute Caelan wanted to strangle her, the next, he wanted to lay her out, spread her thighs as wide as they could go and slurp at her delicious pussy.", how can you not laugh. Slurp? Delicious pussy? I'm giggling just thinking about it and I.don't.giggle. Also, Tieran sucked him off like "she was a kid with a lollipop". Hello? Mother here. I don't want to think about kids and oral sex synonymously, thankyouverymuch.

So anyway...Tieran has had bad luck with men. Having psychic visions after sex isn't conducive to a good relationship. So she just avoids them instead. That all changes when she first sees Caelen at a bar where her car breaks down. After coming to her rescue with the tow-truck driver, Tieran thanks him and leaves. She has no intention of seeing him again. Ever. I have no idea why she wouldn't find it strange when Caelen shows up on her doorstep. I mean, really. A total stranger. And it's not like she left her purse or anything. So if I was her, I'd be asking how this freak knew where the fuck I lived.

Of course they immediately start going at it and she winds up pregnant. Caelen knows she's pregnant because he can "smell" it. Yes, people. He can smell it.

Lots of hot sex ensues, with the plot seemingly thrown in as an afterthought. The problem is that Tieran is seeing the "Mate Murderer", but she thinks it's Caelen's brother, Eli. See, the wolf in her dream that's murdering women has a scar on its' shoulder, just like Caelen.

The villian is so obvious it's laughable. The fact that Caelen doesn't know who it is makes it even more funny. Come on. I never know who the villian is, but I did know who this one was. Good Gawd. Oh, and how's this for a cliche? When Caelen goes to hunt the killer, he lives the killer to protect Tieran. Seriously.

Then there was the fact that Caelen kept calling Tieran "my own". That annoyed the ever-loving shit out of me. "Good morning, my own." or "Eat your breakfast, my own.". I wanted to take that phrase and shove it back down his throat. Ugh.

Eli's (the brother) book is next. Hey, I told you it was a train wreck. There are way too many train wrecks in my TBR pile. I've already read Eli's book and the review is coming shortly.

3 out of 5 stars.

The Billionaire Next Door by Jessica Bird

2007-08-01T09:34:00.000-06:00

Book description:

Take-no-prisoners deal-maker Sean O'Banyon ate Wall Street financiers for lunch. So why was he losing sleep over a fresh-scrubbed nurse in old jeans and a too-big T-shirt? Maybe it was those warm green eyes. Or the way she blushed when he got personal. There was no denying the serious chemistry between them. But sooner or later Lizzie would learn his deep, dark secrets: First, he had trust issues. And second—he'd rather not go into the whole family thing. He didn't do relationships…but amazingly, Lizzie made him want one anyway.

This book was MUCH better than Man in a Million. Much more enjoyable. Much less of the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING.

Sean O'Baynon was a super-hot hero. After leaving his father's home in South Boston at 18, Sean has never returned. With a head for finance, Sean has made a name for himself on Wall Street. When he receives a call telling him that his father is dead, Sean heads to the house that he grew up in and that he hasn't been back to since the day he walked out.

Lizzie Bond doesn't understand why her landlord and friend, Eddie O'Banyon, died alone. Knowing that he has three sons, she is at a loss to why none of them were at his bedside. Lizzie feels a horrible sense of guilt that he died all alone. After calling his son Sean, Lizzie waits for him to arrive to claim his father's body. She's unprepared for the feelings Sean invokes in her.

Of course Sean has been burned by a woman before. Right after he went from poor to rich, he met a woman and "showered" her with gifts, money, and whatever else she wanted. He soon learned his lesson when the woman left him for a richer man. From then on, he rarely spends money on women though he's far from cheap. He just doesn't want to get burned again. Which brings us to the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING in this book...

Lizzie doesn't know who Sean is. She has no idea he's rich. She works two jobs to support herself as well as her mother. Sean thinks she's too good to be true. When they go on a date, Lizzie offers to pay for half the dinner. She's almost too good to be true. When she does find out who Sean really is, it doesn't change much. She's still as fiercely independent as she ever was. The only thing she does do (toward the end) is take Sean up on his offer of living rent free until he sells the duplex.

When Sean is cleaning out his father's possessions, he finds all sorts of canceled checks that Lizzie wrote to herself, signed by his father. He also finds his father's will, which leaves all his belongings and any cash in his checking account to Lizzie. Needless to say, he flies of the handle and thinks he's been taken for a fool again. After accusing Lizzie of being a gold-digging tramp, he walks out of her apartment and swears he won't return. Ha.

The BIG MISUNDERSTANDING is eventually cleared up and the book is wrapped up quite nicely. Bird setup the O'Banyon brothers very nicely and I believe I will be reading the next too books for Mac and Billy O'Banyon.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Man in a Million by Jessica Bird

2007-08-01T09:11:00.000-06:00

Book description:

As far as bad boy Spike Moriarty was concerned, Madeline Maguire defined female perfection. When they'd met, she'd walked up as if she wasn't the most gorgeous thing on the planet and asked to see his tattoos. He-a tough guy who'd make grown men run-had just about passed out. But their connection was definitely one-way-it had to be. Because he could never be the man in a million she was looking for, not with the things he'd done and seen. So for as long as she'd let him, he'd give her whatever she wanted. He'd worry about her walking away when it happened.

I wasn't planning on reading this book, but I am oh-so glad that I did. Reading this book, it shows what I already knew. Jessica Bird aka J.R. Ward is nothing special. She hit the genre with the BDB at exactly the right time and got lucky. Yes, she got lucky. I've read Harlequin's by Susan Mallery, Roxanne St. Claire, Kathryn Shay, Marilyn Pappano, and Nalini Singh that are as good, if not better than Man in a Million. Don't get me wrong, I'll still read her JRW books, I just won't run out and hunt down all of Jessica Bird's backlist.

Okay, I know this is a Harlequin. So we'll definitely have the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING. Dude, this whole freakin' book was a BIG MISUNDERSTANDING. I'm not exaggerating either. If you don't believe me, read it.

Madeline "Mad" Maguire is a very insecure woman. Over six feet tall with a very athletic frame, she has had bad luck with men in general. Not to mention the two men she did get serious about ended up sleeping w/ her half sister. So even though she thinks Spike Moriarty (which I read as Mortuary every time) defines male hotness, she won't do anything about it. She's content to coast along with her life as it is. She also knows that someone like Spike would never want someone like her.

Meanwhile Spike knows that Mad is way out of his league. She's gorgeous and wealthy, she'll never give him a chance. Not only is he unrefined, he's also an ex-con. After a horrible experience telling a woman about his past, Spike doesn't want to put himself or another woman through that again. So he admires Mad from afar, wishing for what he can never have.

Are we seeing a pattern here?

Spike does Mad a favor by being her "guest" at the family home. Acting as a buffer between Mad and her barracuda of a brother, Spike begins to see Mad in a different light. Of course in between the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING, there are little misunderstandings. Such as Mad asking Spike why he's attracted to her. Spike thinks she wants a list of her attributes because she has to know how hot she is. So he is disappointed because he doesn't realize how shallow she was.

Then there's the coup de grâce, when Mad walks in and misinterprets a conversation between Spike and her half-sister Amelia. You'll be able to see this misunderstanding coming a mile away. It doesn't end there, though. Mad takes off like a bat out of hell. Spike is totally oblivious to the fact that Mad even saw him and Amelia talking. Mad's brother, Richard, takes full advantage of the situation telling Spike that Mad left b/c Richard told her about his past. Spike leaves with his tail between his legs, but understands why she left.

So Spike and Mad are both licking their wounds, but for different reasons. It really is quite humorous. When Spike does find out the truth, he realizes if Mad doesn't trust him about Amelia, she'll never be able to understand and accept that fact that he did time for manslaughter. Uh-huh.

And on and on it went. I was glad that this book ended because it was really getting tedious toward the end. Not to mention that the characters were far from brilliant. Spike was a good hero, in a bad-boy-turned-good sort of way. Madeline was a total wimp of a heroine. Of course there was a reason for that, but whatever. She just didn't rock my socks.

2.5 out of 5 stars.

High Noon by Nora Roberts

2007-08-01T09:06:00.001-06:00

Book description:

Police Lieutenant Phoebe MacNamara found her calling at an early age when an unstable man broke into her family's home, trapping and terrorizing them for hours. Now she's Savannah's top hostage negotiator, defusing powderkeg situations with a talent for knowing when to give in-andwhen to jump in and take action. It's satisfying work-and sometimes those skills come in handy at home dealing with her agoraphobic mother, still traumatized by the break-in after all these years, and her precocious seven-year-old, Carly.

It's exactly that heady combination of steely courage and sensitivity that first attracts Duncan Swift to Phoebe. After observing her coax one of his employees down from a roof ledge, he is committed to keeping this intriguing, take-charge woman in his life. She's used to working solo, but Phoebe's discovering that no amount of negotiation can keep Duncan at arm's length.

And when she's grabbed by a man who throws a hood over her head and brutally assaults her-in her own precinct house-Phoebe can't help but be deeply shaken. Then threatening messages show up on her doorstep, and she's not just alarmed but frustrated. How do you go face-to-face with an opponent who refuses to look you in the eye?

Now, with Duncan backing her up every step of the way, she must establish contact with the faceless tormentor who is determined to make her a hostage to fear . . . before she becomes the final showdown.

Dude. Can someone puh-lease tell me how Nora Roberts can write a 500 page book and still keep the reader interested? It took me three days to read this book. Three.freaking.days. High Noon was like the book that would never end. It was good, though. In only the way Roberts can, she got me invested in the lives of her characters. Thank Gawd she only comes out with a single title once a year.

Lieutenant Phoebe MacNamara is a kick ass heroine. As a hostage negotiator, she is in the top of her field. Of course she's lost some people in the course of her 12 year career, but she's also saved countless lives. She's a single mother raising her seven year old daughter. She takes care of her agoraphobic mother. She's totally verging on sainthood. When she meets the boss of a man that she talks off of a roof, she even finds love. Aw.

Duncan Swift isn't as kick-ass as Phobe, but he makes up for that in other ways. As a cabdriver/bartender, the day he buys a $5 lotto ticket, his whole life changes. Finding himself the winner of the biggest jackpot that the state of Georgia has ever seen definitely changes a man. He's found his niche by the time he meets Phoebe. After seeing her talk his ex-employee off the roof of his apartment, Duncan is determined to get to know her better.

Unfortunately things are never easy for Phoebe. Also a trainer of negotiator in her department, Phoebe butts heads w/ a bigot officer named Arnie Meeks. Good 'ol Arnie doesn't have a very high regard for women in general, let alone women who are his superiors. A first responder on a hostage situation, Arnie doesn't call Phoebe in until it's too late. Trying to talk to hostage taker down, Phoebe is too little, too late. When Phoebe finds out how Arnie handled the situation and basically drove the Hostage Taker to suicide, she suspends him. Like a good psychopath, Arnie attacks Phoebe in the stairwell of the Precinct. Viciously assaulted, Phoebe is sure that Arnie is to blame. Because he's a man that can't keep his mouth shut, Arnie eventually confesses. As his daddy is a higher-up in the Police Department, Arnie only gets kicked off the force and probation. How fucked up is that? I was pissed off on Phoebe's behalf. And you know an author is good when they can get you all worked up over a fictional character.

In the midst of all this, Phoebe is finding dead animals on her porch. Convinced that it's Arnie, Phoebe doesn't think much of it. Then she finds herself at a cemetery where her ex-husband and the father of her daughter has been chained to a grave and strapped with explosives. Using her ex as the go-between, the HT tells Phoebe that she's going to pay and blahblahblah. Then he blows the guy up. Seriously. It was messed up, people. Roberts did a fantabulous job of describing this guy getting blow to bits. Still makes me kind of sick.

Now Phoebe realizes that another psychopath is after her. What she doesn't know is why. Going through all her old cases, she eventually figures it out and the climax at the end of the book is a good one.

Every time I read a Nora Roberts book I am reminded of what a great author she is. I've had a lot of people tell me they don't read Nora because they don't think that an author who releases so many books can be good. That really is their loss. Her characters are real people that, as a reader, you will come to care about and admire. Phoebe is probably on my list of Top 10 heroines. She's that kick-ass.

5 out of 5 stars.

I'm still alive

2007-07-31T13:55:00.001-06:00

Ah the joy of taking care of a five year old recovering from a tonsillectomy. Between her recovery and me actually having to work when I go to work, I am waaaay behind on my reviews.

I have been reading, though, and have several reviews in the works. So bear with me, if you can. *g*

Up Close and Dangerous by Linda Howard

2007-07-23T08:53:00.000-06:00

Book description:

A mysterious plane crash . . . a dangerous trek through the Idaho wilderness . . . a smoldering attraction . . . and a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Bailey Wingate’s scheming adult stepchildren are surprised when their father’s will leaves Bailey in control of their fortune, and war ensues.

A year later, while flying from Seattle to Denver in a small plane, Bailey nearly dies herself when the engine sputters–and then fails.

Cam Justice, her sexy Texan pilot, manages to crash-land the aircraft. Stranded in the wilderness, and struggling to douse her feelings for the ruggedly handsome man by her side, Bailey begins to wonder whether this was a mere accident. Who tampered with their plane? Who’s trying to reunite Bailey and her husband in the afterlife? Cut off from the world, and with little hope of rescue, Bailey must trust her life–and heart–to Cam, as they battle the harsh elements to find a way out of the unforgiving wilds and back to civilization . . . where a killer may be waiting to finish the job.

I'm still on the fence about this one. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I've come to expect from Linda Howard. Obviously I need to lower my expectations. I just can't help it. Every year for the past five years, I get my hopes up when she releases a new book. Almost every year since then I want to either burn the book while I cry over its' ashes or throw it against the wall. I'm happy to report that this year I did neither. So that's a good sign. I guess.

Bailey Wingate has gotten used to being labeled as a gold-digger. Personal Assistant-turned-wife of millionaire Jim Wingate didn't endear her to very many people. What only a few people do know is that it was Jim's idea to get married. A purely business arranagement, Jim came to Bailey offering her a chance at financial security if she would agree to be the trustee and executor of the money left to his children in a trust. Yeah, btw, his children are adults that are sleazebags. His son, Seth, absolutely hates Bailey. Haaaaates her. See, Bailey is actually younger than him and it really chaps his ass that he has to get his montly allowance from her. Seth's sister and the other child, Tamzin (WTF kind of name is that?) is even worse. Gawd, she was barely even in the book and she grated on my nerves.

