Zebra, paranormal romance, January 2008
Connections: book #3 in the Nightwalkers series

At the opening of this book, readers see Demon warrior Elijah in a very rare position: being vanquished by his enemies. He really is about to die, but before the human magic-users and necromancers led by the rogue Demons Ruth and Mary can guarantee his demise, they are scared off by the cry of a puma. The puma in question is really Siena, the Lycanthrope Queen, and she takes Elijah's bad wounded body to shelter.

"Shelter" happens to be a cave belonging to one of her retinue, since Siena can't move Elijah too far. A cave of extremely close quarters, where, naturally, attraction becomes a problem. Attraction leads to physical intimacy, which creates the even bigger problem that Destiny has selected Elijah and Siena for each other. Elijah is shocked, but not unwilling, whereas Siena flatly refuses to even acknowledge the possibility.

Though I absolutely loved the first two books in this series, Elijah fell a little flat for me in more ways than one. When playing with the concept of fated mates, an author has to be extremely careful. Ms. Frank came awfully close to crossing the line for me when it was implied that if Siena didn't comply with the whole concept of mating before Samhain, Elijah might just go moon-crazy and rape her. That bothered me. Siena's entire attitude towards men also bugged me. I can see her point, but she was so emphatic about it that it got irritating -- rather like the romance cliché of bad boy with a all-women-are-whores complex. And though in prior books I have liked Ms. Frank's lush prose, this time around, it just seemed too wordy.

The first half of the book really dragged for me, but it did pick up in the second half, doing much to redeem Siena in my eyes, and advancing the overall story arc. So though this book might have been a speed bump on an otherwise smooth road, it wasn't a pothole that ruined my entire trip...OK, so that was a weird metaphor, but I'm pretty sure you get my point.

Review © 2008 by Riley Merrick

Leisure/Dorchester, paranormal romance, August 2008
Connections: book #8 in the Dirk & Steele Series

I think that to get a decent grasp on the events in The Wild Road, you need to have read Soul Song and the story in Dark Dreamers. Well, you really need to have read all the Dirk & Steele books, because this is not just a series you can pick and choose with, but the aforementioned books directly impact this one.

Anyway, gargoyle Lannes Hannelore is having a nice time visiting an old friend in Chicago when, one night, he comes across a barefoot and bloody woman trying to steal his car. The woman has no idea who she is or why she woke up in a hotel room with three dead men, covered in blood, with a note attached to her jacket that said simply, "Run." Lannes has a bit of a knight in shining armor about him, and he is determined to help this woman figure out who she is, what she did, and why she needs to run, whether she wants him to or not.

What follows is a pretty wild road trip (get it? heh), in which Lannes dubs the woman Lethe, and they discover that not only does she have someone else residing in her mind with her, but her enemy can pull the same trick, taking over the mind of anyone nearby and ordering that person to try to kill Lannes and Lethe. It's a fascinatingly complex tale, during which readers will discover much about the founding of Dirk & Steele itself.

There was more "run" than romance in this book, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Ms. Liu does action and adventure extremely well, and I was on the edge of my seat for several scenes. She does romance believably as well -- I definitely buy Lannes and Lethe as a couple by the end. One big thing I give Ms. Liu major kudos for is writing Lethe's point of view scenes -- for more than half the book, she's "the woman," which gave her a chilling anonymity and drew me into her confusion as well.

The Wild Road was a welcome addition to the Dirk & Steele canon, and I can't wait to see where we go next in this series.

Review © 2008 by Riley Merrick

Jove, futuristic romantic suspense, August 2008 (mass-market edition)
Connections: book # gods-know-what in the In Death series

I always love returning to Eve Dallas's world. Even if the mystery doesn't grab my attention, the cast dynamics do. In this case, it was a bit of both, although more heavily on the latter than the former.

The case Eve has caught is that of sporting goods mogul Thomas A. Anders, found strangled and in a very compromising position in his bed, while his wife was away in St. Lucia. Sex games gone wrong is the conclusion the scene begs, but Eve's not buying it. There's no sign of an attempt to revive, the vic was tranqued to the gills, and no one other than his widow claimed any knowledge of unusual sexual proclivities.

