Pocket, historical romance, March 2009

I read this book in April, and I was horrified when I realized today, as I was flipping through my book journal, that I had jotted notes to review it, but never actually wrote the review. Gack!

Anyway, this is the story of Phaedra Northampton, the proper spinster sister of Lord Nash (see Never Lie to a Lady), who is engaging in some very improper behavior, staking out a notorious brothel in the hopes of "rescuing" her maid's sister, who abandoned her child and ran off to London. Tristan Talbot, Lord Avoncliffe, has the reputation of a layabout good-for-nothing, but he's also secretly investigating the brothel, believing it to be a front for a spy ring.

Whenever the prim Phaedra and the roguish Tristan encounter each other, whether in a ballroom or in an alley, sparks fly. Though Tristan does his best to keep Phaedra out of the investigation, she's not about to be left behind.

I absolutely loved that Phaedra was much less proper than she seemed, and that Tristan was deeper than he presented himself. On an emotional level, Tristan is the perfect foil for Phaedra, helping her come to terms with her past tragedies, and she, in turn, supports him through his personal issues as well. All the relationships in the book -- whether Phaedra and Tristan's or Phaedra and Nash's or the maid and her sister's -- were layered, complex, and realistic. Not everyone gets a fairy tale ending, but all's well that ends well.

And in looking up the publication information, I discovered, much to my delight, that the next book, Wicked All Day will be out September 22nd.

1/2

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews

ROC, contemporary fantasy, March 2009 (paperback release)
Connections: book #10 in the Dresden Files series

Although I've devoured every single book in this series, I seem to have this tendency not to review them. Why? Because I think there's only so many times I can say "Wow!" That's usually how I leave a Dresden book, simply by saying "Wow!" But I thought I'd give it a go.

Poor Harry. Every time he gets his life back to something resembling normal (for him), something happens to screw that all up. In this case, it's a horrible series of death magic crime scenes interrupted by Mab, the Queen of the Sidhe Winter Court, showing up in Chicago to call in the second of three favors Harry owes her. Of all things, Mab wants Harry to find and protect Gentleman Johnny Marcone, a gangster who dabbles in the supernatural.

As with all things in Harry's world, events build up higher and higher until they spiral pretty much out of control. Soon Harry is crawling with Summer Court beasties that are out to get him, dealing with a peace summit that pulls a good bulk of the Wardens, demons of the order of Denarius, and Council muckity-mucks -- including the Archive, the most powerful Council member embodied in a small child called Ivy -- to town for a huge showdown. And, as always, it's up to Harry to save the world.

I cannot stress enough how much I love this series. Each time, Harry is tempted by the darkness only to emerge into the light -- but each time, readers have to wonder if he really will come back to the light, and how much darker he might become. It seems like every supernatural camp wants him -- the Winter Court, the Denarians, the Order of the Cross -- and each one has its pros and cons -- generally incredible power coming at incredible cost, no matter what side they're on. You have to admire Harry for standing up to all of them and insisting on being simply himself.

One thing that happens in this book that hasn't happened to Harry in some time is a bit of a love interest. Of course, given his track record, I don't expect this will be a long-term relationship. But it still kind of nice to read -- Harry's life is so tough all the time that he deserves some softness and happiness. My favorite characters are also at play here: Mouse the dog, Bob the skull, Thomas, Murphy, and the mysterious Kincaid. Opening a Dresden book is like rediscovering old friends...and taking a suicidal roller-coaster ride.

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews

Grand Central, contemporary fantasy, March 2009
Connections: book #6 in the Kitty Norville series

Though I liked Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand, I felt it wasn't a complete book: there was a lot left hanging at the end, a lot of questions I wanted answers to. Bring on Kitty Raises Hell, and thank goodness, after not too long of a wait!

Kitty Raises Hell has Kitty and new husband Ben back in Denver and teaming up with the city's master vampire, Rick, to deal with the threats from the band of Tiamat, the freaky shapeshifting cult Kitty tangled with in Las Vegas. Though the shifters haven't shown their faces, Kitty's restaurant was vandalized...and then stranger things start to happen, things that seem ghostly or completely unexplainable -- such as pack members spontaneously combusting.