So Bailey was all ready to go on vacation with her brother and his wife. She was somewhat chagrined when she got to the airfield and found Captain Cam Justice waiting to take her to Denver. See, Cam doesn't like Bailey and he's never tried to hide that. He's with the majority of people who thinks she's a gold-digging whore that took advantage of a sick old man for money. Not to mention he think she's a cold ass bee-yotch. When he has to lug her three huge suitcases into the plane, it reinforces his beliefs that she is exactly what he thinks she is. Little did he know that those three suitcases would save his judgemental ass.

When the plane goes down, you can virtually feel the terror in the air. Howard does a magnificant job of putting the reader right there with Bailey and Cam. After they "land" in the cold mountains of Idaho (I swear, I did not know this), Bailey drags an unconcious Cam out of the cockpit. She then starts dragging stuff out of her suitcases. Bailey is an overpacker. Which is this case was a definite good thing. Because she was going rafting and camping for vacation, she had things that would make the difference between life and death for her and Cam. The whole time she was trying to ger herself and Cam warm, I could literally feel the cold. People, it is freezing in Idaho. Seriously, I could almost feel the cold and it was making me cold while reading it. Bailey basically saved both their asses while Cam was out cold.

Then, in the way only Howard heroes can, Cam abruptly decides that he's not letting Bailey go. His logic for this is that the time they spent together (4 days x 24 hours) equals roughly 15 dates. Does he keep this information to himself? Of course not. He tells her that he knows exactly what she's doing with the Ice Queen persona. But pushing him away is not going to work. No siree.

When Cam examines the wreckage, he finds that the plane was deliberately tampered with. Both Cam and Bailey are convinced that Seth Wingate is the person behind the crash. Bailey, not willing to take any more chances with her life, decides to hand over her authority of the trust. Cam just wants to kick his ass for almost killing Bailey.

After hiking away from the crash site, they are rescued. That was a little anti-climatic. After all these days of survival in the woods, they light a signal fire and hear a helicopter within minutes. Hmph. Before they do get rescued, Cam insists that Bailey marry him and move in with him. But he's very thoughtful because he'll let her do that in whichever order she wants. Very thoughtful, isn't he?

Overall, this book wasn't bad. It was a good story. The characters were good. It was just good. Not great, but good. Bailey was a kick ass heroine. I liked her from the very beginning. Cam is more like a Howard hero than her past few heroes. I just can't put my finger on exactly what's missing.

Oh and I'm not going to give away the ending. I was too surprised by who did it, but then, I always am.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Publishing: Deciding on release dates

2007-07-19T18:37:00.000-06:00

I'm going to deviate from the norm for a minute.

Who makes the decision on when to release a book? Does Random House have a department that specializes in release dates? Does Mira run an employment ad stating: "Wanted: Release Date Specialist. Must be literate. Must have high school diploma or equivalent. No experience necessary."? Obviously there is some sort of reasoning or business purpose behind choosing release dates. Yet to me as a reader, it seems like there is no rhyme or reason.

Nalini Singh released Slave to Sensation in October of '06. Visions of Heat was released in March '07 and Caressed by Ice will be released in September of '07. J.R. Ward is the same; a new release every six months. For an author writing an ongoing series, I think that release dates are key to success.

Take Gennita Low for example. Her first book, Into Danger, was released March of '03. Her second book, Facing Fear, was released Feb of '04. These two books were followed by a trilogy which was released about every six months. There was a year and a half between the third book in the trilogy and her new release, Virtually His. That was in part because she went from Avon to Mira. Virtually His kicked off a new trilogy based on several recurring characters, but the same hero and heroine. This was released in May of '07. At the time of the release, the second book (Virtually Hers), had a release date of August of '07. Shortly after the release of Virtually His, the release date of Virtually Hers changed to December of '07. To her readers this was a disappointment, but it wasn't awful. Those of us that waited a year and a half between books could handle 6 months. Then, a few weeks ago we were told that the release date changed to December of 2008.

W.T.F.???????

Judith McNaught publishes a book every 2-3 years. Julie Garwood seems to publish a book every 1-2 years. I'm sure that their publishers are secure in the fact that their books will sell regardless of the time between releases. What about authors like Gennita Low? She's fucking good. Facing Fear was one of those books that stayed with me for days after reading it. Her SEAL trilogy had the perfect balance of romance and suspense. Her heroes were alphas, but not assholes. Her heroines weren't TSTL. She was chugging along, gathering a rather large fan base. Then there was the year and a half when she changed publishers. She did get her readers prepared for that long before it happened. So we knew. Then this. December of 2008. Are you fucking kidding me?

Even putting readers wants and needs aside, it does not seem like a good business decision. How many people will pass Gennita's next book up because they don't remember the 1st? Or don't remember her? I won't, but I'm a diehard fan. Won't sales be better if you have less time between release dates?

Her Best Friend's Lover by Shiloh Walker

2007-07-19T15:16:00.000-06:00

Book description:

Dale loves women, and they love him. His love life is a revolving door. No one special, no one stays, except Lauren, his best friend. She's a sweet beautiful, talented woman. His rock, the steadying influence in his life. So why is he starting to see her differently, where are these lustful thoughts coming from? Guys don't sleep with their best friends.

Lauren has loved Dale for five years, from the moment she saw him. She loves his smile, his walk, his deep, sexy voice. But he isn't in love with her. She's his pal, his confidant. Until one hot, steamy night.

This is probably the most tame Ellora's Cave cover that I've seen. Still doesn't mean I like it, but it's a definite improvement over some covers.

Lauren Spencer luuuuuurves Dale Stoner. A lot. She hasn't done anything about it, nor does she intend to. See, Dale's what you call a man-whore. Lauren is a virgin (of course). Lauren being the smart virgin she is, knows better to get involved with Dale. That all changes on a dark and stormy night. Okay, not really. Dale sees finding someone for Ice Queen Lauren as his mission in life. After Dale set her up w/ someone that almost rapes her, Lauren decides she's had enough. Enough of being in love with her best friend. Enough of wanting something she'll never have. Enough of seeing Dale w/ other women. She's had ENOUGH! Which is kinda rough since they're next door neighbors.

After a few weeks of giving Dale the cold shoulder and being miserable, Lauren decides that she has to accept Dale for who he is. If that means having a man-whore as a best friend, so be it. She would rather have his friendship than nothing at all. Like a good friend, she whips up a nice batch of his favorite cookies and heads over to ~~grovel~~ apologize. What she doesn't know is that Dale just got some really depressing news and is drunk as a skunk. Trying to help him get in bed probably wasn't her wisest decision. Which is why she soon finds herself up against the wall getting screwed silly. At first she's shocked. Then she gets into it. That changes when Dale calls her another woman's name and passes out. Total cliché , right? Somehow it worked. Walker got just the amount of hurt and anger across the page.

What happened next is really going to shock you, so brace yourself. Lauren finds out a few weeks later that she's pregnant. She's overjoyed. Too bad Dale doesn't remember the hot sex against the wall. And she's too scared to tell him. Especially when Dale starts to show interest that he's never shown before. Pretty soon Lauren is in so deep that she has no idea how she'll tell Dale that the baby he's taken such an interest in is actually his.

I really enjoyed this book. Lots of hot sex didn't take away from the love story. And this is a love story. There was no suspense at all. What you have is a woman that was abandoned her whole life by people she loved. First her dad, then her mom. After that it was various foster homes. By the time Dale came along, her emotions were locked down tight. She doesn't do confrontation well, which Dale sees as lack of emotion rather than her protecting herself. Of course you have the various misunderstandings. Then as you would expect, it really hits the fan when Dale finds out about the baby. Especially since it didn't come from Lauren.

There was kind of a lame part where Dale kept dreaming about his "dream" woman who was Lauren, but he doesn't know it's Lauren. When Lauren realizeses that he's dreaming about another woman, she gets pissed not knowing that it's her he's dreaming about even though he doesn't know it's her. Make sense? Yup. Clear as mud.

I just liked the whole book, even the misunderstandings. Try it.

4 out of 5 stars.

On Target by Catherine Mann

2007-07-18T15:32:00.000-06:00

Book description:

On his way to deliver divorce papers to his soon-to-be ex, a terrorist attack put U.S. Air Force Sergeant Shane 'Vegas' O'Riley back into soldier mode. His wife and her two adopted children were in danger. He didn't give a damn if she wanted him out of their lives—they were under his full-time protection now.

Being back with her husband had Sherry in upheaval. She still wanted Shane. Yet she was afraid obligation was the only reason he was sticking close. With a terrorist targeting their lives, Shane was all she had to hold on to. Danger lurked close to home. But it was a marriage that had to survive the ultimate battle.

This is the 3rd book in Mann's Special Forces series. It's not as good as the first two books.

Shane O'Riley is hawtness. He's also a true patriot. A major league baseball player, Shane was making the big bucks when 9/11 happened. He immediately quit and joined the Air Force. When he met Sherry during leave, they were married within two months. They fell in lurve. To Shane, the fact that Sherry had two young daughters was just a bonus. Instant family. Too bad that he expected her to just be content waiting stateside for him while he was on assignment. Yeah, she didn't like that.

Sherry grew up being taken from country to country by her humanitarian parents. When they did return to the US of A, she never fit in. Culture in the poverty ridden countries she was raised in was far from the culture in the States. So what does she do when she's a parent? She takes her two adopted daughters from country to country where she helps villages and teaches children. Oh, but she makes sure her girls know who Dora the Explorer are and what a DVD player is. So that makes it okay.

Shane is on his way to meet Sherry w/ the divorce papers when his team is ordered to intercept a terrorist boat. They all almost die, but make it to the base. I still haven't figured out how Shane arranged to have his whole crew go to the same island that Sherry was on. I must have missed that part.

Of course Shane and Sherry are fighting this burning lust they have for each other. They're both trying to be adults and not jump right into the sack. They know it wouldn't be good for their girls to give them false hope. Smart parenting right there. Too bad they didn't stick to the plan.

After two kidnap attempts on their oldest daughter and their youngest daughter getting sick with an illness that is unexplained, Sherry is on edge. Nothing like a little hot sex to take the edge off. Of course that makes things much harder on both of them b/c they start questioning their marriage again and if they can make it work and all that crap. The thing is, they've gone through two trial separations (which how hard is that when they're never together?) and been in a marriage counseling. So they both think that they've reached the end of their marriage rope.

So to wrap it up, the terrorists that were operating on the island were working on a chemical weapon. Shane and Sherry's daughters (Cara and Mally) went exploring and were exposed to the chemical. Mally got sick when they got back, but Cara didn't. In fact, according to the terrorists (and you can always trust them), Cara should have died. So they want her b/c they can figure out an antidote to give their own men.

Problems: Sherry. What a whiny little bitch. Seriously. This book was intended to show what military marriages go through. I'm not a military wife, but I'm a military sister. If you marry a man that is already enlisted you have to expect that they're going to be gone. I mean, come ON. Instead of remaining in the country and waiting for Shane to come home, Sherry takes the girls and jets off to God knows where following in the vicious cycle that she was in as a child. It was annoying. On top of that, she continually admitted to herself that Shane wasn't the only one at fault with the failure of their marriage. But does she admit that to Shane? No. It was childish and stupid.

Shane was really hot, though. So he made up for some of it. So did the secondary characters. The 1st too books are really good and I highly recommend them (if you can find them).

3 out of 5 stars.

Simon Says by Lori Foster

2007-07-18T11:06:00.000-06:00

Book description:

Sexy ex-fighter Simon Evans has the perfect life—until he catches his girlfriend cheating. To work off his rage, he goes back into the ring full-force. But a gutsy and gorgeous P.I. is about to send him reeling with a secret about his family—and one about her heart.

I've had this edit window open since 10:40am yesterday morning. These morons actually expect me to work or something. WTF?

I love Lori Foster's books. She is light without being fluffy. She is intense without being dark. Her books make for a good combination of fun and passion.

Simon Evans was vaguely introduced in Causing Havoc. He is a trainer for fighters that are in the UFC. Foster called it the SBC, but every time I read that I thought about the SBC Ballpark in San Francisco. Or SBC which was formerly AT&T in Northern CA. So UFC it is in this review.

Being the nice guy he is, Simon decides to surprise his live-in girlfriend of five years with a new mattress. Yes, folks, a mattress. When a book opens up like this, you just know that the shit is going to hit the fan. I mean, what kind of guy would want to "surprise" his girlfriend with a mattress? Yeah, that's what I thought. You'll be shocked to find out that Simon finds pictures of his girlfriend doing some other guy. He doesn't know who the guy is, but he definitely recognizes his gf. So he enlists the help of his friends to get all his shit out. He's surprised that he's not more upset. Five years is five years, after all. It's more of a prick to his pride. To salvage said pride, he decides that he's going to go back to fighting in the UFC rather than training.

Dakota Dream is not a porn star. So get that out of your head right now. I'm not sure exactly what she does for a living, but in her spare time she helps find missing people. When she was 17, Dakota ran away from home to marry Marvin Dream. Obviously she didn't know that at 17, mothers are always right and Dakota's mom didn't like Marvin at all. They parted on very bad terms. Marvin ended up being abusive, but Dakota stuck around b/c she didn't want to go crawling back to her mom. A few days after Marvin almost killed her, Dakota sucked it up and went home...only to find out her mom had an accident and was in a coma. Her stepfather, Barnaby Jailer (we'll get to that name in a moment) kindly let her stay even though they never had the best of relationships.

Okay, seriously people. Barnaby Jailer? Dakota Dream? These names seem to be a cross between a Disney character and a porn star. Every time I read the name Barnaby Jailer, I vomited a little in my mouth.

So BJ tells Dakota that she owes him for letting her come back home. Not only that, but the asshole has three letters that Dakota's mom wrote her before she went into the coma. Dakota wants those letters. Bad. She only has to do one thing. Find BJ's son and bring him home. You've already guessed who is son is, I'm assuming? Simon Evans.

Dakota finds Simon and befriends him. Simon is fascinated by Dakota b/c she knows a lot about the UFC, but she's not a groupie. He wants her. Bad. Then he finds out why she wants him. The problem here is that Simon has never been interested in finding the man that deserted him and his mom. His stepfather is his father in every way that is important. So he tells Dakota to get lost. Oh but he doesn't know how determined Dakota is to get those three letters.

Eventually Dakota gives up on getting the letters. She decides that she wants nothing more to do w/ 'ol BJ. She just wants Simon. It's too bad that nothing is ever easy for Dakota. See, Simon's ex wants him back and she'll play dirty to get him. Not only that, but someone is trying to hurt Dakota and she's sure it's her ex-husband. She's right and Marvin is one messed up f'er. Dakota is the only woman who ever stood up to him and he wants her back. Very dysfunctional.

