Sourcebooks, paranormal romance, September 2008
Connections: second in series, follows 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover

Linda Wisdom returns us to the wacky, wonderful world of witch Jazz Tremaine, her vampire lover Nick, her human housemate Krebs, her resident ghost Irma (who has obtained a slobbering ghost dog companion), and her sentient bunny slippers, Fluff and Puff. But all is now well in Jazz's world: first she gets awakened by the very real-feeling nightmare of Nick tearing her throat out, and then, as she runs home, her bunny slippers get accused of eating a were-weasel who works the boardwark carnival.

So now she has to track down both the source of her bad dreams and the real culprit behind the were-weasel's disappearance, all while balancing the rest of her life: Irma wanting new stuff all the time, Krebs wanting her approval of his latest girlfriend, her disgusting boss Dweezil wanting her help in his latest turf war...it's all in a day's work, but is it getting to be too much?

I like Jazz even better this time out -- she's less shallow, more vulnerable, more real. The unnecessary and condescending explanations of some things were, for the most part, gone (still, do you really need to explain what Father Knows Best was?!), which only improved the reading experience for me. Overall, I am really growing to enjoy Ms. Wisdom's creative world and the characters who live in it.

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews

Dell, paranormal romance, May 2009
Connections: book #6 in the Midnight Breed series

For this book, we step outside the Order (at least for the main characters): our hero is Andreas Reichen, leader of the Berlin Darkhaven that was destroyed by the bad guys in the prior book. Andreas was presumed dead along with the rest of his family and community, but no one realized the talent he inherited from his Breedmate mother saved him -- like a phoenix rising from the flames, he survived, and has been wreaking vengeance, one bad guy, one crooked Agency employee, at a time ever since.

Now, only one remains: Wilhelm Roth, the mastermind of the entire plot to destroy Andreas and his Darkhaven. Roth is also the Breed who stole the woman who should have been Andreas's thirty years before. Claire, Roth's Breedmate and Andreas's former lover, is the only link Andreas has to Roth -- her blood links her directly to Roth, but is Andreas still honorable enough not to exploit that link? Things get even more complicated when it becomes apparent that Roth is in league with Dragos, the Big Bad that the Order has been tracking over the entire series.

The pathos of Andreas's past plays out well alongside the action of chasing Roth and Dragos, though Andreas gets a little too self-pitying and self-sacrificial for my taste after a while. Claire elicits sympathy, though, especially for the degree to which she's willing to protect or chase down and stay with Andreas once she knows he's alive.

There is, however, one gaping plot hole that drove me batty from the moment I detected it (behind a cut for spoilers): ( Read more... )

Overall, this was a decent entry in the series -- good couple dynamics and a nice advancement of the overall Big Bad arc. I'm still committed to the series.

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews

HQN, contemporary romance, July 2009
Connections: Second in the Girlfriends trilogy, follows Cutting Loose

With this delightful and sizzling story, Susan Andersen returns us to the world of the three best friends -- Jane, Poppy, and Ava -- who have inherited a historic mansion and all its contents from their childhood mentor and inspiration. This time, it's artist, teacher, and "bleeding heart" Poppy at center stage, and she's going toe-to-toe with Detective Jason de Sanges over some teens caught vandalizing local businesses with graffiti. She wants the kids to help paint a mural on the wall they defaced, but Jase sees this as reward rather than a safe outlet for their creativity. The two figuratively strike sparks off each other, both in their arguments over the kids and in some truly spectacular sexual chemistry.

Jase is a fascinating hero -- it's like he doesn't believe redemption is possible, even for himself. Though he's so clearly not like the other men in his family, he still thinks he could slip up at any time. Poppy, with all her openness, acceptance, and intolerance for bullshit, really is his perfect match. I adore this couple -- they're the poster children for opposites attracting.

I really enjoyed both books in the Girlfriends series and am bitterly disappointed in HQN for their decision to not publish Ava's story. I live in hope that someday we readers will get that story, but in the meantime, enjoy Poppy and Jase's story, because it's worth it.

