Rhianne Aile - Cursed

Upon their grandmother's death, Tristan Northland and his twin, Will, inherit her Book of Shadows and discover that one of their ancestors, a spurned witch, is responsible for dark magic that has affected the Sterling family for generations: Your firstborn son shall know the lure of the night and the lust of the moon... he will become a creature of nightmares... until the true love that should have been, finally is. Determined to right the ancient wrong, Tristan sets off across the ocean to reverse the centuries-old curse.
Benjamin Sterling might not be happy alone—not quite human, nor accepted by true werewolves—but his life is predictable, at least until Tristan Northland shows up in his office, unannounced and with nowhere to stay. Because of the curse he carries, Benjamin has plenty of reason to distrust witches and Northlands as well as the werewolf tribe that has always treated him as an outcast. But with Tristan at his side, Benjamin finds himself and his future transformed by two unexpected emotions: blooming hope and enduring love.

Comment: I've had this ebook to read for ages...well, a lot of time. Finally I've decided to get to it and the main reason why I chose this one and not other for my monthly reads is the fact this one is about shape shifters. Shape shifters are my favorite thing in the whole paranormal world. I love that strange appeal that they have because of their powers and instincts and the idea of mating forever with someone, that looking for that someone special...most paranormal wolds have this but the part about shifting shape also catches my eye...in sum, a real favorite.

So, this is the story of Benjamin, he's part of a cursed family to never find a woman's love and to change shape until the end of his live. Then, one day, a descendant from the woman who cursed Benjamin's family shows up in his office claiming to be a witch and with the possibility to help.
Tristan came all the way from London to help but he didn't count on how attracted he would be to Benjamin and the feeling is mutual. After some adventures - and some of them not very positive - Tristan actually helps Ben and even the local pack, that at first shunned Ben, also helps.

This was an interesting take on the werewolf tale. To be a werewolf one has to be born like that, changed or cursed and the later ones are kind of pariahs. So Ben always felt lonely because no one around him understood what he was going through. He married but his wife never accepted that side of him completely and they divorced. His infant son will one day go through the same fate if he can't find a way to do something. then comes Tristan, someone Benjamin's wolf feels very attracted to and Ben too. They give in to their feelings pretty soon and this was what bothered me the most. I mean, even with funky hormones, people should be able to control themselves a bit more, I think.
Tristan is an interesting character. He has a twin and they're witches. They have a shop in the UK, occult stuff, and both have some powers. Tristan falls for Ben pretty fast but he knows it's fate and he truly believes he will be able to help. His personality is bubbly and he likes to hug those he cares about.

Like I said, I think it was too fast how they gave in to their feelings and not even the fact they're mates excused this for me. But I'm not sure how much of my dislike is due to the story itself or my personal take in the subject, you see, I don't really believe in love at first sight. So, isn't it both hopeful and hopeless to read books with it? Humm, food for thoughts.
the writing was appealing, at least it was fluid. I liked all the scenes where they talked about and dealt with the wolf part of things. The other part had too much sex..yeah they're horny, but it gets boring to read page after page with that. Anyway, it was a good enough story, entertaining and although not the best in the genre I've read, it made its job.

Mary Balogh - A Masked Deception

The handsome, dashing, wealthy Richard Adair, the seventh Earl of Brampton, was caught in a most devilishly difficult tug-of-war. Claiming his hand was shy and demure Mrgaret Wells, who became his bride in an icily arranged marriage designed to produce an heir in a boringly proper alliance. Claiming his heart was a nameless charmer who concealed her face behind a mask and displayed her body in a daring gown as she made the Earl give himself over to a scandalously improper passion. Both of them desperately wanted Richard Adair - and both dreaded to think what would happen should he discover that they were one and the same two-faced lady ..

Comment: August's theme for my 2012 challenge was to read a book published in the year you were born. As I was born in 1985, I've looked for many authors and came across this one. I have another of her book's in my TBR list but once I saw she had a book from that year, I thought it was a good way to start reading her stuff.

This story was written for Signet Regency, so it I was expecting a certain type of plot, even with the creative parts. In this I didn't get wrong, there are some aspects that are rather obvious in terms of development. I still saw how the author attempted to bring some creative details but in the end I have to admit it felt very "constructed" instead of natural, but I believe it was just a matter of experience and that if she could have written the story all over again, she would use her experience of so many years to make it more vibrant.