When Simon and Dakota eventually get their HEA, you will really feel that they deserve it. Oh, just make sure you read Causing Havoc first. There are recurring characters that you'll appreciate much more if you read them in order.

4 out of 5 stars

Tempting by Susan Mallery

2007-07-16T09:16:00.000-06:00

From the back cover:

After three romantic flame-outs in a year and a restaurant career going nowhere, Dani Buchanan needs a fresh start. She goes looking for her biological father, but never expects to find a senator running for president.

As his long-lost 'love child,' Dani could seriously derail the election— something his handsome campaign manager Alex Canfield isn't going to let happen. Dani isn't about to let Alex run her life, no matter how tempting she finds him—and Alex isn't going to allow Dani to melt his cynicism, no matter how close he has to get.

The last thing either of them wants is love, especially with scandals brewing and family trouble on the way. But Dani and Alex are forced to trust each other, and when trust turns to passion, the potential for disaster is only a tabloid scandal away.

Tempting is the final installment in the Buchanan series. Over the course of three books we have watched Dani get fucked over by people that she called family. First, her fantabulous husband, Hugh. A real winner, that one. After getting injured while playing football, Hugh was paralyzed from the waist down. Dani was dating him at the time and she still married him. Gotta give the girl props. I have to admit, I wouldn't have stuck around. What can I say? I'm shallow. Just admit it, you wouldn't have either. So even after all the moral, emotional, and financial support she gave him, he fucks her over. She even read up on how to make their sex life good. How does he show his appreciation? By screwing his T.A. Stand up guy, that one.

So that's a hard knock. But it doesn't stop there for Dani. She jumps back into the dating pool with a super hot guy, who seems great. She falls far him, sleeps with him, starts to lurve him. Then she meets his wife and toddler. Niiiiice. Oh wait, there's more. In the 3rd book, she starts seeing this guy she meets at a coffee shop. While she doesn't feel sparks, she does like the guy. She decides to give him a chance and finds out on their first date that he's a former priest. Ha. Dani runs. She then decides to give up men. Good girl. I sure would have.

Don't forget that in the 1st or 2nd book, Dani found out that she's not really a Buchanan. Seems her mom had an affair and she was the result. After years and years of trying to get her grandmother's approval, Dani receives the ultimate blow when Gloria gleefully tells her that she's not a Buchanan. At the beginning of Tempting, Dani has decided that she wants to find her real father. Though she still has her brothers, she feels that she needs somewhere to belong.

Unfortunately not only is her father a United States Senator, he's also a Presidential candidate. Ummm-hmmm. Alex Canfield is not only his advisor, he's also his adopted son. Obviously Alex thinks that Dani is in it for money or fame or something along those lines. He just figures that the timing is just too convenient, regardless of what Dani says.

Alex and Dani have a major love/hate relationship going on. Dani has seriously sworn off men. She wants nothing to do with them. Alex is very attracted to her, but he can already see the headlines if he does decide to get involved with her. Not to mention that he doesn't want to hurt his mother, the woman who saved him when he was 8 years old.

Talk about a saint. Alex's mother, Katherine Canfield is amazing. I loved her character in this book. She adopted eight special needs children. Eight. Now I know this is fiction, but I'm sure there are people out there that have done the same. That just made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Understandably, Katherine has a hard time with Dani's appearance in their lives, but as a political figure's wife, she knows what's expected of her.

I think this is one of the best books of the four. The fact that Mark Canfield is not exactly paternal made Dani realize that blood doesn't make family. Seeing Dani and Gloria reconcile really closed the series well. Gloria was a raving bitch to Dani in the previous books. Seeing her make amends with Dani really made the book that much better. Mallery did a really great job closing out the Buchanan series. I think readers will be satisfied with the ending.

4 out of 5 stars.

Hidden Agendas by Lora Leigh

2007-07-13T12:20:00.000-06:00

From the back cover:

SAVING LIVES IS HIS MISSION.

Tough-as-nails Navy SEAL Kell Kreiger is the best there is at searching, rescuing, and taking no prisoners…yet even the rush of ever-more dangerous missions isn’t enough to satisfy him. Haunted by a tortured past, Kell seeks distraction in a secret world of dark intimacies. But when Emily Stanton, the one ray of light in Kell’s shadowy existence, is pursued by a ruthless drug lord, the rules of the game suddenly change—and Kell will have to go deeper undercover than he ever imagined...

SAVING HER IS HIS PASSION.

Emily has loved Kell ever since her father, a prominent politician, rescued him from a brutal life on the streets. They were kids then, too young to act on what was growing between them…but now that Emily is ready, the handsome, headstrong SEAL has decided he’s no good for her. Ever since he rescued her from Diego Fuentes’ compound, Kell’s only duty has been to keep Emily safe. But Fuentes isn’t finished with Emily—or Kell. And to protect Emily, Kell has no choice but to lay himself—body, soul, and secrets—bare…and fight against evil with all his heart.

Okay, so as I was reading Hidden Agendas, I kept checking to make sure that the author really was Lora Leigh. There were no menages. Not even a reference to one. No BDSM. Only traditional sex. Not that this is a bad thing, but I've gotten so used to this from her that I was a little surprised.

Kell Kreiger is a hard ass mother-f-er. After getting his then-girlfriend pregnant at 17, Kell married her against his family's wishes. As sole heir to a prominant New Orleans family fortune, Kell did not meet expectations by marrying the girl he knocked up. Dude, but that was annoying. When he was cast out, Kell did what he could to support his new family. To save money for the impending arrival of his son, Kell started doing informant work for the NOPD. When he ended up having to testify against a well-known drug lord, he was warned that his wife would die if he testified. So Kell hid her in the swamp at an old family cabin. His mom, who saw him take the keys actually gave the location up. His wife and unborn baby were brutally murdered. So he is tortured. With good reason, too. After that, he left New Orleans and hasn't been back.

Emily Stanton hasn't been the same since she was kidnapped by Diego Fuentes. Nor has her father. A powerful man in his own right, Senator Stanton insists on Emily having bodyguards. He also plays matchmaker, which is a little strange. Sending man after man to his daughter hoping that she'll fall into bed with him seemed a little creepy to me. Emily is onto him, though, and wants nothing to do with it. She ends up running them off eventually. While that is not exactly her plan, she doesn't complain. This part of her character annoyed me. She had no backbone when it came to her father. Which did make sense in a way. The one time she refused a bodyguard, she got kidnapped. Aside from that, it was just little comments here and there that were made that she just took.

When the news reaches them that Fuentes will once again go after Emily, Kell steps in. For apperances, he insists on pretending to be her lover. Why? 'Cuz if Fuentes thinks she has no bodyguard, he'll try to snatch her not knowing that there is virtually a whole SEAL team in place to protect her. The team doesn't know a few things, though. They don't know that they have Fuentes' own son in their midst. We don't find out who he is until virtually the last page, but ho-boy. Shit will hit the fan in the next book.

So Emily and Kell decide to start playing house for real. One thing that is refreshing in Leigh's book is that the hero doesn't fight the attraction. It's not "I'll never fall in love again. I'll just f her and leave her. I'm not good enough for her". With Kell, he fully admits that he doesn't think he's good enough for her and he doesn't fucking care. He very craftily decides that while Emily will think he's pretending to be in relationship with her, he won't be pretending. But she'll still think he is pretending, even though he's serious.

Of course Emily still gets nabbed by the bad guy. Did you really doubt she would? Kell freaks out, of course. Kell finds her, of course. They also find one of their men that has been held captive for over 17 months. That's another story, for another time. That guy is so effed up, I'm not sure if he'll even get his own book.

There are several new characters introduced and several old characters that are re-introduced. Romantic suspense fans should enjoy this one.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Hunter's Salvation by Shiloh Walker

2007-07-13T09:18:00.000-06:00

From the back cover:

HIS MISSION

Vax was once committed to his life as a Hunter, tracking down the evil beings who prey on humans, but he opted out of the game long ago. Until now—because somebody, somewhere, is in danger. And, despite his best efforts, Vax can't ignore his calling?

HER SACRIFICE

Jess Warren is determined to find the maniac who killed her sister. A gifted psychic and telekinetic, she will do anything to exact her vengeance. Even if it means putting herself in peril...
THEIR INSATIABLE DESIRE

Jess would rather not accept Vax's help—especially since letting him have his way could draw her deeper into his irresistibly sensuous realm. But then he saves her life—and they discover that the depraved madman they've been looking for is much closer than either of them could have imagined...

I'm really trying to think. I'm really trying to get motivated. What was I thinking coming back to work on a Friday? Gawd.

Hunter's Salvation is part of a series. I believe the series originally started with Samhain or EC. I started reading it when Berkley released Hunting the Hunter. Walker's website says that Hunting the Hunter stands alone and that Hunter's Salvation can stand alone as well. I don't recommend reading it as a stand alone. Vax was first introduced (to me) in Hunting the Hunter. It was published back in July 2006. I know authors have little control over publishing schedules, but I as rather annoyed it took a year to get the next book out. I barely remembered Vax and didn't have the time nor the desire to skim back through Hunting the Hunter.

Though Vax technically is a Hunter, he stopped all Hunter duties after his wife was brutally attacked and turned by a feral vampire. She was kidnapped from their home when he was out Hunting. Vax had to kill her himself. Those flashbacks were sad. Poor Vax. Oh, I forgot to mention he's a witch, too. See what I mean about being out of it?

So apparently when a call goes out to Hunters that one is needed, if you are in the general vicinity, it's basically a compulsion to answer. Even though Vax doesn't want anything to do w/ being a Hunter, he can't resist the call. Off he heads to Indiana. Btw, poor guy lives in Montana. That's worse than living in Idaho. Though he is somewhat of a loner, so it all works out. Anyway, he arrives in Indianapolis and goes straight to a club where it seems all the trouble is brewing. For the life of me, I can't remember the name of the club. Vax can feel the bad mojo pouring out of the place. It's pretty sickening stuff.

Jess Warren is at the club to bring down the owner. As an investigative reporter, Jess was doing a story on women who would go missing and turn up dead months later. She tied it back to said club, but that was as far as she got. The club's owner decided to send her a message, so he tortured and killed her younger sister. Then, nice guy that he is, he sent the whole thing on video to Jess. So Jess is also rather tortured. Oh the therapy bills these two could wrack up together. Jess knows a little about the paranormal world. A telekenetic, things tend to fly when she gets mad. Her sister was an empath (which makes what happened to her even worse). So she knows that something weird is going on, she just doesn't know exactly what.

Vax and Jess meet up when Vax steps in to save her from a bouncer. He soon realizes that Jess is the person he's supposed to protect and takes measures to do just that. How? By knocking her out and depositing her unconcious body in the car. No, I'm not kidding.

Unfortunately, neither Vax or Jess realize the magnitude of what is going on in the club. See, there's this evil vampire doctor who is stealing brain sereum from witches and injecting it into humans. Why? To make their own witch-y army, of course. Why else? Jess has no idea what she walked in the middle of. Neither does Vax. They soon learn when one of the "creatures" tries to kill Jess at her house. She gets away and sends an S.O.S. to Vax. Vax once again comes to her rescue, though she doesn't like it.

Like I said, I have been looking forward to this book for awhile. I kept putting it down, though. I'm not quite sure why b/c it wasn't a bad book. I just wasn't glued to it like I was when I read Hunting the Hunter. At the end of the book, Vax was turned mortal when the evil vampire doctor injected him with the sereum that was supposed to kill him. Vax almost died, decided he couldn't stay w/ Jess then changed his mind and begged her to take him back. Vax was a good hero, Jess was a good heroine. So maybe it's just me. Maybe.

One thing that did bother me was how this Masters guy who killed Jess' sister was made out to be such an evil villian. Then Vax just killed him and it was almost an afterthought. It was just a bit of a letdown. There was no confrontation. Just Vax remembering how easy it was to cut his head off or however he killed him.

I do plan on picking up Book 1.

3 out of 5 stars.

Back from Dallas

2007-07-13T09:13:00.000-06:00

And I have lots of new reviews to post. I'll also be including a picture of Robyn Carr's autograph to me. I so loved her. For anyone interested, her Grace Valley trilogy is going back into print. She's also going to be writing three additional books for Virgin River. Squee!! I tried to pump her for more info, but she doesn't know about release dates yet.

So stay tuned. It's Friday at work. It's slow (b/c I decided to wait until Monday to catch up), I'm bored and I have at least four reviews.

Muse by Adra Steia

2007-07-05T15:30:00.000-06:00

Book description (since it doesn't have a back cover):

Leah and Miguel have been separated for ten years, after the birth and adoption of their child when they were just teenagers. Reunited, they discover their psychic bond is as strong as ever. Miguel is now a troubled artist, and Leah is struggling to make a life for herself.

As they decide to resume their turbulent, passionate romance, Miguel summons his Muse, a seductive, violent spirit that haunts their home. After several violent, bloody attacks, Leah learns very quickly that his Muse is not all he claims she is, and that the vindictive spirit will stop at nothing to possess Miguel. To save him, Leah must sacrifice everything.

Reading the back cover, the reader would rightly assume that Leah is the heroine. The reader would also assume that Miguel is the hero. That being said, this is NOT a romance. Why, you ask? Because the hero does not die in a fucking romance. I don't care what the fuck he's done. I don't care if he's not redeemable. I was so pissed when I got done reading this book. I was so steamed that I actually talked to my husband about it (who is clueless by the way). Over and over in my mind I was saying "You can't kill the hero off in a romance". You can't. Isn't that like a rule of thumb or something? I don't know what genre you would put it in, but it's not a romance.

Miguel Dominguez is an artist. A talented artist. When he goes to do a commission, he is shocked to find Leah, his first and only true love. Miguel talks Leah into coming with him. That part is believable b/c Miguel and Leah were desperately in love when they parted ways ten years before. There are major unresolved feelings there. Not to mention Leah is working as a maid for their old high school bully. So while she's wary of Miguel and his intentions, she leaves with him.

Off they go with Miguel's brother, Jose, to start their new life in the old family home. That's when the real fun begins.

This is where it all started to break up for me. Obviously the house is haunted. On the first night/morning, Leah finds a skeletal ghost in her bed trying to kiss her. So yeah, I'd say haunted. But is it? When to call in a ghost specialist?

-Get pushed into the bathtub and strangled by a shower curtain? Check.

-Get helped down a couple flights of stairs into the basement? Check.

-Have a psycho ghost tell you that your husband is hers? Check.

-Get your face gouged out by an angry ghost? Check.