Luckily, the cast and crew of a popular "ghost hunter" TV show, Paradox PI, are in town to do a reading of a supposedly haunted property, and aside from getting them to do a guest stint on her radio show, and vice-versa, Kitty talks them into helping her investigate the Tiamat problem. The gang holds a seance at New Moon...and the kitchen bursts into flames.

It's a race against the clock to discover what is wreaking such havoc, and Kitty's right in the middle, pressured beyond all get-out because she is the Alpha and the rest of the pack are looking to her for guidance and leadership. And on top of this, the estranged brother of her best friend T.J., who died to save her (see Kitty and the Midnight Hour), comes to town demanding answers about his brother's death.

While Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand had nonstop action, Kitty Raises Hell had that and then some -- most importantly, answers, about not only the band of Tiamat, but also about the mysterious Rick. But not just answers -- we get to see Kitty endure trial by fire, literally, and prove that her more laid-back approach to leadership really does work. She's really grown from the first book, and I love how far she's come.

1/2

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews

ROC, contemporary fantasy, March 2007
Connections: second in series, follows Nightlife

Nightlife introduced Caliban "Cal" Leandros, who's half-human and half-monster -- a dark elf known as an Auphe -- and his older half-brother, the fully human Niko. Now apparently safe from the Auphe, the brothers have settled in New York City and run an investigative agency catering to the supernatural community.

Their newest case deals with the Kin, the werewolf mafia: Cal is supposed to go undercover to gather proof that one of the bosses is trying to take down a rival, but the deal goes sideways, and the bad guys kidnap George, the young seer Cal is sweet on (but won't admit it). The case takes them deep into the underbelly of of the underworld as well as deep into their own dubious family history.

Ms. Thurman doesn't pull any punches; the action scenes are beautifully (and grotesquely at times) written, and the plot is dark, intricate, and seamlessly crafted. I am fast growing to love the Leandros boys. Their brotherly relationship is snarky yet affectionate, rooted in the deepest possible loyalty. And they extend that loyalty to their friends like George, Niko's vampire girlfriend Promise, and the ruthlessly charming puck Robin Goodfellow. Together, this ragtag bunch make a terrific and powerful team, solving cases while navigating complex interpersonal relationships.

I'll definitely be back for more.

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews

Berkley Sensation, historical romance, July 2008
Connections: only very slightly related to The Spymaster's Lady, stands well alone

I absolutely loved The Spymaster's Lady, and was eagerly anticipating this release, but sadly, My Lord and Spymaster didn't live up to my expectations.

Jess Whitby's father has been arrested for treason, accused of being the notorious spy "Cinq." She's determined to prove him innocent, and she's sure Captain Sebastian Kennett is the real Cinq. But of course her attraction for him complicates her mission...

I was frustrated with the lack of believable motivation for the characters. We find out almost NOTHING about Jess until page 262, when she finally tells Sebastian how she came to work for Lazarus. I still know practically nothing about Sebastian himself, except that he's a bastard who had a hard life until he was taken in by his aunt, and he looks at Jess and alpha males, "Hnnngh. Mine," with no real reason for why he wants her. I totally didn't buy their chemistry.

If that wasn't bad enough, I can't figure out the damn plot at all. What's with the Irishmen? Who employed them? What happened in the past to make Sebastian the rich one and Quentin dependent on him?

I like animals, but the ferret thing struck me as unrealistic.

The speech patterns drove me insane. Particularly Josiah Whitby's. With Jess, he's all "thee" and "tha" but with Sebastian, he talks normally.

About the only thing I liked about this book was Adrian...and even he was being a little too obtuse for my taste.

I think that yes, my expectations were far too high after The Spymaster's Lady. I was mostly forcing my way through the book, telling myself, "Everyone else loved this book, what are you missing?" When I got to the bit about her going back to Lazarus, I got excited, thinking I was finally about to learn something of value, but after that, enthusiasm died off again.

I'll still read Ms. Bourne's next book -- hopefully it will line up with my expectations.

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews

Berkley Heat, erotic romance, May 2009 (ARC)
Connections: set in same world as Undercover but stands alone

If I had to think of one phrase to describe this book, it's "a sweeping romance." Lead characters Abbie and Roman call to mind other seemingly impossible lovers like Lara and Zhivago. It's amazing how a simple thing such as love can become epic in the hands of the right author -- and this is most definitely the case with Ms. Dane's creations in Relentless.