Eve doesn't spin her wheels for long on this one. She knows who she likes for the murder, but the suspect has an ironclad alibi. So the problem comes down to chiseling away at the case until she can find a crack to split wide open and prove her gut instincts right.

Roarke nails it spot on when he observes to Eve that although Eve treats every death like an affront, she's treating this case like a competition -- it's a race between her and the suspect. I thought it interesting that Eve herself drew a parallel between the suspect and femme fatale Magdelana, the woman who caused all sorts of problems between Eve and Roarke when she blew into town a few books back. I actually really liked that they talked about this a bit; I felt like they finally cleared the air and really are going to be OK, rather than just shoving the problem under the rug.

The relationship developments in this book are fantastic: Eve and Roarke settle more than just the Magdelana issue, Eve gets one step closer to developing intimate confidences with her friends (through a very funny hypothetical question), partnerships are made stronger through teamwork, and one couple comes to a very interesting crossroads (I won't say who, for the benefit of the 10 or so other people who haven't already read the book).

The mystery was pretty much obvious from the get-go, even if the title wasn't a dead giveaway, but as I said, the fun here was watching Eve and Co. pit their wits and resources against the suspect. Although someday I would like to see the following: 1, Eve's gut being wrong, and/or 2, someone Eve likes and possibly trusts being the bad guy -- imagine the character development that could ensue. But anything that includes Eve pouting to Roarke about how she wanted to be the one to shake down the albino bartender in the sex club is well worth my time and cash.

Review © 2008 by Riley Merrick

Ace, urban fantasy, June 2008
Connections: introduced in "Hunter Kiss" in the Wild Thing anthology

Last week, when I reviewed Cry Wolf, I commented that it would be really helpful to read "Alpha and Omega" first. The Hunter Kiss series also begins with a novella, and I would classify reading the novella first as imperative. There is background information in the novella that is vital to the series and not spelled out or easily inferred in the book.

Maxine Kiss is the latest in a long line of Hunters: warrior women whose job it is to exorcise demons from the world and guard the veils between human and demon dimensions. Aiding her in her quest are five little (in size, but not power) demons, who live on her skin as tattoos (serving as armor) by day and coalesce into flesh and blood companions at nightfall. Maxine has pursued her vocation in single-minded solitude for years, but that has changed (see "Hunter Kiss"). Her lover, Grant Cooperon, is a former priest and has his own special talents: he has synesthesia, and he can see auras...not only see them, but influence them with his music. That means he believes he can "reform" demons and spare Maxine having to exorcise them. He is both a liability and a strength to Maxine, as all good partners should be.

As this story opens, so has the veil between dimensions, and something really nasty has slipped through, setting off a chain of events that will challenge and confuse Maxine, making her wonder about the very nature of her being. A whole host of characters step in, offering to "help" her, and she needs to figure out just who she can trust -- especially when she discovers that her own personal demons are keeping secrets from her.

Ms. Liu has set up a completely fascinating and complex world with these stories, with a considerably darker tone than her Dirk & Steele books (which is really saying something). Maxine does seem to spend a lot of time chasing her tail in this book, bringing readers right along with her in the confusion, but I think that's due to the fact that she doesn't know as much about herself as she needs to in order to survive what's coming next. First books in series such as these can often be more about setup than progress, but Ms. Liu gives us both a huge setup and a satisfying wrap-up to at least one or two small plot points, leaving the field wide-open for the next book to provide some more answers.

Having read both the novella and this first book, I'm reminded of the Doctor Who episode, "The Christmas Invasion." The novella was sort of like a pilot fish, warning of "biggers coming," and The Iron Hunt gave us one of the "biggers" and gave us a peek as to how vast and powerful the things to come are. The story that Ms. Liu is weaving is so incredibly layered and complex that I may need to re-read it more than once to fully grasp everything she's trying to say -- but that's not a bad thing.

I can honestly say that I am already addicted to the world of Maxine and Grant and "the boys," and am very much looking forward to the next release (whenever that will be).