Okay, better call in the experts. 'Cuz obviously something is going on. But here's the thing. Only Leah and Jose think that the "ghost" is really dangerous. Miguel is thrilled b/c the ghost is his muse. The ghost is giving him a lot of ideas for new work and he refuses to give her up. He refuses to believe she's dangerous. Leah's injuries are easily explained. He thinks they're self-inflicted. Then he finds himself attracted to her. Which makes him feel like a cheat b/c he really loves Leah. Which on a small sidenote, you can really tell that he did love Leah. He was crazy about her. These two really seemed to be made for each other. End side note.

Let me back up for a moment. The whole book, the author has us waffling back and forth about Miguel's brother, Jose. On one hand, you really admire him b/c he was there for Miguel when he had a mental breakdown years back. On the other hand, he's an ass b/c he thinks everything is Leah's fault and that she will bring Miguel's downfall. So Jose and Leah's relationship is rocky, at best.

Leah and Jose both convince Miguel to leave the day after his art show. Then he changes his mind b/c he would rather live without the love of his life than his muse. His thought is that he was without her once, he can be without her again. And off to the haunted basement, he goes. Leah realizes that she'll lose him for good if she can't get him out of the basement. So her and Jose along with the Ghostbuster set fire to the house. Then Miguel dies in Leah's arms. Like he dies and doesn't come back to life. It pissed me off just to type that.

Oh, but here's the kicker. The Ghostbuster told Leah and Jose that there were no spirits in the house. Miguel apparently had more psychic energy than he ever thought and he created the muse from left over spiritual energy. So while the muse did exist, she was Miguel's to control. And apparently he liked having his muse call him on his cell phone during his honeymoon, even though it was off. He also liked having wet dreams about her. M'kay. So we get that Miguel has issues. But he LOVED Leah. Like you just knew he would die for her.

My thoughts are that the author decided during the 50 or so pages to kill Miguel off. He was redeemable up until then. But did she redeem him? No, she didn't. Which ruined the whole point of having a HEA. Oh and to make it even better, Leah was pregnant. Leah didn't want to tell Miguel b/c she was afraid the muse would really hurt her. She tells Miguel as he lay dying.

Fast forward four years. Leah has a daughter. Leah has Jose in her life. Miguel comes into her mind and tells her that Jose loves her. They can be happy. Blahblahblah. So Jose and Leah hook up. W.T.F.????

1 out of 5 stars.

Lawman by Diana Palmer

2007-07-05T14:51:00.000-06:00

From the back cover:

When San Antonio FBI agent Garon Grier buys a ranch in Jacobsville, Texas, the strong, silent loner is hoping to mend some broken family fences. He's not looking for love when he finds an unexpected, unwanted attraction to the girl next door, a shy, lovely woman who believes some secrets are best kept hidden. But the truth will prove just as dangerous when Garon tackles the most difficult case of his career, hunting an escaped convict, a child predator whose former victims are all dead. All except one.

Grace Carver grew up in this quiet Texas town. She works as a cook at the local café and nurtures a spectacular garden in the home she shares with her elderly grandmother. She remains unmarried and untouched because of a past darkened by tragedy. Now, at only twenty-five, she's accepted loneliness as a way of life. That is, until Garon.

But only when fear and uncertainty collide in reckless heartbreak does Garon fully realize what he's found with Grace—and what he may have lost. Because his hunt for a killer has lead him to the last person on earth he would ever have expected to be the one who had escaped death at the hands of a madman. And now a desperate lawman and a proud woman must decide if secrets will come between them forever . . . or free them to love.

Yes, I'm sure many of you are raising your eyebrows or wondering WTF I was thinking. I can't help it. Diana Palmer is like a trainwreck for me. In my defense, I got this book at the library. I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I bought another hardcover of hers. Yes, I admit it. Years ago, I bought a hardcover. Never again.

Grace Carver is your usual Palmer heroine. She's innocent and sweet. Not to mention young. But not as young as some of her heroines. 24. Which is better than 20. Grace lives with her grandmother, who ends up dying of heart failure, leaving Grace all alone in the world. You see, Grace lost her parents when she was young. Her dad ran off and left her mom for another woman. Her mom committed suicide. Grace's grandma was all she had left. It didn't matter that Grace worked to the bone to keep your grandma happy. Or that granny was a raving bitch. She had a reason for it, of course. However, because the reader doesn't know that reason until toward the end of the book, Grace's devotion to the hag seemed pathetic.

Garon is your usual Palmer hero. A total asshole. Not as bad as some of the heroes, which is a relief, but still. Of course Garon finds himself physically attracted to Grace, but a tragedy in his past makes him leery about starting any new relationship. That doesn't stop him from hopping into the sack w/ Grace, though. Even though he can see stars in her eyes, he still does the deed. Then he dumps her. In total jerk fashion, he just stops coming around. When he does see her around town, he accuses Grace of stalking him. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, in a town of 2,000 people, Grace is stalking Garon. It was laughable that an FBI Agent would actually come to the conclusion that frumpy, spinster Grace would stalk him. Ha!

Eventually Garon finds out that Grace is tied into the case he's working on. Tracking down a serial killer who kidnaps young girls out of their beds and then kills them w/ red ribbon, Garon has no idea that Grace was his first victim. When he finds out, he realizes exactly how he's wronged Grace. How he comes to this conclusion, I'm still not quite sure.

Then Grace finds out she's pregnant. Aren't you shocked? They get married. Grace is hiding a secret that she doesn't want Garon to know about. See, Garon's first wife died of cancer when she was five months pregnant w/ their baby. So she doesn't want him to worry about her or the baby. Garon's serial killer case comes to a head and Grace goes into labor all on the same day. Grace has a bad heart, which could kill her and the baby. If they take the baby right away, Grace could die. It's a real clusterfuck, people.

All and all, it's exactly what I expect out of a Palmer novel.

Promises Keep by Sarah McCarty

2007-07-05T09:48:00.000-06:00

From the back cover:

Being kidnapped into a bordello has a way of changing a woman’s focus. On the day Mara Kincaid escapes the Pleasure Emporium, she vows to start living for herself. Rebuilding her life isn’t easy as the town isn’t fond of reformed fallen doves, but she’s a Kincaid and Kincaids are known for their stubbornness. She’s successful right up until the notorious ex-marshal Cougar McKinnley comes into town.

As big as a mountain, dark as sin, and wearing a reputation as deadly as the knife strapped to his thigh, McKinnley is a man who knows what he wants. By rights, she should be shaking in her shoes when he approaches her, but when the powerful half-breed turns his dark gold eyes on her, it isn’t fear that has Mara trembling, but rather an overwhelming desire to be the kind of woman Cougar needs to satisfy his deepest desires.

First thing's first. WTF is up with this cover? It is atrocious. I think I literally cringed when I pulled it out of the amazon box. I can't believe I even dared to bring it to work w/ me so I could read it at lunch. I had to be very careful, let me tell you. And if I read it correctly, Mara has BROWN hair, not blonde. It's just bad.

The blurb is a tad misleading. While Mara was at the Pleasure Emporium against her will, her father actually sold her to the owner. Nothing like daddy taking money to turn his daughter into a whore.

So we open up w/ Cougar McKinnely in the Pleasure Emporium trying to get it up. Ever since his his fiancée died, he's had a little problem. Not because he loved her, though. No, he wanted to make sure that she would be able to accept his sexual "appetites" after they were married. Which is smart, I suppose. Anyway, she freaked out b/c Cougar was a "dirty savage". See, she only wanted him for his money. She didn't actually want him. Cougar was blind to that b/c he wanted a lady for a wife. Back to the beginning of the book...so Cougar has had a hard time performing for awhile. The owner of the brothel is a real fucked up bitch. After trying to "help" Cougar w/ his problem, she tells him to go upstairs to see a very special woman who will solve his performance problems.

After Cougar goes upstairs, he hopes that his problems are finally solved. He has no idea that the woman he sees as sexy and wanton is actually drugged out and a virgin. After the sex, Mara knocks him out with a lamp and tries to get herself together enough to make a run for it. Unfortunately the owner of the brothel and her trusty sidekick arrive and make escape impossible. Mara whips out the knife she stole from Cougar and stabs Ceilia in the throat. Kick ass. Unfortunately for her, the sidekick is not happy about that and tries to kill her. Fortunately for her, Cougar comes to in time to rescue her. The escape out the window.

Back in Cheyenne, the town knows that Mara was one of the girls in the Pleasure Emporium. No matter that it was against her will. They treat her like crap. Which really pissed me off b/c it's not like she wanted to be there. So she doesn't remember that it was Cougar who raped her, she only knows that someone did. After yet another altercation between Mara and one of the many men that think she's a whore, Cougar steps in and talks Mara into marrying him. Of course he traps her into it b/c he knows that he'll never talk her into it otherwise. He also convinces her that for safety's sake, she needs a husband and he would never hurt her.

Mara really comes into her own about halfway through the book. Realizing that she is a strong person, she also realizes that she wants to be able to satisfy her husband in a way that a wife should. Cougar told her from the beginning that he wouldn't give her time. It was all or nothing. Brave girl that she is, she chose all. While Mara and Cougar are getting closer, Cougar is just waiting for the day that Mara remembers that it was him that raped her. And she does remember.

About 3/4 of the way through the book, Mara decides she's going to become an activist for women's rights. It was kind of strange b/c it seemed like somewhat of an after thought. When Cougar refuses to write over half his property to her to show her he thinks of her as an equal, she decides to teach him a lesson. They eventually straighten things out and go on to live happily ever after.

This is the 2nd book in the Promises series. Be sure to read Promises Linger first.

4 out of 5 stars.

Safe Harbor by Christine Feehan

2007-07-03T13:55:00.000-06:00

From the back cover:

One of seven daughters in a line of extraordinary women, Hannah Drake has been the elusive object of affection for Jonas Harrington for as long at the young man can remember. If only the stunning super-model was driven by a passion other than her career. But Jonas isn’t the only one with desires for Hannah.

From the shadows has emerged a vengeful figure who stalks the beauty with one terrifying purpose: to strip her of all she is and destroy her. Only one man was destined as her protection. Now, out of a storm of danger, Jonas must guide the woman he loves from a sinister darkness that threatens not only Hannah, but the entire Drake family.

Safe Harbor is the long awaited story of Hannah and Jonas. In the four previous books, I really loved to hate Jonas. He was such an ass to Hannah. We never knew why, though. Feehan clears that up in this book.

Jonas Harrington has struggled for years with his feelings for Hannah Drake. By the time he was 10 years old, he knew she was special. He just didn't understand why. For years now Jonas has stayed far away from Hannah. Not wanting to bring her into the darker part of his life, Jonas has done what he thought was best for Hannah. After a job goes bad, he knows that he can't wait to claim Hannah as his own. Almost dying makes him change his priorities a tad bit. Returning to Sea Haven, Jonas arrives at the Drake House to find Hannah packing for another modeling job. Of course this doesn't make him happy b/c Jonas hates that she shows her body off to millions of people. He also doesn't like it b/c he knows Hannah herself doesn't like it.

Hannah has loved Jonas for-evah. Though she is a world famous model and completely gorgeous, the girl has MAJOR self-esteem issues. She doesn't think that she'll be woman enough for Jonas. She also has no idea that he has feelings for her. What she does know is that she can't take his constant criticism. When she tells him that she needs him to stay away for awhile, he hits the roof. His feelings finally come out and they totally get it on. It was actually sweet b/c they both couldn't believe that the other one felt what they did. Of course Jonas being Jonas (and a man, too), he believes that Hannah will now quit her job and stay home to be a good little wife. Which is exactly what Hannah wants. However, she won't break her existing contracts. So she leaves for New York and Jonas is pissed.

While Hannah is doing her big fashion show, Jonas and Sarah are watching it back at the Drake House. It was actually very amusing. Jonas is pacing around and asks Sarah, "Why hasn't she called?" to which Sarah replied, "She did call. You yelled at her to get her ass home and she hasn't called back since.". Heee. Okay, so maybe you have to read the book b/c it was a lot more funny when I was reading it.

Then Hannah gets attacked. Savagely. Viciously. On live t.v. Jonas and Sarah are helpless to stop the attack and they can't even help Hannah. Lucky for them, Ilya Praneskii was at the fashion show. You remember the Russian hitman that's a bodyguard for the Russian mob guy? Well he was there b/c his pscyho boss is obsessed with Hannah and her sister, Joley. Ilya has his own special powers and he is able to keep her alive until the Drake sisters arrive.

So Hannah is really messed up now. She can't leave her house b/c the paparazzi are everywhere. She can't sleep b/c she has nightmares. She can't look at herself in the mirror b/c the scars remind her of the attack. She can't be intimate w/ Jonas. She can't, can't, can't. Not saying that I blame the poor woman. What Jonas and the Drakes can't figure out is why Hannah was attacked. Though she has your normal obsessive fan base, there was no specific person that would stand out. Again and again people come to try to kill her. The first time after she came home, the house ate the people. Okay, not ate them exactly, but it was pretty creepy to read. The tree's came alive. The floor swallowed men whole. Oh and then they rolled over the bluff down into the ocean. You know Jonas is totally freaked out about it. Which was funny.

Eventually Jonas figures out that HE is the reason that Hannah was attacked. This doesn't sit well with him, as you can imagine. After so long of trying to keep Hannah out of the dark part of his life, he literally brought it to her front door where it almost killed her. The sisters kicked ass and protected Hannah, which always makes me smile. There was a really sweet part where all Hannah's sisters apologized for pushing her into doing something she didn't want to do (modeling). They each wrote her a letter. Jonas did, too. It was just "awwww" inducing.

Very much looking forward to Joley and Elle's book. Considering the backstory on Jonas and Hannah, I thought Feehan pulled it off really well.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Chain Reaction by Dee Davis

2007-06-29T10:43:00.000-06:00

From the back cover:

Artist Mia Kearney has the perfect life: a successful career, a home she loves, amazing friends…until the hot August morning her world explodes. Lone survivor of a nuclear accident, Mia awakens in a government facility, faced with Homeland Security agent Nicholas Price, a man who wants answers she knows she doesn't have.

When Mia escapes, Nick has a choice to make. The CIA wants him off the case, but instinct tells him not to let Mia out of his sight.

Now the web of deceit that's woven tightly around them is about to unravel, and someone out there won't be satisfied until Cedar Branch's last surviving resident is dead.…

I don't care what certain people say. I did not pick this book up because it takes place in Idaho. I already have to live here, why would I want to read about it, too? I do have to admit that I did google Cedar Branch b/c I had no idea if it actually existed in the state of Idaho. Nerdy, I know.

