Review: Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade

After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare - former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead - finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this - ugh - "helping of others" is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she'd like.

Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will's "friend" or "more" status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona's most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello! She's only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.

Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She's the first ghost-talker Will's ever met-aside from his father-and she may hold answers to Will's troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately puts a check mark in the "clearly not" column. But Will is - ahem - willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea.

Packed with romance, lovable characters, and a killer cliffhanger, Queen of the Dead is the out-of-this-world sequel to The Ghost and the Goth.

Will Killian and Alona Dare have a complicated relationship. He's alive and she's dead; she helps him manage all the other dead folks who want his help; and they're heading down a tricky road with their are we or aren't we romance. Alona has been dead for two months but hasn't changed much since then - she's still selfish and self-centered - and now things are taking a turn for the worse: her family is moving on without her and Will is starting to have doubts about her and their "purpose". When Will meets Mina, a girl who can also see (and catch) ghosts like Alona, things get even more complicated. Which will Will choose, to work for the living or the dead and will Alona still be there to help him?

Queen of the Dead is just as good (and maybe better) than The Ghost and the Goth. Kade's style and tone is pitch perfect for this YA treat of a book. There are some heavy topics addressed in QofD like mortality and morality; Will tries to figure out who is doing the right thing: is it their (his and Alona's) mission to help other ghosts resolve their issues so they can move on to who knows what or is it Mina's Order, a group of fanatical ghost-talkers who work to protect humans using methods that "kill" ghosts in ways that make him shudder when he considers what they would do to Alona. Will also learns about his father's past and abilities, something he has been desperate to know. However, Alona gets into some serious (and rather heinous) trouble on her part, leaving Will to reconcile what she's done and how he feels about her. I appreciated that there was some emotional growth for Alona here; being the center of her universe and demanding that everyone conform to her opinions and ideas was a bit trying. Even if you take into account the fact that she's really only a teenager who is a product of her environment, her attitude and outlook was pretty obnoxious. With Will on the other end of that personality spectrum, he and Alona balance each other very well and I can't wait to see what happens next. And even though it was 2 am and I couldn't for fear of waking the whole house, Queen of the Dead finished with an ending that made me want to jump up and yell "All right!"

Queen of the Dead will be released on May 31, 2011.

Spotlight: P. B. Ryan's Nell Sweeney series

Recently in one of our frequent emails, Jane asked me, "BTW, who is P. B. Ryan?" Indeed.

P. B. Ryan is Patricia Ryan, author of historical romances and a series of mysteries set in Boston in the late nineteenth century. It is this six-book series about an Irish governess named Nell Sweeney that I recently read and LOVED. Unfortunately, the books are out of print but have recently been released as inexpensive ebooks. Last week, I read the six of them back-to-back, downloading them as I went onto my nook.

It's really too bad that these are out of print because I think the covers are absolutely charming. As I mentioned, Nell Sweeney is an Irish governess living in Irish-hating Boston over a hundred years ago. However, Nell is much more than just a governess, she is a woman made of secrets, a keen intelligence and compassion. At the beginning of Still Life with Murder, she is working as an assistant/apprentice for a doctor in Cape Cod. One night while summoned to attend to a pregnant woman having a difficult birth, she is offered the job of governess to an affluent family. She readily accepts and is swept into life with the Hewitt family, much to her employer's husband's chagrin. Her first case as an amateur detective involves William Hewitt, eldest son of Viola Hewitt and thought dead after being held at a prisoner camp in the South. (These books take place not long after the Civil War.) Nell soon makes friends and allies who help her with her cases, the most interesting being Will, of course, even if Nell's secret past (?) and Will's opium addiction (!) gets in the way of any romantic relationship they may want to start.

This series is clever and so well done that I am heartbroken that there are no more to come. Smartly written and also a bit romantic, I will be rereading this series for years to come.

Review: The Vampire Dimitri by Colleen Gleason

Regency London loves a society wedding— even if there are vampires on the guest list.

Dimitri, also known as the Earl of Corvindale, should be delighted that the headstrong Maia Woodmore is getting married. His mortal ward and houseguest has annoyed—and bewitched—the Dracule nobleman too long, and denying his animal cravings grows more excruciating by the day.

Miss Woodmore’s family has a rather…complicated history with the immortals and she herself possesses a keen sensibility far beyond mere women’s intuition. Marriage will give her safety, respectability and everything else a proper young lady could wish for. Everything, that is, except passion.

In the looming battle between Dracule factions, all pretenses will shatter as Maia and Dimitri come together in an unholy union of danger, desperation and fiercest desire.

First off, I LOVE the cover. Continuing with the style of the cover of The Vampire Voss, this cover improves upon the first. The rich blue perfectly frames the intense stare of Dimitri, a rather intense man who carries many burdens on those broad shoulders of his. Maia, on the other hand, is a study in contradictions. Her body is reaching for his and her face is facing the same direction as Dimitri's but her eyes are closed. Could she possibly be conflicted? That one word is a good description of The Vampire Dimitri, for everyone wants something they can't (or shouldn't) have.

Dimitri is a lousy vampire. He's been devoting his existence to searching for a way to break his pact with Lucifer because he wants to be free of it in the worst way. He doesn't drink human blood and hasn't for about a century. He's not a man-whore like Voss and rarely succumbs to his unseemly urges. He does have one weakness (other than his Asthenia, a physical object each vampire has as their own version of kryptonite): Maia Woodmore. She drives him crazy with her demands and questions yet makes him want things like love and companionship and to make love. With HER. However, Maia is engaged to be married and her fiance has decided to finally come home from gallivanting across the Continent to fulfill his promise to her. To Dimitri, this is both a relief and a disappointment of the greatest degree, for ever since a night several years before when he saved Maia from ruin, he hasn't been able to forget her.

