Sherrilyn Kenyon - Retribution

A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he'd spend eternity protecting the humans he'd once considered prey.
Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief -- Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters and training for the day when she meeting the man who killed her family: Jess Brady.
Jess has been charged with finding and terminating the creature who's assassinating Dark-Hunters. The last thing he expects to find is a human face behind the killings, but when that face bears a striking resemblance to the one who murdered him centuries ago, he knows something evil is going on. He also knows he's not the one who killed her parents. But Abigail refuses to believe the truth and is determined to see him dead once and for all.
Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, they must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they've sworn to protect.

Comment: Each new book by this author is like a ray of hope in the fans. We always expect that this is the book that will bring more news about the world we love so much.
However, this one brought even more questions. As usual.
I understand the need of the author to explore to her maximum all the ideas in her head, but to be honest, there are so many things happening at the same time, so many pantheons and gods around that it's getting difficult - even for someone who has read the books from the beginning - to get in mind all the facts and names and beings and stuff.
I wish she would solve some things along the way, in order to make the world evolve. Things happen here, happen there but I don't see much link between everything and at the rhythm she can follow, I don't know how old I'll be when the series finally end.

The story. Of course I enjoyed knowing more about a whole different pantheon, I'm indeed curious to see where this will go, especially since, apparently, the new DH book, coming out next year, will follow this one.
The romance was good, I liked seeing them together, but I think the way the story was presented, that everything happened too fast, and honestly can you get in on when surrounded by wasps and there's the danger of them reaching you?
Anyway.
This book presents a new pantheon, like I said, and with it, new myths and legends. What I found interesting in the middle of all the new information is the roles both Jesse and Abigail have. Didn't see it coming and if, on one hand, it's amazing to see the author's freshness of ideas, on the other it just complicates all we know and there we go again to that not-solving-things-at-the-moment thing.
What I really enjoyed was to see some characters from previous books. Always a pleasure.
Also good was the bonus scene at the end of the book, where we see Tory having her baby. Wonderful to see that scene and even better to see Ash living though it with people who love him, *sighing*
Next month is released another book in the series, although labelled dream-hunter. To me it's all the same thing, as everything is connected one way or another, so I wish/hope to see something new happen, something solved.

Catherine Anderson - Comanche Heart

Forced to flee her home on the windswept Texas plains, Amy Masters sought sanctuary in the golden hills of Oregon. There she began a new life, but could never forget her pledge to Swift Antelope, the magnificent Comanche warrior who had captured her heart.
Then Swift, now a notorious gunslinger whose murderous reputation was known throughout the West, found her. He vowed never again to lose the proud, sun-kissed beauty who haunted his dreams, and he swore to make her honor her sacred promise. But could he make her believe in his love and yearn for his caresses?

Comment: This is the second book in the author's Comanche series. It's the story of Amy and Swift, two characters from the previous novel. In that one, they were young and Amy had just gone through an horrible situation and Swift was there to help her and be her friend.
In this story both of them are older and lived apart from each other for 15 ears, which is a long time so it's understandable why Amy fears what might happen if Swift wants to revive their commitment promises from before.
I have to say this story is weaker than the first one, and I feel that happens because the differences between them don't seem to be as important as they were to the first couple in the previous book. I think the most important issue here was Amy's past and how she wold have to overcome that to be happy and to achieve happiness she has to accept Swift.
I think these books have too much drama. I mean, I know things aren't meant to be pretty and easy for them, but I don't know, there's a whole sense of doom in the horizon, even when things are well, it's a strange feeling. I can't help to compare it to her contemporaries, which I love, I guess it's the time that doesn't work, or she's just better in portraying women from this century.
The same thing that made me sadder in the previous book happens int his one: I wish the action would be set in the Comanche nation, that they would live with the Comanches instead of white people. It's obvious the dynamics of the story would have to be different, but I think it would work out better.
This doesn't mean I didn't like the book, I did enjoy reading it, but in the end I felt a bit sad, not because of how it ended but because of some things that happened.
Anyway, I'm looking for to read the 3rd one next month.

Robin Wells - How to Score

Museum curator Sammi Matthews isn't just in a dating slump, she's putting men on the injured list. After giving one date a black eye and cracking another's rib, Sammi decides she needs professional help. Enter life coach Luke Jones, who advises Sammi on how to overcome her klutziness. And their phone sessions work! Sammi soon meets a sexy FBI agent who seems to know just what she needs.
When his brother Luke goes into federal protection, FBI Special Agent Chase Jones agrees to cover for him. Then Sammi's hot voice sizzles down the line, and the usual "phone only" rule is out. With "Luke" coaching her by day, and Chase dating her by night, Sammi's confidence soars, along with her appeal. Chase falls hard, but how will Sammi feel if and when he comes clean? Chase would rather she break all his bones than risk breaking her heart.