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews

Pocket, historical romance, July 2009
Connections: final installment in School for Heiresses series

Forget the heiress students, in this installment, readers finally get the story of headmistress Charlotte Harris and her mysterious benefactor, "Cousin Michael," whose missives have graced the openings of every chapter in each preceding book. Fortunately, Ms. Jeffries doesn't hide Michael's real identity from readers for very long in this book, and I'm smugly pleased that I guessed correctly as to who he really is. Reasoning and blather behind the cut...( Read more... )...so the fun is watching David, Lord Kirkwood, try to keep it from Charlotte -- well, at least until he can present his case in the most advantageous light!

It's quite an intricate plot wherein David invented "Cousin Michael" as a form of revenge, but his plan backfired, because he ended up falling back in love with Charlotte, his first love, all over again, and now his house of cards is about to come down on his head. Charlotte herself is an intriguing contradiction -- so prim and proper with her "girls," and yet with such a streak of unrestrained wildness to her as well.

Their story is the Big Misunderstanding done right, set up in such a way that they can't really talk to each other about it -- at least not back in the day, and now, they're too proud or scared to do so, almost until it's too late. The interesting thing is it's a situation where I felt sympathy for both parties. Usually with this sort of plot I want to smack one or both of the people involved, but not this time. David was left humiliated with no idea why, while Charlotte was heartbroken and chose a very dismal fate for herself rather than endure what she thought would be a "ton marriage." It's bittersweet to the extreme.

Maybe it's because I'm getting older and so identify with characters more my age than those right out of the schoolroom, or maybe it was the huge buildup to Charlotte and David's story and the fact that Ms. Jeffries definitely didn't let readers down, but this was my favorite of all the books in the series, with mature love that stands a much better chance for happily-ever-after because it's stronger and better the second time around.

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews

Jove, paranormal romance, August 2009
Connections: set on Harmony, but stands alone nicely

Lyra Dore is an amber "tuner" and prospector with a grudge. Cruz Sweetwater and his family company, Amber Inc., stole her claim of a magnificent amethyst amber ruin in the underground rainforests of Harmony. That was three months and a very expensive lawsuit ago. Now Cruz is back, claiming that he not only needs her professional help, but also that on a personal level, they are meant to be together.

Honestly, Castle/Krentz/Quick books are comfort reads to me, and not much more. If I ever found something new and earthshattering in one, I'd really be shocked, but being classified as a comfort read isn't a bad thing, either. They're fairly interchangeable but nevertheless enjoyable and entertaining in general, not to mention re-readable years later (as proven in my recent Krentz marathon).

What stood out to me as fun in this book was Vincent, the painting dust bunny, and the running joke among the Sweetwaters that Lyra broke Cruz's heart. What bugged me is that all stones, no matter what color they are, are considered amber -- that's hard to wrap my head around, since here on Earth, amber is essentially petrified tree sap and amethyst is a form of quartz rock. But hey, I guess on Harmony, amber is similar to how all carbonated beverages in the southern US on Earth are "Coke" even when you order a 7-Up. Another thing that's a little confusing is the intertwining of the Arcane Society through the Quick historicals, Krentz contemporaries, and Castle futuristics -- with the publication schedules for paperbacks, one can get confused with all the references if one hasn't read the referenced books yet.

Still, I quite like the world of Harmony, and someday, I'll do a marathon re-read, and this book will be a part of that.

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews

Samhain, romantic suspense, October 2009
Connections: second in trilogy

First of all, a big fat THANK YOU to Samhain Publishing for picking up Gennita Low's contract on these books. You're not going to regret it, because she rocks!

A quick word of advice to GLow fans: because Virtually Hers picks up where Virtually His left off and it's been 2 years, it might be good to re-read VHis first, just to refresh your memory on the remote viewing programs and such, before embarking on the new adventures of Hell and Hades.

When last we left Helen "Hell" Roston, she had just done two hugely important things: she remote-viewed spontaneously without the aid of devices or her mysterious and seductive monitor, Hades, and through said remote-viewing, learned the identity of Hades. Now the trick is getting super-slick Jed McNeil to admit his role as Hades, and what results is a deviously seductive game of cat and mouse between the two super spies.