Set in the same multi-'Verse world as Undercover, this story focuses more on the meaning of Family rule, for both the Families and the Unranked citizens. Abigail Haws is an Unranked barrister who spends her days fighting for the rights of those in her class, not only in her legal work but also as the head of the Movement for Representative Democracy, a committee that is striving to give the Unranked a voice in their own government. To that end, she schedules a meeting with Roman Lyons, the head of House Lyons and highest ranked of all the Families, to talk with him about the MRD's wish list.

Roman is a good leader, and at first he doesn't see the need for the Unranked to get a say. But he listens to Abbie, not only because he is a good leader, but also because something about her really appeals to him on a personal level. Soon they are engaged in an illicit and incendiary affair that they both know can go nowhere due to Roman's status and Abbie's lack thereof.

A secondary plot involving the Unranked son of Roman's assistant Marcus serves as an excellent foil and tutorial for the class differences between the Ranked and the Unranked, for readers and characters alike. Because Jaron was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was the only Unranked person in that wrong place, he is the scapegoat for a murder charge. Abbie's quest to clear his name mirrors her quest to bring a truly fair and equal style of government to the Federated Universes. As with politics in the real world, she wins some people over, and alienates others.

What I love so much about this story is that though it's set in an imaginary world so far removed from our own, there's still a real-life feel to everything: determined, caring people fighting for a cause they believe in, and two wonderfully complex people falling in love and following their hearts. I absolutely love that Roman separates the professional Abigail from Abbie, the woman he's attracted to. His care in making sure that her cause isn't hurt by their feelings for each other is telling of his noble character -- he shows his world and the readers that he truly deserves to be the head of House Lyons. Equally wonderful is how Abbie refuses to use her personal relationship for professional gain, and how she defends that decision to others who want her to do so.

Achingly poignant romance, principled ideals, and some truly spectacular love scenes all add up to one thing: a sweeping romance that's simply perfect. I'll let Lauren Dane sweep me away any day of the week.

Jove, contemporary romance, April 2009 (mass-market edition)

So I RUSHED to get this book and read it in time for the made-for-TV movie on Lifetime. I needn't have rushed, given what a crapfest the movie was. Seriously, people who also saw it, how AWFUL was that?!?! Miscast, mis-adapted, missed the mark...OMG, I want those two hours of my life back. It took me slightly longer than two hours to read the book, but those were hours well spent, thank the book gods.

Tribute is the story of Cilla McGowan, a former child star turned house flipper, who buys the Little Farm, her famous late grandmother's country home in the Shenandoah Valley. Her plan is to restore it to its former glory as a tribute (get it?) to the incomparable Janet Hardy and to her paternal ancestors, who owned it before her grandmother. While cleaning out the attic, she finds a series of unsigned love letters to her grandmother that indicate not only that Janet had an affair with a local married man, but that she was pregnant with his child at the time of her suicide. This tidbit weaves a malicious thread through the backdrop of Cilla's new life, and the new love she is discovering with graphic novelist Ford Sawyer.

Ms. Roberts's stand-alone novels still rate very highly in my estimation, and this is no exception. Despite having been famous at one point in her life, Cilla is very practical and down to earth. Ford, despite his own fame, is the same. I love the joke that he's so inept with tools, no one will trust him with them. Ms. Roberts always gets the family dynamic down pat -- I really like how she slowly brings Cilla into a closer relationship with her father and stepfamily and even manages to put a few chinks in the wall between her and her mother. If there was one thing that bugged me about this book it was that the ending was rather abrupt, with little closure. One of Cilla and Ford's closest friends has just suffered an incredible blow, and it's all "whew, we're safe, we'll be there for our friend, the end." Other than that, this was a damn good read. So if you watched the TV movie, don't judge Ms. Roberts on it -- get the book. Trust me.

1/2

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews

Sourcebooks, paranormal romance, 2008
Connections: first in series

I found Linda Wisdom via Yasmine Galenorn, but the two styles of writing could not be more different. Both, though, are terrific -- Ms. Galenorn's writing is dark and intense and Ms. Wisdom's writing is lighter, but no less intense for it.