Comment: This book is just another proof why I stay away from contemporaries, but once in a while I think I'll be proved wrong and there I go.
This book has a great blurb and I thought I was going to get a funny story. However the main reason I've picked the book was because of the plot. I read somewhere the heroine didn't think much of herself and part of the plot was to see how that would change. I pictured right away lots of scenarios where the protagonists would fall in love, the things that were going to happen before they admitted it, but...once again I ended up resigned. The heroine had some lack of confidence but that didn't appear as vital, I didn't see anything to match the description of "didn't think much of herself". She had some problems but nothing to gain my sympathy. I just wanted a story where she was shy and had real issues and after meeting the hero things would slowly develop. No, there were some interesting things but overall I ended up disappointed.
The writing is ok, some scenes were interesting and one of the things in the plot was indeed funny, but this wasn't what I thought I was going to get.
Not all contemporary women are confident, have interesting or glamorous jobs or think of sex all the time (not that the heroine here did), but it seems the main motto for almost all contemporary stories. I want something different, something in the lines of what I thought I was going to get, but still a romance. I wonder if it's out there and I can't find it...
In the end, I had some good time reading the book by Mrs Wells, but not enough to repeat the dose with another book.

Gail Carriger - Soulless

ALEXIA TARABOTTI IS LABORING UNDER A GREAT MANY SOCIAL TRIBULATIONS.
First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.
Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.
With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia is responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

Comment: I have had this book in my TBR list for more than one year. Yes, and lots of other books have been there for a long more, I'm hopeless.
Anyway, I finally read it. I have a friend who prefers fantasy above any other genre, although she reads UF and romances too. She said this book was very, very good and it had a strong story, so that was why I decided try it, and thankfully she was right.
Alexia has no soul which means she can neutralize the supernatural of everyone who isn't human. This also means she can be a danger to some species who might feel threatened by her power. Alexia is a vitorian lady, a spinster, and a very assertive disposition, and often has arguments with lord Maccon, the werewolf alpha and someone she's attracted to.
The attraction is mutual and Lord Maccon sees past her power and attitude and sees a woman he's developing feelings for.
I enjoyed their "fights" a lot, it's so funny to see them walking around each other, and everyone else who knows them thinks they're perfect for each other, but themselves. The evolution of their relationship is perfect, I think.
However, some troubles appear because some vampires and werewolves, specially the loner ones, are missing more and more and something must be going on. What happens is a danger for all of them, but in the end Alexia and Lord Maccon save the day.
I loved all the secondary characters, some of them will certainly offer interesting developments in the following books. I also like the author's style and all the mix of romance and steampunk and paranormal, all together make an interesting balanced mixture.
The language used is the only think I couldn't help notice, I mean, it was well done but usually in regency or historical novels I can put aside the fact it's there, but in this case, I guess it's too remarkable. Not in a bad way, just enough to be noticed.
Anyway, I'm still happy with the book and will read the next one in november.

J. R. Loveless - Chasing Seth

Veterinarian Seth Davies comes to Senaka, Wyoming, looking for peace and anonymity, trying to escape his past. He’s always been a target for trouble and pain, and Seth has had more than his share of both. Kasey Whitedove takes one look at Seth and assumes the worst. No white man could love animals the way the mostly Cheyenne population expects, and Kasey makes Seth’s first days in Senaka more than unpleasant.

Then an accident puts Kasey in the uncomfortable position of eating crow—and helplessly desiring Seth—despite the danger of Kasey’s life as a werewolf and Seth’s stressful secrets. Chasing Seth down and keeping him safe from his past has just become Kasey’s most important job.