Personal games aside, Jed and Helen still have a mission to complete: locating missing weapons before a rival team, who apparently also have a remote viewer, does. And when Helen and one of the other COMCEN team members who can remote-view, Armando, have a close encounter on the "psychic plane" (for lack of a better word) with the rival team's remote viewer right there in COMCEN HQ, the whole team realizes that things are far more deadly than originally thought. And when Helen and Jed, as Hell and Hades, trace the invasion back to its source, Jed discovers it's far more personal too.

But before we can find out why, we're given one hell of a cliffhanger -- when is Virtually One coming out, anyway?!

I thoroughly enjoyed this second foray into the secret world of remote viewing. The plot was well-drawn, and by virtue of having read VHis first, I was entrenched in the lingo for this go-round. The commandos of COMCEN are great fun, and it was terrific to see them all again. But the centerpiece, of course, was the growing relationship between Hell and Hades.

Ms. Low expertly built the layers of interaction between Helen and Jed, giving them identities and interactions as Hell and Hades, Helen and Number Nine, and Elena and Jed, and making them functional on every level. The three levels might not fully mesh yet, but readers can see how they will, and the fun will be watching the characters get there.

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews

Mira, romantic suspense, 2007
Connections: first in trilogy

I saved this book to read until the other two books in the set, Virtually Hers and Virtually One came out. Little did I know that I was going to have such a long, long wait! But, at long last, Samhain is releasing Virtually Hers this week, so I finally got around to re-entering the wonderfully complex world of Gennita Low with Virtually His.

I'm glad I saved the book to read together with the newer ones so that events would be fresh in my head. This isn't just romantic suspense, it's military romantic suspense, and it's filled with secret ops and acronyms and shadow organizations. Not only that, but it's military romantic suspense dealing with a special ops program about remote viewing in virtual reality -- aka, spying with the mind on the psychic plane -- so there were a ton of technical details to learn as well. Honestly, it was hard to keep straight at times...and still, I enjoyed the hell out of myself (pun intended).

Why? In short, the heroine, Helen/Elena/Hell Roston was just so damn much fun! She was both a kick-ass heroine and vulnerable. She surpassed every other candidate put forth by every other covert agency to win the position as the remote-viewing super soldier spy...and yet, inside the world of virtual reality, she is both in control of what she is seeing, but completely under the control of "Hades," her maddeningly mysterious and seductive monitor.

I had the unusual perspective of already knowing who Hades was, but such is the cleverness of Ms. Low's writing, that even I got lost in Hell's perspective of frustrated lack of knowledge from time to time. And when I did remember, all I could do was grin over how well-matched Hell and Hades were. A few scenes made me a bit squeamish as they had Hell under her monitor's complete control in every sense of the word, but at the same time, I have ever faith that Hell will give as good as she gets at some point in the coming books, and I can't wait to find out.

1/2

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews

Berkley Sensation, paranormal romance
Connections: related to Holly's other upyr stories, but stand alone well

Kissing Midnight (June 2009)
( Read more... )
Breaking Midnight (July 2009)
( Read more... )
Saving Midnight (August 2009)
( Read more... )
All reviews © 2009 by Riley's Reviews

Berkley Heat, erotica, June 2008
Connections: first in trilogy?

The Art of Desire cleverly relates two romances: the first, in present-day Santa Fe, is that of a somewhat prim museum curator and her bad-boy younger lover; the second, set in the late 1800's, is that of an unconventional female artist and a wanted Native American scout. Museum curator Mandy Cooper is obsessed with the painting of Atacar, the Native scout, which hangs in her museum. She's dying to know more about the alleged romance between Atacar and Catherine Burke, the artist who painted the portrait. Little does she realize that it's because of Catherine and Atacar that she even met Jared Cabrillo, her bad boy. Jared is actually a descendent of the artist and her lover, and he possesses Catherine's diary, the one Mandy is so desperately seeking. But he doesn't tell her. Instead, he seduces her, much the same way Atacar seduced Catherine many years ago.

The two-fold nature of this story is complex and interesting. Readers flash between Mandy and Jared in the present and Catherine and Atacar in the past, courtesy of Catherine's diary entries. But the outcome of neither romance is a foregone conclusion. While it is obvious that Catherine and Atacar are in love, Mandy and Jared's journey is not as clear-cut. Though Atacar is presented as the mystery to be unraveled, it is Jared who is the true mystery: what are his motives? What are his feelings?

