Cast in Shadow

This is the 1st book in the Chronicles of Elantra series by Michelle Sagara.

Book Blurb:

Seven years ago Kaylin fled the crime-riddled streets of Nightshade, knowing that something was after her. Children were being murdered -- and all had the same odd markings that mysteriously appeared on her own skin.…

Since then, she's learned to read, she's learned to fight and she's become one of the vaunted Hawks who patrol and police the City of Elantra. Alongside the winged Aerians and the immortal Barrani, she's made a place for herself, far from the mean streets of her birth.

But children are once again dying, and a dark and familiar pattern is emerging. Kaylin is ordered back into Nightshade with a partner she knows she can't trust, a Dragon lord for a companion and a device to contain her powers -- powers that no other human has. Her task is simple -- find the killer, stop the murders…and survive the attentions of those who claim to be her allies!

This book is another departure from my usual read. We have Lion people, Hawk people, beautiful and deadly people, Dragon people - and humans, all living in the same place - trying to get along.

Politics, police, everyday citizens and killers.

I very much enjoyed this book and the Kaylin character. She could be 'every woman'. Trying to overcome a less than perfect childhood - trying to make something of herself and her future.

I look forward to the rest of the series. :)

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

M

Chronicles of Elantra

1. Cast in Shadow (2005)
2. Cast in Courtlight (2006)
3. Cast In Secret (2007)
4. Cast In Fury (2008)
5. Cast in Silence (2009)

Desire Unchained

This is the 2nd book in the Demonica series by Larissa Ione and the story of Shade and Runa.

Book Blurb:

Pleasure is their ultimate weapon . . .

Runa Wagner never meant to fall in love with the sexy stranger who seemed to know her every deepest desire. But she couldn’t resist the unbelievable passion that burned between them, a passion that died when she discovered his betrayal and found herself forever changed. Now, determined to make Shade pay for the transformation that haunts her, Runa searches for him, only to be taken prisoner by his darkest enemy.

A Seminus demon with a love-curse that threatens him with eternal torment, Shade hoped he’d seen the last of Runa and her irresistible charm. But when he wakes up in a dank dungeon chained next to an enraged and mysteriously powerful Runa, he realizes that her effect on him is more dangerous than ever. As their captor casts a spell that bonds them as lifemates, Shade and Runa must fight for their lives and their hearts—or succumb to a madman’s evil plans.

I love this book. :) The concept is unique - a demon run hospital, specializing in the treatment of demons. A trio of demon brothers taking care of the day to day operation.

Shade is an EMT. Driving an enhanced ambulance that can't be seen by humans, he makes his runs picking up any demon (good or bad) and taking them to hospital to be patched up and sent back out.

Runa is human. She was in love with Shade until she caught him doing something she thought he had no business doing - she did not know he is a demon - now she really wants him dead - or maimed at the very least.

I have the 3rd book on my TBR shelf and can't wait to get to it. :)

I give this book and the series so far 5 out of 5 stars. :)

M

Demonica

1. Pleasure Unbound (2008)
2. Desire Unchained (2009)
3. Passion Unleashed (2009)

Way of the Wolf

This is the first book in The Vampire Earth series by E. E. Knight.

Book Blurb:

EARTH, 2065: UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

Welcome to David Valentine's world. It is a world where conquered humans occupy a role somewhere between livestock and slaves. A world ruled by unearthly monsters of such dark intent and limitless hunger that they can only be called Vampires.

Violently orphaned at the age of eleven, Valentine's aimless life changes when he meets a group of men bearing arms against the vampiric invaders and their human allies. These men are Wolves: elite guerilla fighters engaged in an ongoing battle to win back the Earth.

The Way of the Wolf is not an easy road to travel. Few men or women can master the disciplines involved, and those who do rarely survive for long. But for young David Valentine, compelled by the losses of his past and the dreams of his future, there can be no other choice. It is a choice that will lead him to adventures beyond his wildest imaginings...and to horrors worse than any he has ever faced.

This is a huge departure from my normal steamy paranormal romance fix - but I must say I am very glad that I read this book. It is a ROC sci/fi.

Think of the setting of the post apocalyptic 'Mad Max' movie - Earth has lost all technological advancements, humans are scattered far and wide trying to eek out a living and keep their loved ones safe - from the invaders as well as the humans who have sided with them in the hopes of keeping their own lives.

The alien invaders, known as the Reapers, are vampire like in the regard that they tear into the humans and suck the 'aura' or 'soul' out of them - it is this aura, rather than blood that sustains them.

Small bands of humans have gathered around what was once the United States of America - these bands of resistance fighters train with the Lifeweavers to fight the Reapers in the hopes of one day killing them all and reclaiming Earth for the surviving humans.


Reapers are actually Lifeweavers who have gone rogue and broken the covenants of their race by killing humans. The Lifeweavers are unable to fight the Reapers themselves, that is way they train the humans to do it.