Comment: I didn't read book for the challenge, but I enjoyed another book by the author so much ( Touch me Gently) that after reading this one's blurb and finding out it was about shapeshifters, I had to read it. I downloaded right away and read it that same day.
Well, the story is ok, interesting start, they didn't like each other much and I was grinning the whole time, I was antecipating a very romantic novel, with a final surrender that would be perfect.
But...no. Nope, it wasn't like that.
Don't get me wrong, the story works and it's good, intriguing at times but in the end there were things that, although I didn't not like them, it just was too predictable to enjoy completely. I have to agree with someone's comment in AllRomance Ebooks (where I purchased my ebook), when he/she said it had all the clichés used in shapeshifters' books.
The main character don't get along at first because one of them is white (Seth)and the other native american (Kasey). This one just can't accept the white guy because he's a vet replacing the old doctor and to him, white men don't understand animals. However, the white guy is also a shapeshifter like the native american and after that he decides to pursue him, because he is his mate after all.
Perfect story in my opinion, if not for two main things: Seth was abused so it's understandable his fears and less dominant side, but in the beginning he seemed a competent doctor, and by the end he only seemed a very, very close imitation to a twink. I just hate it when a character seems so strong at first and then ends up a twink! Another thing, they didn't like each other and Kasey really had a bad opinion of Seth. He finds out he's his mate and promptly decides to have him. It just seemed rushed. I wished...I guess I wanted to see things in a more believable way, even if it's paranormal.
I still don't regret having read it, and to be honest the author's talent in writing isn't in cause here, I just hoped for a more solid story, perhaps also a little bit original, that was really my hope when I got the book.
The way things ended it's very likely there's a sequel coming, Ill probably read it, but I do hope it's better...

Kathryn Stockett - The Help

Abileen is a black maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, raising her seventeenth white child. She's always taken orders quietly, but lately it leaves her with a bitterness she can no longer bite back. Her friend Minny has certainly never held her tongue, or held on to a job for very long, but now she's working for a newcomer with secrets that leave her speechless. And white socialite Skeeter has just returned from college with ambition and a degree but, to her mother's lament, no husband. Normally Skeeter would find solace in Constantine, the beloved maid who raised her, but Constantine has inexplicably disappeared.

Together, these seemingly different women join to work on a project that could forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town -- to write, in secret, a tell-all book about what it's really like to work as a black maid in the white homes of the South. Despite the terrible risks they will have to take, and the sometimes humorous boundaries they will have to cross, these three women unite with one intention: hope for a better day.

Comment: I loved reading this book. I think the theme is never old fashioned and the setting is so real it can be easily seen (even without the movie to help) in our minds.
the story is told by three women, two black maids and one white yong woman. The three of them tell us things from their POV and all together it makes the most funny/dramatic story. I say both things because there are quite the funny moments but most things are sad..not in a "oh my God I can't believe this is happening", it's more like "this happend for real and I can't help feeling a bit sorry for those who went through it". It's a very thouching novel, it has several scenes where we can't just picture it, because it seems too farfetched, but we know, from hitory books and old movies and texts, it did happen. People were really treated like that. I guess humankind and every people has to find a way to be more powerful than the others, and racism is just that. Several sentences there made me think, made me see myself in a black woman's place, back in the 60s and honestly, it seems too harsh, too inhumane. Were all black people innocent bystanders? I know they weren't, but like all white people aren't perfect; things go both ways.
Aibileen and Minny are teh blacl maids who tell things from the black POV and their parts were often more difficult to read about. Like I said, some things are quite funny and even through their eyes, we see some happy scenes, but the book focuses more on the bad things, even when seen from a happy POV.
Each page in this book is a surprise, a literary delight. The author managed to write things in a simplistic, easy manner, in a fluid way that just make us want to read more and more.
The end...I wouldn't say it's bad, because it hopeful, and things happen in a way that allow us to imagine how it would be the future, but the overall sense of the story is quite sad, we always wish for more...
I don't regret having read it, I'll see the movie too one day, but right now the book is still fresh in my mind and I loved it. I recommend it to everyone.

Josh Lanyon - Somebody Killed His Editor

For sixteen years Christopher (Kit) Holmes has enjoyed a successful career as a mystery writer, thanks to the popularity of elderly spinster sleuth, Miss Butterwith and her ingenious cat, Mr. Pinkerton. But sales are down in everything but chick lit and Christopher’s new editor doesn’t like geriatric gumshoes. It’s a pink, pink world for Kit.
Reluctantly the reclusive Christopher agrees to attend a mystery writer’s conference at a remote Northern California winery. But no sooner does he arrive then the bridge to the outside world washes out. On his trek to the Blue Heron Lodge, Christopher discovers the body of a woman in the woods. If nearly two decades of mystery-writing are anything to go by, the woman doesn’t appear to have died a natural death.
Thanks to the ongoing storm and washed-out bridge, local law enforcement is not able to come to the rescue. Déjà vu! It’s practically like all those classic murder mysteries in isolated country manors that Christopher has been penning for sixteen years! If only Miss Butterwith was on hand. Or even Mr. Pinkerton....