Very often, erotica has heat but not heart. This is not the case here. Both couples are readable and relatable even while the pages are scorching with explicitly hawt secks. I bought The Art of Desire completely blind -- i.e., with no recommendations or previous experiences with the author -- because the book just appealed to me. Though I would have liked a little more on Jared's background, the appeal played out into genuine like. I'll be going into Submission less blindly, but with more anticipation.

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, fantasy, May 2008 (mass-market paperback)
Connections: second in Imriel cycle, fifth in D'Angeline series

Now that Imriel is back from his studies abroad (see Kushiel's Scion), his mind turns to both matters of state and matters of love. The matter of state is that he has agreed to marry Dorelai mab Breidaia, the Cruarch of Alba's niece -- their male child will be Cruarch himself someday, as the line is matrilineal. But in matters of love, it is his own cousin Sidonie, heir to the throne of Terre d'Ange, who holds his heart. As the son of the realm's two greatest traitors, a match between Sidonie and Imriel is simply not possible. But the laws of love in their religion trump the laws of state: love as thou wilt. What will the gods do to people who deny themselves in this precept?

With this entry in the D'Angeline series, Ms. Carey gives readers yet another marvelous epic tale. Similar to how Kushiel's Chosen was Phaedre's learning experience of what it means to answer to Kushiel, so too is Kushiel's Justice Imriel's quest to find the light of Kushiel once again. From the glittering but dangerous court of the City of Elua to the rough castle-forts of Alba to the frozen lands of Skaldia and Vralia, Imriel must survive physical trials, mystical and psychological warfare, and terrible grief to deliver Kushiel's justice and to embrace the one true precept that governs all D'Angelines: love as thou wilt.

I waited to read this book until the paperback release of the final book in this cycle, Kushiel's Mercy, was close to release. That way everything is fresh in my mind for this last book. All I can say is "Brava!" to Ms. Carey for another winner. I can tell that with the third book, we will find out that even loving as they wilt, Imriel and Sidonie still have a long road ahead of them. I can't wait to find out.

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews

Pocket, historical romance, June 2009
Connections: 5th novel in the School for Heiresses Series

In this penultimate entry in the series about Mrs. Charlotte Harris's finishing school, former student Lucinda Seton is on center stage. She's helping Mrs. Harris out by filling in as a temporary drawing teacher, hoping to lose herself in her work and forget about Peter Burnes, her longtime suitor who jilted her for someone more "suitable" once he gained a title. She finds way more than she bargained for in the person of Don Diego Montalvo, Master of Mystery -- the magician who has rented the estate next door and plans to turn it into a pleasure garden similar to Vauxhall Gardens. She vows to do her best to help Mrs. Harris run Diego off; the problem is, can she resist him?

Diego, though, has an ulterior motive, and so every promise Lucy makes to herself to resist his charms is made even harder by the fact that he is actively wooing her for his own purposes. He's supposed to get Lucy to come back to Spain with him at the behest of her long-lost grandfather, and in return, he will regain his family's estates. The mission seemed simple enough when he agreed to it, but now that he's met the free-spirited Lucy, can he keep his vow to her grandfather to deliver her untouched?

In some ways, this is a predictable plot, but in others, it's not, and it's the unique aspects Ms. Jeffries injects into her characters and stories that make all the difference. How many abduction plots do we see in historical romance? A lot. But no one fills in the backstory nearly as well as Ms. Jeffries does -- I was guessing until the very end, unable to quite ferret out the secret of Lucy's family. Diego's family history is equally rich and emotional. Together, he and Lucy have a depth of character that other Regency-era romance couples only wish they had.

Another thing I like that Ms. Jeffries does is taking a sexual more and turning it on its head. For being outspoken and exuberant, Lucy is labelled a hoyden and unsuitable. Her former suitor doesn't think she would be an appropriate wife, but is perfectly willing for her to be his mistress. Diego, on the other hand, teaches Lucy that passion is natural and doesn't mean she should be treated with disrespect.

Besides the lovely story of Lucy and Diego, there is also the ever-present thread of correspondence between Charlotte Harris and her mysterious benefactor, Cousin Michael. The letters are leading up to their own story, when the identity of Cousin Michael will be revealed. I had started speculating as to Michael's identity while reading this book, and my thought was that he would be titled. After reading a certain scene, I changed my mind as to which titled gentleman might be Michael. I won't give it away in this review (or in the Wed Him Before You Bed Him one either), but I will say that I guessed right. Heh.