For her part, Maia is drawn to Dimitri as well, even after she discovers he's a vampire. She's been waiting for too long for her fiance to come home and make her respectable but now with Dimitri in her life, she's finding that she doesn't miss him as much. Maia is the oldest sister of the three and because she's not psychic like her sisters she's made herself into the boss of everybody. With their parents dead and their brother AWOL, somebody had to look out for her younger sisters and make sure they marry well. Now that Angelica is set to marry Voss and her youngest sister is still young and stashed away in Scotland, Maia's future is staring her in the face. So, who will she pick, Dimitri or her fiance?

I think I liked Dimitri's story a bit more than Voss'. No particular reason why but there is just something about a tortured man who is searching for redemption, isn't there? The villain here comes at them from the same angle as in Voss' book but for slightly different reasons even though the effect is the same: forcing Dimitri to deal with his past and to work with Maia. The Vampire Dimitri is a historical paranormal romance that doesn't fail to deliver.

The Vampire Dimitri will be released on April 19, 2011.

Best Book(s) of 2011 (so far)

Wow. I just recently realized that I haven't posted my fave reads for the first three months of this year. Am I a slacker or what?

*crickets*

So. It may be a little lame being so late with some of this but...here's my favorite reads of January, February, and March. This is so exciting, right? *snort* These are going to be short and to the point.


January:
I'm going to have to go with Shadowfever Karen Marie Moning for this month. Yes, I thought it was well done and all (and I'm not forgetting Pale Demon!) but I'm picking it for the emotional impact it made. It finally wrapped up the five-book Fever series and gave me the ending I could live with. I could finally put the subject of Mac and Barrons to bed (heh heh) and get some distance for a little while - I was quite hyped up for Shadowfever and looking back at January, I'm glad I read it. Now, I'm interested to see where Moning goes from there with all the loose ends she left behind. Hmm.

February:
My favorite read in February was another reread of Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas. I read it during my teeth troubles and it made me feel better. I had just listened to the ebook of Secrets of a Summer Night, the first Wallflowers book, and was in the mood to revisit Evie and Sebastian. Good stuff.

I also loved Unveiled by Courtney Milan and Archangel's Consort by Nalini Singh. Fabulous, both of them, which is definitely no surprise.

March:
Last month, I read two truly outstanding and memorable books: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly and Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart. Revolution is powerful. Many times while I read it, I was overwhelmed by Andi's pain. It is one of the best researched novels I have ever read; Andi's study of musical DNA is fascinating and the Alice in Wonderland feel to Andi's trip to the catacombs under Paris and back to the Reign of Terror almost lends a little whimsy (the iPod was a nice touch) to a mostly sad but expertly written book.

Nine Coaches Waiting had been sitting on my shelf for a little while now, ever since Jane sent me a copy. It made the book blogger circuit not that long ago but I wasn't ready to pick it up until last week. Nine Coaches Waiting is a gem of a novel and Mary Stewart definitely knows how to write a mystery that keeps you guessing. There's also a bit of romance thrown in for fun as well. This is definitely a keeper.

Thanks for reading!

Review: My One and Only by Kristan Higgins

Divorce attorney Harper James can't catch a break. Bad enough that she runs into her ex-hubby, Nick, at her sister's destination wedding, but now, by a cruel twist of fate, she's being forced to make a cross-country road trip with him. And her almost-fiancé back at home is not likely to be sympathetic. Harper can't help that Nick has come blazing back into her life in all of his frustratingly appealing, gorgeous architect glory. But in Nick's eyes, Harper's always been the one. If they can only get it right this time, forever might be waiting—just around the bend.

With My One and Only, Kristan Higgins has firmly cemented her already solid place among my list of favorite writers. This book had me laughing and crying (when Harper cried, I cried), shaking my fist and my head, and cursing the extra blank pages in my egalley copy since it added extra seconds while I "turned" the pages. Even though I've now read My One and Only, I'll definitely be buying my own copy when it comes out.

Harper James is a mess. Well, her personal life is anyway; she's a successful divorce attorney with a home on Martha's Vineyard. She's been dating a hunky local firefighter for a few years now and even though Dennis doesn't make her heart beat faster, she's decided that it's time for them to settle down. She even buys her own ring and proposes to him (much to his dismay) but is saved by the bell when her baby sister calls with the good news: she's getting married again for the third time! And not to just anybody but Harper's ex-husband's brother! Harper's marriage went down in flames over ten years ago and she hasn't been face-to-face with Nick since. Now she's got to see him at a wedding of all places? Harper's a "realist" when it comes to marriage and likes to quote all the stats that apply to anyone she feels needs to hear them. When she gets trapped at the lodge after the wedding and needs a ride to the airport, how can she say no to Nick when he offers to drive her himself? What could happen?

I loved this book. Harper and Nick are one of the most realistic couples I have seen in a book in quite some time. So much in love with each other but unable to stay together, Harper and Nick are the Queen and King of Misunderstandings. He takes her for granted and she can't figure out how to get his attention, they stay married for six months before something awful happens and they divorce. The thing is, marriage is a partnership, not an arrangement, and while they loved each other they obviously weren't ready to be married. We see their relationship through Harper's eyes and heart but Higgins shows this story from each perspective. She makes everything involving them seem so simple yet so complex and that's what I appreciated most about My One and Only. Ultimately, this a sweet love story about two people finally finding themselves ready to be with each other that is cleverly packaged in a cynical wrapper. 

Kristan Higgins writes some of the best women's fiction out there, she really does. My One and Only is her best yet in this reader's opinion and will be released on March 29, 2011.