Comment: After reading so many good things about the author's work and seeing some positive reviews I was expecting the book to be close to perfect.
The story focuses on Christopher Holmes, an outdated writer who tries to meet his publisher in order to get back his graces, but he stumbles on a dead woman on his way to the rustic place where the writer's convention is being held. There he meets several people and faces again an ex-lover.
The premise is good and the mystery is constant from page one, I enjoyed it and also how a small step at a time the relationship between Holmes and Moriarty, his ex-lover, developped and seemed to gain force.
This was the first book by the author i read so it took some time to get used to the language, the writing style and I must say I wasn't dazzled. It was ok for me. The overall story wasn't that bad either, but I was hoping for soemthing more, I don't know exactly what. True, the dialogue and inserted ideas about publishing these days is quite well done, but the story itself...I'm not sure but it didn't made such an impression on me as I was hoping for. On one hand it kind of puts me off from going to read more things but I'm still curious over the Adrien English series, that so many people love, I wonder if my mistake was by not starting with those?
Anyway, I'll read that series one day, but so far, I'm not impressed. Curious, hopeful still, but not impressed.

JR Ward - Envy

As the son of a serial killer, homicide detective Thomas "Veck" DelVecchio, Jr., grew up in the shadow of evil. Now, on the knife-edge between civic duty and blind retribution, he atones for the sins of his father- while fighting his inner demons. Assigned to monitor Veck is Internal Affairs officer Sophia Reilly, whose interest in him is both professional and arousingly personal. And Veck and Sophia have another link: Jim Heron, a mysterious stranger with too many answers... to questions that are deadly. When Veck and Sophia are drawn into the ultimate battle between good and evil, their fallen angel savior is the only thing that stands between them and eternal damnation.

Comment: I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the series. Not because I was expecting some like BDB, because I knew it wouldn't be, but due to other issues, namely the fact the villain can disguise herself so well that tricks sometimes innocent characters. I hate that, I hate the fact some of them are treated like morons just because they don't know what is happening. Somehow it was ruining the series a bit for me. However, the rest of the story usually was better and I could put aside what I didn't enjoy.
In this 3rd book, I was positevely surprised to see some new things like the acknowledgement of Dog as something else and the relationship between Nigel and Colin. I was sad, very sad, over other things I won't explain to avoid spoilers and Devina surprised me too, although I can't like her even when she's being nice, or showing some emotion (even fake).
The romance was better than the others, I think. Well, at least it seemed so to me. Things overall are shaping up and I hope to see more definitive things being settled instead of ppages and pages of supposition.
One thing I don't particularly like, this seven sins motto, well, she had a great idea and I thought she was going to be more straightfoward in her approach but it's all so vague and grey, it's like the sins were just a catching phrase or something...it doesn't really feel the series focus on it.
I constantly find clues about BDB in this series. Well, the author has said, before the 1st book was published, that the beings (actually the angels) in this series aren't anything like Lassiter from BDB and that this series was completely different. But the fact is, we see vampires, we see characters connected to both series and it's getting harder to see the limit between them. Not that it ruisn anything so far, but it's annoying to think about it and wonder. I think I wished a more settled boundary or explanation or limit or something...
Anyway, so far it's still a auto buy, I hope it still goes along well with the next book.

Karen Marie Moning - The Immortal Highlander

BEWARE: lethally seductive alpha male of immense strength and dark eroticism, do not look at him. Do not touch him. Do not be tempted. Do not be seduced.
With his long, black hair and dark, mesmerizing eyes, Adam Black is Trouble with a capital T Immortal, arrogant, and intensely sensual, he is free to roam across time and continents in pursuit of his insatiable desires. That is, until a curse strips him of his immortality and makes him invisible, a cruel fate for so irresistible a man. Now Adam's only hope for survival is in the hands of the one woman who can actually see him.
Enter law student Gabrielle O'Callaghan. For Gabrielle, cursed with the ability to see both worlds, Mortal and Faery, it is the beginning of a long, dangerous seduction. But as Adam's quest to regain his immortality plunges them into a world of timeless magic, the price of surrender could be their very lives. Unless they can thwart the conspiracy that threatens both Mortal and Faery realms . . . and give them a shot at a destiny few mortals ever know: glorious, wondrous, endless love . . .

Comment: This is the 6th book in the highlander series and I must say that I liked the fae part more than the romance.
The love story in the book felt more of the same old, and very similar to the other books. Truly, I have nothing against the fact the female protagonists are virgins, but for them all to just want to get rid of it, and fall helplessly at the men's feet...some change would be fun and even dynamic, in my opinion.
I think the best part was to see what happens in the fae world, what is started here and later on developped in the other series. I can't help thinking, what if i had read this before the other, like so many readers have? Would my idea of fae in the fever series change? Because now I can't ignore some facts and some things make more sense to me, but I'm glad i read the fever series first. Would this be redundant if I had read this one before? Because the truth is, what we know here seems to be unimportant in the great scheme of things, but in the other one is vital. This is quite the dichotomy.
Adam is a great character, I liked to see more about him, to see some of his fears and most of all, the decison he took in the end. Quite brave of him, but once again, I keep wondering, what if he were to have more power in what happens in the fever series? My mind starts to get fuzzy at this point lol
Apart from so many detailed sex scenes, there's nothing else I'd change in this novel...sometimes what is understood is more valuable than what we see.