I've really enjoyed this entire series, and Don't Bargain with the Devil is a worthy addition.

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews

Orbit, contemporary fantasy, April 2009
Connections: start of new series

This was another book chosen by the Cafe for a group discussion. I confess that I was a little leery, first because I wasn't enamored of the last discussion book, but also, I know you should never judge a book by its cover, but man, I hate this book's cover. I can't put my finger on exactly why I don't like the cover, but I really don't. Thankfully, I liked what was inside the cover very much!

The publishing market is overwhelmed with paranormal romance and urban fantasy, peopled with vampires, assassins, and half-vampire assassins, is there room for another book with a half-vampire assassin? In the case of Jaye Wells's Sabina Kane, the answer is yes. A provisional yes, but a yes all the same.

Sabina is half-vampire, half-mage, and was raised by her xenophobic grandmother Lavinia. She's so brainwashed by Lavinia that she'll kill whoever she's ordered to, as readers see in the opening when she assassinates another vampire named David on Lavinia's say-so. Lavinia's next mission is for Sabina to infiltrate a cult run by a half-demon named Clovis, because he plans to overthrow the vampire's rule. Sabina's life is further complicated by the arrival of a mage named Adam, who claims Sabina's mage family wants to contact her.

Ms. Wells artfully weaves Biblical lore with magical lore in her world-building work, and that is what makes this book (and hopefully, its sequel) so unique. Sabina starts off as a bit too angst-ridden and blindly obedient, but she develops into a character with promise, becoming more likable as the book progresses. Adam's a bit of a cypher/cookie cutter, at least as far as a love interest for Sabina goes, but again, he shows promise as Sabina's entree into magekind.

The book had some cliches, but at the same time enough original elements and intriguing concepts to keep me interested. I can't say it's love forever, but I will definitely read the next book, The Mage in Black, and would tell my friends who like this genre to give Jaye Wells a shot.

1/2

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

Grand Central/Forever, historical romance, May 2009
Connections: book #3 in the Legend of the Four Soldiers quartet

OK, I did 2 less-than-good reviews tonight, and I want to end on a high note -- with Elizabeth Hoyt, I can do that. To Beguile a Beast is a wonderful take on the Beauty and the Beast fable.

Helen Fitzwilliam is the mistress of the powerful Duke of Lister, and had two children by him. Lister is cold and cruel, and Helen takes her children and flees, unable to take it any longer. Her friend Melissande (To Seduce a Sinner), sends her little family to the wilds of Scotland, to be "housekeeper" for Sir Alistair Munroe, a naturalist who became a recluse after he was horribly disfigured in the Spinner's Falls massacre. Really, Melissande is engaging in some subtle matchmaking.

And it works. Alistair is both blown away by Helen's beauty and by the fact that Helen isn't put off by his scars. But he also sees the down-to-earth woman behind the beauty, and that's what thrills Helen. As they explore their feelings for each other, Lister's henchmen close in on them, and Alistair tries to get closer to the answers that remain about the massacre and who among the ranks betrayed the regiment.

As anyone who's followed my reviews knows, I'm not nuts about kids in my romance novels, and Helen's kids aren't an exception, although I did like how Alistair bonded with them, and they did serve their purpose in drawing Alistair out of his self-imposed exile. What I really loved though was Helen opening up to Alistair and vice-versa, and Alistair finally coming to the realization that he didn't have to punish himself for life for the horrible things that happened to him. Their relationship is beautifully drawn, and the over-arching plot of the mystery of the massacre is building up nicely. I definitely can't wait for the final installment!

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

SMP, contemporary romance, March 2009 (mass-market paperback edition)
Connections: follows Sugar Daddy, followed by Smooth-Talking Stranger

Blue-Eyed Devil is the story of Hardy Cates, the man who loved and disappointed Liberty, the heroine of Sugar Daddy, and Haven Travis, an oil heiress who is both strong and vulnerable. Haven first meets Hardy in a wine cellar, where she mistakes him for her boyfriend and gets a little risque with him in the dark. She's horrified when she discovered she's been making time with her family's "enemy" and runs off. Two years later, though, she's back and she's changed. But Hardy hasn't changed -- he still wants her. And she doesn't want to want him -- or any man -- but she does.