OMGosh, the first chapter of this book is SAD. Sooooo sad. Cedar Branch is a small town that has a cafe, a gas station, and a small grocery store. The book opens in the cafe where the whole town of, like, 8 people are eating breakfast. Davis does a great job of portraying camaraderie between these people. Which makes it all the more horrific at how the chapter ends. After hearing what sounds like a car backfiring, they look out the window and see what is described as a "haze" or "mist". Soon, they're all gasping for air and collapsing. The last thought that the owner of the cafe has before she dies is that at least she doesn't have to live without her husband (who already seconds before). See what I mean? Sooooo sad.

Mia Kearney wakes up in a hospital-like room and is told that she survived a nuclear accident that happened a few miles outside Cedar Branch. When Homeland Security agent Nick Price comes to question her, he tells her that all the residents of Cedar Branch are dead and she is suspected as the person behind the "accident". See, Mia's mother was a big political activist and one of her passions was stopping nuclear testing on Amercan soil. How this computed to Mia somehow having possession of a nuclear weapon was never made clear. Oh, Mia was also found in a crude, man-made nuclear bomb shelter. That would seem a little suspicious, I suppose. But as in most books, it was explained in a very satisfactory way. Mia's grandfather was in WWII and was a little paranoid when he returned home. So he made his very own bomb shelter in the basement of his house. Lucky for Mia, when the bomb went off, she was down in the basement-turned-art studio.

Anyway, Mia senses something fishy going on. Cuz she's one smart girl. So she escapes. She escapes a government facility that is in the middle of nowhere and gets back to her grandfather's ranch where she lives in a line shack that is on the property. Fortunately for her, she told Nick about the line shack, so he's there when she starts getting shot at. Nick went after her after his boss called him back to Washington after telling him that the CIA was taking over the investigation and Homeland Security was no longer needed. Nick being Nick, was a little suspicious. It didn't help that the man in charge of that branch of the CIA was a longtime nemisis and the man (we find this out later) that was part of the plot that killed his sister. He goes after Mia, determined to get some answers about what really happened in Cedar Branch.

Together, Nick and Mia go on the run. Don't forget, you can't go on the run in a romance suspense novel without there being a tracking device on someone or something. #1 rule of thumb. Check belongings and person for tracking device. They obviously didn't know that rule, so they didn't figure it out until after they were tracked down by the evil CIA guy, Davies. Things got very interesting from then on out.

In between Nick and Mia falling in luuurve and heating up the sheets, they were following leads that would uncover what really happened in Cedar Branch. So far they had an Idaho Senator (damn those Idaho Senators), the evil CIA guy, and another guy Kresky who owned the Environmental study company that was a front for all their evil doings.

Let me just tell you how it ends, m'kay? What killed the whole town was actually a deadly toxin called K-19. It's a mutated version of some toxin that is found in frogs in Colombia. The original toxin can only be deadly if it goes directly into a cut or open wound. The bad guys mutated it so it would be deadly when inhaled or when it goes directly through your skin. So basically if it's released in the air anywhere near you, you're fucked. The nuclear bomb was really to cover up what really happened b/c of course the government had no idea what these psychos were doing.

The reason Mia survived, you ask? A number of reasons that all combined, saved her life. Apart, she would have been dead like the rest of them. #1 - Mia was in a nuclear bomb shelter. #2 - As a sculptor that uses chemical, she wears a mask and protective clothing. #3 - Something in her genes gave her a sort of immunity to the original toxin. Why? Because her father is Colombian of course and she used to play w/ the frogs as a little girl.

Overall, I would recommend trying it. The plot was an interesting one and the character development was good.

4 out of 5 stars.

The Suicide Club by Gayle Wilson

2007-06-27T13:54:00.000-06:00

From the back cover:

Lindsey Sloan teaches the best and brightest students at Randolph-Lowen High School—exceptional teens with promising futures far from their small Alabama hometown. So when brash detective Jace Nolan arrives from up north and accuses her kids of setting a series of fires in local black churches, Lindsey is furious.

No matter how Jace tries to convince her, Lindsey can't believe her pupils could do something so horrible, let alone be addicted to the rush of getting away with it. But when her attraction to Jace places her in mortal danger and people begin dying, Lindsey can no longer be sure just what her students are capable of.

If Jace is right, it's up to the two of them to outsmart these criminal minds—before they carry out the ultimate thrill-kill.

Sounds like it would be good, no? Well, it sounds better than it is.

Lindsey Sloan is a goody-goody. She's too idealistic...holier-than-thou, if you will. It got annoying as hell.

When Detective Jace Nolan goes to Randolph-Lowen HS, he is sure that one of Lindsey's gifted students (read: genius) are behind the three church fires in Randolph, Alabama. [Side note: Jace was first introduced by the Principal as Lieutenant Jace Nolan, but somehow it changed to Detective.] Now how Jace is sure, I still haven't figured out. Since there isn't a shred of evidence at any of the scenes, he apparently thinks that only a kid could pull that off. Huh. Needless to say, Saint Lindsey is stunned by Jace's beliefs. I mean come on, Lindsey spends an hour a day with these kids. She knows exactly what they're capable of.

From the beginning we know that it is a student b/c we get little snippets from his/her POV. After Lindsey is seen talking with the Detective, those involved decide to teach the teacher a lesson. How? By sticking a rattlesnake in her clothes hamper. She barely saved herself from being stuck. Again, you ask how? Well, she knows the smell of a rattler contained in a clothes hamper, of course. How else? So she calls the police. Which sounds really pathetic, but I probably would have too. Jace ends up knocking on her door at 3am to see if she's all right. Again, keep in mind, Saint Lindsey took an instant dislike to Jace. It's only been a day since they first met. But, being the strong manly-man that he is, Jace gallantly stands guard outside her house. A few days after that, Jace makes Lindsey spend the night at his place b/c he can see she's not sleeping.

About halfway through the book, students start to committ suicide. Lindsey's students to be exact. Now she realizes that she might not know them as well as she thinks she does. The first student that comitted suicide actually came to talk to Lindsey the day she did it. Lindsey didn't have time for her, though. So now Saint Lindsey will feel guilty for the rest of her days. Maybe I should call her Martyr Lindsey. From reading Wilson's acknowledgement, Lindsey was intended to be portrayed as a devoted teacher who is only trying to protect her students. She fell a little bit short with that.

Any-hoo, together Jace and Lindsey start piecing together the mystery. Lindsey soon realizes that everything revolves around her "special" students. Oh dear. There's another thing she has to add to her list of things to feel guilty about. Obviously she wasn't challenging them enough, or they wouldn't feel the need to burn down churches or drive their fellow classmates to suicide. It was when the Principal seemingly committed suicide, that the author lost me.

The character development was really bad. So was the relationship development between Jace and Lindsey. Lindsey won't help him, but she'll sleep in his bed with and without him. Jace doesn't want a relationship, so he'll sleep (read that as have sex) with her but he won't break it off with her until after the mystery is solved? Why? Because it's his duty to make her feel safe. Yup.

This book really didn't seem that bad as I was reading it. I'm glad I took a couple of days to review it. Wilson's books are really hit and miss for me. The last two she released were really good. This one, not so much. Sorry for the letdown, Rowena. *g*

3 out of 5 stars.

The Summit by Kat Martin

2007-06-26T15:00:00.001-06:00

From the back cover:

Autumn Sommers knows the danger of ignoring such powerful omens. Twelve years earlier, she could have prevented a tragic accident if only she had acted on those horrible nightmares. This time, she knows what she has to do.

Her research into local missing persons suggests that the girl in Autumn's dreams could be Molly, the daughter of businessman Ben McKenzie. Still emotionally shattered from his loss and unwilling to trust this stranger, Ben is angered rather than relieved to hear her theory that Molly is still alive. Certain that she may be the girl's only chance, Autumn persists, until Ben grudgingly agrees to explore this tiny, if improbable, shred of hope.

As Autumn's dreams become more and more vivid, she and Ben pursue their leads—leads that point to more murders, and to the only person in control of whether they live—or die.

I love Kat Martin's paranormals. Unlike most paranormals these days, this seems like it could actually happen. Maybe. Or maybe I should say that it's not as far fetched as being a vampire or werewolf.

When Autumn Sommers (I didn't even get *that* until 3/4 of the way through the book) starts having dreams about a little girl who was taken from her front yard, she knows that she has to do something. When she was 15, she had a dream that her two best friends died after the car they were in ran headlong into a tree. She was horrified when they actually died exactly how she dreamed. Because of this, she knows that she has to stop the kidnapping from happening, or help the little girl's parents find her. She just doesn't know how to find out who she is because she doesn't recognize the little girl in her dream nor does she recognize the kidnapper.

After checking school photos (she's an elementary school teacher) and then going to the library, she realizes that the kidnapping she's dreaming about happened six years before. According to the newspapers, Molly McKenzie was taken exactly how Autumn dreamed it. Realizing that seeing Molly's father, Ben McKenzie, at the gym where she teaches rock climbing classes has triggered the dreams, Autumn sets out to convince Ben that she's not crazy. Right. I think that was the hardest part of the book for me. Not that she's psychic, but that she actually convinces Ben she's not crazy. Once I got over that hump, I really enjoyed it.

Even though he isn't totally discounting what Autumn has said, Ben still doesn't trust her or her motives. After going through six years of hell, Ben has no desire to bring the nightmare back to life. For himself or his family. Eventually, he knows that if there is even a chance Molly is out there alive, he can't just ignore it. Poor Ben. I felt so bad for this guy.

Autumn only has dreams after she has been with Ben. His bright idea is to start spending the night at her house so he can be there when she dreams. Actually, so he can be there *after* she wakes up from dreaming. You see, now Autumn is having dreams of Molly in the present day. Or what she thinks is the present day considering that Molly now looks like she's about 12. So each night she dreams the same dream over and over, she sees new things. Like the other women in the house with Molly, the simple clothes they're wearing, the mountains in the distance. Things that aren't really helpful...until Autumn and then Ben's ex-wife remember where they first saw the kidnapper.

Things move really quickly after that. A little too quickly, actually. Of course, in between trying to figure out clues, Autumn and Ben are both falling for the other. Autumn is really insecure though. I mean really insecure. I'm talking about bang your head into the wall insecure. Her dad was never faithful to her mom, so that means all guys are scum. Not that her dad is scum, though. No, he's just a man. And men can never be faithful. Of course Ben is the type of man that only dates supermodel types. Which isn't hard for him since he's stinkin' rich. In Autumn's book, that's a huge mark against him. So even though she's falling in love with him and the sex is so good, she knows that she'll never be able to satisfy him forever. Seriously people. It got old. Yes, I understood she was insecure. That was readily apparent every time you read "she knew that he would get tired of her eventually". Autumn is insecure, check. In the meantime, Ben fully admits to himself that he has to have her. How does he woo her? By having sex with her. Because Autumn lurves sex. No girly feelings for her, just sex.

Other than Autumn's serious self-esteem issues, I really liked this book. A lot.

4 out of 5 stars.

In Darkness Reborn by Alexis Morgan

2007-06-25T10:31:00.000-06:00

From the back cover:

Once a warrior for the Others, Barak q'Young is caught between two worlds—exiled from his homeland, and a pariah among his enemies, the Paladins. While hunting a betrayer who's selling the precious blue gems that light the Others' world, Barak must aid geologist Lacey Sebastian in her research for the Paladins. Barak is instantly drawn to the fiery, beautiful woman, but Lacey initially despises the enemy intruder. Soon she sees beyond his violent past, though, finding the dark warrior intriguing—and extremely sexy.

Though neither can resist the passion that blazes between them, Barak is torn between loyalties, hiding a secret gift that could prove useful to Lacey's research, at the sacrifice of his own people. But when Lacey is kidnapped and held hostage, Barak realizes that he will do anything to save her . . . even risk his own life.

This is the 3rd book in the Paladins of Darkness series. Barak q'Young was first introduced in Dark Protector when he saved Laurel Young's life. As an Other, Barak expected to be slain as soon as he crossed the barrier, which is why he crossed over. Instead, Laurel stood between him and his Paladin enemies and Barak found himself living in the very place that his people died trying to reach.

Barak broke my heart in this book. Living among the Paladins, his lifelong sworn enemies, Barak is more than an outcast. He's despised. The only reason that he was allowed to live was because he saved the life of the Paladin leader's mate. Laurel Young was the only thing standing between him and certain death. When he realizes that his presence is hurting Laurel, he goes to Devlin Bane and tells him that he needs to be moved. Little does he know what he's getting into.

Lacey Sebastian has made it her life's work to find out a way to know when the barrier will go down. Though she is at first appalled that she has to work with the enemy, she soon realizes that Barak is as good of a man as her brother is. Unfortunatley for her, her brother is not only a Paladin, but a Paladin that is injured and unable to fight. Since he injured his sword hand, Penn Sebastian has made it his duty to protect Lacey, even more than he usually does. He is more than furious than she has to work with an Other.

Barak wants Lacey, but he refuses to be her dirty little secret. Can you blame the guy? Lacey wants Barak, but she is torn between her desire for Barak and her loyalty to the Paladins. Imagining Penn's reaction to any type of relationship with Barak makes Lacey shudder. The more she gets to know Barak, the more she falls until she realizes that she is in love with someone she has been taught to hate. You really get caught up in the dilemna of these two. Barak wants to take anything Lacey will give, but wants more. Lacey wants Barak, but is scared to reach out and take it.

But Barak has a secret. One that is pretty explosive. See, even though Barak left his people, he still refuses to help the Paladin's kill them. That means that he doesn't tell them that he knows when the barrier will go down. His senses are extremely hightened. He can hear and smell things that an ordinary human and even a Paladin, can't. Though he knows that he can help Lacey achieve her goal, he keeps quiet because he refuses to be a part of the deaths of any more of his people.

One of the best parts of the book was when Devlin and four other Paladin's came over to Barak's house. It was a total "man" get together, compelte with pizza and beer. Barak feelings of friendship with these Paladin's made me want to cry. For months he was barely tolerated by these men and suddenly he finds himself friends with them. Now, when they call him "Other", it's not a derogatory name , it's said with friendly affection. It was also funny to see Devlin Bane becoming friends with Barak when from the time he saved Laurel, he insisted that he only protected Barak out of love for Laurel. Hah.

Alas, there are still people that are trying to find a weakness among the Paladin ranks. When one of these people try to recruit Penn Sebastian, it is with little luck. Though Penn is bitter at his inability to fight, he'll never betray his people. Unfortunately for him, that means that they have to go to further lengths to get his cooperation. Which means that they kidnap Lacey.