Review © 2008 by Riley Merrick

Ace, contemporary fantasy, August 2008
Connections to: "Alpha and Omega" in the On the Prowl anthology, start of a new series

As I indicated, Cry Wolf actually begins with the "Alpha and Omega" novella. You can read the former without the latter, but you might find yourself a little lost on some background material, such as how Anna came to be Changed and what life was like for her in her previous pack. There's an interesting commentary about starting a series with a novella on Patricia Briggs's website you might like to check out as well.

Anyway, as Cry Wolf opens, the Marrok himself has come to oversee the fallout from Charles's confrontation with Anna's old Alpha, and to bring Anna and Charles home to his lands. For Anna, it's an extremely stressful time: she has known nothing but abuse in pack life, and now she's striking out for a new pack with a mate in tow -- a mate she's known for less than a week -- and she has no idea what it means to be an Omega. Charles isn't having an easy time of it either: Brother Wolf is very possessive of Anna, but thanks to her past, Charles is afraid to scare her.

In the middle of all this interpersonal stuff, Bran has a job for Charles, one that he's not sure his son and enforcer is ready to take on, but he's the only werewolf who can handle it. There are reports of a rogue werewolf up in the mountains, and Bran needs the wolf either destroyed or brought into the pack. The former would be Charles's job, the latter Anna's (as Omega). Plus, Bran figures it can't hurt his son and Anna to have some alone time in the wilderness to get used to each other as mates. The Marrok is a matchmaker, who knew?!

Unfortunately, the rogue wolf case is not so simple and Charles and Anna are in over their heads. They're facing a witch with an apparent werewolf familiar, who can actually seize control of the pack if she gains control of the proper wolf -- i.e., Bran. Though this is her ultimate goal, the witch also has a debt to settle with another pack wolf, the mysterious Asil. What follows is a good, old-fashioned showdown, paranormal style.

Unlike the Mercy Thompson series, Cry Wolf is told in the third person. I think third worked much better for this series. Honestly, if we were stuck inside Anna's head, I think it would be mostly angst and fear, and that would get old quickly. I really like seeing an author writing from both first and third like this, simply because it showcases strengths and resiliency. Whereas I think Mercy does a good job getting inside other characters' heads with her own perspective, she was raised with the wolves. Anna, as a Changed wolf, and a tormented one at that, doesn't have enough perspective or knowledge for us to be solely in her head.

Despite knowing each other for so little time, Charles and Anna make a convincing couple. As a friend pointed out in the Café's discussion of this book, fated mate stuff can be tricky. I liked that both Anna and Charles were on the same page -- their wolves chose, and they're working with that. I thought Ms. Briggs laid out an interesting theory about how mating generally proceeds with human attraction first, then the wolves learning to accept. The fact that Anna and Charles are "backwards" makes them unique and believable.

The other thing I really enjoyed about this book is getting the pack perspective. Mercy, for as in-the-know as she is, isn't really pack, not in the way a werewolf would be, anyway. So this is more of an inside-pack view. I definitely liked the closer look at the pack wolves, particularly Bran. I feel bad for him, and I want to know more about his history. His choice of Leah as his mate makes sense, and it's good that he understands her perspective as well, because I can honestly see Leah being behind a power play or a betrayal in a future book. I enjoyed getting to know Asil, Sage, and Tag as well, and hope they will feature in future books.

Even if pressed to find flaws, I'd have to say there was nothing about this book that didn't work for me. It was pretty much perfect. I can't wait to return to Charles and Anna's world.

Review © 2008 by Riley Merrick

Berkley, urban/contemporary fantasy, July 2008
Connections: book #4 of Sisters of the Moon series

Dragon Wytch brings readers back into Camille D'Artigo's head. The sisters and their various allies are still in the race against Big Bad Shadow Wing and his minions to get control of the remaining spirit seals that separate the various realms. The sisters gain more allies as the book opens: unicorn Crown Prince Feddrah-Dahns and his pixie assistant Mistletoe cross Earthside to gift Camille with a legedary artifact of extraordinary power. The only problem? The unicorn and the pixie are being chased by some of the aforementioned minions, and have become separated.