Other reviews:
Everybody Needs a Little Romance
Petit Fours and Hot Tamales
Tracy's Place

Review: Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair

The universe isn't what it used to be. With the new Alliance between the Triad and the United Coalition, Captain Tasha "Sass" Sebastian finds herself serving under her former nemesis, biocybe Admiral Branden Kel-Paten -- and doing her best to hide a deadly past. But when an injured mercenary winds up in their ship's sick bay -- and in the hands of her best friend, Dr. Eden Fynn -- Sass's efforts may be wasted.

Wanted rebel Jace Serafino has information that could expose all of Sass's secrets, tear the fragile Alliance apart -- and end Sass's career if Kel-Paten discovers them. But the biocybe has something to hide as well, something once thought impossible for his kind to possess: feelings . . . for Sass. Soon it's clear that their prisoner could bring down everything they once believed was worth dying for -- and everything they now have to live for.

I recently had my own fun little impromptu Linnea Sinclair marathon where I read five of her books over approximately a week's time. I started reading Gabriel's Ghost during the Super Bowl (the book was WAY more interesting), continued on with Shades of Dark, Hope's Folly, The Accidental Goddess, and finished with my favorite of the bunch, Games of Command.

I don't usually enjoy space fiction as much as the other genres. If I can't wrap my mind around what's going on, i.e. can't picture the scenery or what the people might look like, I can't get into it all that much, and I'm a Star Trek geek! (Star Trek beats Star Wars any day btw.) Sometimes I find that sci-fi novels are just way too out there for me. Fortunately for book lovers everywhere, Linnea Sinclair knows how to write sci-fi, she knows how to write a great romance, and she knows how to mix them together. Games of Command is really two romances in one but the focus is on Tasha and Branden, a pair who couldn't be more different: a woman who grew up outside of the law with people, and by extension her, that Branden, a stuffed shirt if there ever was one, considers to be contemptible. (He doesn't know who she really is.) He is her commanding officer who comes off as cold and unfeeling and while this might be true in many ways since he is a cybernetic man (think: Terminator), when it comes to Tasha he's as hot as a star going supernova.

Branden is an admiral and as competent as they come. He's a fascinating dichotomy; inside, he's a man with loving feelings toward a woman and an unshakable sense of duty but on the outside he's a machine who has data ports in his arms and eyes that glow machine-bright when he's jacked into his computer. He requests Tasha to be his ship's captain at his first opportunity in an officer swap program created by the Alliance between Branden's Triad and Tasha's United Coalition, a request that amuses and scares Tasha. She subsequently spends a lot of her time on their ship trying to get under his skin by wearing sarcastic t-shirts and being friendly with her crew. This type of antagonism is not out of character for the span of their relationship, from pages 6-7:

   She gives the techie the order to open the comm and-for what will be the first of many times to come-hears the voice of Captain Kel-Paten. The Kel-Paten. But only his voice. Visual's out. In order for short-range scan to function at all, it has to be.
   "Sarna Bogue, this Captain Kel-Paten of the Vaxxar. Cut your drives immediately or you will be fired upon. Prepare to be boarded."
   With a nod to the chief, she seats herself in the command sling, takes a deep breath, and activates the comm mike: " Vaxxar, this is the Sarna Bogue. F--k you and the equinnard you rode in on. Sebastian out."

The secondary romance between Eden and Jace was complimentary to Tasha and Branden but held less appeal for me. Eden is the Vaxxar's CMO and Tasha's best friend; Jace is a rogue smuggler who is being hunted by Kel-Paten. Eden and Jace communicate mostly by telepathy which is generally verboten by their governments. (Telepaths are generally eradicated or modified in this universe.)

Games of Command was touching and funny with an absorbing story. The plot got a little crazy involving alternate realities but hey, pretty much anything goes with science fiction. If you're like me and love sci-fi, give this romance novel (and writer) a try. You won't be disappointed.

Review: The Sentry by Robert Crais

The extraordinary new crime novel from the New York Times bestselling author.

Dru Rayne and her uncle fled to L.A. after Hurricane Katrina; but now, five years later, they face a different danger. When Joe Pike witnesses Dru's uncle beaten by a protection gang, he offers his help, but neither of them want it-and neither do the federal agents mysteriously watching them.

As the level of violence escalates, and Pike himself becomes a target, he and Elvis Cole learn that Dru and her uncle are not who they seem- and that everything he thought he knew about them has been a lie. A vengeful and murderous force from their past is now catching up to them . . . and only Pike and Cole stand in the way.

You might wonder why I, a romance novel junkie, would want to read books like Robert Crais' The Sentry. Well, I'll tell you - they're damn good. I love the strong men with their unwavering moral compasses who fight the good fight for no reason other than that they'll see somebody hurting someone else and need to take a stand to stop it. Joe Pike (and Lee Child's Jack Reacher too), bestill my beating heart.

Joe Pike is not a warm and fuzzy guy. He doesn't even smile. What he does however and to paraphrase Liam Neeson's character in Taken, is have a specific set of skills and isn't afraid to use them. A former Marine, LAPD cop, and mercenary, Joe takes serious umbrage when he sees someone made into a victim and that is what he believes happens one day when he walks in on two LA gang members beating up an older, defenseless man in his sandwich shop. Joe gets emotionally involved with the man and his niece, an attractive woman in her thirties, and ends up enlisting his friend and business partner Elvis Cole to help him discover what has happened to them.

The Sentry moves slowly, unraveling each new mystery rather delicately until the ending, which barrels along like a freight train to an unsurprising yet satisfying climax. The ultimate villain is a particularly nasty kind of crazy but sometimes it felt as if there was some disconnect between what he was doing and what was otherwise happening, insofar as the level of suspense goes. For most of The Sentry, the main characters were unaware of the real bad guy, but that was really because of the length of time it took for Joe to figure things out. This is a complicated mystery and smartly written in usual Crais style.