The story starts with the Earl of Brampton proposing to miss Margaret Wells because he knows it's time and she has an excellent family although she seems too shay and lacks initiative. In fact, he still has feelings for a masked lady he met years before but who disappeared and now life forced him to marry so he can have an heir. He says often he doesn't feel attracted to his wife and their first time together couldn't be more faraway from romantic. While we meet more characters and see them play their parts and get into their schemes to reach love, we also learn that the masked lady is the same woman he married but he ends up being the last to know.

As it's to be expected, there are several situations that follow the usual clichés to work...how the masked lady is very daring vs the demure wife, how the man stats feeling guilty to use his wife and cheats on her but with time falls for her, how the best friends seem to just enjoy the other's company but actually falling in love foe each other, how a secret can make the most unimaginable troubles between everyone...well, it's nothing we haven't seen, but it's important to bear in mind this is a book from 85, so these aspects were new then, although too seen today. I think the best way to look at this book is to think about the writer's talent for writing, that is where one can distinguish the same old from the freshness. If I think about this, then I remember that the author made her characters alive and interesting...for the most part. there were things that bothered me, especially in lord Brampton because he didn't feel remorse on cheating on his wife at first...I think despite being the way things were in those days added to him not loving his wife yet it can be sot of excused, but in romance we want out heroes to know better right away, right?

In the end, the story was fun and offered many interesting moments but even though I appreciate the effort, the fact I've read so many books with the same type of plots kind of adds up in one's head, and I couldn't put that aside even with the author's talent in sight. I liked the book but I can't say it's really something I wouldn't forget, in fact details are already slipping my mind after less than a week. But I have hopes for the other book I have of hers to read. Time had passed and we learn.

CE Murphy - Spirit Dances

For Seattle detective Joanne Walker, spring is about new beginnings. She's mastered her shamanic abilities (mostly), survived a cannibalistic serial killer (barely) and now she's facing the biggest challenge of her career -- attending a dance concert with her sexy boss, Captain Michael Morrison. But when the performance -- billed as transformative -- actually changes her into a coyote, she and Morrison have bigger things to deal with.
And there's more. Homeless people are disappearing, a mystical murder puts Joanne way out of her jurisdiction and with the full moon coming on, it's looking like the killer is a creature that can't possibly exist.
But Jo could probably handle all of that, if one ordinary homicide hadn't pushed her to the very edge....

Comment: This is the 6th book in the series. This time Joanne, our heroine, has to fight a being that steals the energy of a group of performers in a show Joanne attended and then the life of the main actress. But Joanne also has to deal with her little problem of beginning to shape shift during that same show...

This sixth book presents a more confidant Joanne, someone that still has a lot to learn but after so many adventures and experiences, she feels more capable in her powers and how to deal with the problems she faces.
The book starts with Joanne going to a dance performance with her boss, Morrison. She had been given tickets by a lady she helped and while asking if there was any ethical problem by accepting, she ended up sort of asking Morrison to go with her and they go. During the show, Joanne starts to transform into a animal, sees the main actress die because all her energy was stolen by someone and even helps a woman with her breast cancer problem. In the same night, she shows Morrison the Sight.
So, Joanne has been very busy but the problem begins when she tries to understand why she would become an animal due to the energy exchanged and created during the show. This leads Joanne to even bigger problems and the knowledge that her mother's spirit might be trying to tell her something...

So, this book started of amazingly. Finally Joanne and Morrison seem to be in sync and try to have a evening together although they both see it as just using a gift and not as a date. During the show, the usual strange things happen around Joanne but she tries to help and in th end she shows Morrison how the Sight feels for her, leading to an intimate moment between them. This slow dance with them is getting better and better.

With the help of her partner Billy and his wife Melinda, Joanne also makes interesting developments in the search for the killer who stole the energy from the dance group. While investigating, Joanne discovers the person who does this wants the energy to end a curse and release a bigger evil into the world. She also is getting little clues that a spirit is helping her understand just how awful her enemy is, the reader has been feeling this since a couple of books ago. When Joanne finds out who the villain is, she's shocked because it was someone she didn't see coming for several reasons.
Of course, in the end Joanne ends up saving the day and getting to the point where she can't avoid her maternal heritage anymore and makes a deliberate but final decision about her life.

However, the really best, most wonderful part of this book was that finally, let's scream hallelujah, there is a God, Joanne and Morrison finally, at last, admit to the other they like each other. When Joanne makes her decision Morrison actually says it was about time and they kiss and it's amazing!!
I don't recall any series, at least in paranormal or UF, that the main couple only exchanges a kiss during a series and this one is going to its 7th installment and they haven't gotten to it yet. I'm not sure if it's annoying because we want to see them sharing that or refreshing because they didn't and when they do it's got to be great...lol

I have high hopes for the next book and I'll be getting it as soon as I can.