Actually, that's not the only problem the sisters are facing. Their to-do list is daunting indeed: get the seals, help the unicorn find the pixie, learn if Camille can even use the artifact, figure out the locations of all the unguarded portals to Otherworld and stop the massive influx of OW beings (particularly the trouble-causing ones) Earthside...Camille's list is even more intimidating, because she owes the dragon, Smoky, the favor of being his lover for a week, whenever he calls in her mark -- a promise her other lovers, particularly Svartan Trillian, are having trouble accepting. And right in the middle of operation pixie, Smoky turns up. Not only to claim her as his mate, but also to ask her to do something about the interfering Fae on his lands -- more for the to-do list.

The one thing I absolutely love about this series is the way each book jumps into the point of view of a different sister. Camille, I think, is the most balanced of the sisters -- she's confident and sexy, and it's fun to be in her head. There's a flashback scene to her initiation into the sisterhood of the Moon, and I really enjoyed this glimpse into Camille's past. The way she balances her lovers is interesting, to say the least, but it's also refreshing how they fit together in an emotional jigsaw puzzle.

If there's one drawback to this series, and quite possibly to the switching points of view, it's that all the narrators spend a lot of time on recapping prior events from their perspective. I thought at first that this might be helpful for other readers who pick up the series in the middle, but then a friend of mine did just that and was still hopelessly lost. Each book isn't that long, really, and to spend a lot of time on recapping like that seems a bit of a waste.

Still, I like the imaginative world and big quest that Ms. Galenorn has going, and so I'm sticking with it. I would simply advise other readers of two things: start with the first book, Witchling, and do NOT expect a "paranormal romance" as the stamp on the spine indicates. If you remember those two things, then you'll enjoy these gripping and gritty contemporary fantasies.

1/2

Review © 2008 by Riley Merrick

Roc, contemporary fantasy, August 2008
Connections: book #7 in the Wardens series

Wow. Just wow. I love all the Warden books, but honestly, this one had it all: love, loss, betrayal, non-stop action, and a plot twist that left me needing to have my jaw surgically re-attached.

As of the opening of Gale Force, the Djinn are split into Old and New factions, with humanity-hating Ashan as the Conduit to Mother Earth for the former, and David for the latter. The Wardens, much depleted in ranks, are trying to do their best with only occasional input from the New Djinn. After her ordeal with the Demon wearing her face (Thin Air), Joanne Baldwin is on a much-needed vacation, though she's restless and chafing to get back to work. Then David asks her to marry him, and everyone's world changes.

When Joanne goes shopping for a wedding dress, a freak earthquake hits Florida. She and another Warden trace the quake's source, and discover a glittering black spike like nothing they have ever seen before protruding from a dead Djinn. A radiation expert deems it "antimatter," which is bad enough, but even worse, the Djinn claim the body isn't a Djinn and what's more, they can't see the spike -- it's an unheard of blind spot in the all-powerful beings.

Then it gets worse (this is a Warden novel, of course it gets worse!): a group calling themselves the Sentinels claims responsibility for the quake and the spike. Their manifesto proclaims their intention to destroy all the Djinn, and their biggest target is the abomination of Joanne and David's human-Djinn relationship. Suddenly, Joanne's relationship is ground zero: the Sentinels want to destroy David and don't mind taking her out in the process, the Wardens in general aren't crazy about a human-Djinn wedding, and the Old Djinn are adamantly opposed to the match, since a Djinn's binding vow is what made slaves of them in the past. Poor Joanne can't even manage to fall in love and get married like a normal person.

And then between planning the wedding and plotting with the Wardens and the New Djinn about how to defeat the Sentinels, the power behind the terrorist group is unmasked -- and the identity of this person is so shocking, it almost leaves the terror of the antimatter in the dust.

Gale Force was so action-packed and suspenseful that I started biting my nails again. rachelcaine, I blame you for my unsightly hands this week! But oh, it was worth it. Ms. Caine has perfectly blended the conflict of Joanne and David's love for each other with their sense of duty to their respective tribes, and shows that while love can make you stronger, it can also weaken you in very unexpected ways. She also did an excellent job with the development of the Sentinels, and the twists just boggled my mind. I can't even imagine how she's going to top this one, but I can't wait to find out.

Review © 2008 by Riley Merrick