Crais' Elvis Cole/Joe Pike novels are always a treat to read. Cole is a tough guy wrapped in a more human package and serves as a great foil for Joe's stoic personality without being sitcom-y. In The Sentry, Cole is a bit emotionally fragile, teetering on the brink of serious depression and battling some PTSD. I'm not sure if it was better for him to be busy and distracted rather than not involved in Joe's mystery in the long run; being forced to defend Joe's life, while reinforcing their brother-like bond, takes a toll on Elvis. It made me wonder what would happen to him between this book and the next. Joe, on the other hand, always surprises me. With a poker face that would impress Batman, Joe seems like an island but he is not; this is a man who feels deeply and has a strong sense of responsibility to the woman who he promised to protect.

The Sentry is a good book. Read it.

Audiobook Review Roundup

Ever since I started listening to audiobooks last year, I've been collecting them like crazy. As is my usual MO, I'm falling into a bad habit of starting them but not finishing them.

I'm working on that.

However, I have gotten through several and have been meaning to talk a bit about them here for a while now. What better time than now, right? So, here's three mini-reviews about three audiobooks I liked.

First up: Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. No surprise - I LOVED it! I've had a paperback of this book sitting on my shelves for months but when I saw it at the library, I knew that this was how I was meant to experience this book and I was right. No doubt that the usual reading experience for Garden Spells would have been fabulous (it IS a Sarah Addison Allen book after all) but Susan Ericksen's narration made this book come alive for me. Ericksen is superb. Her characters all have distinct voices, not just different versions of one voice, and I loved that. I can't wait for The Peach Keeper.

Next: The Host by Stephenie Meyer. Caught up as I was in the Meyer craze of 2008, I had preordered way in advance my copy of The Host. It then was summarily ignored in my disgust of Breaking Dawn but I recently decided to give it a shot on audiobook. (I'll listen to just about anything when I'm doing laundry or scrubbing the floor.) What a wonderful story The Host turned out to be! There was nothing juvenile here; the story of a member of a race of interplanetary travelers who take over planets by implanting their teeny, centipede-like bodies into the indigenous inhabitants, who forges a bond with her host and other humans who are rebelling against the invasion completely captivated me, much to my to my husband's consternation. (I was listening to this fairly long audiobook whenever I had the time and my earbuds kept him out.) Kate Reading's narration was pitch-perfect and I am sure that I would not have enjoyed this book quite as much if I had sat down and read it page after page.

And last but not certainly least: Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews. This was a reread (of sorts) for me. This series is one of my all-time faves and and I thought it might be nice to have a different "picture" of it in my head. I also expected to just enjoy the story during a time when I'm needing some entertainment. (Stupid laundry.) The narration is by Renee Raudman and I am happy to know that she is the one doing the rest of the books (it bothers me when the production companies aren't consistent and don't have the same person complete the series). Her voicing of Kate meshed well with my mental image and I really enjoyed seeing Kate and Curran meet and begin their relationship. I will certainly be looking to add the rest in this series to my audiobook collection.

That is all.

Review: The Perfect Scandal by Delilah Marvelle

If there is anything Tristan Adam Hargrove, fourth Marquis of Moreland, has learned to avoid, it’s scandal. For the dark and dashing lord is not only an honorable gentleman who would never seduce a woman for his own gain, he is also the author of How to Avoid a Scandal, the infamous red book that has swept like wildfire through the better part of London society.

When a raven-haired beauty arrives as his new neighbor, he knows better than to succumb to the desire he feels. He knows little about her—only that she is high born, a protégé of the Crown and completely unsuitable for the base passions he hides from the world. If only he had never glimpsed the vulnerable beauty one fateful night. If only her lips were not so ravishingly red. If only it were not already too late to save her and himself from the untamed passion he is about to unleash in the name of love.

Delilah Marvelle wraps up her Scandal trilogy with a third story involving dashing men with unusual sexual proclivities and the women who love them with The Perfect Scandal, a daunting romance between a complicated man and a passionate woman. This may be my favorite of the trio; Tristan and Zosia complement each other very well and the subject matter, as with the first two books, is handled in a compassionate manner.

Tristan has some dark secrets, aspects of himself he is ashamed of and terrified of sharing with anyone. He has isolated himself, a masterful trick for a man living in the bustling city of London as well as being one of the most well-known members of the ton. His grandmother tries to run his life and choose the woman he'll marry; his parents died when he was young in a sort of double suicide after his mother's long battle with madness and depression and she raised him after the fact. After he meets the unconventional Zosia, Tristan realizes that he has a long way to go before he can love her as she deserves.

Zosia is from Poland. She's a half-Russian countess from a family who perished in a tragic fire that caused her to lose part of one of her legs, Zosia is in hiding from the hated Russian aristocracy who wish to marry her into their ranks. Marrying an englishman will give her even more protection from Russia and King George himself has promised to find her a suitable husband. Then, she meets Tristan, her next door neighbor, and decides that he is the one for her, even if it takes some convincing on her part.

As I mentioned, Tristan and Zosia may be my favorite of the three couples in this series. Their romance was (as always) a bit naughty but they both are giving people who want the best for each other. I liked how much inner strength Zosia had and how unconcerned she was for propriety; she would more or less holler at Tristan out her bedroom window and seeing him get so disturbed by her doing this was amusing. Tristan, as the writer of that infamous book about scandals, is the essence of proper. It was a relief to see him finally, shall we say, let his hair down.