When Barak finds out that Lacey was taken, he was just getting ready to cross the barrier back to the other side. That meant certain death, but Barak was determined. Lacey couldn't be with him, he couldn't betray his people, and he couldn't really have a life. It was sad to read. When Penn comes to attack him, accusing him of taking Lacey, Barak has to go after her. Penn and Barak have to work together to find a woman that they both love.

The ending was a good one. I absolutely loved how Barak was accepted within the ranks of the Paladins. I also loved seeing his happiness when he realized that Lacey loved him.

You definitely have to read the first two books before this one.

4 out of 5 stars.

Raintree: Sanctuary by Beverly Barton

2007-06-25T09:41:00.000-06:00

From the back cover:

War with their archrival, the evil Ansara clan, is unavoidable. For Mercy Raintree, a war means she must assume her position as guardian of the Sanctuary—the sacred Raintree home place deep in the Smoky Mountains. But doing so threatens to disclose her most prized secret—one Mercy has kept to herself for six years.

As the solstice looms and the battle heats up, Dranir Judah Ansara gathers his forces, intending to wipe every Raintree from the face of the land. Including Mercy, whom he's claimed as his to kill. Then he comes face-to-face with her—and with her daughter, Eve. Will Mercy's closely guarded secret change not only the outcome of the battle…but also Judah's own bitter heart?

This is the last book of the Raintree trilogy (1st - Raintree: Inferno by Linda Howard 2nd - Raintree: Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones). This is my favorite in the trilogy. After a rocky start with Howard's Inferno, the series really picked up with the 2nd book and got even better with this one.

Wow. This book was intense. The two previous books were spent telling the story between the Raintree and Ansara clans. All we know is that the Ansara clan tried to kill both Dante, the Raintree Dranir and Gideon, the Raintree Prince. So they're some evil freaking people, obviously. Needless to say, it makes for darn good reading when the hero of the third book IS an Ansara. And not just any Ansara, but the Ansara Dranir.

The Raintree obviously got cocky in their belief that the Ansara were no longer a threat to them. Hello? Dante seemed like a smart guy. So the fact that after 200 years, the Raintree thought the Ansara were still wiped out was pretty arrogant.

Cael Ansara was first introduced in Raintree: Inferno when he tried to have Dante killed. We follow him through to this book where we learn that he is one crazy S.O.B. He is half brother to Judah Ansara, the Dranir of the Ansara clan. Cael is the older brother, so he thinks that he should be Dranir even though he's a psycho and a bastard. In the 1st chapter of the book, Cael tries to have Judah killed. So it starts out with a bang. Soon after Judah kills his attackers, he finds out that Cael sent an assassin to the Raintree Sanctuary to kill Mercy Raintree. That's when Judah says that as Dranir, he claims Mercy Raintree as his kill.

So what kind of romance can this be when for over half the book, Judah is determined to kill Mercy, while Mercy is determined to kill Judah? A damn good one! See, Mercy has a secret that she has kept for six years. Her daughter, Eve, is half Ansara. Seven years ago, Judah seduced Mercy just because she was the Raintree Princess. Mercy had no idea who Judah was until she realized she was pregnant. Then she ran. Both Mercy and Judah had never forgotten each other or the night they spent together. For Mercy, she has a reminder every day in her daughter. Judah just knows that he'll kill Mercy quickly. It was a little distasteful that Judah acknowledged that he would kill any Raintree children. Other than that, I had no problem with Judah wanting to kill Mercy. It was his inner struggle that made it especially good.

During the course of the book, Mercy knew that she would eventually fight Judah to the death for their daughter. She was still oblivious to the fact that the Ansara were once again a powerful clan and that the Ansara Dranir was the father of her child. Seeing how Judah bonded with his daughter, you knew that he wouldn't kill Mercy. Of course it took him forever to realize that, but then again, he is a man.

Cael Ansara was still determined to take on the Raintree and kill Judah because he wanted to rule the whole Earth. Including all the humans. Oh joy. That is fun to think about. The final battle at Sanctuary is intense. Mercy is the type of heroine I love. Though she is strong, she's still a mother who is trying to save her child. She's still the keeper of Sanctuary, who is trying to save her clan. She's still a healer. By the time the battle begins, she admits to herself that she still loves Judah, but she knows she'll still have to kill them for the sake of her daughter's future. She is a little slow because she didn't realize that Judah came to fight against Cael instead of with him.

One small issue I had. It really is a small one. Eve is six years old. I have a six year old. Six year olds don't talk like she does. Maybe magical ones do, but my six year old doesn't use logic like this one did. She was more like a 10 year old. So that got me hung up in places, but I tried to excuse it b/c she was magical. Or I tried to ignore it.

Overall, this was a fine ending to the series. I definitely recommend all three books in the series.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Prince of Magic by Linda Winstead Jones

2007-06-22T10:02:00.000-06:00

From the back cover:

The firstborn children of the Fyne witches have finally come into their own, each with a special gift...

Independent Ariana Kane Varden, daughter of the Sun Witch, has never let family duty keep her from reaching her dreams. She learned the practice of her gift, the power to heal others, at her mother's knee. And now she is the Palace healer, tending to her emperor...

The last prophecy of magician Sian Chamblyn's late grandfather points to Ariana as the one to save Columbyana from a growing evil. Sian has hightailed it from lands afar to deliver the message. When he must prepare her for the fight of her life, Sian intends to remain undistracted by his sensuously beautiful protege. But in the heat of battle-and passion-diligence might be his downfall...

I am so annoyed. I just realized that this trilogy continues a previous trilogy. *sigh* Now that there was a slight cliffhanger, I'm going to continue on before going back and reading the first trilogy. Maybe. My anal-ness about reading in order might change my mind.

Ariana is a a healer. Her primary role as a healer is for the Emperor himself. Having been sick for many months, Ariana isn't quite sure why she can't heal the Emperor, but she knows she can't let him die. With his son and heir missing, Columbyana can not withstand the unrest that would come with the Emperor's death. So with the Emperor's permission, only a select few know exactly how sick he really is.

When Sian Chamblyn shows up on the scene with dire predictions of death and doom, Ariana isn't sure she believes him. Sian is sure of the prophecy that his grandfather wrote before he died and he is sure that Ariana is the key to saving Columbyana.

This is why I think I need to go back and read the first three books. Is Columbyana a country? A Kingdom? Another word? I wish I could answer that...

So Sian is a powerful wizard and he believes it's his destiny to teach Ariana the magical skills that she will need to fight the upcoming evil. Because of the fact that the prophecy states Ariana will die fighting, Sian is a little chagrined when he realizes he's falling for her. Too bad he didn't tell her that she's going to die. Cuz she is pissed when she finds it, the morning she's supposed to lead her men into battle. She's also pissed because she'd been sleeping with him for weeks and fell in love with him. He couldn't even have the decency to tell her that she's going to die. WTF is up with that?

The evil dude is none other than Prince Ciro, the Emperor's missing son. Back when he lived at the palace he was posessed by the Isen Demon when he was on Level Thirteen. Level Thirteen is another thing that must have been explained in previous books. So he's possessed, he drinks blood and he sucks up souls. He can only take gray and/or black souls without permission from the person he is taking from. He can't take white souls, which is really making him angry. Because the white souls are what he really wants. He also has these creepy people following him called "Ciro's Own". They're like his own souless army and they will make you shudder.

Back to Sian and Ariana. He realizes that he can't leave for home when she goes to battle like he originally intended. Though he doesn't want to care, of course he does. He's majorly tortured. He was married and when his wife was in childbirth, both her and the baby died. Poor guy. No wonder he was afraid of commitment. Eventually Ariana makes him realize it's okay, though I don't know how because the likelyhood of her dying is extremely high.

This book was just okay for me. Nothing spectacular, but not bad either. I like the storyline, but it felt like something was missing. Obviously there was, but I didn't know that at the time. The excerpt for the next book, Prince of Fire, sounds really good though. I guess Sian and Ariana as characters just didn't do it for me.

3 out of 5 stars

Daring Devotion by Elaine Overton

2007-06-21T11:05:00.000-06:00

From the back cover:

Nights of passion

Detroit social worker Andrea Chenault has always believed she can live with the fear that every firefighter's wife knows. But as her long-awaited wedding day approaches, she's tormented by secret doubts. Because it's becoming clear that deadly fires are targeting the man she loves beyond all reason.

Days of fear

Calvin Brown is the bravest, strongest man she's ever known, and he's taken her to heights of passion she never knew existed. But as the circle of flames draws ever closer, Andrea wonders if even her overwhelming love for this man is strong enough to survive the terrible thought of a life without him . . .

I just noticed that the description said that Andrea is a social worker. She's actually a nurse. Of course I had to check the back of my book and yep, it's wrong.

I read the excerpt of this book and it sounded really good. The fact that the characters are committed to each other when the book starts makes for good reading.

The book opens up with Cal getting a promotion within his Firehouse. Andrea is having serious doubts about marrying him because she is already dreading the day that she’ll lose him to the fires he fights. As a nurse, she sees more firefighters die than the average person. Overton did a really good job of writing Andrea’s fears. On one hand she was completely in love with Cal. On the other hand, she didn’t think she was strong enough to be a firefighter’s wife. Gotta give the girl props for not turning a blind-eye to her fears. I could feel her inner struggle coming off the pages.

When Cal is injured in a fire after saving the life of a child, everything changes. Not only does it affect his relationship with Andrea, but it also affects his career. He starts having nightmares that he refuses to share with Andrea. He freezes up during a fire when he relives the fire he almost died in. Eventually he is diagnosed with PTSD, but he refuses to accept it.

So as Cal and Andrea get closer to their wedding day, Cal seems to be obsessed with the recent fires in abandoned warehouses while Andrea becomes more and more sure that she will be making a mistake if she marries him.Meanwhile, Cal is convinced that the man starting the fires is one of the guys in his firehouse. This guy is a weirdo who seems to be skulking around where he shouldn’t be. He also resents Cal for the promotion that he felt should be his. This is where the book started falling apart for me. Jeff was described in the beginning of the book as someone who felt he was passed over for a promotion and wanted to make Cal look bad. But later it came up that he had only been with that Firehouse for a few months. Why would he think he deserved the promotion? The way Overton made it sound was that Jeff and Cal were both serious front runners for the job. Then Cal sees him with accelerant, which obviously leads him to believe that Jeff is responsible for the fires. It’s a logical thought. In actuality, Jeff was trying to mess things up around the firehouse so Cal will look bad. Huh. Jeff eventually gets arrested, yada yada yada. As it turns out, the kid that Cal saved in the beginning of the book is the one that has started all the fires. See, this 8 year old kid is a pyromaniac. The way the kid is described in this book doesn’t fit him being a pyro. Cal knows him. There were no signs whatsoever. It's like on page 258 (or whatever it was) the author just decided, "Hey, Marco is going to be a pyro". Oh and what gets me is that it's Cal that figures it out. Like he hadn't just almost ruined a guy's career (whether the guy is stable remains to be seen). Also, the situation with Jeff was never resolved. We get insight on Jeff by reading from his POV, so the fact that there was so resolution made it seem as though part of the book was unfinished.

I also didn't feel that Andrea really faced her fears where Cal was concerned. She decided to take a leap of faith, but it was so sudden that it seemed like a letdown after all the build up from page 1. She doesn't really tell Cal how she feels about him being a firefighter or how she feels about the thought of being married to him. She's just privately hoping that almost dying in a fire will make him quit. After an intense beginning, the last part of the book just seemed rather shallow. I can't think of a better way to describe it. Andrea and Cal then go on to live happily-ever-after. The end.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Soul Song by Marjorie M. Liu

2007-06-20T17:37:00.000-06:00

From the back cover:

Against her will, Kitala Bell foresees the future. But only deaths, and only violent.

Kitala's own future is in peril. From the ocean's depths rises an impossible blend of fantasy and danger, a creature whose voice is seduction incarnate, whose song can manipulate lives the way that Kitala herself manipulates the strings of her violin...even to the point of breaking. He is a prince of the sea, an enigma-a captive stretched to the limit of his endurance by a woman intent on using him for the purest evil. And when survival requires he and Kitala form a closer partnership than either has ever known, the price of their bond will threaten not just their lives but the essence of their very souls.

I was a little surprised to find a ARC copy of Soul Song in my mailbox. I had no idea where I had won or how Dorchester got my address. The light bulb soon came on and I realized that in Marjorie’s newsletter subscription, your address is required. Very nice.

This is the 6th book in the Dirk & Steele series. Kitala Bell was first introduced in Tiger’s Eye as Dela’s (Tiger’s Eye: heroine) best friend. Honestly, I barely remembered her from that book.

M’cal is a Merman. I don’t like that word. M’cal doesn’t like that word either. It just seems like a fairytale word. It also doesn’t sound very masculine. Plus whenever M’cal is referred to as a Merman, I would think of The Little Mermaid. Moving on… M’cal fell in love many years before, with someone he now knows is a witch. A bad witch. She enslaved him and he now has to do whatever the witch wants him to do. What she wants him to do is take souls and return them to her. See, M’cal has this nifty little power. He can take souls when he sings. Hence the title, “Soul Song”.

It really was a fine line that Liu walked with M’cal. Even though it was against his will, he killed people. Many people. And not just bad people. The book starts out with him taking the soul (and therefore killing) a lonely woman who was just looking for companionship. Whenever he takes a soul, he basically relives the life of the person whose soul he is taking. So M’cal is not exactly a good guy. But he’s not a bad one either. Like I said, fine line.

The witch orders him to go take Kitala’s soul. Initially M’cal is in control of his body and his actions. When he balks at doing what the witch wants, she takes control and forces him to do something, even if it’s against his will.

Kit is a muscian. She plays the fiddle. I have no idea what the difference is between a fiddle and a violin. I had to go look it up because a fiddle sounds like something that my five year old would play with. Kit is playing in a concert when she first sees the woman in the crowd. She's a beautiful blonde woman, in an amazing white dress. There's only one thing wrong with her. She has a knife sticking out of her eye.

Against her better judgement, she goes to warn the woman and the man she was with. It really hits the fan then.

So after she warns the woman, Alice, Kit finds herself kidnapped by two corrput cops and left to die (or not) at the hands of several thugs. Just when she thinks that it's over, M'cal shows up. M’cal saves Kit’s life, even though he knows he’ll eventually have to kill her. So he does what any good guy would do; he tells her to run. Which she does.

The next day their paths cross yet again and M'cal finds it harder and harder to stay away from her. For some reason, the curse that was placed on him is dulled when he's around Kit. Though he questions it, he doesn't fight it because he senses that Kit may be his salvation. Both M'cal and Kit realize that there is more than one person that wants her. When Kit is kidnapped yet again, M'cal races to save the day only to realize that he fell right into a trap.