GA Hauser - Man to Man

When lifeguard in training Josh Elliott is assigned to Tanner Cameron during his mentorship program, Josh instantly falls for the tall, handsome guard in the red swimsuit. The only problem is, Tanner is straight. Very straight. And constantly reminds Josh of that fact when Josh's flirting gets carried away.Tanner Cameron made a career out of life-saving and being a paramedic. Divorced, Tanner tries to be content with his job and stays away from the advances of women he works with. It seems to Tanner that all the young ladies he meets want marriage and babies, two things he no longer feels as essential.Can Tanner get over the terror of the label he fears the most and open up his heart to the right partner? Or will he be unable to rescue his heart from a charming lifeguard whose idea of bliss is working it out, man to man?

Comment: This is the first book in a trilogy about heroes, people who work for the benefit of others, jobs in helping people.
This first book is about two lifeguards, Tanner and Josh and how their relationship evolves from just work partners to full time partners in everything.
Josh started a lifeguard program and is now working foe real in a beach. His mentor is tanner, the person who helps him before he can be on hos own on the job. tanner is divorced and states from the start he's straight but Josh doesn't give up and sets on seducing Tanner...but his seduction backfires, because the more he knows tanner, the more he feels attracted and even falls in love with him. So he has a problem, tanner is straight and he knows the situation won't bring him any joy. Tanner, however, starts seeing Josh through different eyes and he finds first a work partner who has a good sense of responsibility and later a friend. All of Josh's insinuations and seduction moves start getting to him and in the end he has to figure out if love is worth it.

I liked this story, it's much better than the last one I've read by the author. Although one can't really trust the whole straight turned gay, there's a kind of forbidden fruit appeal in it. I liked the fact we have many scenes where the characters think about what the other means, about what it means to be in that situation..it's about sex, but not all of it, I'd say 35% is sex. Good odds for me, because I prefer the romance in my stories.
Tanner presented interesting thoughts as a straight man feeling attracted to a gay one and his fears of coming out felt real. More so when he says at some point that he felt the attraction for Josh (interesting how most this cases the attraction is only for one person, thus not making them exactly gay, just almost gay...but anyway...) and how he knew Josh foe a short period of time and Josh wanted him to come out so soon after they started being together. I get this, we can't be expected to change our minds and live according to it in such a short period of time..it takes years for the human being to know what and how he is, how can someone be at ease changing their mind in the space of a week or two? This was my only issue with the book, I knew eventually Tanner would see he loved Josh to, but if we could have gotten the idea it took them longer...I don't know, even fast people must take some time to think, no? Specially in an important thing like gender sexual preference...I think.
Basically this is the story, they meet, they doubt, they fall in love, yay. Still, an entertaining story, not the best ever, but with interesting scenes and situations and I'll be eager to read the next one in the following month.

Sherrilyn Kenyon - Infamous

Go to school. Get good grades. Stay out of trouble. That's the mandate for most kids. But Nick Gautier isn't the average teenager. He's a boy with a destiny not even he fully understands. And his first mandate is to stay alive while everyone, even his own father, tries to kill him.
He's learned to annihilate zombies and raise the dead, divination and clairvoyance, so why is learning to drive and keep a girlfriend so dang hard? But that isn't the primary skill he has to master. Survival is.
And in order to survive, his next lesson makes all the others pale in comparison. He is on the brink of becoming either the greatest hero mankind has ever known.
Or he'll be the one who ends the world. With enemies new and old gathering forces, he will have to call on every part of himself to fight or he'll lose everyone he cares about.
Even himself.

Comment: Another installment in the Chronicles of Nick series. the problem with this series is that it will wayyyy too long to see some end..actually 7 more books if I recall correctly, and by the end of it the readers will finally have the story of Nick, as an adult, in the usual dark-hunter series. There's one book in this Chronicles every year, which means it will have its final book in 2019. If we're lucky, and nothing happens to ruin the schedule (like setbacks or more books that really need to be published, oh kill me now), then adult Nick's story will come out in the autumn of that year, if not only in 2020. Will fans manage to survive life time enough to see that day? I surely hope so. So to keep things straight, this Chronicles of Nick are the preparation to that final book, you know, just reading the usual series isn't enough because in this Chronicles, adult Nick plays with time and things change...so we kind of need to see them so we can follow the storyline with the hope nothing outrageous happens until that book in the usual series (which would leave us more confused than we are right now).
This is the theory, but will it happen this way? Ha..we have lots of time to wait to see if it will...