Delilah Marvelle has greatly impressed this reader with this trilogy. Not many historical romance (or otherwise) writers have the deft hand she possesses when it comes to sensitive subjects (rape, sexual addition, cutting, bondage). I will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Review: Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

I used to think that my favorite women in fiction were written by Nora Roberts. They are strong women who have dignity and the courage to fight for what they want. Well, sorry Ms. Roberts, but there's a new favorite in town: Susan Elizabeth Phillips. SEP (as she is often referred to) doesn't write romances, she writes women's fiction, good women's fiction. As with her peers Jennifer Crusie and Jennifer Weiner, her stories aren't about the "action" between a man and a woman (not that this particular aspect is missing, mind you) but rather the journey that the woman takes to become the woman she wants to be. Meg from Call Me Irresistible is her most compelling leading lady yet in a long list of awesome women.

Meg is daughter of Hollywood elite parents (from SEP's Glitter Baby) and is considered to be a spoiled rich girl. She carries no responsibilities and lives her life jumping from one exotic locale to the next for fun. (Think Nepal, not Monaco.) Her best friend, Lucy, a former president's daughter, is about to marry Ted Beaudine from Wynette, Texas, the local Golden Boy and PGA champ. When Meg arrives in Wynette to stand up at Lucy's wedding she makes a horrible discovery: Lucy is marrying the wrong man! With one look, Meg believes with all her heart that Lucy is not marrying the right man for her. Chaos ensues with Meg left to take all the blame. Now she's stuck in Wynette - a town that hates her - and since her parents have decided to cut her off financially, she's got some serious bucking up to do. The worst part? Ted Beaudine has made it his life's mission to make her miserable...and he looks so good doing it.

I loved Meg. Plucky and full of sass, her life is looking pretty lousy but she doesn't let it drag her down. She's attracted to Ted, yes, but when she looks at him she sees a pretty unhappy man instead of the town hero (and mayor). That makes her want to help but only a little bit since he pretty much hates her. Her family and friends cut her off from any help to make her grow up and grow some resources of her own and she does; she takes menial jobs but makes the most of them and even starts crafting her own jewelry line. The hardest part about living in Wynette for Meg really is maintaining her dignity in the face of those catty women who are just trying to protect what's theirs: Ted.

Ted was a hard read. He's a popular man who always knows the right thing to say or do but he's still an introvert. He doesn't emote, even with Meg, and at the beginning of the book, I thought he was pretty awful. He took his frustration and pain from being jilted out on Meg just like everyone else when it wasn't her fault. Bringing Meg down many pegs made him a bit too happy for my taste. I liked how the reader's understanding of Ted mirrored his own; Ted's self-awareness needed some time to kick in.

SEP's next book sounds like it'll be about Lucy, the runaway bride. I can't wait to see what happened to her after she fled Wynette.

Other reviews:
http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2011/01/17/review-call-me-irresistible-by-susan-elizabeth-phillips/
http://www.smexybooks.com/2011/01/review-call-me-irresistible-by-susan.html
http://www.fiendishlybookish.com/recent-reviews-and-news/2011/1/20/new-fiendish-review-call-me-irresistible-by-susan-elizabeth.html

Shadowfever: The Day(s) After

So. I read Shadowfever the day it came out. I finished it around seven p.m. Tuesday evening. I think my mind is still processing it and I know it will take a reread or two before it is completely digested but I wanted to give myself a little bit of closure for now so here I am, talking about this series AGAIN on this blog. Get over it, people, I love this writer :)

Here's my problem: I am now faced with a serious dilemma of how to review this book. There's really no way without blowing a bunch of spoilers - little ones and big ones - so I won't. Just like I did with Mockingjay, I'll just talk a bit about my reactions. 'Cause I think they're a bit more important than dicing up the book just like Mac does with Unseelie.

First off, I smiled when I finished the last page. There was no howling or stomping around with steam shooting out of my ears, ranting to my poor husband about how this or that should've or didn't happen. I. Am. Satisfied. That surprises me in a way because there were some definite questions flitting around in my head that I wanted answers to but...not all of them were answered, not completely.

What made me happiest, I think, is that Mac gets her HEA. Come on folks, you knew it was coming! How could KMM leave us all hanging like that? I'm not telling how it happens or with who, but it does. YAY! I am a total sucker for the HEA. Sometimes it can't happen (like with Aeriel at the of Meredith Ann Pierce's Darkangel trilogy) and sometimes it shouldn't happen (how many romances have I read where the couple is completely obnoxious) but usually, it's a nice payoff for me as a reader.

There's TONS of action in Shadowfever and lots of dangling subplots are tied up. However, some of them aren't and that's why I appreciated the last few words: "The End...For Now." Here's what KMM says when asked about future books, specifically more Highlander ones (from http://www.karenmoning.com/kmm/highlanderfaq.html) :

FAQ: Will you write another Highlander novel?

I honestly don't know if I can write a straightforward romance in which the story revolves primarily around the romance again. There, I've said it. I know this will disappoint some of my fans but the romance alone wasn't enough to keep my muse happy. I need more than that in the stories I tell. So, if the question is will I ever write a book like my Highlander series again where the primary thrust is: woman meets man, complications ensue, woman loses man, reclaims man and has a HEA, the answer is probably not without a whole lot of other stuff going on, too.

That being said, I may find myself at some point in the future, dying to re-visit the Highlands again and totally in the mood to lose myself in love for no other purpose than love's sake.

I guess the answer is: no plans to write a straightforward Highlander romance right now but I never say never.

Remember, the Keltars figure prominently in the Fever series, and Christian will be getting his own play--just not the way I did it in my Highlander series. I need a little more nitty, gritty reality in his tale. He's becomes quite the complex man.