I won't go into the ending for two reasons. One is that I don't want to spoil it. Two is that it's just too complex to try to put into words. Then ending is a good one and wraps everything up quite nicely. Alice's part in the story is explained in a believable way. I wouldn't be surprised if Alice got her own book somewhere down the line. It also leaves the series wide open for some more Mer-people.

There are several recurring characters from Dirk & Steele that we know in love. Namely Koni (who is the most prominent), Amiri, and Hari. Something that bothered me was that as bad and evil as the witch was portrayed in the beginning of the book, Liu seemed to try to make the reader feel sorry for her toward the end. That was hard for me because I just wanted her to die. Sounds harsh as I type it.

If you haven't read this series, here are the books in order: Tiger's Eye, Shadow Touch (the best one, imo), The Red Heart of Jade, Dark Dreams (anthology), Eye of Heaven, and Soul Song.

4 out of 5 stars

Coulda Been a Cowboy by Brenda Novak

2007-06-20T13:12:00.000-06:00

From the back cover:

Grandpa Garnier used to say: Love is like a bucking bronco. It takes guts and determination to hang on, but it’s worth the ride.

If only Grandpa was around now to help Tyson Garnier out of this mess. The famous pro football player is suddenly saddled with a very public scandal--and an illegitimate child. Tyson needs a good nanny now if he’s going to salvage his career. And plain, no-nonsense Dakota Brown is the ideal candidate.

Dakota doesn’t care for football–or for a man who doesn’t seem to want his own son. But she needs this job and that precious little baby needs her.

Dakota isn’t Tyson’s kind of woman. But the more he sees of her—and the more he sees of his son—the harder he wants to hang on.

One of my guilty pleasures is reading Harlequin's. They're just good. Well, most of them are. When I want to read a love story that is just a love story, I read a Harlequin.

This is the latest installment in Brenda Novak's Dundee, Idaho series. I did not start reading this series because I live in Idaho. No, seriously I didn't. I wouldn't recommend reading this book if you haven't read the preceeding books.

Tyson Garnier is a jerk of a football player. He doesn't pretend to be what he's not. He wants to live his carefree bachelor life and has no qualms about admiting it. So when an old girlfriend turns up and says that he has a nine month old son, Tyson is dismayed. Actually, dismayed is too milded of a word for what Tyson feels. He would have had no problem paying child support and not seeing his son. Ever. I had a hard time with that at first, but then I felt a teeny tiny bit of respect that he could admit that. He hired a private investigator to follow Rachelle (his baby's momma) around and what he learned prompted him to pay her a million dollars for custody of a baby he didn't want.

Enter Dakota. Tyson knows that he will never feel attracted to her. She's frumy and overweight. She also doesn't seem to be impressed with his fame, which is a point in her favor. When he hires Dakota as his son, Braden's nanny, Ty knows he made the best decision for both him and Braden. It's actually pretty funny about how Ty intially feels about Braden. While it's obvious to the reader that Braden just wants his daddy, Ty feels like this nine month old baby is out to get him.

Dakota has her own problems. Almost her whole life, she has had to take care of her father. Dakota knows that it is soley her fault that her dad is as he is. When she was 10 years old, he risked his life to save hers. So she knows she'll never be able to leave him. Unfortunatley he gets increasingly violent and drunk. The Police Chief of Dundee has had it with Dakota's dad. Because her dad only seems to be that violatle when Dakota is around, he tells Dakota that he will not press charges against her father (for various things) if she moves out. As you can imagine, Ty is thrilled to hear this because he just got a live-in caretaker for Braden.

Dakota falls more in love with Braden every day. She soon realizes that she is starting to feel something for Ty, too. She doesn't want him to know it, though. She starts working out and Ty immediately notices. I guess she had to lose weight for him to notice her as a woman. Because Ty knows that he will never settle down and he also knows that Dakota will want to settle down, he starts planning on a way to marry Dakota off. What ensues is actually pretty humorous.

You also have Braden's mom who has realized that the money train has stopped and decides that she wants Braden back. So she starts making all these absurd accusations that don't seem so absurd when they end up on the front page. Ty is soon in jeporady of not only losing his sponsers, but also his whole football career. He also realizes that not only will he fight to keep Braden, but he will fight to keep Dakota, too. Aw.

I love this series. There is just a real small town feel that Novak really gets across well. One thing that bugged me was how Dakota was driving Ty's Ferarri with Braden in the front seat. First, it's just ridiculous to think of a carseat in a Ferarri. Second, carseats don't go in the front seat. Ever. So that's my mom tip of the day. LOL

4 out of 5 stars

Forbidden Pleasure by Lora Leigh

2007-06-19T13:34:00.000-06:00

From the back cover:

The Club is private, exclusive and only for those men whose fantasies run to the more forbidden side. . . People have heard only fleeting rumors about The Club. Located just outside Washington, D.C., only its members know where men go when they want to indulge the desire to share their women with a carefully selected male partner. Former FBI agent John ‘Mac’ McCoy resigned his membership from The Club when he married Keiley Hardin. Tempting and innocent, sweet and sexy, she would never accept Mac’s desires to share her with another man. However, Keiley’s growing curiosity and Mac’s own fantasies of sharing his wife haunt his dreams. And his passions.

Unable to wait any longer, Mac invites his best friend Jethro Riggs, to their home with the intention of drawing Keiley into the pleasures that can only be achieved when two men love the same woman. But there’s more going on in Mac’s neck of the woods than a little additional pleasure. A past case involving astalker who likes to play games has shown up again, but now Keiley is in the middle of it all. Passion and pleasure, danger and desire combine as the forbidden becomes an addiction none of them can escape.

I've been a Lora Leigh reader for years. I started with Marly's Choice. Since then she was always like a trainwreck for me. Some of the plots were eye rolling material. Literally. But I kept reading her. I'm very glad I did because she has gotten SO much better. I think one of my biggest problems was the plot holes. Like how the characters got from Point A to Point B. Stuff like that.

Before I start the review, I have to admit that I have no idea how to pronounce the name Keiley. For half the book I was pronouncing it as Keeley. The other half I was pronouncing it as Kiley. I still have no idea what her name really is.

This is the 5th or 6th book in Leigh's Bound Hearts series. All the books in the series revolve around the hero's need to share the heroine with another man. Forbidden Pleasure can be read as a stand alone. There is a brief mention of a former character, but that's it.

Mac McCoy gave up his sexual lifestyle when he met and married Keiley Hardin. After having a childhood where sex was forbidden and looked at as a sin, Mac rebelled. Shocking, huh? He realizes that he was lucky to find a mentor (character from a previous book) familiar with the lifestyle or he might have turned into a very sexually depraved man. Huh. I know that I'm totally judging, but wanting to share the woman you're in love with sounds kinda depraved to me. Just sayin'. I read erotica (meaning erotic romance) where there are ménages. I have no problem with them. I mean it is labeled as erotica. What I had a hard time with while I was reading this book was the fact that Mac wanted to share Keiley indefinitely. But I digress...

Mac retired from the FBI when he married Keiley. He moved to his hometown and bought the farm where he grew up. So now he's a bonified farmer. A couple problems with this. First of all, if he had such an awful childhood in this place, why the fuck would he go back? Especially to stay. Doesn't make sense to me. This is the place he despised growing up. But now he's back with his wife. Ooookay, then. Second, he already gave up the sexual lifestyle that he was used to living. Would he give up his career AND move back to his childhood home on top of that?

Jethro Riggs was always Mac's "third". It was up to Mac to find the women. Mac was the "gentler" one that wasn't afraid of showing his "emotions". I kid you not, that's how it was described. Jethro had a hard childhood himself, so he counted on Mac to keep the current woman happy emotionally. Through Mac, Jethro was able to express his emotions without really expressing his emotions. *snort* Just a small note here. Leigh VERY specifically made sure the reader knew that Mac and Jethro had absolutely no homosexual feelings for each other. None. Zip. Nada.

Keiley has always known that there is something that Mac is holding back. She figures it has to do with sex, but she's not sure. Now, three years after their marriage, she's decided that she wants to know what it is. Except she doesn't. Then she does. Girl can't decide what she wants. When she was eighteen, her dad went to prison for embezzling, then her mom died so she was guilty by association. Because of that, she's very aware of gossip about her and she really cares what people think. Not to mention that there is a woman who has never forgiven Mac for never sleeping with her before he left town. Keiley is now on her grudge list.

So you have Mac that has held back sexually from Keiley for three years. You have Keiley who can't decide if she can accept Mac's sexual needs. You have Jethro who has waited three years for the call from Mac that Keiley is ready. You have a a woman who will do anything to destroy Keiley. Oh, and you have a stalker from Mac's old FBI days that has suddenly (after three years) set his sights on Keiley.

Somehow Lora Leigh makes it all work. After doing this review, I have no idea how, but she really does.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Master of Dragons by Angela Knight

2007-06-15T09:40:00.001-06:00

From the back cover:

The last time fairy princess Nineva Morrow engaged in magic, evil forces rendered her an orphan—isolated and incapable of trusting in anyone's survival. But after years of hiding on Earth, she'll use her powers once more—and attract more knights than she can handle.

Now at the center of a rebellious Mageverse noble's plot and helplessly dominated by a powerful, body-possessing spirit, Nineva's only hope is the smoldering Dragon knight Kel. This renegade of Arthur's court has enough desire to burn down every door to her heart—if the surrounding forces of King Llyr would subside long enough to let him.

The survival of the Mageverse hangs in a passionate balance of entitlement and pleasure, with destruction threatening to bring an entire magical universe to it's knees...

Okay, then. Here we go. Master of Dragons is the newest installment of Knight's Mageverse series. I continue to be amazed at how Knight manages to spin this series. I mean, how often and in how many ways can Avalon be attacked without becoming repetitive? In Master of Dragons there is yet another evil villain who desires nothing more than to bring Avalon to its' knees. And it works.

Dragon Knight Kel was first introduced in Master of Swords. He met Gawain (hero: Master of Swords) and the two instantly form a friendship. The dragons didn't like that too much cuz they hate humans. To make a long story short, Kel was cursed into a sword (for fifteen hundred years) and the only way to get free was to kill Gawain. Which he didn't do. So at the end of Master of Swords, Kel is finally freed. Then he's knighted by Arthur. So he's one happy dragon.

Nineva Morrow was raised by her Sidhe father to fufill her duty as Avalon to the goddess, Semira. Her duty was to free Semira from the sword she was trapped in. Her family had to hide her on mortal Earth because her cousin King Angsar wanted Nineva dead at any cost. So anytime Nineva used magic, her family had to move. Eventually she learned not to use magic at all. That all changed when she was 17. She was backing out of the driveway and ran over her neighbor's dog. She healed it and shit hit the fan.

So here is my #1 bone to pick with this book. And yes, it's shallow as hell. Kel has cobalt hair. Cobalt. Blue. When the guy is in his human form, his hair is fucking blue. He even has blue hair in his nether regions. Every time (which was only once or twice) that hair was described, I giggled. I'm not a giggler, but I fully admit that I giggled. More than once. Can you imagine blue hair down there? Oh and he had red eyes too. Too bad he didn't have a white beard.

Kel called Nineva a professional martyr. That description was spot on. It got a little old after awhile, but whatever. Anyway, Semira is getting weaker and weaker and there is only one way to give her strength. You guessed it; sex with Kel. That's a bit of a a cliché, but hello, he's a dragon and she's a Sidhe princess. I can buy it. Since the day her parents died, Nineva has been having a dream that is both erotic and terrifying. She dreams of having hot sex with her lover, then a dragon is breathing fire on her. Needless to say, she's a little creeped (and freaked) out when the prophecy starts coming true.

Oh, did I mention that Kel got a visit from Cachamwri, the Dragon God? Seems that Cachamwri had a plan, which is why he let Kel get imprisoned in the sword. See, it's his destiny to protect the Sidhe Princess and prevent the Dark Ones from destroying Avalon, thus destroying mortal Earth.

After reading Demon Moon which was 500 pages, this book seemed really short. It's amazing how much stuff is crammed into this book which is a smidge under 300 pages. And it didn't seem rushed at all. There were vampires, Knights of the Roundtable, Dire Wolves, Sidhe warriors, dragons. It was pretty action packed.

Oh did I mention the villain in this book? He's pretty psycho. He's the product of rape. Angsar (the bad guy in Master of the Moon) raped his mom, who then understandably instilled him with a hatred of his father. She then turned him into a psycho just like his daddy. He then killed his own mother when he decided to go after the Sidhe King. So he's pretty fucked up.

There were some funny parts too, which I love. When Kel and Nineva went back to the Dragon Lands to enlist their help, they were in Soren's cave (a good dragon) when his apprentice came in. She was an 800 year old dragon, but was about 18 years old in human years. So she looks and Nineva and squeals "It's so small!". Yeah, that cracked me up. Because I just kept picturing these three dragons in a cave with a human that was probably smaller than one of their claws.

I'm not sure what's next in the series, but there are several character choices. Personally I would like to see the Court Seducer whose name I can't remember. There's also Soren (my first choice), though I don't think Knight will go for another dragon hero quite yet.

4 out of 5 stars.

Demon Moon by Meljean Brook

2007-06-13T11:00:00.001-06:00

From the back cover:

Return to the sensual netherworld of Demon Angel for a startling romance of eternal love threatened by the consuming darkness of a Demon Moon…

No one would call vampire Colin Ames-Beaumont kind, but they would call him unnaturally beautiful. For two centuries his tainted blood has kept him isolated from other vampires, sustained only by his beauty and vanity—bitter comforts, since a curse has erased his mirror reflection, replacing it with a terrifying glimpse of Chaos.

Savi Murray's insatiable curiosity had gotten her into trouble before, but she'd always escaped unscathed. Then came Colin. In the midst of Heaven, he gave her a taste of ecstasy—and of Chaos. Deadly creatures from that realm herald the return of an imprisoned nosferatu horde, and Colin and Savi’s bond is their only protection—and their only passion…

Well. I have to admit that I'm very pleasantly surprised by Demon Moon. It's really not a secret that I didn't enjoy Demon Angel. While I didn't hate it, I didn't love it. The book was booooring. Not all boring, but too much for me to really get into it.

First let me first say that this book was really fucking long. I mean like almost 500 pages long. There are some authors that I wish would write 500 page books. This author wasn't one of them. I went into it thinking it was going to be a repeat of Demon Angel. I am happy to admit that I was WRONG. See, I barely faltered on typing that.