In this 3rd book, Nick is faced with the problem of his dad showing up and how someone at school is posting stuff about everyone else, things that are secrets and that humiliate the targets. All this while dealing with mom, girlfriend, school buddies and paranormal friends. Nick's life isn't easy but his posture, his positive attitude and his good heart are always great weapons to fight the bad things that might come in his way.
These books are full of new things happening all the time, it's hard to keep track. Gods and important people everywhere, vital decisions to be made, small details to bar in mind...I have to confess I feel confused, not all the time, but most of it. I can see where the author is going with all this, but to have to wait, to have to see all the twists before she can put the characters in the right track...it can be tiring. It's my problem with this, she could do a great job in less time, it's very clear she is doing this to maximize not only Nick's story, but the whole concept of dark-hunters, and hey she's a success so she can do it and we wait and enjoy (most of) all the books but in all the time we have to wait, it gets too tiring. If I could froze time and wake up when it's all done and I could read everything in a row, now that's would be more like it, but as it can't be, the wait can be tiring. These Chronicles show another side of the action that took place during all the books, more or less. the reader doesn't revisit all that happened, just how Nick was doing at the time and we already have many differences from that, which can be very confused if we think about a comparison between each series, so let's not do that. Let's only enjoy this story as an almost epic one and see every little detail as part of a big thing. The best thing is all the things we get to find out while in the other series some characters still don't have a clue.
I just hope I'm still here to see the end of it.

DB Reynolds - Raphael

Malibu, California-home to rock-and-roll gods and movie stars, the beautiful, the rich . . . and vampires. Powerful and charismatic, Raphael is a Vampire Lord, one of the few who hold the power of life and death over every vampire in existence. Thousands call him Master and have pledged absolute loyalty on their very lives. But when, in a brazen and deadly daylight attack, a gang of human killers kidnaps the one female vampire he'd give his life for, Raphael turns to a human investigator to find his enemies before it's too late. Cynthia Leighton is smart, tough and sexy, a private investigator and former cop who's tired of spying on cheating spouses and digging out old bank accounts. When Raphael asks for her help in tracking down the kidnappers, Cyn's happy to accept. But she soon realizes her greatest danger comes not from the humans, but from Raphael himself. Battling Russian mobsters and treacherous vampires, and betrayed by those they trusted, Cyn and Raphael find themselves fighting for their lives while caught up in a passion of blood and violence that is destined to destroy them both.

Comment: In one of my book clubs we got this one to read. I was rather expectant because some people have said good things about it and I got curious.

The story is about Cynthia, a private investigator whose family has possessions and a position in society but she's never cared about that and pursued a job in law enforcement.
Then there's Raphael, he's a vampire master, an old one like usual, and one of his family has been kidnapped. He knows the ones who did it are human although it surely happened by the orders of vampires. So, he decides to pursue this as humans do and looks for a PI to discover the humans and therefore, leads to the vampires involved.
When Raphael and Cynthia meet, there's an obvious attraction between them. Raphael wants Cynthia for his own right away, although vampires live too long to form attachments to humans and Cynthia is a free spirit, too addicted to her independence to stick with him. But deep feelings start to develop and their actions show they're not as indifferent to feelings and cynical about the whole thing as it looks.

The good thing about this book is the type of hierarchy on which vampires live on. Not that it is very different from the usual, but it's interesting to see how a family is formed, how they deal with each other, how the more powerful ones see the weaker ones and vice-versa.
Unfortunately, to be quite honest - and after some time after having read the book - that was the only good thing about the book. Some of the secondary characters look promising but I'm not sure their stories would be that special and I'm seriously doubting I'll buy more books in this series.
The two main characters have some dept, which is good, but their attitude in live...in his case to show everyone how powerful he is and how cold he is to others except lovers, and for Cynthia how she's so independent and she doesn't need anyone and only has sex because she can and how she does what she wants because she has money..well, they didn't appeal to me. Their characterization was so evidenced that when thy showed a bit of vulnerability it sounded ridiculous and a cliché. I accept hard core characters pretty well, but if they're to connect with me, I need them to be vulnerable from the start, I need them to feel emotions all the time, somehow, not just because it's convenient to the plot as it felt like in this book.
The story didn't end with an HEA. I know there's a continuation but I don't feel the will to read it, you know? I can understand the appeal of the story, the magical idea of a vampire and a human, and usually I like this paranormal stories...but in this case, I think it lacked something, to me at least. All things considered, it was a great effort from the author and being her first novel it had indeed many elements to make the story good, but I think she kind of lost herself in trying to make her heroine something too untouchable, I don't know how to explain it well.
Perhaps one day I might try more books, but for now, this was enough.

Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird

HARPER LEE'S CLASSIC NOVEL OF A LAWYER IN THE DEEP SOUTH DEFENDING A BLACK MAN CHARGED WITH THE RAPE OF A WHITE GIRL
One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has earned many distinctions since its original publication in 1960. It won the Pulitzer Prize, has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and been made into an enormously popular movie. Most recently, librarians across the country gave the book the highest of honors by voting it the best novel of the twentieth century.

Comment: Although I don't think is ever late to read a classic, I've never picked this one until last week and I actually have to feel a bit sorry I've waited because it was one of the best stories I've read, in the "classics" genre.
I've read this one for one of my book clubs and I feared it might be boring story even though I knew it has been one of the most talked about and liked books ever.
For those who haven't got to it yet (hey if it took me more than 20 years...), it's the story of a white lawyer back in the 30s defending a black man, in the south of the USA. Something very unlikely. The narrator is that lawyer's daughter, Scout. We see everything trough her innocent eyes and sometimes the words of a child can be more cutting that the deceiving of an adult.
Anyway, a black man is accused of raping a white girl and considering the time of the book, there's nothing like CSI to help with the evidence so it was more of a matter of honor and the word of one against the other. In a rural place, full of hate and prejudice, guess who had the most power?

The story is told by Scout and everything that happens, from the talks about the case to her playing with her brother and a friend comes through innocent eyes. It's such a simple story but so emotional and beautiful because she is the one who tells things. She often gives her honest although innocent opinion and it's so much more real because of that. She and her brother lost their mother but the father is an educated man and educated them the best way possible and it shows on their behavior, they admit their responsibility and even when misbehaving they still apologize and try to correct their mistakes. And more..they really feel sorry and guilty when they act badly. This makes me think about how easy things were when we were kids and how growing seems to make us more aware of everything, we filter all the emotions and all the attitudes and children simply...live, it's quite a lesson.
I loved seeing the action take place and how the children would react to things around them and how they dealt with the good and the bad things. I didn't cry but all the main happenings in the story made me think and made me feel very emotional. It's a very touching book.

In the end of the book we see injustice and lack of truth happen but we feel powerless to stop something as ingrained in the land as dirt itself. It was how things were even when we knew they ere wrong. But still a bit of hope would appear and I think this is the beauty of the book, even in bad things, there's always the hope of something better, even if it's the innocence of a child.
I really loved the book. Much more than what I imagined I might. I feel emotional just thinking about it. I also thought the title couldn't be explained but the end of the book proved that yes, it can and innocence must be preserved like mockingbirds are, for they embody the same thing...the simple beauty of a living being.

Ilona Andrews - Gunmetal Magic

After being kicked out of the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea’s whole existence is in shambles. She tries to put herself back together by working for Cutting Edge, a small investigative firm owned by her best friend. When several shapeshifters working for Raphael Medrano -- the male alpha of the Clan Bouda, and Andrea’s former lover -- die unexpectedly at a dig site, Andrea is assigned to investigate. Now she must work with Raphael as her search for the killer leads into the secret underbelly of supernatural Atlanta. And dealing with her feelings for him might have to take a back seat to saving the world…

Comment: This is an author whose books I always love. There hasn't been one yet I haven't absolutely adored.
This time it's a book in the Kate Daniels world, featuring Andrea, Kate's friend from the Guild and a bouda shapeshifter but whose father was a hyena and not a human, therefore making her a target for bulling and mocking and violence in her childhood.
Andrea and her mother have suffered prejudice so Andrea decided to omit the fact she's beastkin, a term defining her father's heritage, even to those close to her in the current times. But complications arise and she ended up revealing that to others and now everyone knows the truth. Still, Raphael, her lover, loved her and wanted her. But a decision she took put distance between them but now she's decided it's way time to accept who she is and face the truth and go after her happiness.

I liked this book. Andrea is a character we've followed since the first book, so a big part of her presence and behavior can be explained throughout the books, until we reach this one. In fact, this is a case where it's important to follow the books in order, to respect that reading order because even though this book explains things and sort of summarizes what happened, there are many nuances the reader might miss because of that. Also, it's a real pleasure to read all the books, I don't think it would be such a trouble to anyone.