I really enjoyed this book and have ordered the second one - I hope to read the entire series. :)

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. :)

M

The Vampire Earth Series:
1. Way of the Wolf (2001)
2. Choice of the Cat (2004)
3. Tale of the Thunderbolt (2005)
4. Valentine's Rising (2005)
5. Valentine's Exile (2006)
6. Valentine's Resolve (2007)
7. Fall with Honor (2008)
8. Winter Duty (2009)

Carpe Demon

This is the 1st book in the Demon - Hunting Soccer Mom series by Julie Kenner.

Book Blurb:

Lots of women put their careers aside once the kids come along. Kate Connor, for instance, hasn't hunted a demon in ages.

That must be why she missed the one wandering through the pet food aisle of the San Diablo Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, he managed to catch her attention an hour later-when he crashed into the Connor house, intent on killing her.

Now Kate has to clean up the mess in her kitchen, dispose of a dead demon, and pull together a dinner party that will get her husband elected to County Attorney-all without arousing her family's suspicion. Worse yet, it seems the dead demon didn't come alone...

It's time for Kate Connor to go back to work.

This was a quick, fun read. I really enjoyed it and look forward to the rest of the series.

Kate has a great sense of humor - but she's not really good at managing her time or her money. LOL Jumping back in to the demon hunting business (how being thrown back in, as the case may be) has really but a knot in the every day life of the stay at home Mom. :)

I look forward to seeing if Kate tells her family more about her demon hunting past.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

M

Demon - Hunting Soccer Mom
1. Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-hunting Soccer Mom (2005)
2. California Demon: The Secret Life of a Demon-hunting Soccer Mom (2006)
3. Demons Are Forever: Confessions of a Demon-hunting Soccer Mom (2007)
4. Deja Demon: The Days and Nights of a Demon-hunting Soccer Mom (2008)
5. Demon Ex Machina (2009)

Slave: The Cat Star Chronicles

This is the 1st in the Cat Star Chronicles by Cheryl Brooks and the story of Cat and Jack.

Book Blurb:

"I found him in the slave market on Orpheseus Prime, and even on such a god-forsaken planet as that one, their treatment of him seemed extreme."

He may be the last of a species whose sexual talents were the envy of the galaxy.

Cat is an enslaved warrior from a race with a feline gene that gives him awesome beauty, fearsome strength, and sensuality and sexual prowess unmatched by any other males in the universe. Even filthy, chained, and beaten, he gives off an aura of power and virility and his feline gene gives him a special aura.

Jacinth is an intergalactic trader on a rescue mission and she needs a man she can trust with her life.

She has spent years pursuing her kidnapped sister from planet to planet. Now her quest leads her to a place where all the women are slaves. "Jack" needs a slave of her own-one who can masquerade as her master.

Enmeshed in a tangle of deception, lust, and love, they must elude a race of violent killers and together forge a bond stronger than any chains.

I really don't know what to say about this book.

In the beginning I thought it was going to be somewhat serious - the main character is searching for her enslaved sister - going from planet to planet- but always one step behind the slavers.

Then the book takes a turn - I'm not sure if it was supposed to be erotic - but it came across as hilarious. I laughed til tears rolled down my face.

Jack is a no nonsense kinda gal: independent and self reliant - determined to find her sister.

Cat, as far as he knows, is the last of his kind. Beautiful, sexually talented and the envy of other planets.

I could get behind that okay - but instead of being sensual and erotic - it came across funny and at times downright silly.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

M

Cat Star Chronicles
1. Slave (2008)
2. Warrior (2008)
3. Rogue (2009)
4. Outcast (2009)

Parallel Attraction

This is the first book in the Midnight Warriors series by Deidre Knight and the story or Jared and Kelsey.

Book Blurb:

It has been years since exiled alien king Jared Bennett thought of anything other than his people’s fight for freedom. Now his rebel force has the one weapon that can turn the tide against their enemy: the key to the secrets of time. Victory has never been closer—but one woman has the power to change everything.Kelsey Wells can’t deny that there is something unearthly about her fierce attraction to Jared Bennett. His revelations about alien wars and time travel can’t possibly be fact—yet with every seductive touch, every searing kiss, Kelsey circles closer to the truth: that although Jared is exactly what he says, he hasn’t told her everything. And when the future crashes into the present, Kelsey must decide if his deception will cost them the love that should have been their destiny.

This was a very good book. Though it is described as a 'paranormal romance' I got more of a 'sci/fi romance' vibe from it. Maybe it was the whole alien thing. LOL

It was well written, fast paced and steamy. :) I have the next one on the TBR shelf and look forward to reading it and the rest in this series.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. :)

M

Midnight Warriors
1. Parallel Attraction (2006)
2. Parallel Heat (2006)
3. Parallel Seduction (2007)
4. Parallel Desire (2007)

Master of the Night

This is the 2nd book in the Mageverse series by Angela Knight and the story of Reece and Erin.

Book Blurb:

American agent Erin Grayson has a new mission: romance international businessman Reece Champion. Seducing the handsome millionaire could put her that much closer to the revenge she craves against a murderous death cult. Erin doesn't realize she's being manipulated by the very cult she hunts. Champion is actually an agent of the U.S. government.