Christian is definitely a complicated one. Shadowfever wasn't especially kind to Christian.

Anyway, as I was saying earlier, I'm satisfied. I gave this book an A although it's not perfect strictly because of my emotional reactions (duh). It is well written, has plenty of surprises I wasn't expecting, and even managed to make my jaw drop a time or two (or, uh, three). I will say here that I figured out who the UK was halfway through. Extra characters are never superfluous.

The Fever series is now at an end. Read it sometime if you like long, drawn-out paranormal romances with lots of action and drama. And faeries. Don't forget the faeries.

ARC Review: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

To save her life, bounty hunter and witch Rachel Morgan must overturn a death sentence, outwit a demon assassin, and endure a cross-country drive with a vampire, an elf, and a pixy in this latest kickass adventure in the New York Times bestselling Hollows series

Condemned to death for black magic and shunned, Rachel Morgan has three days to somehow get to the annual witches convention in San Francisco and clear her name. If she fails, the only way she can escape death is to live in the demonic ever after...forever after.

Banned from the flight lists, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack, headed for the West Coast for her own mysterious business. But Rachel isn't the only passenger along for the ride. Can a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car survive for more than 2,300 miles? And that's not counting the assassin on their tail.

A fearsome demon walks the sunlight, freed after centuries of torment to slay the innocent and devour souls. But his ultimate prey is Rachel Morgan. While the powerful witch with nerves of steel will do whatever it takes to stay alive, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her. (from the back cover of this ARC)

SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW UNLESS YOU ARE CAUGHT UP WITH THIS SERIES! I MEAN IT!

**clears throat**

Pale Demon is the ninth full length book in Kim Harrison's The Hollows series and the fifteenth installment altogether.

Pale Demon is a kickass book and it just may be my new favorite of the series. While I've loved reading each new installment in their own ways, the last few have been the hardest to digest. This happens a lot with long-lived series like this one, I think; with all the calamity and tribulations that these characters have gone through it gets harder and harder to keep the, uh, magic going. However, by the end of Pale Demon, things are starting to look up for Rachel. Just a little bit.

Kim Harrison said of Pale Demon on her website, "Some of the desire to write Pale Demon came from you, the readers, wanting to know if Trent and Rachel actually liked each other despite the taunts and put-downs. I wanted to know myself. What better way to find out then a forced cooperation? If something was going to happen, it would happen then. Right? What evolved surprised even me, and I hope you like it." This was what Pale Demon is all about, the interaction between Rachel and Trent. Kim Harrison is a genius, putting these big personalities into a car for a cross-country road trip. Rachel and Trent have a lot of history and while it certainly hasn't been all good, there's a bond there that keeps it from being all bad. Forcing them to be together in a car for days is a perfect way for her to have them resolve their issues; ratcheting up the tension and pissing people off will bring things to a head every time. It was also pretty funny, too. I will admit it took me a little (read: longer than it should have been) while to figure out why Jenks kept using phrases with "cookie" in them. I got a real big laugh out of that when I figured it out.

The other reason why Pale Demon is so good: the demons. Rachel spends quite a bit of time in the ever after with Al. Their relationship is such fun to behold and I do believe that they actually care about one another. Inasmuch as demon can "care" about someone, anyway. Newt is crazy as ever too.

Pale Demon is starting a new chapter in the chronicles of Rachel Morgan. Things are changing in her world, some relationships are ending and others are just beginning (sort of). I can't wait to see what happens next. The first two chapters are now available on Harrison's website with the next two coming soon. Pale Demon will be released on February 22, 2011.

Now, the best part: a GIVEAWAY! Who wants my LibraryThing ARC of Pale Demon? (US only) Remember, this is an ARC so it won't last forever. (A few pages are already loose.) But who cares if you don't have to buy it? Here's the deal. Become a follower (current followers are eligible too) and leave a comment and the winner will be picked randomly on January 31, 2011. I will get it to the winner before it's release date! Good luck!

Review: Gideon's Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

At the tender age of twelve, Gideon Crew witnessed the brutal murder of his father, a scientist wrongly framed by the US government, and shot down by police during a hostage crisis.

More than twenty years later, Gideon finally gets his revenge and fulfills the promise that he made to his mother on her death bed to clear their family name.

He brings down the man who destroyed his father. But then a mysterious witness steps forward to confront Gideon on his crime - and to offer him the chance of a lifetime...

I look forward to the new Pendergast novel by Preston and Child every year and in 2011, they will have two new books to offer: Cold Vengeance, the next Pendergast, out in August; and Gideon's Sword, book one in a new series about a man named Gideon Crew.

Gideon is a genius and a retired art thief. He's also a con artist and a pretender and can become anyone in the wink of an eye. He has a legitimate job that he keeps for fun (and rent money) at the Los Alamos National Lab testing parts that are used in nuclear devices. He is not especially close to anybody.

Revenge takes up most of Gideon's time at the beginning of Gideon's Sword. His mother made him promise on her deathbed that he would make the man who murdered his father pay for it and also know who it was that hurt him. Afterward, Gideon is approached by a man with a request: come to NYC and listen to a proposal. A private company that does contract work for the government wants Gideon to retrieve some ultra-sensitive information from a Chinese national who is flying to the US against his country's wishes. Needless to say, the job becomes very complicated very quickly. Gideon enlists the help of an old acquaintance and a prostitute to complete his assignment.

Gideon's Sword reads like you're watching an action movie. There are car chases, international locales, government conspiracies, secret agents, and assassins. Exciting and, at times, unbelievable, this book is a lot of fun. The rights have already been bought by Paramount and Michael Bay so look for a movie in a few years.

Gideon's Sword will be released on February 22, 2011

Review: The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver

Rebellious teen Demon Trapper Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself-and that's exactly what Lucifer is counting on.

