"To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all of the miseries of life." W. Somerset Maugham

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Hearts in Hiding (Betsy Brannon Green)


Devastation, betrayal, self-pity, anger- none of these words do any justice to the tangle of emotions Kate Singleton is experiencing. Married just over a year, with a baby on the way, Kate learns that her husband, and FBI agent, is dead. To top it off, the same people who murdered her husband have a contract on her head.
With the help of the FBI, Kate flees with little more that the clothes on her back. And in no time at all, they provide her with new clothes, a new home, a new name, and. . . a new husband.
But this is only the beginning of Kate's adventure. Before it's through, there will be a kidnapping, true love, and enough suspense to keep any reader turning pages long after bedtime. Hearts in Hiding is an action-packed, romantic first novel by gifted author Betsy Brannon Green.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Midnight Alley & Feast Of Fools (Rachel Caine)

Claire Danvers's college town may be run by vampires but a truce between the living and the dead made things relatively safe. For a while. Now people are turning up dead, a psycho is stalking her, and an ancient bloodsucker has proposed private mentoring. To what end, Claire will find out. And it's giving night school a whole new meaning.
The wait is over. dig into the feast... In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans live in relative peace. Student Claire Danvers has never been convinced, though—especially with the arrival of Mr. Bishop, an ancient, old-school vampire who cares nothing about harmony. What he wants from the town’s living and its dead is unthinkably sinister. It’s only at a formal ball, attended by vampires and their human dates, that Claire realizes the elaborately evil trap he’s set for Morganville.

I like this series. I'm a little frustrated about how the books leave off at somewhat critical moments though.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Claimed By Shadow (Karen Chance)

A recent legacy made Cassandra Palmer heir to the title of Pythia, the world's chief clairvoyant. It's a position that usually comes with years of training, but Cassie's circumstances are a little...unusual. And now she's stuck with a whopping amount of power that every vamp, Fey, and mage in town wants to either monopolize or eradicate -- and that she herself doesn't dare use.
What's more, she's just discovered that a certain arrogant master vampire has put a geis on her -- a magical claim that warns off any would-be suitors, and might also explain the rather...intense attraction between them. But Cassie's had it with being jerked around, and anyone who tries it from now on is going to find out that she makes a very bad enemy...

It drug a bit in places but left me wanting to immediately start the next one in the series.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Mortal Sins (Eileen Wilks)

FBI agent Lily Yu, is in North Carolina with her lover and mate, Rule Turner, Lu Nuncio of the Nokolai werewolf clan. He is there to take custody of his son from the boy's grandmother. It's a purely personal trip until Rule, in wolf form, finds three bodies in a shallow grave. They carry the stench of death magic, which makes the murders a federal crime. Lily takes charge of the investigation and soon realizes that nothing adds up -- not the motives or the main suspect, who is behind bars when death strikes again.
But murder, however bizarre, is an everyday affair for Lily, who was a homicide cop before being recruited into the FBI's Magical Crimes Division. A more personal shock arrives in the form of Rule's son's mother. Why would she now challenge rule's plan to bring his son to live among the Nokolai? But family matters must take a backseat when the violence escalates, and there's no rhyme or reason for the next strike -- by a killer who may not even be of this world...
I really enjoy this author. She knows how to spin a web so that you really cant predict what is coming next.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Midnight Rising (Lara Adrian)

For journalist Dylan Alexander, it began with the discovery of a hidden tomb, thrusting her into the center of a gathering storm of violence and secrets. But nothing is as dangerous as the scarred, lethally seductive man who rises from the shadows to draw her into his world of dark desire and endless night.
Fueled by pain and rage over a shattering betrayal, the warrior Rio has pledged his life to the war against the Rogues. He will let nothing stand in his way—least of all a mortal woman with the power to expose the entire vampire race. For an ancient evil has been awakened, and a stunning darkness is on the rise. Suddenly Dylan is powerless to resist Rio’s touch, even as she uncovers a shocking link to her own past. And now she must choose: Leave Rio’s midnight realm, or risk it all for the man who has shown her true passion and the infinite pleasures of the heart. . . .
This is the 4th book in the Midnight Breed series. I wanted to read this one because I wanted to hear how Rio recovers from the betrayal of his breedmate.
This book wasnt a bad read. Would have been better without the in detail love scenes.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Ranger's Apprentice Series (John Flanagan)

Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins Of Gorlan

Meet fifteen year old Will, a foundling who is convinced that his father died a mighty warrior in battle. As choosing day commences, when young men and women become forever bound to a vocation, he hopes against hope to honor his father's legacy and be selected for Battleschool training. Instead, he is inducted into the ranks of the mysterious Ranger Corps. At first a reluctant recruit, Will gradually becomes drawn to the skills and secret ways of the Rangers.