Colin Ames-Beaumont is a total ass of a character. OMG. He really is. But I loved him. I loved how he had no qualms about his vanity. He knew he was beautiful and he wanted everyone to tell him so. Including Savi. The banter between those two was highly amusing. You could just tell that aside from the physical attraction, they genuinely liked each other. Which is always nice. One of my issues with Demon Angel was that there wasn't enough interaction between Hugh and Lilith. There is plenty of interaction between Colin and Savi.

So the book starts off with a bang (almost literally) when Savi is on a flight home from India. She sees a nosfertu on the plane and starts freaking out (okay, she didn't really freak out but I did). Only a few weeks (or maybe months?) before, there was an unexplained explosion on a passenger plane which killed 400 people. So she IM's Colin to get his help because both Hugh and Lilith were unavailable. (Can you IM on a plane? Did I miss something?) What happens next is that Savi saves the day. Of course all the passengers freak out because this girl is attacking an assuming passenger with a garrote. So Savi locks herself in the lavatory with Nani and wait for the calvary which arrive in the form of Michael and Selah (I really need to pick up Selah's anthology).

Sooooo, ingesting the nosfertu's blood along with the hellhound venom that she injected into him while strangling him changed her a bit. She's stronger, faster, etc. Oh and now all these wyrmwolves are after her. Everyone thinks they're after Colin because they want him to open the portal to Chaos, but they soon realize that Savi being around during all the attacks is not a coincidence.

This book had so much information that I'm still a little confused two days after finishing it. I read verrrrrry slowly as not to miss anything. Yeah, that didn't work out so well. There were times when I was flipping back through the pages to see what the hell I missed.

Colin's blood is cursed. Anyone that drinks his blood dies a horrible miserable death. So he can't turn anyone. The only one he would want to turn is Savi, which he can't do. Actually, he doesn't want her turned at all because he can't feed her and he can't stand the thought of her feeling the Bloodlust while she's feeding from someone else.

There were some good ass scenes in the book between Colin and Savi. Specifically when Savi cut her hand and slapped it over Colin's mouth. *sigh* She knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't risk taking her blood thus triggering Bloodlust and she also knew that it was the only way to get him to listen to her without interrupting. Mission accomplished.

It was an abrupt, yet satisfying ending. Ten pages before the end of the book, I was still wondering how they were going to get their HEA. I could literally feel the pain between these two as they realized what life would be like if they stayed together.

Lilith and Hugh were of course prominent figures in the book. I loved how Lilith didn't change from Demon Angel to Demon Moon. She's still a royal bitch, but Hugh is her one weak spot. I also loved when she said things like "You fucking beautiful ass" to Colin. Heee.

If you haven't picked Demon Moon up because you were unsure about Demon Angel, don't wait. You won't be disappointed.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Edit: I can't believe I forgot to give an honorable mention to Sir Pup. That's one, er, three, fierce animal(s). I want one. He can carry my purse. And my kids, come to think of it. I did have a hard time at first b/c whenever I think of a dog, I think of my dog. Which is a Shih Tzu. So I was imaging my 10lb dog with three heads carrying two vampires.

Author Pimp: Farrah Rochon

2007-06-12T10:37:00.000-06:00

No review today. Freakin' A. I'm reading Demon Moon and am almost done. I had to sit at my desk and sneak a few pages in this morning. That's the good thing about coming in at 7. No one else is here.

So since I have no review, I'm going to do an author spotlight. I thought about doing it yesterday, but I'll do them on Tuesdays. I doubt I'll do spotlights on authors like Linda Howard or Susan Elizabeth Phillips. We know and love them. I want to introduce new authors. Or at least new to me authors who I want to pimp. *g*

Farrah Rochon is not only a great author who is well on her way to a successful writing career, she is also a friend of mine. Deliver Me debuted in late February.

From the back cover:

LEAVING AN IMPERFECT PAST...

Monica Gardner is starting over. The brokenhearted St. Louis native has nothing left at home any longer: her future is being an ER doctor at a New Orleans hospital. Her first day makes for a bumpy start as she continually runs into handsome but irascible Dr. Elijah Holmes--a man who could make her change her mind about finding true love.

FOR NEW EXPECTATIONS

For years, Dr. Eli Holmes has been living up to his own high expectations--and is burning himself out in the process. The only time this "Super Doc" ob-gyn slows down is to notice the beautiful eyes of a newcomer, Dr. Gardner. He's pleased to know that she's more than just a pretty face, she's also an ace physician. When they work together, sparks fly. But with both Monica and Eli trying to hard not to fall in love, they realize they can't resist this affair of the heart.

A small warning: this is not a "dark" book. While the cover certainly implies a certain "darkness", this is actually a light read. There is substantial humor between Eli and Monica, as well as between Eli and his family. Farrah plans on writing the story of Eli's brothers, who were both very intriguing in Deliver Me. The secondary story between a patient of Eli's and her husband is also very good.

You can read an excerpt of Deliver Me here. Visit Farrah's blog here. Oh and she's going to be at RWA in Dallas, too. So visit her if you're going!

Whispering Rock by Robyn Carr

2007-06-11T07:49:00.001-06:00

From the back cover:

A decorated U.S. Marine reservist, LAPD officer Mike Valenzuela was badly wounded in the line of duty, but has found hope and healing in Virgin River. When he agrees to become the town’s first cop, he does so knowing it’s time he settled down. Twice divorced and the lover of too many women, he secretly longs for the kind of commitment and happiness his marine buddies have found – a woman who can tie up his heart forever. He finds that woman in Brie Sheridan, a Sacramento prosecutor who understands his drive to protect and serve. Virgin River becomes a safe haven for Brie after nearly losing her life at the hands of a crazed criminal. Though tough and courageous, she’s got some fears she can’t escape – but now she has someone who will shower her just what it means to trust again.

Mike will do anything to help Brie free herself from painful memories. Passionate, strong and gentle, he vows to give back to her what she’s so selflessly given him – her heart, and with it, a new beginning.

So far Robyn Carr is my best new find of this year. I adore her writing. These days, it seems that few authors are writing straight romance. You either have romantic suspense or paranormal romance, fantasy romance, sci-fi romance, etc. Not that it's a bad thing, but it's very nice to find a series that is romance only.

Whispering Rock is the third in the Virgin River series. I think that Carr intended for it to be a triology, but it doesn't seem like that's going to happen. She has introduced so many characters in these three books that she has made it impossible to just stop the series here.

So Mike Valenzuela was introduced in Virgin River (1st book), very vaguely. It wasn't until Shelter Mountain (2nd book) that he became more prevelant. He is portrayed as a Latino Lover that has fallen for his best friend's sister. Brie Sheridan is a hotshot Assistant Prosecuter. After her husband left her, she lost the first case of her career, prosecuting a serial rapist. Instead of fading into the woodwork and realizing that he got off extremely lucky, this brainbox goes to get revenge on Brie by viciously attacking her. Mmm,k. So she is very battered and very changed from the first two books.

What I like about Carr's books is that it's over a period of months. It doesn't take Brie two weeks to get over her rape and fall in love with Mike. It takes months. Months and months. In the meantime, we are re-introduced to all the characters from the previous books. Jack (Brie's brother) is having a harder time recovering from Brie's attack than Brie is. His struggle with that is effecting his marriage with Mel (Jack & Mel's story is told in the 1st book). Mel is still the midwife that we know and love and will not take this hit to her marriage lying down. It is amazing to see how far Mel came from the time she first appeared in Virgin River.

Preacher and Paige (Shelter Mountain) have been trying to have a baby for months. This part of the book is highly entertaining.

Paul (one of Jack's marie buddies) comes to finish Jack's house and finds that his best friend's (who is in Iraq) wife now lives in Virgin River with her father. Not only that, but she is pregnant. It's Paul that I definitely see having his own book in the future.

So I highly recommend Robyn Carr. I wouldn't recommend starting with Whispering Rock because you would be highly lost. The series order is Virgin River, Shelter Mountain, then Whispering Rock. Definitely pick this series up. It is money well spent.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Others: Conception by Sarah McCarty

2007-06-08T12:53:00.000-06:00

From the back cover:

An unwilling victim of an experiment gone wrong, mother to a child that shouldn’t exist, Eden Lavery knows only one person strong enough to stand between the Coalition’s fanatical quest for immortality and their threat to her daughter; Dusan Knight. Six foot three of solid muscle, Deuce wears his power with the easy confidence that comes from six centuries of commanding the Chosen, the inspiration for vampire lore. But Deuce isn’t just the source of legend. He’s the man she loves. The man she’d ultimately betrayed.

From the moment Eden reenters his life, holding the miracle of a Chosen child in her arms, Deuce burns with the need to complete their joining. Everything about Eden, from her sassy sense of humor to her delectably stacked body was made for him. But some things are easier decided than done. Amidst a race for survival, against an enemy that cannot be destroyed for fear of extinction, Deuce must fight for the future of his people and to convince Eden the passion between them is more than illusion. She is his Chosen mate, and nothing, not her fears, the Coalition, nor death itself will take her away from him.

Ermmm, what is with EC's covers? I am not ashamed to say that I do tend to judge books by their covers. There have been many new authors found b/c I liked the cover. If I hadn't heard so many good things about Sarah McCarty, I wouldn't have looked twice at this book. It kinda looks like she's trying to ingest his lips.

I loved this book. Sarah McCarty is definitely going places. Of course it wasn't until after I read the book that I found out that this series may not continue. *sigh* It's just my luck.

So Eden Lavery's grandfather is one fucked up old man. He's obsessed with immortality. Dude, he's, like, 89. If you want to be immortal, do you really want to do it in an old man's body? Anyway, the book opens up with a bang. Eden is literally hanging from the ceiling by her bound hands while gramps and her uncle whip her to get the location of Eden's vampire lover, Dusan. Of course gramps doesn't want to hurt her. He just needs to know where Eden stashed the vamp. In bust an army of men to come to Deuce's rescue, who just happened to be in the floorboards right underneath Eden's feet. Unconcious, of course. So while his men are dragging Deuce out, the leader of the pack (he's really the leader of the Pack) tries to get Eden down. Eden convinces him to run after she realizes gramps plans to blow the whole place up. *sigh*

Fast forward a year. Deuce thinks Eden is dead. Which sucks because the Chosen only mate once and it's for life. So when Eden turns up on his mountain with a baby no less, he is elated. Well, almost elated. Obviously Eden was getting it on with some other guy and he didn't know if he could accept that. Well, turns out that Eden was actually inseminated with Deuce's sperm and voila!, Eden's daughter is also Deuce's daughter.

So here's my problem. Eden escaped five minutes after a c-section, baby in tow. Because of a voice whispering in her head to run. I can accept that a mother would do anything for her newborn, including getting up off the table five minutes after a c-section and running. What I, under no circumstances, can accept is the fact that when Eden came face-to-face with Deuce for the first time in a year, she was aroused. Um, dude. You just had a c-section. Your stitches are pulling out. Aroused? Yeah, pull the other one.

So overall, this was a really good book. The Chosen are a very interesting group of people. Eden and Deuce's daughter is the first child born to a Chosen in hundreds of years. So she's something of a miracle. Because they have to find out how she was conceived, Deuce can't allow Eden to kill her grandfather. Obviously Eden doesn't really care what Deuce says and tries to escape to keep Jalina (the daughter), safe.

This was the first (and possibly last) book in the series. I thought that the information about the species in general was a little on the light side. I could definitely have done with more details about how the Chosen and Pack came to be allies. More about the Chosen in general, really.

There was lots of action and blood sucking in this book. Not for the squeamish!

4 out of 5 stars.

Gideon by Jacquelyn Frank

2007-06-08T12:37:00.000-06:00

From the back cover:

They’re called the Nightwalkers—proud, ancient beings who live in the shadows, existing just beyond the human world. But there are also dangerous humans who hunt them—necromancers who use the blackest magic to manipulate them. And for a Demon named Gideon, the battle against these evil forces will soon be all too personal… As A Healer, He Knows Her Body.

But It’s Her Heart He Wants.

For a thousand years, Gideon has healed his people. And as the oldest surviving male of his race, his wisdom has always been respected without question. But Gideon knows that even he is vulnerable to the powerful, primitive desires that befall his kind during Hallowed moons—and nine years ago that truth was hammered home when he found himself claiming Magdalegna, the Demon King’s sister, in a wild embrace. Horrified by his lack of control, he left her wanting and furious—and then exiled himself for the better part of a decade. Now, with necromancers threatening his people—and Magdalegna nearly their victim—Gideon must face another truth. He and the beautiful, stubborn Magdalegna are destined to be together, to share a love as deep and old as time itself. But first he needs to regain her trust. Then he’ll have to save her life…

Every night holds secrets.

My thoughts can be summed up in a word: Dull.

While I didn't lurrrveeeee Jacob, I really thought it was a great premise. Frank is the first author (that I've read, anyway) that has written Demons as protaganists. So it was very intriguing to me. When I read Gideon, I went into it with high hopes. My bad. The normal trend is that the series gets better with each book. Not so with the Nightwalkers. While trying to cram Gideon and Legna's story in the pages, Frank also managed to re-tell a mini version of Jacob. I'm sorry, but if a reader decides they're going to skip the first book, that's their bad. Because of the length of time between relases, I understand the need to touch on certain things from previous books that might be pertinent to the current story. What I don't want is to go over the whooolllllleeeee story again. I already know what happened to Bella and Jacob. I know what happened to Corrine and Kane. I want to know more about Gideon, the character that was so intiriguing in Jacob. Too bad we didn't get that.

Basically I skimmed. Gideon and Legna were boring. They were a boring couple. After years of avoiding each other, suddenly they realize that they're mates and all is well. Didn't work for me. I was more interested in Bella and Jacob in this book. At least Frank introduced a few new characters. That should prove to be interesting in the future.

On a sidenote, as soon as I can figure out how to do a cut, I'll include spoilers. But as a spoiler hater, I'll abstain this time.

In keeping to the amazon star system, I give Gideon 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Welcome to blogland

2007-06-08T12:35:00.000-06:00

So what makes this reviewer blog different from all the others out there? Nothing. Why did I start it? Well, for several reasons. First reason, I have the most boring job in the history of boring jobs. Working in I/T as a 'Systems Analyst I' supporting accounting software is far from being an exciting job. Needless to say, I have enough time on my hands. Second reason, I'm a follower. Why lead when you can follow? No really, I've been reviewing on amazon for years and just decided that it was time to be a little more creative. After all, I've got the time. Just never really had the desire to do so before now. Third reason, I love reading. I love recommending new authors to my reading friends. There are so many good authors out there that don't get the reader credit they deserve. I'm here to help give it to them. Fourth reason, peer pressure.

So bear with me as I explore blogland and get my blog looking all cool and stuff. *g*

2007-06-01T13:55:00.000-06:00