Saturday, 30 May 2009

I certainly have been a bad girl this month. No posts at all except for my usual end-of-the-month recap. So much for my long-ago promise to post every day. I have no excuses other than the usual ones - too busy, blah blah blah. That's not to say I haven't tried to write but my brain just wouldn't cooperate. Today, it doesn't have a choice. There will be a new post today come hell or high water. Maybe :)

I've come across some damn good books this month. I finished the Gardella Vampire Chronicles. Great vampire series even if it was somewhat predictable. Didn't bother me though since I got my ending. Finally finished reading the last unread Julia Quinn book sitting on my shelf (I'm not counting the anthologies). Love her.

Jennifer Ashley's The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie was ab fab. Autism is so rarely encountered by me in books that seeing someone from that time period deal with it was almost fascinating. It even had a murder mystery. Thanks, Julia, for that rec. I plan to hold on to this one for a while, sorry :)

Mary Balogh's Huxtable series came to a temporary end that finished on a high note. Liked the first one, hated the second one, loved the third one and really enjoyed the fourth one. Now if only she could get the last one out, Constantine's story, we'd be in business. I'm not sure why they did it this way but Con won't be out until next summer. She left a big mystery (and probably a juicy story) hanging for 12+ months. Boo.

Christine Warren's series keeps jumping back and forth for me. I really enjoy one and then the next one not so much. The second and fifth ones have been the best to me, She's No Fairie Princess and Walk On the Wild Side respectively. The others were better than average though I will say that Howl at the Moon pissed me off repeatedly. That one is my least favorite out of the bunch. I've still got two more sitting on my shelf, calling my name.

I guess the same situation applies to Kerrelyn Sparks's vampire series too. Up and down. Loved the first one, didn't care for the second one, loved the third one (Angus was delightful), and liked the fourth. Got a bunch more to read of these too. A bunch more of everything, really. Trying to pick the next book to read is getting more difficult all the time. Standing in front of my bookshelves is overwhelming anymore. Too many choices :)

Books Read in April '09

Whispering Rock by Robyn Carr (A)
Shelter Mountain by Robyn Carr (A)
At Last Comes Love by Mary Balogh (A)
Devil of the Highlands by Lynsay Sands (B+)
Seducing the Spy by Celeste Bradley (B-)
Virgin River by Robyn Carr (A)
Kiss of Darkness by Jennifer St. Giles (B+)
Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman (B)
Silver Falls by Anne Stuart (C)
Then Comes Seduction by Mary Balogh (C-)
Dead Girls Are Easy by Terri Garey (B+)
Hero Under Cover by Suzanne Brockmann (B-)
The Admiral's Bride by Suzanne Brockmann (A-)
Prince Joe by Suzanne Brockmann (A)
Curse the Dark by Laura Anne Gilman (B+)
The Demon You Know by Christine Warren (B)
She's No Faerie Princess by Christine Warren (B+)
Dark Gold by Christine Feehan (C+)
Dark Desire by Christine Feehan (C)
Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella (B+)
Staying Dead by Laura Anne Gilman (B)
Surrender by Pamela Clare (A)
Vamps and the City by Kerrelyn Sparks (B-)
The Immortal Hunter by Lynsay Sands (B-)
The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick (B+)
Running Blind by Lee Child (A)
Tripwire by Lee Child (A-)
50 Ways to Hex Your Lover by Linda Wisdom (B+)
Casual Hex by Vicki Lewis Thompson (B)
Any Way You Want It by Kathy Love (B)
Danger in a Red Dress by Christina Dodd (B)
The Vampire Who Loved Me by Teresa Medeiros (B)
After Midnight by Teresa Medeiros (B)
Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (reread) (A)
The Vampire Shrink by Lynda Hilburn (tbf)

(April total: 34, 2009 total: 133)