There was a lot of buzz surrounding this book about "redeeming" hero Hardy Cates for his actions in Sugar Daddy. I don't see it so much as redeeming as I do a softening, or understanding, of Hardy and where he comes from. After all, in Sugar Daddy, he told Liberty that he would do whatever it took to get out of Welcome and leave his roots behind. Using information Liberty unknowingly provided to him to ruin a deal for Gage Travis, while underhanded and hurtful to Liberty, was right in character. I think we were meant to see him as some sort of first-class shit, so that we'd feel better about Liberty choosing Gage. It wasn't that black and white for me...when Hardy came back into Liberty's life, my thought was all about how she was about to screw up what she had with Gage. As a character, Hardy intrigued me, but I never saw him as bad or needing redemption, per se.

When Blue-Eyed Devil opens, he's showing his damn-your-eyes insolence by sneaking into Liberty and Gage's wedding. But it's Haven Travis who catches his eye, and it's very clear me, if not everyone else, that he's over Liberty. Truthfully, I thought Liberty too bland for him. Haven Travis, on the other hand, is his perfect match. She's blue-blooded enough to make him work extra-hard to keep her happy, vulnerable enough to bring out his protective instincts, and strong enough to take his crap and smack his ego down when he needs it.

That's Haven at the start -- she's got spark and attitude, and she doesn't take the crap her family shovels at her. In fact, she elopes with Nick, the man her family doesn't approve of. That turns out to be a huge mistake, but I admire her for standing up to her family, and, once she's back, coping with her choices rather than buckling under the incredible will and might of Churchill Travis. Though from different backgrounds, she and Hardy are both fighters. I really liked that about both of them.

Unlike Sugar Daddy, this book was more romance and less memoir. There was definitely more depth of emotion going on on all sides. When Liberty related her mother's death and having to take over raising Carrington, she could have been reciting the phone book. But when Haven recounts the horrors of her marriage with Nick, well, I cried for her. Liberty was a cipher, but Haven is more real. And so is Hardy. He has layers and complexity that weren't present in Gage. Hopefully this means that Ms. Kleypas is really finding her footing in contemporary settings. When Smooth-Talking Stranger comes out in paperback, I'll be there!

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

Ace, contemporary fantasy anthology, February 2009 (trade paperback edition)

Since I know and love the work of five of the authors in this anthology, I figured it would be more than a safe bet, and I was right. My known authors' stories were excellent, and some of the new-to-me authors have been added to my "check their stuff out" list. Without further ado...

"Dracula Night," Charlaine Harris: In telephatic waitress Sookie Stackhouse's world, there's no such thing as an uneventful party, and when she's invited to celebrate Dracula's birthday (a vampire holiday) at Fangtasia, it's no exception. Just like Linus and the Great Pumpkin, Eric is convinced that Fangtasia is the most sincere party, and that this is going to be the year the celebrated vampire makes an appearance at his party. He's somewhat right, with interesting, suspenseful, and amusing results. 5 happy readers.

"The Mournful Cry of Owls," Christopher Golden: This new-to-me author offers the story of Donika, a teenager who begins to have strange longings around her 16th birthday. There's a reason for that, and when her mother finally tells her what that reason is, it's such a fantastical story she's torn over whether to believe or not. This story I would classify as a bittersweet coming-of-age, and rich with metaphor. Good stuff, though I wish some of the details were better filled in. 4 happy readers.

"I Was a Teenage Vampire," Bill Crider: This was actually my least favorite of the volume. Boy bitten and forced to live his eternal life forever a teenager, and he's getting sick of it. Well written, it nails the voice of a teenage boy, but...meh. 2 happy readers.

"Twilight," Kelley Armstrong: Readers are treated to a rare look inside the head of Cassandra, one of the vampires on the Otherworld Council. In Armstrong's mythos, being a vampire is a bargain one makes, and every year, the vampire must make a kill (rather than just drink enough and send the victim on their merry, memory-wiped way). Cassandra's problem is she's growing more and more indifferent to continuing her existence. Can she, or her on-again-off-again lover Aaron, get past this apathy? I really enjoyed this slice of Cassandra's life, and it struck a haunting and melancholy tone that seemed just right. 5 happy readers.