Deborah Smith - Miracle

SEBASTIEN DE SAVIN--A brilliant surgeon whose skill and arrogance were a volatile mixture. A dark secret in his past had hardened his heart to love, until a miracle entered his life.
AMY MIRACLE--A shy young girl with a summer job at the de Savin family vineyards, she was the last person Sebastien expected to break through his defenses, to make him laugh-and love. Escaping her past of poverty and abuse, she would create herself anew, blossoming because of the love Sebastien had nurtured.
SEBASTIEN AND AMY--A fluke threw them together. Real life tore them apart. Though they'd spent short weeks together, the memories of those precious hours sustained and haunted them both for years. Then came the day their paths would cross again...
MIRACLE is an unforgettable story of love and the collision of worlds, from a shanty in the Georgia hills to a television studio in L.A., from a prestigious Atlanta hospital to the heat and dust of Africa to glittering Paris nights. With warm, humorous, passionate characters, MIRACLE weaves a spell in which love may be improbable but never impossible.

Comment: This book tells us the story of Amy and Sebastien. She's poor and has a complicated life and he's rich and also has a complicated life. The fact that when they meet it's like destined recognition is one of the author's trademarks. When her protagonists meet, that's it. no matter what happens in their lives, each one belongs to the other one.
When they meet they're young and immature and make mistakes, are influenced and don't understand they should fight. But I guess it's part of growing up, we don't always make the better choices. Besides it takes them 10 years of separation to have other experiences, to meet other people and then finally reunite and see what's been there all along.
I think this book has a lot of drama, or it simply was shown in a different way, I'm not sure how to explain, in her other books the problems seemed to gain a life og their own and in this one there was a biger dose of drama but curiously, it affected me less, I think it's because I felt more detached from it? Anyway, there were a lot of sad things happening, especially in Sebastien's past and everything had to be worked out.
The lessons they both learned were really important to how they lived their new reality after the reunion. I like to think their HEA is full of hope, and will be always happy as it looked like.
I don't think this is the author's best work, it's not even my favourite but it's good and shows emotion, I still think she's a great storyteller.

Tess Gerritsen - Body Double

Boston medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles is shocked to discover that the murdered woman looks exactly like her. For Maura, an only child, a DNA test confirms the startling fact: the mysterious doppelganger is in fact her twin sister. Now an already bizarre homicide investigation becomes a disturbing excursion into a past full of dark secrets and twisted truths. It is a journey that leads Maura to the mother she never knew--an icy and cunning woman who gave Maura life . . . and who just might have a plan to take it away.

Comment: This 4th book in the series featuring Rizzoli and Isles is very good and has a killer I didn't see coming. It's quite interesting that the whole book presents strong characters and plot and things seem to move in a very misterious way and then, in the end we find out the reasons for most things are..simple. Mudane. It's very refreshing to see it, actually.
Maura Isles finds out she has a twin sister, as she was adopted. After knowing who her parents are, we can understand some of her fears concerning her personlity but there's also personal things happening to her and we want to see it happening, not just a possibility. I'm eager to see it it will be like I think it will, based on what happens from book to book.
Jane Rizzoli is pregnant and has a good husband but the past is still just a mamory away. I was told she will have a deeper presence in the next book, I can't wait to see more.
Thw teo main characters are strong women and the way they think while solving the cases and facing their personal obstacles is very intriguing, the author has done a very good work in their characterization. I'm very pleased to have known the series and to have yet some books to read.

Laura Wright - Eternal Kiss

Raised by the Breed, Nicholas Roman wants to stop the Eternal Order of Vampires from controlling his life, and using other males from his bloodline-including possibly his son-for their vicious reign. Only a beautiful vampire stranger can help him. But what are her true motives?

Comment: This is the second installment on the Mark of the Vampire series by mrs Wright. This book focuses on the second brother, Nicholas, as he goes through his morph and finds his mate.

I think this book had a better storyline and presented an interesting couple. Nick had an awful past, one we can't help but feel sad about and he still lives according to it, which is more difficult to accept, but when we stop to think not everyone would react well if something like that were to happen to us, then it gets easier to justify it as possible.

Kate also has something to go through, she's been in jail for years and we get to know the real reasons why almost in the end and that redeems her in our eyes.

I think in the end it's good to see them together, although in some parts the reluctant acceptance of things (mostly the mating itself) gets a bit boring, considering the sexual part is too emphasized as usual. If it's that special, that hard to ignore, why such reluctance to accept things as they are? Anyway, all things considered I liked the romance.

This story also brings closure in one thing and sets up the following books. I think it's great that we know more things about other characters. There's also a big something that I didn't see coming and can't wait to see how it will play out.

The next book is about Lucien, the third brother, and we already know who his mate is, I just don't know how it will happen, although I have an idea...

It releases next year, we must wait then.

Amber Green - Bareback

Joe's life is perfect--except for the serial killers, the mysterious twins, and his new love being a guy...who needs sex to stay human.
Everyone knows Joe as a straight-up, straight cop standing fast in the moral heart of his beloved town. Brian's new in town. He's also a bareback, a jinx, an untwinned huntsman nobody in his right mind would rely on. When the dark side of the cops--vigilantes gone outlaw--joins with the monstrous dark side of the huntsmen, lovers must become brothers to strike at the heart of evil.

Comment: My second read for the challenge this month.
I am aware this was a second book, it would follow a previous story somwhow, but in most cases we can follow the stories without having read others before, so I figured out I would be ok.
After all, things didn't work out that well. The story is very confising to follow, I realized although it's set in a different time, the way it's told assumes the reader knows what is going on. I was confused all the time. Another thing is the writing itself. Many scenes just jump from one thing to another without a link, so the reader has to guess where the action is next. All this confusion and jumping scenes make the book too exhausting to read and also a bit difficult, because we must figure things to quickly, without much certainty.
The romance was ok, I guess, but I could put aside what I wasn't geting to, in order to enjoy the love thing. The story was a mess, it took me a long time to understand things.
So why didn't I start with the first, well, that one is a m/f/m or m/m/f which means menage and I'm not looking for those books at the moment. I wasn't really interested in reading a menage book, so I jumped ahead... a mistake, but well, this is how we learn. I visited the auhtor's site and there's not much there to catch my eye, so I guess it would be an author to avoid from here on.

Mini comments: Lorraine Heath and Lynsay Sands

Five years in prison for a crime he didn't commit--that's how long Austin Leigh has waited to clear his name, and to be reunited with his beloved Becky. But when he is finally released, Becky is married to another. Now, Austin is determined to find the killer who destroyed his life and ruined his one chance for love. He is searching for justice--and for revenge. But what he discovers along the way is something quite different. Her name is Loree Grant, and she's survived tragedy of her own. She is the kind of friend that Austin has never had, a true companion on the long road to forgiveness and redemption. And as Austin slowly bares his soul to this strong and beautiful woman, he begins to open his heart ... to love.

Comment: I liked this story but not as much as the previous two in thr trilogy. I understand why many readers share this opinion, it's obvious there's not the same sense of happiness in this book as there is in the others. I mean, the story ends up well, with a HEA, but there's just not the same.
I liked the couple alright, but their relationship wasn't exactly what i thought it might be...it's ok, I guess, but it didn't happen the way I imagined and that clouds up a bit my idea of it. But I'll miss the characters for sure.

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Rogue hunter Drina Argenis (from the Spanish side of the Argeneau family) has been many things in her years as an immortal, but bodyguard/ babysitter to a teenage vampire is something new. There's an incentive, however: the other vampsitter, Harper Stoyan, may be Drina's life mate.
Trouble is, having just lost a life mate, Harper is resigned to being alone. He's completely unprepared when sexy and unpredictable Drina bursts into his life to reignite his passions. Can Drina, with a little matchmaking help from their teen charge, tempt this reluctant vampire to take a chance?
Or will a dangerous, unseen renegade kill Drina and Harper's one chance at happiness?

Comment: Another installment in the series, I think there are better books than this one. The romance isn't the best one altough it was fun to watch and it has many sexy scenes. I liked how things worked out well for them in the end. The best thing is to see some characters and what is happening to them..even more interesting to put the actions of this book in the overall idea of the series. There's a lot happening for sure and we get to see small doses each time. Now I can't wait for the short-story coming in an anthology soon.

Fae Sutherland & Marguerite Labbe - The Exceptions to the Rule

Two men with nothing in common, a strip club on a Tuesday night and a meeting that will forever change the rules. Nathan Daniels and Jamie Nolan are from two different worlds, but underneath the facades and packaging, they're more alike than they think. Suits and ties meet leather and tattoos as a bartender and a financial analyst find out that falling in love is everything the storybooks say, even when it's the X-rated version.

Comment: I chose this book for the challenge because t had a blurb I felt was catching. Opposites attract are one of the things I like to see in romances. In the blurb we get the idea the two main characters couldn't be more different and that was the spark. I felt wonderful when I downloaded it to my e-reader and wondered how much fun I was going to get while reading it.
Wrong.
The story can be summarizes like this: they meet, they have sex, they face an ex-lover of one of them and they say I love you. Predictable but perhaps enjoyable if well writen. In this case it was as basic as one gets. Nothing interesting happens, there's no conflict, no real challange in starting a relationship, nothing. They have sex and that's it, there's almost nothing to think about and when that ex shows up it's cleary an attempt to bring some flavour to this but it's no use, it's forced and it doesn't work.
I was quite disappointed, other books by them are so well liked! I must have picked the wrong thing to read by them, but it's done. I don't recommend this book.
What was meant to work is flat, it's tasteless. I don't recall a single thing to like in the story, even the couple has a lot to be desired.
Better luck next time, I hope, but it it will be a long time before that.

Gena Showalter - The Darkest Surrender

Strider – Immortal Keeper of Defeat. Nothing comes between him and victory. Possessed by the demon of Defeat, Strider suffers unimaginable pain when he loses a challenge. For him, nothing stands in the way of winning. Until Kaia, an enchanting. Harpy, tempts him. Kaia must bring home the gold in the Harpy Games or die. Strider is a distraction she can’t afford, especially as he intends to steal first prize—an ancient magical artefact—before the true victor can be named. But as the competition heats up, only one prize will matter— the dangerous, addictive passion neither had thought possible.

Comment: I liked this book a lot, especially because we see many things happening. Not only do we have Strider and Kaia's romance developping, but we also see thingd from other's POV, namely the ones whose story is coming soon. These little tidbits are great because make us speculate and imagine things...it makes us salivate to read their stories and I, for one, can't wait.
About the story, we see Strider trying to avoid Kaia once more, but as the harpies are invited (more like summoned) to attend the fighting games, somthing the harpies do once in a while, Kaia really wants Strider to go, because he is her consort and would help her heal but he must be convinced first. But he does go because the main prize means a lot to him after all...
I think it was clever that the author included the games in the storyline because it allowed things to progress on both counts, on the personal level between kais and Strider and in the overall plotline. I'm very glad to have read this and to see that this isn't a series always at the same point. Things happen here and that's perfect.
I like this kind of books where things develop nicely and where we see characters interact. I hope she keeps going this way.

Quick new comments

I was raised for battle. And as the first daughter of a warrior family, I've earned my reputation the hard way. Yet now I fight alongside uncivilized male Northland dragons who think a female is only good for breeding and waiting back home in the cave. But it's the foolish and foolhardy who would try to stop me, Rhona the Fearless, from doing what I do best - destroying the enemies of my kind. So the smartest thing wily barbarian Vigholf the Abhorrent can do for me is stay out of my way as we risk all on a deadly mission in enemy territory. I don't care if he's fascinated by me, even though he is as attractive as he is resourceful. He's having far too much fun putting me in difficult situations and testing my sense of duty to the limit. And I'm going to enjoy challenging his insufferable confidence, outwitting his schemes, and making him surrender in the wildest ways...

Comment: I loved, loved, loved this book. I really liked seeing so many subplots taking place and how everything worked out. So good to see beloved characters and new ones, who might become protagonists. I think this is the best series with dragons I'm currently reading. Love this world, it's auto buy for me at this point.

* * *

The first time he laid eyes on her she had come to his rescue with a sword in her hand. Still Morvan Fitzwaryn had never seen any woman who aroused his interest and his passion more than the unconventional Breton warrior beauty. Anna de Leon took him into her castle and nursed him back to health, little knowing the spark of desire she was feeding with her caring ministrations. It wasn't long before Morvan had vowed to protect and conquer this unconquerable woman with all the sensual weapons at his disposal.

For her part, Anna de Leon had no interest in men as lovers or husbands. She was used to commanding men in battle. But she suddenly had the strange feeling that her well-fortified defenses could be breached by this dark-eyed, smolderingly handsome English knight. When her castle is besieged by an old enemy who claims both her and her lands, Anna finds she has no choice but to accept Morvan's aid -- even if the enemy outside her walls is no match for the ally within, who with every tantalizing kiss and forbidden embrace threatens to make her a prisoner of her own fiery passion.

Comment: I like this author but I must say, in small doses. She's not my favourite wrioting historicals, being them medieval or regency. In this book I was often divided between hapy for Anna for being independent and resigned to see her capitulate part of it because of the times she was living in. Anyway, the romance was convincing and in the end I had a good time reading it. Also, it was good to see past characters. I alway love that in my books!

F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby

"He talked a lot about the past and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy. His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was ..." The Great Gatsby (1925), F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece, stands among the greatest of all American fiction. Jay Gatsby's lavish lifestyle in a mansion on Long Island's gold coast encapsulates the spirit, excitement, and violence of the era Fitzgerald named 'the Jazz Age'. Impelled by his love for Daisy Buchanan, Gatsby seeks nothing less than to recapture the moment five years earlier when his best and brightest dreams - his 'unutterable visions' - seemed to be incarnated in her kiss. A moving portrayal of the power of romantic imagination, as well as the pathos and courage entailed in the pusuit of an unattainable dream, The Great Gatsby is a classic fiction of hope and disillusion. This edition is fully annotated with a fine Introduction incorporating new interpretation and detailing Fitzgerald's struggle to write the novel, its critical reception and its significance for future generations.

Comment: I didn't like this book. I understand its appeal and the writing is something exceptional, but in the end, the story didn't grab me. I understand why it is considered a classic, but the whole drama seems to be a greek drama but not completely. I didn't care much for the characters or why they acted the way they did. I recognize why it's considered a masterpiece and at the time it surely was innovative and unique, but today it's not that interesting. I admit it, it remains fresh because the human nature never stops to get lower and lower in certain aspects, but as an entertaining story...no. I was bored and had to force myself to keep going. It only seemed better close to the end end, although how it ended wasn't exactly a surprise.

One things is good, the author's prose, it's interesting and some sentences ring true somehow. My favourite sentences are the following, perfect examples and summaries of Tom and Daisy, the two selfish characters in the story. Apart from this, the book will be a greyish cloud in my brain in the future, for sure. Thankfully, my edition had notes and I understood better some things, but still.

"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy -they smashed things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made..."

Isabel Cooper - No Proper Lady

England, 1888. The trees are green, the birds are singing, and no one has any idea that in a few hundred years, demons will destroy it all. Joan plans to keep it that way. All she has to do is take out the dark magician responsible-before he summons the demons in the first place. But as a rough-around-the-edges assassin from that bleak future, she'll have to learn how to fit into polite Victorian society to get close to her target.
Simon Grenville has his own reasons for wanting to destroy Alex Reynell. The man used to be his best friend-until his practice of the dark arts almost killed Simon's sister. The beautiful half-naked stranger Simon meets in the woods may be the perfect instrument for his revenge. It will just take a little time to teach her the necessary etiquette and assemble a proper wardrobe. But as each day passes, Simon is less sure he wants Joan anywhere near Reynell. Because no spell in the world will save his future if she isn't in it.

Comment: This is the first book by the author and it's a good debut. The plot works out well, and the characters seem well done.
The story takes place in the past but because the main female character comes from the future where humans are fewer and fewer everyday because of demons unleashed in 19th century by one man, Alex Randell. Now Joan, our heroine, has one chance to return to the past and stop him.
However, she knows nothing of the way of living back then, so with the help of Simon, a lord with a house near the place she arrives in that century, she'll learn how to be a proper lady and defeat Alex.
I think this book has justone issue I'd like to see different. I wish there was more focus on the adaptation of Joan in the regency times, she is too independent and strong to act as a real lady form that time. I get it, she is who she is, but I feel she's living with a mask and not as Joan herself, so it makes the book a bit rushed because we don't get the feeling she's there to stay. I hope the next book shows her to us again and we can see if she's more at ease with living in the 19th century.
The other characters are very intriguing and I enjoyed meeting them, namely Simon and Ellie, the brother and sister who welcomed and helped Joan. Simon and Joan are very atracted to each other and a romance starts between them. the way it ended wasquite sweet and I liked seeing how they felt for each other.
I think this is a very original novel, not many authors made time travel from a future back 200 years, usually is more to nowadays present. But Joan's reality is dark and a dead end for humans and the little tidbits she mentioned make us want to see her happy with Simon.
There's also a sense of soemthing rushed, I think it's because this is a first novel and more things should be explained and a more solid base should have been created, ut like I said, I hope the next book might give that feeling of closure.
A good author to bear in mind.

October's challenge update

October arrived and with it, three more m/m author to read for the challenge.
When I finish these, I'll only have 5 more to finish the challenge. I guess I could've ended it sooner but part of the fun is to read calmly, so...

Anyway, this month's authors are:
G, from Amber Green
L again, from Josh Lanyon
S, from Fae Sutherland
However, Fae Sutherland's book was co-writen with Margurite Labbe.