The Burning Bridge

For years, the kingdom of Araluen has prospered, with the evil Morgarath safely behind impassable mountains. But while the people of Araluen have felt secure, Morgarath has not been idle. On a special mission for the Rangers, Will and his friend Horace, an apprentice warrior, travel to a neighboring country of Celtica and discover an unsettling truth. Villages, mines and border posts are deserted. The Celts have disappeared. Will senses the hand of Morgarath behind the sinister mystery. Before long, they discover the king's army is in danger of being destroyed in a treacherous ambush. Only Will, Horace, and a mysterious girl named Evanlyn, stand between them.


The Icebound Land

Kidnapped and taken to a frozen land after the fierce battle with Lord Morgarath, Will and Evanlyn are bound for Skandia as captives aboard a fearsome wolfship. Halt has sworn to rescue his young apprentice, and he will do anything to keep his promise— even defy his King. Expelled from the Rangers he has served so loyally, Halt is joined by Will's friend Horace as he travels toward Skandia. On their way, they are challenged again and again by freelance knights—but Horace knows a thing or two about combat. Soon his skills begin to attract the attention of knights and warlords for miles around. But as Horace earns his reputation, Will and Evanlyn struggle for survival as slaves.

The Battle For Skania
Still far from their homeland after escaping slavery in the icebound land of Skandia, Will and Evanlyn's plans to return to Araluen are spoiled when Evanlyn is taken captive by a Temujai warrior. Though still weakened by the warmweed's toxic effects, Will employs his Ranger training to locate his friend, but an enemy scouting party has him fatally outnumbered. Will is certain death is close at hand, until Halt and Horace make a daring, last-minute rescue. The reunion is cut short, however, when Halt makes a horrifying discovery: Skandia's borders have been breached by the entire Temujai army. And Araluen is next in their sights. If two kingdoms are to be saved, an unlikely union must be made. Will it hold long enough to vanquish a ruthless new enemy? Or will past tensions spell doom for all?
The Sorcerer Of The North
Several years have passed since the apprentice and his master, Will and Halt, first met, and Will is finally a full-fledged Ranger with his own fief to look after. The fief seems sleepy—boring, even—until Lord Syron, master of a castle far in the north, is struck down by a mysterious illness. Joined by his friend Alyss, Will is suddenly thrown headfirst into an extraordinary adventure, investigating fears of sorcery and trying to determine who is loyal to Lord Syron. As Will battles growing hysteria, traitors, and most of all, time, Alyss is taken hostage, and Will is forced to make a desperate choice between his mission and his friend.

The Siege Of Macindaw
After years as a Ranger's apprentice, Will is now the protector of his first fief. Not long into his service, everything that can go wrong does: Keren, a renegade knight, has taken over Castle Macindaw, a strategic gateway to the North—poisoning the royal family in the process—and is holding Will's friend Alyss captive. The situation grows direr when Will uncovers Keren's secret alliance with the Scotti, who have plans to plunder Araluen. Time is of the essence, and Will must recruit a motley crew to rescue Alyss and reclaim Castle Macindaw—before the Scotti can make it their own.
This is a great Youth series. I have enjoyed it. I have only read up to 6 so far. To my knowledge there is a 7th out now and the 8th is soon to be released.
A good addition to you library.

Kiss Of Crimson -and- Midnight Awakening (Lara Adrian)

Kiss of Crimson
He comes to her more dead than alive, a towering black-clad stranger riddled with bullets and rapidly losing blood. As she struggles to save him, veterinarian Tess Culver is unaware that the man calling himself Dante is no man at all, but one of the Breed, vampire warriors engaged in a desperate battle. In a single erotically charged moment Tess is plunged into his world -- a shifting, shadowed place where bands of Rogue vampires stalk the night, cutting a swath of terror.
Haunted by visions of a dark future, Dante lives and fights like there is no tomorrow. Tess is a complication he does not need -- but now, with his brethren under attack, he must shield Tess from a growing threat that includes Dante himself. For with one reckless, irresistible kiss, she has become an inextricable part of his underworld realm...and his touch awakens her to hidden gifts, desires, and hungers she never knew she possessed. Bonded by blood, Dante and Tess must work together to thwart deadly enemies, even as they dsicover a passion that transcends the boundaries of life itself....

Midnight Awakening
With a dagger in her hand and vengeance on her mind, Darkhaven beauty Elise Chase prowls Boston's streets in search of retribution against the Rogue vampires who took from her everything she cherished. Using an extraordinary psychic gift, she tracks her prey, well aware that the power she possesses is destroying her. She must learn to harness this gift, and for that she can turn to only one man -- the deadliest of the Breed warriors, Tegan.
No stranger to loss, Tegan knows Elise's pain. He knows fury, but when he slays his enemies it is with ice in his veins. He is perfect in his self-control, until Elise seeks his aid in her personal war. An unholy alliance is forged -- a bond that will link them by blood and vow -- and plunge them into a tempest of danger, desire, and the darkest passions of the heart....

I dont know if I just wasnt in the mood for these books or what but I was having a hard time getting involved in them. Looking back at the stories they were good but like I said...they didnt pull me in.