In this book, we're introduced to real-life witch Jasmine "Jazz" Tremaine. She lives in LA with her human (male) roommate Krebs, Irma, the ghost who haunts her classic car, and Fluff and Puff, feral bunny slippers of indeterminate origin. She makes her living as a freelance curse-lifter and a limo driver for otherworldly beings at All Creatures Limo Service, run by a creepy goblin-type named Dweezil.

Jazz's life is turned upside-down (again) when her on-again-off-again lover, vampire Nick Gregory, shows up asking for her help. Every time she sees Nick, sparks fly, danger brews, and she usually ends up in jail -- sometimes worse. One of the "sometimes worse" involved assault at the hands of Clive Reeves, a sick-minded, sadistic human, back in the earlier part of the century. Jazz thought she killed him, but...not so much. Nick is sure Reeves is behind the disappearance of vampires he's been investigating. At first Jazz thinks, so what, it's only vampires, but then she realizes that Reeves might not stop at the bloodsuckers -- who's to say he won't come after the witches of the world too?

Despite the dark tones of a vampire serial killer (serial killer of vampires?), this book was a delight to read. Jazz and Nick have terrific chemistry, rather like Tracy and Hepburn, or a supernatural Nick and Nora Charles. There are so many clever elements to the world that Ms. Wisdom has built, I don't know where to start: the witchy temper tantrums that piss off Mother Nature, the wall mail, the totally sinful idea that witches can eat all they want and not get fat (LOL), the bunny slippers...? I think my favorite, though, has to be that Jazz's personal version of "so mote it be" is "because I say so dammit!" That one line sums up Jazz so well.

There were some klunky parts, though the one thing that really bugged me is if Jazz would make a pun or something, an explanation of it would quickly follow, like the readers wouldn't get the joke otherwise. For example, Jazz once refers to Irma as "Mrs. Loose Lips Sink Ships" and the next sentence is "Nick grinned at Jazz's World War II reference to people giving away secrets." Not being a complete idiot, I don't need the reference spelled out for me like that.

But honestly, other than that, I had so much fun with Jazz and Nick that I was sorry to see them go. So I'm very glad this is the start of a series, because I definitely want to spend more time with them.

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews

Ace, contemporary fantasy, April 2009 (mass-market edition)
Connections: book #8 in the Southern Vampire/Sookie Stackhouse series

Sookie Stackhouse just can't catch a break. She's back home in Bon Temps, just hoping the supernatural world will leave her alone and let her recover emotionally from the events at the vampire summit (see All Together Dead). But at a local double wedding, a strange vampire approaches her, and another mysterious being observes her from a distance.

A few days later, Eric, owner of Shreveport vampire bar Fangtasia and Sheriff of Area Five, takes her to dinner with the latter mysterious being, and Sookie gets quite the education in her own family history. On their way home, Sookie and Eric survive an assassination attempt.

Soon, Sookie is hip-deep in the newly erupted shifter war, and right after that settles down, a hostile vampire takeover. To add to her stress, her boyfriend Quinn disappoints her by first disappearing and then turning out to be not the man she thought he was. And her brother Jason drags her into his marital woes and the weird traditions of the inbred were-panther community of Hotshot.

I have to say that for the most part, I loved this book. The past few books have centered around one event, and though it's not that they were less than complex or anything, but I really enjoyed the faster pace of the action in this story. It wasn't just a shifter-centric plot with incidental vampire elements or vice-versa, but full-on, huge changes for both.

There was one thing I really did NOT like about this book, and that was what I see as the shabby treatment of Quinn. His actions, to me, felt very much like Harris wanted to clear the path for a Sookie-Sam or Sookie-Eric pairing and needed to get Quinn out of the way. Not that what Quinn did (or, as I see it, was forced by his family honor to do) wasn't bad, but I didn't see it as nearly as beyond the pale as Sookie clearly did. Although, that said, I do sympathize with Sookie's desire to be some man's #1 concern, and I did wonder even before this point how Sookie and Quinn could keep something going. But I still feel Quinn was given a raw deal.

I pushed this book up in my reviews queue because a friend of mine is as hooked on it as I am, and I need to get her the book!

Despite the Quinn stuff, this gets:

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews