Lara Adrian - Edge of Dawn

Twenty years after "First Dawn" - the morning that followed a blood-soaked night where Mankind learned that vampires lived among them - wars and skirmishes continue. Peace between humans and the Breed seems elusive, but the Order and their allies will not rest until it is won. 
For Mira, raised with the Order from the time she was a child and now the formidable captain of her own team of warriors, the fight is personal. War with mankind has cost her a great deal - the life of someone she loved dearly. 
Vowed to avenge his death, Mira blazes into every battle like a Valkyrie - until an unexpected encounter with a rebel leader brings her face-to-face with a startling truth, and a betrayal that will cut through her every defense...straight to the core of the wounded woman whose faith has never been more tested, nor her heart more deeply torn.

Comment: This is the most recent book in the Midnight series by Lara Adrian. Ha, one more book recently published I've gone through...once in a while I do have to keep up with recent stuff otherwise it would pile up and up and up...

This is Mira's story. We've known her since book #5, where she was rescued by couple Renata and Nikolai.

Now, 20 years have gone since the last book, where vampires were announced to the world. Now, there's an alliance between humans and vampires although not very comfortable. The world is divided between accepting and hating the Breeds and there are many fights around. Mira is in charge of a fighting team to keep the order in the streets. She's still feeling the loss of her best friend/lover Kellan in an explosion eight years ago.

A conference for peace is close by but someone doesn't Breeds to feel accepted and any thing could be the trigger to a war, such as the kidnapping of a young human scientist with Breed security by a group of rebels. But the rebel leader isn't random..

I was very glad to know this new arc would still have the characters we got to know and love from the other books. Obviously not in protagonist status but still there. 

What I wasn't very eager to see was the environment of war that would serve the general opinion of  the Breed's existence..in my head I thought it would have been better if they were accepted and the prejudice was only in the minority. Instead, it's the opposite. There's a too polite acceptance of vampires by the world and this will allow for certain behavior and attitude's plots that I feel I might get tired of..let's see what the author does because the book ended was a major discovery and it might change the whole idea the reader might have about this new arc. What a surprise and how exciting if this happens like it's likely to be.

The plot was interesting but to be honest I wasn't that mesmerized by it until the last part of the book where the surprise happens.

I was much more eager to read about the characters, about what they were doing, about how they are now that two decades have passed. It was fun to see some of the babies as grown ups now and with ideas and personalities of their own. It will be interesting to see them now.

The romance was cute, it had many great scenes, but it wasn't as amazing as I imagined it would be. Perhaps because Kellan faked his own death over a reason I understand but don't agree with. Sometimes if we're scared of something and most especially of the reaction our loved ones might have, then we do rushed things, we don't think about the reasons why they are out loved ones and we act on impulse. This was what I think Kellan did, he acted fast after knowing something and didn't stop to talk, to share his fears, to try to find a solution..wouldn't it be wiser? But no, he went on his idea of faking death and for 8 years he has been suffering and the ones who love him did too. I'm glad it all worked out in the end, but it was a plot line I didn't feel was that strong.

Overall, it was another great book by the author..some things didn't match my expectations but I have the feeling the next books might be more powerful, both in romance and in plot line.

Catherine Anderson - Perfect Timing

Tragedy has struck the Harrigans -- Quincy’s beloved sister-in-law Loni is gravely ill and nearing

death. Quincy, like his brothers, feels helpless to save her, and the clock is ticking. Then, with perfect timing, a winsome red-haired woman named Ceara O’Ceallaigh mysteriously appears on Quincy’s property and insists that Loni can be cured. Only Quincy, she says, as the sole remaining Harrigan bachelor, can make it happen -- by marrying Ceara.
To Quincy, Ceara is a charming and quite likely deranged spinner of dreams who can’t prove she’s telling the truth. But how can he pass up any attempt to restore Loni to health? Against all better judgment, he decides to marry Ceara. Maybe he’s making the worst mistake of his life. Or maybe he’s opening himself up to possibilities that defy explanation...and will send him on a miraculous journey toward enough love to last forever.

Comment: This book is the last in the Harrigan Family, which started as part of the Coulter Family series...apparently this one is really the last of the general series the author has been working on in the past several years. I'm curious to see what she might write now, apart from the re-releases she's been publishing too.

This is finally the story of Quincy, the last of the Harrigan brothers. He is a vegetarian and has been the talk of the family for his taste (or lack of) but always in a easy way, as the family is very united and happy.

The said family is now living a harsh moment, as Loni, one of Quincy's sister's-in-law is sick and might die. Then one woman shows up in Quincy's ranch, in particular in a horse stall. She claims she's from several centuries past, she's a druid and she's here to marry Quincy and save Loni from death and the Harrigan men from a curse.

Feel like laughing?

I did, I admit it. So not what I expected for this book.

I've been a fan of this series since Baby Love, where the links and family ties started. All the books have had a rather serious tone, and dealt with dramatic situations, not over the top, but string enough to keep a more serious tone to the whole series, even with lighter moments here and there. Then comes this book so totally different from what the readers were used to and although  can see its better characteristics, it's still so opposite the others I can't help but feeling a bit more disappointed than glad to have read it.

What I mean is, the book isn't bad, just not what I thought it might be.

Ceara comes from the past so she doesn't know a lot of things and the way she deals with it, how her trials become tasks is funny and I laughed a lot while reading. I think it has a certain extra comic tone too.

There were two peaks of drama, one in the beginning and another in the end, but overall I'd say this is a funny book. I did read the book very fast because it was interesting and funny and easy to read. Many great scenes that the reader wants to read and always that feeling of "just one more page and I'll stop" that, of course, wasn't that easy to do as that.

The romance was OK, considering the plot line. Again, very funny.

I thought Quincy's diet, which was a set subject in previous books was so dismissed here, like it wasn't that important...this was  a bit of a let down, such an important part of his personality before and here it seemed it wasn't that important.

But the thing that really left me a bit disappointed was the way the plot developed. These books were great, were focused on the real problems of contemporary life and now here comes time travel, magic and lightness of tone that never seemed this strong before...I wonder why the change, right now? These were great ideas and I wouldn't mind reading them in another book, perhaps something new, but in a series with an already established tone? It felt so out of place...

So, I liked it, but didn't love it, not even close. It was fun and great to see the beloved characters together and happy, but I wanted and expected more.

Gena Showalter - Beauty Awakened

His name is Koldo. He is scarred, powerful, his control legendary -- and he lives only for vengeance against the angel who viciously removed his wings. But if he yields to the forces of hatred, he will be eternally damned.
Nicola Lane was born with a defective heart, yet this fragile human shows surprising strength as demons stalk her every move, determined to end her. She is the key to Koldo's deliverance…and his downfall. Though he fights duty, destiny and his first addictive taste of desire, his toughest battle will be the one for Nicola's life -- even if he has to sacrifice his own….

Comment: This is another of the several authors whose work I try to read as soon as a new book arrives in my house. Although I saw a comment here and there about certain aspects not so brilliant - in those opinions - about this book, I was still quite eager to get to it.

This is the story of Koldo, another Sent One - an angel but not like the usual angels - of the Army of Disgrace that we've met in Wicked Nights. Koldo doesn't have wings since he was a child because someone took them from him. He grew up with difficult memories and experiences and now has much hate in his heart. till, he walks around trying to help others like angels do. One day he meets Nicola and her sister in a hospital and tries to help Nicola realize that being positive and wanting to feel better will help her put the demons that feed from her away.

Nicola has a heart disease as does her twin sister, but she isn't as sick and with the help of Koldo she starts to see the monsters around her and fights back.

When Nicola thought things were getting better, something bad happens and only with Koldo's help she can attempt to make things right.

I liked this book. It wasn't as sexy or focused on the sexual tension of other books - I'll come to that - but overall, I think is was a solid book anyway.

The storyline follows the things that happened in the last book and we even get a little mention of Kane, the hero of the next book in the Lord of the Underworld series, but as any fan could say, being this is a spin off, many characters from the main series are mentioned or show up here too.

The characters are intriguing as always. More so the secondary ones as we get tidbits about them but don't really see their inner thoughts a lot, so we get curious. I'm very curious about a couple of them and want to see where their paths are taking them, it's all very well done, we get hints enough to keep us wanting to know more, but not too many to ruin the mystery effect.

The romance was OK. It wasn't as sexy as the romances in previous books. I actually have the feeling the author has toned it down a bit. I think it could have been more explosive, but it was more in the warm side than the hot one..not that it's a bad thing, just...unusual.

Some people have said out there in the internet that Gena has found religion. I wasn't aware of that but I read this while still reading the book and from that moment on I was trying to see it through religious eyes and personally I didn't feel the book was a wake up call to readers to feel God is the key to the world or something. The way I saw it, religion and happy thoughts and as the author says, the Most High, aren't the only ways to be happy. It's not believing in God on its own that saves someone. I think the message was more about being confident in ourselves and that if we try to be happy, if we try to see the positive side of things, out lives become easier, more relaxed. 

But I also understand some people might see things as too heavy on the religious side, not that much, but more so because the previous books by the author weren't like that.

To be honest I don't think this was that special, it wasn't that obvious to make the reader feel conflicted...but it's just the way I saw it. It's true that the book had a very strong message about being positive to keep disease and unhappiness away and that the sex was more toned down, but there are many key elements in the book that are still the Gena we used to know and things work out in order to make the book her usual trademark...just a little bit less sexy.

In the end it depends on how each person sees it, I guess...

I liked it. It wasn't the very best by her, but I was eager to see Koldo and Nicole getting a HEA and like always, in the end amazing things happen that surprise us. Koldo did deserve happiness and I loved him getting it as well as love with Nicola.

Song #7

When the group Silence 4 ended (the band whose videos I've talked about in the more recent music posts), the lead singer, David Fonseca, kept his career solo. He still sings in English and the lyrics are his as well.

This is one of the first songs he released when he started singing solo.

It's sad, but beautiful in my opinion.

Susanna Kearsley - Mariana

The first time Julia Beckett saw Greywethers she was only five, but she knew that it was her house. And now that she’s at last become its owner, she suspects that she was drawn there for a reason.
As if Greywethers were a portal between worlds, she finds herself transported into seventeenth-century England, becoming Mariana, a young woman struggling against danger and treachery, and battling a forbidden love.
Each time Julia travels back, she becomes more enthralled with the past...until she realizes Mariana’s life is threatening to eclipse her own, and she must find a way to lay the past to rest or lose the chance for happiness in her own time.

Comment: I've picked this book because I've read some excellent comments about it and I wanted to see for myself. I've enjoyed the author's style and writing rhythm in the previous two books by her I've read so I was actually with pretty good expectations about this one as well.

When she was a child, Julia Beckett saw a house during one of the trips she did with her family and she fell in love with it at first sight. She felt compelled to that house and she didn't know why but several years later she is back and buys it. Soon, some strange things start happening to her and she has flashes where she becomes someone else, from centuries ago, and lives moments in that other person skin. Dealing with what she thinks is madness and her everyday life, no wonder Julia feels her emotions are getting the better of her, but as she realizes what is happening..how can she pretend it isn't real?

 Wow. I really liked this book. I think it's very similar to Sophia's Secret (or Winter Sea) that I've read some months ago, but I have to say I preferred this one. The basis of the two are the same, a young woman seeking refuge in a special, more rustic place, to work and meeting interesting people with past experiences taking up parts of her daily life making her see what was happening centuries ago. But the similarities stop here, because the details change. Sophia's Secret was more about memories in the things, about someone else and Mariana is more centered in the reincarnation theory. Personally I liked this one better because Julia didn't think of somebody else back in history, she was that person. Very enthralling I assure you.

I'm very curious about reincarnation and I actually have read several books by Brian Weiss, M.D. on the subject and how people can see their past lives through hypnoses. It's very interesting and although it's not the same in this story I couldn't help but feeling curious about the book even more after knowing this fact.

Julia feels very conflicted about what is happening to her today and what was happening to Mariana  centuries ago. There comes a time she can't be objective about the two lives and even those around her see the difference. 

I was eager to know who was in her life today as well, as the past lives theory says we surround ourselves with the same people over and over, although they can play different roles in the different lives and Mariana was deeply in love with someone and I really wanted to see who that person was in Julia's life. She thought someone and the clues did point out to him, but I have to be honest, it would have been too easy so I suspected someone else...I even think after a while it become a bit obvious but I also believe the author was a little bit too subtle in that because even after the end I still think the clues to that weren't that easy to figure out and I can't help feeling disappointed about the rushed way we saw how things really were.

The story was engrossing and the writing was simple but fluid, as usual. I'm very happy to read the books by this author and I think she does a great job with the character's details and experiences. It's all very compelling. In this one I was also very interested in what was happening with both times, th present and the past whereas in Sophia's Secret the story in the past wasn't that interesting for me. Mariana was the first to be written and I think she really got a wonderful story the first try.

This was a great book as well and to this day I still can't help but think about how it ended, although that part could have been a bit longer just to reassure the reader of how things are. Still, an amazing read, without a doubt.

TBR Challenge: Shayla Black - Embrace Me at Dawn

Anka MacTavish lost everything when Mathias D’Arc captured her, shattered her bond with her mate, and broke both her body and spirit. Determined to heal her bleeding soul, she joins the Doomsday Brethren’s fight to vanquish the evil wizard and seize her revenge. But becoming a magical warrior will require close contact with her former mate, the love who’s never left her heart, Lucan. And she’ll have to explain why she left him and fled to the arms of another lover…
Lucan’s world crumbled when Anka escaped Mathias and sought protection from his long-time rival, Shock. Now she has returned, and Lucan must train her to confront a new and terrible danger that threatens magickind. With every punch, blow, and parry, Lucan discovers that Anka isn’t the demure wife he once knew, and his growing desire for this woman is a need he can’t control. He vows to do whatever it takes to reclaim her heart and make her his once more. But when the Doomsday Brethren are forced to make an unlikely alliance, it will test Anka’s resolve like never before. To survive, she and Lucan must rely on one another, face their deepest fears…and expose the dark secrets that threaten to destroy everything, including their love.

Comment: I've had this book to read since august of last year and I've picked it for the challenge just to change genres a bit, as I don't foresee paranormal in the challenge in the upcoming months.

This is the 5th story of the Doomsday Brethren by Shayla Black. It's a world of wizards, witches and magic in a classic battle between good and evil. 

Lucan and Anka, they have been mates for a long time until the day the bad guy kidnapped Anka and raped her, severing the mate bond wizards have with the women they love. It was a cruel thing and the mental shields of the two of them broke and Anka forgot about her former life for a few months. At the same time, Lucan experienced pain and craziness in his mate-mourning, even more so because when Aka was released from captivity she went to Shock, a childhood friend and the double spy of the god guys, also a bit the enemy of Lucan. However, the feelings between them never changed even if in a hiatus for a while. Now, after a long time seeing each other again, dreading seeing the other exchanging energy with somebody else (wizards and witches recharge their energy and magic levels through sexual contact), they are teaming up to fight the bad guys and still trying to get their common life again.

I've been a fan of this series since book #1 although it only got better at book #2. I liked this idea of a special mate for each wizard and witch, but as Shayla Black also has erotic books, this series despite being paranormal, also has a bit of sexual importance here, especially in the characters need to have sex to increase their magic levels, otherwise they would waste away. In a way, it's an interesting topic, I've seen it in other series out there, but in here it's done in a good way too. 

In the previous books this idea of sharing that experience with others was meant as a friendly task, also a pleasurable one. But once mated, usually the characters would stick to their mates, except in special cases. Anyway, I was eager to see Anka and Lucan sharing that again, but unfortunately this was ruined by one or two situations I didn't think were that well done by the author and which caused this book to feel weaker than the previous three to me.

Anka has suffered abuse and rape in the hands of the bad guy and never really recovered. Now she wants to fight to battle not only the wizard that raped her but her own fears. A bit like a cathartic move on her side. This idea has merit but since her awful experience, her never mentioned before submissive needs have come to the surface and she wants a bit of control in her sexual relationships to let own frustration and fear. Also understandable. But I can't help feeling this was a bit too handy, the character never showed any of this needs and now here she is, an almost perfect Sub. Hummm....I wasn't convinced of this, but I let it aside. 

Lucan has suffered immensely when Anka was kidnapped from their house and abused. Their mate bond was severed and he had trouble to recover and seeing her with an enemy was too much, but as he never stopped loving her, he put it aside to love her again as show her. Once again, it was quite handy he welcomed the idea of controlling her sexually despite it never had happened. I mean, it was an interesting change, and surely people are different after an abusive ordeal, but there was something about it that I don't think it was that special about the whole situation, although I knew this series had a strong sexual side. I guess only by reading someone gets the point..despite many readers have welcomed this "healing" for the main couple. I liked seeing them mending their relationship, but it didn't have to be like this, I think.

Apart from this was the plot subject f teaming up with the bad guy to find an object. Of course the good guys were the winners of that meeting but I can't help thinking that it was a bit shocking to see them working together after so many awful deeds by the villain. In the end he got what he deserved and I'm happy with it, but still...

The secondary characters play a special part in the book too, many scenes had their presence and I think it's always a good thing, to make the reader see the bond between people, to see them working together, being part of something, not there just to fill space. I'm curious over the next characters having a book, which I hope they will, because the author is now self publishing this series and I fear this might mean lateness...I just hope she doesn't stop before writing the books of the two final main characters.

The book is full of interesting things, the writing is fluid and good, the settings and descriptions aren't boring or too informative and I liked it. Despite this and that, things I wish could have been done differently, this book was god, not as the others, but still in par with the usual feel of the series. I finally caught up with it and now can't wait for the next one, which I hope it's better than this one.

Patricia Briggs - Frost Burned

Mercy Thompson’s life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman -- the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack -- has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy’s life. But on the edges of humanity, what passes for a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more...
After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can’t reach Adam -- or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They’ve all been abducted.
Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam’s disappearance may be related -- and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely .

Comment: This is the latest book in the Mercy Thompson series..or should I say Mercy Hauptmann now? 

How happy this detail makes you have no idea...

So, in this new adventure, the pack has been kidnapped supposedly by military men, except for Mercy, Jesse and Ben. When Mercy knows this, she goes to a safe place because after meeting Ben they realize some of the kidnappers are waiting in expected places to get them as well. Nevertheless, Mercy knows the more important thing for her to do it so protect the weaker elements of the pack, so after making sure Jesse is protected, she and Ben go to Kyle's house because Warren was kidnapped there and Kyle might be in danger. Then Asil shows up to help, a wolf from Bran's pack. Then there's Stefan helping too, but in the end it's Mercy's skills and desire to help her pack that motivate her the most to be the key player in a game no one was actually sure what the purpose was.

Once more, I loved a book in this series. Even when it's weaker than what I wanted, it's still pretty good and just the comfort of reading something about characters you care about can be a positive thing, even when the book itself it's less than perfect.

My favorite thing in these books is how the author has built a wonderful structure of how a pack works. I love all the interactions between the members, I like to know the hierarchy, what it means the small details and inner rules and how it all works in the overall idea. This means I'm quite happy with the role of the pack here and how important it was for Mercy to help a group of people that are coming to mean a lot to her since she mated Adam.

The story has the usual trademark of the author of following Mercy in the first person narrator but she wrote two chapters through Adam's POV, in the third person. I thought is was refreshing and wonderful to have Adam's thoughts there and to see what he was thinking. It was great. Plus, his relationship with Mercy is getting stronger by the day and I loved seeing them together. They're linked much more strongly than what we might think.

One of the best things in this book was how some elements of the pack see Kyle as one of their own because despite Warren being third rank, many wolves pretended he wasn0t gay but now we see how subtle it is the recognition that Warren is cared for by some of the others, and Kyle too. 

So many things happen, and we also have an inkling from the other series by the author in the Mercy Thompson Hauptmann universe, especially in the figure of Asil as he makes an appearance here. I'm getting very, extremely curious about what's going on there and I might buy those books soon.

In the end, a great book, another special adventure with Mercy. She really is lucky in her attempts to save the day...but the fact she embraced happiness is such a great part of things...a really enjoyable read through and through.

L.A. Witt - The Best Man

Jon Beatty thought he had the best man in his ex, Craig. But in the six months since their break up, Craig's managed to find a new lover—a woman—and wants Jon to be a different kind of best man…at his wedding.
Reasoning that the only way to get over one man is to get under another, Jon heads for a local club to get drunk and laid. Bartender Liam Sable is more than willing to help with both.
Their one night stand turns into a rebound fling which enables Jon to move on. Craig, however, is having second thoughts about the break-up. While inconvenient and annoying, Craig’s antics are nothing compared to the danger posed to Jon and Liam's relationship by another, more sinister threat...

Comment: I've picked this book to read this month because it has been in my TBR list for a long time..like most of them are, poor things.

This book starts with the main character, Jon, still mopping because his ex left to marry a woman. He still feels awful and to make things even harder, he is asked to be the best man at the wedding. After this, he decided it's time to go out and have some fun otherwise he feels he can' stand it. So he goes to a gay club where the clients are known to find someone to hook up with anytime...so Jon goes there after six months of hurt and one of the bartenders immediately recognizes the signs of someone who's there exactly for the reasons Jon picked the bar in the first place. However, thy ended up talking and going out together and they spend the night in the bartender's house. When they say goodbye the next morning it seems it was all a one night stand but a few days later Jon is back in the club not knowing if he would be welcome by Liam, the bartender, as they never talked about meeting again. After a strange meeting, however, they start going out together often and it's clear something is happening to them, could it be love?

I enjoyed this book. It was good to read, the writing is fluid and easy. I still think they didn't have to give in to sex so many times, but oh well. The book has a lager amount of air time dedicated to plot other than sex, so I can't really complain.

The characters seemed real enough. Both had baggage from their exes and some things weren't hard to get over with. Jon was rally in love and took the break up too hard, although he tried his best to remain friends with his ex, he accepted to be best man at his wedding and even tried to get an easier relationship to the bride, who couldn't stand him. All in all, Jon seemed a good guy and I felt sorry for him. I was quite happy when he and Liam started to fall in love, it was good to watch. 

Liam too has a lot of issues concerning his ex to deal with before really accepting a new relationship and part of the plot was him dealing with it. This originated the conflict in the book, some things seemed a bit too much, but I guess it could really happen in real life, who knows what's going on through some people's minds, so, not that bad.

The romance started slow but soon it grew stronger and it felt right for them. I liked how the author didn't follow the usual stereotypes of his type of relationships, like the good looking bartender rather alpha and the nerd tech guy more submissive, no, their relationship was equal parts and I liked how they took turns and Liam was more emotional than what I thought and Jon wasn't as shy as I imagined. It was a nice change.

In the end, a good story. I don't feel dazzled at all, but it was quite interesting and I felt very interested in knowing what would happen next.

More titles by this author to look for in the future, as this is the second story by her that I read and enjoyed, so...let's see.

Amanda Quick - Reckless

At sixteen Phoebe Layton had imagined that Gabriel Banner was a brave and valiant knight, a noble-hearted hero born to rescue ladies in distress. Which is why, eight years later, when she desperately needed help toe carry out a vital quest, she could think of no one more suited to the job than Gabriel.
But when she lures her shining knight to a lonely midnight rendezvous, Phoebe finds herself sparring with a dangerously desirable man who is nothing like the hero of her dreams. And when he sweeps her into a torrid -- and blatantly unchivalrous -- embrace, she can't help but fear that she's made a dreadful mistake. It's a kiss that will seal Phoebe's fate. For now the exacting Earl of Wylde has a quest of his own: to possess the most intriguing, impulsive, outrageous female he has ever met...even if he has to slay a dragon to do it.

Comment: Another one of the books by Amanda Quick I have in my TBR list. I'm decided to finish them this year...

This is the story of Phoebe and Gabriel. Phoebe first met Gabriel when she was 16 because he kidnapped her sister from a unwanted marriage but her sister regretted that and returned to her betrothed and Gabriel was left with nothing soon after that because of the girl's father.

Now, Phoebe needs Gabriel's help in a quest, for she believes a man was killed without reason and she wants to find th truth as well as a book that belonged to her. The two things quickly seem to be wrapped in the same purpose and Phoebe wants Gabriel to be her sort of knight.

Gabriel wants revenge from the family that contributed to his losing everything. Despite being rich now, he still feels deceived in the past and when he realizes Phoebe is the younger daughter of the man who caused his troubles, e wants nothing more than to use her and make them pay. But the more time he spends with her, more deep he goes into her schemes and love makes an appearance too.

This was another good enough story, great to spend the time with, like most her books. I can't say it was an amazing read, but it surely offered a few hours of entertainment.

The story was interesting, although I feel some things were done rather loosely..I wish there could be a deeper level sometimes, to make the book more serious because despite not considering them funny reads, there is always a certain sense of easiness, of nonchalance that I think sometimes didn't have to be as blatant as that. Anyway, it's not like I see it all the time, but..it's a thought.

The romance was fine, I guess. Phoebe and Gabriel didn't seem to have much in common, and their physical relationship wasn't the best the author has written, but the dialogue is great and they're always debating something, it's good.

I liked some of the secondary characters, for instance, Phoebe's brother and it would have been fun to see him get a romance of his own.

The story details were several and quite different. In a way, it made the story move along with many things to keep the reader interested but it also gave a feel of fullness to the book and in a way I think it could have used a plot line less or something, I'm not sure how to explain.

I liked reading this, it's not the best one of hers, but is surpasses two or three I enjoyed less and that I think weren't as entertaining and warranting to the characters as this one.

Sarah Addison Allen - The Peach Keeper

It’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather during Walls of Water’s heyday, and once the town’s grandest home—has stood for years as a lonely monument to misfortune and scandal. And Willa herself has long strived to build a life beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow. No easy task in a town shaped by years of tradition and the well-marked boundaries of the haves and have-nots.
But Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood—of the very prominent Osgood family, has restored the Blue Ridge Madam to her former glory, with plans to open a top-flight inn. Maybe, at last, the troubled past can be laid to rest while something new and wonderful rises from its ashes. But what rises instead is a skeleton, found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, and certain to drag up dire consequences along with it.
For the bones—those of charismatic traveling salesman Tucker Devlin, who worked his dark charms on Walls of Water seventy-five years ago—are not all that lay hidden out of sight and mind. Long-kept secrets surrounding the troubling remains have also come to light, seemingly heralded by a spate of sudden strange occurrences throughout the town.
Now, thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the dangerous passions and tragic betrayals that once bound their families—and uncover truths of the long-dead that have transcended time and defied the grave to touch the hearts and souls of the living.
Resonant with insight into the deep and lasting power of friendship, love, and tradition, The Peach Keeper is a portrait of the unshakable bonds that—in good times and bad, from one generation to the next—endure forever. 

Comment: This book has been in my TBR list for two years, more or less. I got it because I've read the previous 3 books by the author and they're all lovely. Very simple and beautiful. I really hope mrs Allen can write more, and more fast at that would be great...

This story, like usual, has two romances developing and it's all based on a magical element, a certain special something happening where the action takes place.

There's Paxton and Willa, very different but starting a friendship their grandmothers also had in their youth and there's the two men in their lives. Colin is Paxton's brother and he has an eye on Willa. Paxton is in love with Sebastien but thinks he can't return those feelings because he's gay. No one is really sure about what might happen, though.

I think the blurb is very detailed and pretty self explanatory. The action revolves around the big mansion that once belonged to Willa's family but it's now property of Paxton's family and the peach tree that was recently removed and changed everything. While the two girls start to develop their friendship, secrets come out and they are more bound than what they think...the author creates a magical feel in her novels, a bit of paranormal without being too obvious and the focus isn't there, at all. But exists and offers the possibility of starting up the novel and getting it in the right direction. I think the books are always such a sweet surprise...

I read these more for the element of sweet simple surprise. I know things will end up well, I know the romance will happen, I know everything will be special and it allows the reader to dream a bit about how wonderful things are in a different reality. I really like it.

The characters aren't very different from all the others before, I have the feeling the tone doesn't change, but I can't help feeling happy to have read it either. Plus, we see Claire, from book #1 making an appearance, how fun.

This author writes in a very simplistic way. She doesn't dance around things, she usually goes to the point in a simple but beautiful way and it's so easy to fall in love with her settings and her words. Sure, her stories are a bit predictable but after 3 books those who don't realize that and critic that weren't paying attention. I knew what to expect and that didn't disappointed me. What I think could be a bit better is the development itself..I think she could write a bit longer, space out the growing of the relationships so they could feel stronger. The stories are meant to be seen as easy and direct but I think a bit more development would really make them not only stronger but more complete in terms of things accomplished.

Anyway, i liked it, it's great for what it's worth. I'll read the next one when (if) it comes out.

JK Rowling - The Casual Vacancy

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils ... 
Pagford is not what it first seems.And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. 
Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

Comment: This book was offered to my in the last Christmas. As I have monthly lists I tend to follow, I couldn't get to it right away but since I got it I was very curious to read it, even after seeing not so positive reviews about it out there.

This book is very different from the Harry Potter series, not only in public target but especially in theme.

It's a story about a small city in the UK, where the community lives and defends their interests, even with all the little particularities of their citizens. The action starts when one of the most active people there, part of the board of direction of the community, suddenly dies. After that, people start to reveal their wishes and we get to know their secrets and thoughts and everything is a reason to provoke others when the casual vacancy caused by that death must be replaced and when people start to think they might be suitable, the behavior and attitude among everyone changes.

I liked the book a lot. I understand why so many people didn't, but I didn't feel that way. And it's not because they were expecting something in the lines of Harry Potter, I'm pretty sure most people knew that wouldn't happen, the author has said countless times this wasn't Harry Potter.

I think the main reason most people didn't like it was because this book isn't happy, isn't simple, isn't about what we would expect from someone who created such an heroic story as Harry Potter, with so many emphasis on the good and worthy feelings of people. This new book was more centered on the bad side of people, on those secret thought we all have but never confess.

The story has many players and plots to describe here..I'm sure many reviews out there would explain and show details about what's going on. My personal take on the book is more about the main issues I think the author intended to focus on.

All the characters have their own quirks and little desires. But what I thought was more pertinent were those inner thoughts people sometimes have but never give voice to. Like Samantha and her dissatisfaction with her life or the fact she's getting older and how she idolizes a teen boys band, or about Gavin and his lack of love for someone with him, he ants the unreachable but thinks he has the right to that, or even Parminder and her knowledge of how right she is and others aren't but there's nothing she can do to make others see that...

These and more are the favor of the book. How often, in our real lives, we think this and that, we convince ourselves we're better, that our wishes or our wants are worthier than those of the others around us and no matter how right we are, we can't seem to make others realize we're the ones with reason and not them. Obviously, all the others think like us, it's a cycle..we always want to be right, to know more, to think better. In the end, the way I saw this story, the main issue wasn't the fight in the community over a social neighborhood no one wanted to claim. It wasn't about hate among family members...it was about the little issues we let grow and rot in our conscience and how it leaks outside to our behavior and attitudes. We don't want others to have the upper hand, we don't want them to succeed before we do and we definitely don't want them to best us. But this was how I saw it, I'm sure it can allow many interpretations.

About the story itself, I liked it and I don't agree with those who say the author could have ended the book with a more positive note..I mean, she could if she wanted to, but the way things were "solved" was good enough for me. This book is fiction but is very, very close to real life and we all know real live isn't a fairy tale.

I hope someone else can read it and see for themselves. I could explain and defend my POV on this but it's a bit hard to do it if the other person hasn't read it yet. This isn't a romance, it's pure fiction, but I was quite pleased with the theme and story of this book, and yes, totally opposite and completely different from her other books. Still, in my opinion, a wonderful effort on writing about the human nature.

Elizabeth Bevarly - Just Like a Man

Hannah Frost is used to being surrounded by cute, sweet, troublemakers. After all, she's the principle of Indiana's upper class private elementary school, a popular repository for kids who "don't fit in" at public school. But even though she's been single since dinosaurs roamed the earth, what is interesting Hannah these days isn't her worst student's, but his father, Michael.
What she can put her fingers on? Michael Sawyer, aka Raptor, former FBI computer specialist, has a few good ideas. Trouble is, he's too busy trying to save the world--or at least the world's internet connections--from certain doom at the hands of an old enemy, and trying to get his imaginative son back on course at school. But there's always time for a gorgeous, oh-so-prim, slightly mysterious headmistress, isn't there? Michael plans to make time, and do whatever it takes to convince Hannah to do the same.

Comment: This is one of those books I have no idea why it was in my TBR list...really, I must have read something about it somewhere and noted down and got it and it stayed there for ages and now that I picked it up I was left wondering why.

Still, I read it because one less book actually means a win in my book (I'll turn a blind eye to all the ones coming in...).

This book tells us two stories. Hannah and Michael join forces to stop a spy and Thomas and Selby fall in love without knowing it.

Michael is a spy and enrolls his son in a private school where an enemy is posing as a direction member or something. Hannah is the director of the school and she feels attracted to Michael but doesn't think they should and could be together.

Thomas is a millionaire studying to get his high school diploma in order to honor his grandmother's wishes and Selby is the younger woman teaching that class. She wants to save as much as possible to one day travel the world.

I wasn't very impressed with this book or even the writing style. It all felt very aloof and while trying to be funny I didn't think it was that humorous. The way it was written was meant to be light and easy but in the end most parts felt a bit boring and uninteresting.

There are two stories here. Hannah and Michael's was boring and it didn't feel that special to read. Hannah was practical and sweet but I never felt her personality as that captivating and I think she wasn't well explored by the author. Michael is a spy, a single father and attracted to Hannah, who isn't supermodel like, but his way of dealing with things, the whole lighter way of presenting his job as a spy felt a bit stupid, to be honest. I wasn't interested in any of that and frankly I just glimpsed some of the passages when their parts were on.

I liked the second storyline much better. Thomas is getting his high school diploma and his teacher is Selby, she's also a teacher in Hannah's school. I liked this story much more because Selby is a hardworking young woman and she wants to accomplish her goals without interference. She was mocked as child, her family isn't very respected in her small town and she tries her best to save enough to one day travel around the world. Thomas is rich and has a chip on his shoulder because rich girls mocked him when he was young and he now gets revenge on that by being with women who used to be like that in high school and dumping them He feels really attracted to Selby and believing she was like those other girls makes him want to get revenge on her too. However, they start slowly to fall in love while meeting for coffee and talking...I liked this romance, I think it was great and had it been the only one, I'm sure the book would be much better and people would actually like it....Hannah and Michael's story line isn't doing much there, actually.

I just give a positive comment to the book only because of Thomas and Selby's part, because despite the clichés and the could-be-better details, I still think it was way better that the rest. I was quite interesting and couldn't wait to reach their parts. Many things in their romance that are pleasant to my taste.

Still, I'm not convinced to try anything else by this author and I think I'll stay this way.

J.C. Owens - The Emperor's Wolf

The echoes of a war four years' past still resounds in the minds of those who endured it. Jaden longs to search for his sister, though he is bound in the fetters of slavery. When he is given to the very man who conquered his country, he is caught up in his own hatred, yet fascinated by the mystery of his new master, the Emperor of Tranaden, who all say is demonic, without mercy. Trapped in the snare of his master’s beauty, Jaden begins to realize that there is much more beneath the surface...
Dersai is Emperor to his fingertips, he is used to command and being obeyed. He will sacrifice anything to see his country safe. Beneath, he is well read, highly intelligent and far sighted in how he views others. Yet, Dersai has an inner demon, a demon that kept his kingdom free and safe from conquerors; only in his dreams can he imagine one strong enough to love him. Now his slave may be the only one who can set him free.

Comment: This book was in the ebook pile for a long time..ebook pile, well, more like ebook forgotten files.I can't even remember when I got it....oh well.

I've picked it up this month a bit randomly but I'm glad to have done so. It's not the best story out there, no..but it was entertaining.

This is the story of Jaden and Dersai, a slave and an emperor in a fantasy world.

Jaden has been a slave for a long time but when his mistress travels to the most powerful kingdom she must ask permission to enter and the emperor himself says yes or no to those requests. When he sees Jaden he immediately recognizes him and offers Jaden's mistress passage in exchange for Jaden and other slave's ownership. She accepts and Jaden now belongs to the emperor.

Jaden realizes Dersai is the emperor who conquered his country and feels angry over that but he can't put aside his attraction to Dersai..while their relationship evolves, things start to change between them.

I liked this book but I think it was too short. I enjoy fantasy m/m because usually they allow for many interesting rules and descriptions of how a totally new society works. In this case, I think everything was too short...I firmly believe the author had in here a huge field to develop the storyline more deeply, specially the themes of slavery, of the relationship slave-master, the working of the emperor's household, I don't know, so many things that with more details and development could make space for a bigger but better story too.

This means the story felt too short and too fast for me. It got the job done but it lacked some...polishing in my opinion.

The romance was fun to watch, I like when two characters can't stand each other at first and even if Dersai wanted Jaden, Jaden wasn't in the same state of mind except in the sexual moments and it was interesting to see him changing his mind after seeing how Dersai would make things to make Jaden feel better or to prove he wouldn't hurt or humiliate him. This isn't  a BSDM story though, I simply mean the usual ways of treatment of a slave and a master.

In the end there's an expected misunderstanding that obviously gets sorted out after and they have a great HEA. I was surprised to see how sweetly it all ended after a not so easy subject - slavery - and this is why I don't think it was better than what I thought, because things seemed rather colloquial while I think it wasn't that easy to deal with and the author could have written something where the could have explored better this theme.

Still, a good enough read, entertaining and it allowed a good way to spend the time.

Robyn Carr - Whispering Rock

A decorated U.S. Marine reservist, LAPD officer Mike Valenzuela was badly wounded in the line of duty, but has found hope and healing in Virgin River. When he agrees to become the town's first cop, he does so knowing it's time he settled down. Twice divorced and the lover of too many women, he secretly longs for the kind of commitment and happiness his marine buddies have found--a woman who can tie up his heart forever. He finds that woman in Brie Sheridan, a Sacramento prosecutor who understands his drive to protect and serve. Virgin River becomes a safe haven for Brie after nearly losing her life at the hands of a crazed criminal. Though tough and courageous, she's got some fears she can't escape--but now she has someone who will show her just what it means to trust again.
Mike will do anything to help Brie free herself from painful memories. Passionate, strong and gentle, he vows to give back to her what she's so selflessly given him--her heart, and with it, a new beginning .

Comment: Whispering Rock is the third book in the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr. The action takes place in a small, united community and the stories usually follows more than one plot line at the time.

This is the story of Mike and Brie.

Mike has been shot on duty and after his recovery he couldn't go back to his work as a police officer. He visited his friends in Virgin River and decided it was a good place to recover and to start his life again.

Brie is a prosecutor in Sacramento, but her marriage ended and she couldn't convict a rapist who later on rapes her. Mike helped her before and now she's back to Virgin River to heal and her friendship with Mike blossoms to something more.

This was another of those books where more than one plot line is developing and the main story isn't the most fascinating one. Mike and Brie recently have had awful experiences in their lives and they look for Virgin River to get better. They were friends before and even spent some time together in the previous book. However, not even then I felt like they had much chemistry..their friendship had lovely moments but it never strike me they had such a strong base to a romance. But they did and it seemed they were together because it suited and because it fit instead of because they desperately loved each other. It's a bit strange because I know many people love them as a couple, but for me it lacked feeling. Besides I wasn't that eager to read their parts...I was always more interested in the sub plots.

We see a lot of characters interacting in this book. Usually I love that but in this case, as the main romance was a bit without flavor for me, it was almost like the rest was too good, so the whole thing left me a bit confused and it wasn't as good to read it as it was with the previous two books.

Still, I was happy to see developments with the other couples we know, it's really great to see how everyone is going, what they're doing, where they're at in their lives, it gives a little extra to that whole concept of close knit community. I think it's really the best part of the books because the romance tends to be very sweet instead of hot. Not that is should be erotically hot, this series doesn't try for that target but, for instance, it would be nice to see the main couple or even the others at that stage once in a while, just to make things more alive.

In the end a good read, I did enjoy reading it but it wasn't that amazing as I imagined. Still, I'll keep going because I really want to see what happens next in the series.

Karen Rose - Did You Miss Me?

Baltimore prosecutor Daphne Montgomery pulled herself out of a damaged past to build a solid life for herself and her son. But after she helps to convict a killer, her confidence is shattered once again by the news that her son has been kidnapped.
Daphne believes it’s connected to the recent high-profile trial, and at first FBI special agent Joseph Carter agrees. But together they find the reality to be even more troubling, and it runs deeper than Daphne fears. With her son’s life in jeopardy, she must unlock a dreadful secret about her past -- and confront a truth that will change everything for those closest to her. And, if she survives, threaten the lives of everyone she loves.