It’s the year 2018, and with human society seriously disrupted by the economic upheavals of the previous decade, Lucifer has increased the number of demons in all major cities. Atlanta is no exception. Fortunately, humans are protected by Demon Trappers, who work to keep homes and streets safe from the things that go bump in the night.
Seventeen-year-old Riley, only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing attraction to fellow Trapper apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving citizens from Grade One Hellspawn. Business as usual, really, for a demon-trapping teen. When a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood, she realizes that she’s caught in the middle of a battle between Heaven and Hell. (from demontrappers.com)

First off, I would like to pose a question. Why is it that UF/PNR/YA writers like to pick on Atlanta? I have never been there so I have no personal feelings toward it one way or another but it seems that lately, when a book is set there, the city is one step away from being demolished! In The Demon Trapper's Daughter, Atlanta is bankrupt. There is a huge gulf between the classes and folks just barely scrape together a living. Demons are everywhere and they wreak havoc as much as possible. In the beginning of TDTD, Riley is sent to a university law library to capture a "Biblio-Fiend," a tiny demon who lives to ruin books. It's favorite method of destruction: peeing. These little buggers like to sneak into libraries (and if there's rare books there all the better) and pee everywhere, shredding pages as they go. Their kryptonite: boring literature. Riley read it part of the first page of Moby Dick and it was down for the count. (I can relate.) Into it's little sippy cup prison it went. Only...not.

And with that opening snafu, The Demon Trapper's Daughter kept me up until 2:30 am last night. I just couldn't put it down. I laughed and I cried and I rolled my eyes many times. I marveled at this clever world that Jana Oliver has created with it's different classes of demons, some ridiculous but most very dangerous. My favorite, besides the ones that pee, is the "Geo-Fiend," a class Five demon that you can't fight unless you're able to get them to touch the ground. They float, you see, and use earth magics to use the elements as their weapons. Plus, they're just BIG. Nasty, but cool.

Riley is a typical teenager with abandonment issues. She's clingy with her dad because her mom died of cancer. Riley only exists in extremes with her feelings; she used to have a crush on her dad's trapping partner, Beck, but now she hates him. She is almost to the point of obsession of making her dad proud of her as a trapper. She is in constant fear of disappointing him. It doesn't occur to her that her father already loves her and is proud of her but wishes that she did something else with her life, something way less dangerous. Riley is loyal and intelligent but just a bit clueless about the men in her life. I liked her but will like her even more after she can get over herself just a bitty bit.

As for the book as a whole, it is a well-written, evenly paced story with plenty of action. I was particularly amused by the necromancer parade that visited the cemetery while Riley stood vigil. There's not much romance here either unless you count a few kisses between Riley and the do-gooder Simon. A nice guy for certain but not the one who will last until the end, I think. Neither will the mysterious boy; that's where Beck will come in (eventually). I appreciated the lack of girly swooning here; it's obvious that while boys are an important part of a teenage girl's life, for Riley, they're not the top priority at the moment.

There is a subplot in TDTD that is touched on a few times but is barely explained until you are smacked over the head with part of it at the end. I'm hoping that the next book in this series has more to tell on the subject because my interest is piqued. The Demon Trapper's Daughter is the first book in a new series that I definitely want more of. It will be available on February 1, 2011.

On second thought,  you know what? Sorry, Atlanta. Any writer who wants to pick on you is fine with me.

Best Book of December 2010 (and November too!)

Hooray for YA! This has been an awesome year for me and YA books and the two books I am writing about here are no exception. Anybody who thinks YA books are too juvenile are deluding themselves and some of my favorite series ever have been YA. So, click the link to make the jump to see two YA books that impressed the heck out of me. The best part? Neither has vampires or werewolves :)

Review: The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

In less than twenty-four hours Meghan Chase will be seventeen. Although, technically, she won’t actually be turning seventeen. Having spent the past year in Faery gives her the benefit of not aging.

However, Meghan’s been banished from Faery for choosing her dark prince, Ash, over the will of her powerful father, Oberon, King of the Summer court. Now Meghan, her winter prince and prankster best friend Puck try settling into a normal human life, first near New Orleans and later in a magical cottage provided by Leanansidhe, Queen of exiles. But her time in this makeshift home, and more important her time with Ash, doesn’t last as the feys of Summer, Winter and Iron courts soon track them down. She thought they’d left Faery behind forever, but pressing matters cause the three exiles to be summoned to war.

A new alliance is made, along with a few contracts, of course, and Meghan, half Summer faery princess, half human, is pressed to choose Fey over her mortal beginnings. Will she abandon her human heart for an iron will that will help her survive?

For as Meghan Chase can confirm—in real life, unlike books, faery tales don’t
necessarily have happy endings. (from netgalley.com)

As with the first two books in Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series, The Iron Queen doesn't disappoint. This is a compelling YA series and The Iron Queen in particular is written with a light but deft hand; the romance doesn't get too sappy and the action is exciting but not overwhelming. It is all too common these days for YA romances to become heavy-handed and Bella and Edward-ish and so for this series - which does have a love triangle - to manage to avoid all that is impressive. Also, Ash is way cooler than Edward. (Pun totally intended.)

The Iron Queen picks up shortly after the end of The Iron Daughter. Meghan and Ash have been exiled from Faery and are wondering what they're going to do with themselves when they are thrust back into the war with the Iron Fey. There is still a false king leading the opposition and he is winning. The iron glamour is spreading throughout Faery like a cancer and it is only a matter of time before Faery is completely fouled. The summer and winter courts ask Meghan to do the impossible a second time: kill the Iron King.