He's also a vampire.

Reece immediately senses the latent supernatural powers hidden within Erin, powers as dangerously irresistible to him as her lush body and hot blood. Yet he also knows that yielding to their mutual desire will make them pawns in a deadly game.

And their opponent is, quite literally, a monster.

This book had a plot - a really good plot. It was fast paced and full of action. It was also full of sex. Sex, sex and more sex. LOL That being said - I really liked it. :)

I have the next one in this series on the TBR shelf and look forward to reading it.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. :)

M

Mageverse
1. Seduction's Gift (2004) (in Hot Blooded)
2. Master of the Night (2004)
3. Galahad (2005) (in Bite)
4. Master of the Moon (2005)
5. Master of Wolves (2006)
6. Moon Dance (2007) (in Over the Moon)
7. Master of Swords (2006)
8. Master of Dragons (2007)

Red-Headed StepChild

This is the debut novel by author Jaye Wells.


Book Blurb:

In a world where being of mixed-blood is a major liability, Sabina has the only profession fit for an outcast: assassin. However, she's never brought her work home with her---until now.

This time, it's personal.

Her latest mission threatens the fragile peace between the
vampire and mage races. As Sabina scrambles to figure out
which side she's on, she uncovers secrets that will change
the course of her life forever.

I really enjoyed this book. The character of Sabina is a tough, kick your teeth in vampire assassin. She is also vulnerable - but tries her hardest not to show it. Sabina has a wicked sense of humor and a chip on her shoulder the size of a small cat....and speaking of cats - she has one of those too - and he is a demon familiar. :)

I can't wait for the sequel to this book. :)

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

M

Sabina Kane

1. Red-headed Stepchild (2009)
2. The Mage in Black (2010)

Kushiel's Dart

This is the 1st book in the Kushiel's Legacy series by Jacqueline Carey.

Book Blurb:

A massive fantasy tale about the violent death of an old age and the birth of a new one. Here is a novel of grandeur, luxuriance, sacrifice, betrayal, and deeply laid conspiracies. Born with a scarlet mote in her left eye, Phedre no Delaunay is sold into indentured servitude as a child. When her bond is purchased by an enigmatic nobleman, she is trained in history, theology, politics, foreign languages, and the arts of pleasure. Above all, she learns the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Exquisite courtesan, yet talented spy, she may seem an unlikely heroine... but when Phedre stumbles upon a plot threatening her homeland, Terre d'Ange, she has no choice but to act. Betrayed into captivity in the barbarous northland of Skaldia, and accompanied only by disdainful young warrior-priest, Phedre makes a harrowing escape and an even more harrowing journey, to return to her people and deliver them a warning of the impending invasion. And that proves only the first step in a quest that will take her to the edge of despair and beyond.

This truly is a sweeping saga: full of court politics, heroic traitors, villains and spies. And if you like that sort of thing - you'll like this book. :)

I honestly did not like the book. I skimmed through more than a third of it and really just wanted it to be over with. But I think that is more my fault than the books.

The book was well written and rich in detail. The characters fully formed and likable. But it just did not inspire me.

I give this book 2 out of 5 stars.

M

Kushiel's Legacy


1. Kushiel's Dart (2001)
2. Kushiel's Chosen (2002)
3. Kushiel's Avatar (2003)
4. Kushiel's Scion (2005)
5. Kushiel's Justice (2007)
6. Kushiel's Mercy (2008)
7. Naamah's Kiss (2009)

Stay the Night

This is the 7th book in the Darkyn series and the story of Robin and Chris.

Book Blurb:

Robyn of Locksley is a vampire thief who’s been stealing artworks—and hearts—for 700 years...but who may have finally met his match. Namely, Christina Renshaw, the undercover agent out to catch him. Red-headed, long-legged, and whip-smart, she does something no mortal woman has been able to do in centuries—resist his mystical charms. Who is she? Why is she immune to his legendary seductions? There’s little time to ponder these questions. The theft of a priceless manuscript puts them both on the trail of an ancient enemy…and it falls on this unlikely duo—a dangerously sexy cop and a prince of thieves—to stop the deadliest threat the Darkyn have ever known.

I absolutely love this series. Ms. Viehl has a wonderful way of writing a story about a couple - while incorporating characters from previous books. This series is truly an ongoing story and it gets better with every installment - however, this is the last installment of this series. :(

Now we have a spin -off series due out November of '09 - Shadowlight: A novel of the Kyndred. I am excited about this new series and hope that it lives up to the wonderful world Ms. Viehl created with Darkyn. I also hope that the characters we have come to love from the Darkyn series will be re-visted in this new series. :)

I give this book and the entire series 5 out of 5 stars. :)

M

Darkyn

1. If Angels Burn (2005)
2. Private Demon (2005)
3. Dark Need (2006)
4. Night Lost (2007)
5. Evermore (2008)
6. Twilight Fall (2008)
7. Stay the Night (2009)