"It's My Birthday Too," Jim Butcher: Full of humor and snark, Butcher gives us a great short story of how Harry Dresden tracks down his half-brother Thomas to give him a birthday gift and finds him, of all things, playing a vampire RPG after-hours in a mall. Chaos, of course, ensues, as it only can in the Dresden-verse. Top-notch, and the perfect appetizer before I start in on the paperback edition of Small Favor. 5 happy readers.

"Grave-Robbed," P.N. Elrod: I've heard of Elrod's work for ages, but this was my first chance to sample it. I'm kicking myself for waiting so long. Undead detective Jack Fleming is a terrific protagonist. I simply loved his voice, and believe me, I am going to track down the full-length books. 5 happy readers.

"The First Day of the Rest of Your Life," Rachel Caine: This entry wanders down memory lane in Caine's Morganville Vampires series. In it, we get to see Eve Rosser's 18th birthday, and the pivotal events that led her to reject vampire patronage and throw herself on the mercy of Glass House. The events are horrifying, even more so when you realize that they're being perpetuated against someone so young. This story goes a long way into explaining Eve's history and her attitude in the current series. 5 happy readers.

"The Witch and the Wicked," Jeanne C. Stein: In this mostly humorous story, witch Sophie accidentally gets possessed (for lack of a better word) by dead-for-good vampire Jonathon Deveraux, due to an experiment with an anti-aging beauty cream formula she was developing. Now she and Jonathon have to coexist in her body. I would have loved to read more about this unusual "partnership," and if Stein writes another story or full-length book about Sophie and Jonathon, I'm there. 4 happy readers.

"Blood Wrapped," Tanya Huff: Reading this reminded me that I need to finish up the Vicki Nelson Blood books and read all the Smoke books. It reminded me of how much I like the world that Huff has built. The running discussion that Henry Fitzroy and his partner Tony Foster have about what to get Vicki for her 40th birthday provide good comic relief to the main plot of finding a missing child. 5 happy readers.

"The Wish," Carolyn Haines: 20 years ago, Sandra was in a car accident and saw Death come for her children. Though she desperately bargained for Death to take her instead, the ghostly maiden was merciless. Now Death is back for her, but Sandra perversely wants to thwart her in revenge for her decades of refusal. This story was haunting, to say the least. 5 happy readers.

"Fire and Ice and Linguini for Two," Tate Hallaway: Seeing this story reminds me that I have Tall Dark & Dead and Dead Sexy in my TBR. I really need to get to them, because this story of witch Garnet Lacey and her vampire boyfriend Sebastian was great fun. It seems that despite Garnet's best plans to end Sebastian's belief in the idea that his birthday is cursed, she only ends up reinforcing them instead. Though I'd not read the books that came before, I was mostly able to follow this story. 4.5 happy readers.

"Vampire Hours," Elaine Viets: Katherine is a fiftysomething woman in an unhappy marriage. Her plastic surgeon husband checked out emotionally when she refused to let him work on her at the age of 35, and since then has apparently been screwing his way through his patients and his twentysomething assistant. When Katherine meets the mysterious Michael, who offers to turn her into a vampire, she has a lot of thinking to do. Her solution, I have to say is creative and deliciously evil -- Katherine has nothing on the First Wives' Club! 5 happy readers.

"How Stella Got Her Grave Back," Toni L.P. Kelner: This is a cute little story about vampire Stella and her "child"-cum-lover Mark, and their trip to her hometown to see her human grave. Except someone else is in it. They then make an effort to discover the identity of the Jane Doe and bring her killer to justice. Kelner's bio says this is her first vampire story, but this story has the feel of a series -- I felt like I might be missing some backstory. Like Stein's story, if Kelner writes more of Stella and Mark, I'll follow. 4 happy readers.

I really enjoyed this whole book -- it was rather interesting to see what each author did with the common theme of birthdays (life) and vampires (death). Though some succeeded better than others, IMO, I'm very glad I read this book.

Averages out to:
1/2

Review © 2009 by Riley's Reviews