I can't say this enough: the concept behind this series is so unbelievably cool. Julie Kagawa is telling a story that we should all listen to: technology is taking over the planet and we're going to be sorry one day. Environmental politics aside, The Iron Queen is clever, sad, and sweet. I absolutely can't wait for The Iron Knight, book four and written from Ash's perspective. Here's hoping for next summer!

The Iron Queen will be out on January 25, 2011.

Review: Tempest's Legacy by Nicole Peeler

After a peaceful hiatus at home in Rockabill, Jane True thinks that her worst problem is that she still throws like a girl - at least while throwing fireballs. Her peace of mind ends, however, when Anyan arrives one night with terrible news . . . news that will rock Jane's world to its very core.

After demanding to help investigate a series of gruesome attacks on females -- supernatural, halfling, and human -- Jane quickly finds herself forced to confront her darkest nightmares as well as her deepest desires.

And she's not sure which she finds more frightening. (from Hachette's website)

Tempest's Legacy is the third chapter in Nicole Peeler's wholly entertaining Jane True series. I am in love with these books. I can't get enough of them! Peeler's sense of humor, which I get a daily dose of as I'm one of her Twitter followers, makes her books a treat to read and with each new book the series gets better and better.

Reading Tracking the Tempest and Tempest's Legacy back-to-back was fun. There's lots of character development here; Jane gets stronger and more self-aware with each book. And on the man front, well, I love being right and I was when I said this in September: "I am curious to see what happens next between Jane and Ryu AND Jane and Anyan. Something tells me that the vampire won't be here to stay. Not for very long anyway." I am definitely for Anyan all the way.

I'm also liking Peeler's storyline involving "halflings," or the children of humans and purebloods. Jane, Anyan, and Ryu investigate the murders of people who worked in fertility clinics and are connected to the hideous torture and research done on purebloods. It did seem after a while that Jane's fixation on one particular individual was borderline obsession, i.e. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, and I began to wonder if she shouldn't just give it a rest. Don't worry, Jane hasn't lost her grip on sanity yet.

Obsession aside, I laughed all throughout this book. Giggles, guffaws, and chuckles were aplenty. My favorite line from page 128: "If I pee my pants I am going to be so pissed..." I can't wait to read book four, Eye of the Tempest, to see what's in store for Jane and her friends.

Tempest's Legacy will be in stores on January 1, 2011.

Reading Meme, Day Fifteen

Day Fifteen – Favorite female character

It's got to be Stephanie Plum. This jersey girl is a hoot! In every book in Janet Evanovich's By the Numbers series, Stephanie gets into enough trouble for ten convicts. She blows up cars (it would be more accurate to say that other people blow up her car, repeatedly), chases down people who skip out on their court dates, takes her grandma to the funeral home, and has two men who want her. She is commitment-phobic, keeps her gun in her cookie jar like Rockford, and lives on Tastykakes. If you like books that make you smile, I dare you to read One for the Money and not want more. Any woman who is willing to drive a POS car with the word "pussy" spray-painted on the side has got to be a good time.

I will not be watching the movie.

Reading Meme, Day Ten

Day Ten – A book you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving

This is going to be more about a genre than a particular book. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn was my first historical romance novel in 2008 and the rest, pardon the pun, is my history. In the past few years, romances have become predominant in my TBR pile, with historicals aplenty. As a dummy unaware of the fabulousness of this subgenre, I, too, stuck up my nose at them until I tripped over this gem and fell absolutely in love. It certainly didn't hurt that Julia Quinn is incomparable. Reading her led me to Lisa Kleypas, Laura Kinsale, Mary Balogh, Loretta Chase, Eloisa James, and even Georgette Heyer. Historical romances rock and I am all the better for having read them.

Reading Meme, Day Four

Day Four – Your favorite book ever

This is a tough pick for me. I'm not sure I have just one particular book that I love above all others because I love so many. I really had to think about it and it helped for me to go through my catalog on LibraryThing to remember all those books that I've loved and kept over the years. This book popped in my head first off and stuck around after so it became clear to me what my answer would be.

Twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer embarks on an epic quest-a walk from the seacoast of New Hampshire to the California coast-to find the talisman that will save his dying mother's life. Jack's journey takes him into the Territories, a parallel medieval universe, where most people from his own universe have analogs called "twinners." The queen of the Territories, Jack's mother's twinner, is also dying. (from stephenking.com)

That description is rather lacking for such a phenomenal book. I've read a majority of King's books including the Dark Tower series, It, The Shining, and The Stand, but I have always preferred The Talisman over the rest. I have three copies: a hardback with the red cover shown above, an illustrated set of The Talisman and its sequel Black House signed by Peter Straub and Rick Berry, and an ebook that lives in my nook. When my cousin moved from Maryland to California several years ago, I gave her my first beat-up paperback copy (with the original cover) to read on the trip. I liked the irony.

I have always felt that The Talisman was a perfect example of a coming of age story. Jack Sawyer may only be twelve when he begins his quest but he is much, much older inside at completion. Jack must travel on foot to California lest he accidentally flip to the territories. Along the way he makes friends, steals, laughs, cries, vanquishes foes, and grows up. The Talisman is loosely connected to King's Dark Tower series; the character of Speedy Parker, who may be a former gunslinger akin to Roland, is the one who teaches Jack to flip to the territories and sends him on his way.

I have read The Talisman several times and each time I discover something new. It's an excellent collaboration; I find it near impossible to tell who wrote which parts. The sequel, Black House, revisits Jack after he's all grown up. Rumors around the web claim that King and Straub are starting a third book featuring Jack Sawyer. It's definitely overdue, in my humble opinion. Jack is one of my favorite characters ever, certainly of King's books. I would definitely like to know how his story ends.