Comment: This book is out for a long time but I've decided to wait for the paperback edition because when I started reading the series I was getting them in the paperback edition and I rather like them similar in size in my shelf. So, I've waited but I knew it would be a good story based on what people who have read it, said. The moment the book arrived I knew I couldn't wait that long to get my hands on it, so it was my second read of the month.

This book is Daphne and Joseph's story. The met in the previous book and now nine months have passed. Each thinks the other has moved on to someone else but the feelings are still there.

In the meantime, Daphne's son was kidnapped. While everyone and everything is centered in finding him, secrets start to pop up and Daphne's life is suddenly in the open.

For me, this book had three main plots: the suspense part, the developing relationship between Daphne and Joseph and the new details about things are between Stevie and Clay. Of these three subjects, one of them was quite lacking, which was the romance between the two main characters. I don't think they were that in love with each other and I sure don't consider their romance as romantic. I think it was too practical, too easy and too tasteless to feel good. I also don't think their growing attraction was described in the best way and I was left feeling there wasn't enough sexual chemistry between them, so in that part, very lacking.

The suspense, on the other hand, once again, kept me going. I couldn't put down the book and really wanted to know what was going to happen and how the villain was connected to Daphne. I imagine the author drawing diagrams and charts with lots of colored arrows linking this and that in her desk, lol It sure shows a lot of work because everything looks easy to follow but I'm sure it took her a lot of time to make things fill each space in the plot line.Of course, there's always a thing or two that seems having been placed too easily there, too convenient, but still, nothing enough to ruin it for me.

The relationship between Clay and Stevie moved along some interesting steps. I guess people would say not, considering their last encounter, but I'm actually as eager as ever and dear God, if their book isn't next....because things are in such a point it just has to be solved, I bet their romance will be great! Lots of chemistry there, in fact!

Many elements made this book good. There's also a quote there I loved, it felt quit real and suited for our take on real life things:

"Sometimes the most worthwhile things are right in front of our eyes. We just make them hard because we think that gives them more value". pg 272

All in all, a good book. It could be better, in terms of romance, but hey, nothing is always perfect. I also loves seeing so many references to previous characters from other books and to know how they're doing, it was both fun and nostalgic to remember some characters and to think about their own stories...it's always so good to know about beloved characters after so long, it's almost like knowing good things about family, silly but loving books is a very particular experience, right?

Solid, strong book, could be better, but overall, still one of the best by the author.

Ilona Andrews - Steel's Edge

The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is a fairy tale -- and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny…
Charlotte de Ney is as noble as they come, a blueblood straight out of the Weird. But even though she possesses rare magical healing abilities, her life has brought her nothing but pain. After her marriage crumbles, she flees to the Edge to build a new home for herself. Until Richard Mar is brought to her for treatment, and Charlotte’s life is turned upside down once again.
Richard is a swordsman without peer, future head of his large and rambunctious Edger clan -- and he’s on a clandestine quest to wipe out slavers trafficking humans in the Weird. So when his presence leads his very dangerous enemies to Charlotte, she vows to help Richard destroy them. The slavers’ operation, however, goes deeper than Richard knows, and even working together, Charlotte and Richard may not survive...

Comment: This is the last book in the Edge series by the authors. They did say that this is the last of this arc and maybe one day they'll get back to this world and write more about a different arc, which would be amazing, specially if that means we could have the stories of the youngest generation, like George, Jack and Sophie...it would be different but still in the same setting. I really hope they do this, because it would be such a shame to lose such a great world.

This is the story of Richard and Charlotte.

Richard is in a mission to stop slavery because of what happened to his niece Sophie. For years he has infiltrated and destroyed the most in the slavery business until he realizes who are the key people in the business, the five heads that control and demand the slavery to go on. He now has the target he wanted but it's not a matter of just killing those people, it's about ending their power and credible facade.He just needs the means to do that.

Charlotte is a blue blood and she's The Healer, the most powerful healer in her generation. She just finds out she's barren and her husband wants an annulment. So she gives it to him and feels because she can't stand the shame. She goes to the Edge because it's a place where people don't care about who you are. She befriends Eleanore, Rose's grandmother, and starts a simple life there. Until the day slavers arrive and destroy the peace she had. She decides to get revenge and joins forces with Richard to stop the slavery business and in the way...she finds true love.

Like always with this authors' writing, I loved this book. The story was solid and interesting, full of adventure and strong scenes. One of my favorites was when Charlotte used her magic to destroy a ship's crew with a disease and they simply flew into the wind, like a flower you blow on. It was quite strong visually and I think it was one of the best in the book. There were many more, the whole book is filled with good scenes, perfect to memorize and wonderfully inserted in the storyline.

Charlotte is a woman scorned because she can have children. I felt for her and wanted things to change, to be better and although she still couldn't have biological children by the end of the book, she did manage to find happiness and it was great.

Richard didn't seem that interesting in previous books but in this one we get to see his drive, his ambition and desire to end the slavery because he regrets what happened to his niece. Plus, he's a good guy, of course he wouldn't just wait for things..he wants to make them happen.

I liked the romance between them...considering both their past experiences I think it was a bit too quiet, but they had interesting dialogs between them. Their relationship did get to a point where words aren't needed all the time. I find very interesting how a couple could seem such in sync like that.

The secondary characters were an important part in the book, specially the kids, I really hope the writers can present their books one day...once gain, wonderful scenes with them.

One or two subjects have been dealt with too. George, Jack and Rose's missing father shows up and goes away again in an interesting turnabout. Spider, from last book shows up too, quite perky I must say, but I still think this wasn't the end of him...

In the end, Charlotte and Richard find happiness, they uncover the real villain and because of them a new beginning could arise. I loved how Charlotte saved the day and found the will and the love to become better and stronger than her own fate.And even better was the perfect way Richard said she was his and he would care for her no matter what. So romantic....so perfect.

This series is great, it has everything to work out and to be an amazing read. I hope everyone who doesn't know it, at least tries it.

Updating tech issues...or not

Hi!

Sorry to not be posting lately..I'm 7 books behind...I haven't had much time to post and I've had this problem with the configuration of the authors site's links and it's been a mess.

Lately I haven't been able to add more links to the Authors Read list on the left side of the blog...The blog would let me add the links but wouldn't save them..as I have a not so good Internet connection I figured it must be something to do with it, but I've been reading stuff in the Blogger Help - which isn't that helpful because it doesn't solve anything, but I was able to find more posts about the same issue - and apparently the amount of links might have something to do with it, so I've spent the morning counting all the links and after deleting some that were duplicated, I had 241. Plus the two I wanted to add for more than two weeks!, I have now 243...

I'll have to add some more until blogger doesn't let me anymore...

In that case, what should I do? I mean, I can always create another link list, but than the links wouldn't be as organized...this is so bothersome...apparently Blogger is still trying to figure out how to solve this, according to a reply someone gave another poor blogger last year....seriously, shouldn't this be...easy? But what do I know, it took me years to know basic stuff myself, so...

Now that I have some clues about what was going on, I'll try to be more present int he upcoming days...

Have fun people!

Jenna Black - Devil Inside

Exorcism isn't a job, it's a calling--and a curse. Just ask Morgan Kingsley, a woman who has a stronger aura than any Demon. Or so she thought. Now, in a pair of black leather pants and a kick-ass tattoo, Morgan is heading back to Philadelphia after a nasty little exorcism--and her life is about to be turned upside down...by the Demon that's gotten inside her.
Not just any Demon. Six foot five inches of dark, delicious temptation, this one is to die for--that is, if he doesn't get Morgan killed first. Because while some humans vilify Demons and others idolize them, Morgan's Demon is leading a war of succession no human has ever imagined. For a woman trying to live a life, and hold on to the almost-perfect man, being possessed by a gorgeous rebel Demon will mean a wild ride of uninhibited thrills, shocking surprises, and pure, unadulterated terror. . . 

Comment: I've had this book to read for two years. Like usual, a friend of mine read it and enjoyed it and I was curious enough to buy it but from then on, time has gone and the book stayed behind time and again. When this year begun I wrote down a lot of books that have been piling up and distributed through the months so I could read them at last. This month this one was up and I'm quite glad to have done so.

This is the first book in the Morgan Kinsgsley series. Morgan's job is to exorcise demons from unwilling ghosts as it is forbidden. Demons can be summoned and can travel to the Earth Plan and can possess a willing host, but often the host gets lost in the transaction, or so Morgan believes. Her own brother is possesses by a demon and she thinks she lost him.One day she is asked to perform a exorcism in a young girl but things go wrong and the demon tried to possess Morgan by touching her wrist but she didn't get possessed and doesn't understand why. However, someone tries to kill her after she tells her best friend she's been sleepwalking and writing notes to herself...or isn't she?

So, I ended up enjoying this book a lot. Another one that only took me one day to go through.

Morgan is an exorcist and she comes from a family that strongly defends the chance for demons to possess humans because demons are stronger and they can extend their strength and resistance to humans. Once possessed, most hosts/demons get risky jobs like police enforcement, they become firefighters and pilots, among other things. But Morgan never thought like that and to her, a demon just wants to occupy space while the host is lost. When a demon is exorcised most hosts turn into a vegetative state and few can wake up. She has a boyfriend that really loves her and she's quite happy with her relationship although she also feels that she's not good enough for him, she has a rebel side, both in behavior and appearance that contrasts to her more polished lawyer boyfriend.

I liked Morgan's characterization, she had a little bit of lacking self confidence that I think gave her some more empathy, because she could almost be perfect and that's boring. Although she doesn0t see her person as good enough most times, she knows she has abilities and professionally she's the best.

Morgan's real problem is she was possessed without knowing. But as she has strong mind shields, the demon possessing her can get through unless she lets him, which doesn't happen until she realizes he's a prince of demons and wants to avoid the possession of unwilling humans, but things are in a sort of war state in the demon realm and fanatics try to kill her because only killing the host kills the demon.

I liked the storyline, it was interesting and fluid...I enjoyed this take on demons and their world. I lied the fact hosts and demons could develop a parallel relationship and many care for each other in the long term.

I liked a couple of secondary characters too, Adam and Dominic. They are a couple and were both demon possessed but Dominic was attacked one day until the point his demon took charge and one of the attackers died, so Dominic's demon, Saul, was exorcised by Morgan. From then on we see these two a lot in the plot. Adam is a Dom and he plays S&M with Dominic. Some aspects of this relationship were a bit over the top, but having read s&m gay stories before, I don't think this comes even closer to something heavy or the worst out there..of course it doesn't have the most focus, but it's still a part of the plot line. Still, I didn't feel uncomfortable with any of that, not to a point where I couldn't read it, there's some heavier scenes but not that bad. Can't wait to see those two again.

In the end, the story ended with Morgan and her boyfriend not talking but I feel confidant they'll work things out. She and her demon have a respectful relationship to and they "talk" in dreams, making plans when needed. I think it was a balanced story, I'm sure it will be interesting to see what happens next.

Amanda Quick - Mystique

A tantalizing tale of a legendary knight and a headstrong lady whose daring quest for a mysterious crystal will draw them into a whirlwind of treachery-and desire.
When the fearsome knight called Hugh the Relentless swept into Lingwood Manor like a storm, everyone cowered-except Lady Alice. Sharp-tongued and unrepentant, the flame haired beauty believed Sir Hugh was not someone to dread but the answer to her dreams. She knew he had come for the dazzling green crystal, knew he would be displeased to find that it was no longer in her possession. Yet Alice had a proposition for the dark and forbidding knight: In return for a dowry that would free Alice and her brother from their uncle's grasp, she would lend her powers of detection to his warrior's skills and together they would recover his treasured stone. But even as Hugh accepted her terms, he added a condition of his own: Lady Alice must agree to a temporary betrothal-one that would soon draw her deep into Hugh's great stone fortress, and into a battle that could threaten their lives...and their only chance at love.

Comment: In my keeping up with the Amanda Quick collection I own, this time I've picked up Mystique. I didn't research it before, so I wasn't aware it was set in the medieval times instead of the usual regency, but to be honest this didn't bothered me, because the author kept her trademark strong willed heroine even in a time where young woman certainly wouldn't be like that, but as I don't read the author's novels to look for historical accuracy, I wasn't bothered with that either.

This book tells us the story of Hugh, he's a knight very respected and feared and he is looking for a special jewel, He has the information lady Alice has it and he goes to see her about that. he finds someone witty and she even tries to make a bargain with him. He never encountered a woman like her so he accepts and even proposes a betrothal, just to keep things more official.

While looking for the jewel, they get even more complications and even attraction.

I liked this one. It was quite entertaining, I managed to read it in one day....I thought it was good enough. I know Amanda Quick isn't the most creative and imaginative or even accurate writer out there, but I read it for an entertaining story, for a few hours with compelling characters and a story intriguing enough to keep me interested until the end. Sure, it's not always brilliant, but it's one of those cases that the amount of time I spend having fun reading surpasses way much the possibility of a more structured story, so no regrets reading her books.

I liked the romance. It was very cliché, the strong hero seduces the innocent but smart heroine and they fall in love and win in the end. Still, it was fun like I said, and the story was quite compelling to me. They had to find a jewel and they did, but Alice got endangered and was saved by Hugh...later on she got to his defense as well when he was being mocked...the romance has a certain sense of balance which I liked.

Alice was a wonder woman of her time though. She knew many things she had a smart head and even a notebook about diseases which helped her save Hugh's father figure and someone he cared about. Obviously a bit pushed but I still think it fit the storyline even if not much believable. I liked the end and how Hugh was able to get past some hate he had for another knight under his father figure's care and it was very hopeful. I like HEAs that make me happy with the world too, because they give hope, even when it's all just make believe.

I'll read another one next month and I hope it's as entertaining as this one.