Andrea is a strong character, she's survived a lot and she's got a decided mind..except to what she thinks might be the loss of her independence. To her, there's nothing worse than to depend on someone who should support you and doesn't, like happened to her childhood pack. In this book we se finally how awful it was for her. So, although she always said she didn't want a pack, she admits she likes and feels the need for the structure it might provide but she doesn't want to abide the rules that force to depend on others. But once she admits this pack isn't like the other and there are people she cares about and who like her back and that being in a pack might be a way for her to help other girls from being abused the same way she and her mother were, then she gives in. Then, there's Raphael, who loves for who she is and not what she is...I loved seeing them together. The only little small problem I had with this book is this: all this things make sense because I've read all the books and during them we saw her mind, so reaching this point wasn't sudden, but in the book was, I'd have liked to see her show to more people her decision to join the pack, in that aspect I think the actual decision was quite fast, but I don't think it's something that ruins the book or the story.

The authors have a real gift. They prove how someone can be so successful and amazing and others can't. When I sometimes think about the lack of flavor in some author's work, I immediately think about these two to comparison. They write not only beautifully but in such a structured and organized way...I can't explain it well, but it's like they have this puzzle and all the pieces fit perfectly and sometimes other author's don't. This team works perfectly, even if they have trouble during that process like they already said, but in the end it pays off. their work is vibrant, alive, emotional, heartfelt. I always look for their books and always feel so happy to read them.
This book is another success and for a fan, indispensable.

Addison Fox - Warrior Enchanted

Pisces warrior Drake Campbell and his zodiac brethren have driven themselves to the edge. He'd love to take comfort in the arms of the woman he cares for, if only she would lift her emotional barriers to him.
White witch Emerson Carano has more to worry about than the Pisces warrior. Their affair may be red-hot, but she keeps the sexy man at arm's length to avoid getting hurt. When her estranged brother, Magnus, suddenly reappears -- wielding a dangerous dark magic -- Emerson has no choice but to ask Drake and his brothers for help.
Long-buried secrets and dangerous alliances will threaten the very foundation of the warriors while striking at the heart of Emerson's carefully constructed world. Can she put aside her fears to join forces with the only man who can help her -- even if her own family must pay a terrible price?

Comment: I've had this book to read for a couple of months but a friend has read it and said it wasn't as amazing as we might hope so I postponed its reading but sometimes you just want to get things done and I've decided to read this one and get it out of my path.

This is the 4th book in the Zodiac warriors series. It's a series about the 12 warriors in the Zodiac that live and work in the US contingent. There are more teams of 12 warriors spread in the rest of the world, divided into continents and regions.
Each warrior has a sign gifted to him, considering his astral sign. The previous books dealt with the warriors of Scorpio, Taurus and Leo. There's also a novella with the Aquarius but to be honest it wasn't very interesting and the couple in there didn't even show up in this book! The stories are full of Greek mythology and characters and the base of this all is the fight of Good against Evil.

This 4th book is the story of Pisces warrior, Drake and the woman he's in love with, the neighbor next door, Emerson, who happens to be a witch and who helped the guys in a previous book. Since then they've been in an affair that everyone knows about but no one comments. However, drake feel in love and Emerson keeps trying to act like it's just friends with benefits. She's had a past not very solid in emotional terms and she avoids stronger feelings fearing it might be a mistake..but Drake won't give up.
The plot revolves around Eris, the sister of villain Enyo, the guys' enemy. This time Eris is trying to prove she's as a vicious as her sister, but she's also the lover of warrior Rogan, their Sagittarius. This obviously complicates things, plus with mafia people and gods' mischief, things don't look so good.

My impressions...well, let me honest. The book is boring. There's really nothing happening in this book. What we might see as plot evolving isn't. It's just an attempt from the bad guys to cause trouble and they do and then things are solved and in the very something bad happens but we know it would be solved for sure, so it's not like we're left with an immeasurable doubt about it. Then the romance happens, but it's not that fascinating because it's the same thing until the end, where Emerson finally accepts that loving someone who loves you back is a gift to be treasured. Well, in real life we have doubts and behave childishly and doubt our own shadows but in fiction if a character does that and there's no conflict to make her struggles more real or more intense until she accepts she's wrong, then it's just annoying. Which happened here. I guess part of my disappointment it's the writing itself. It's just not...so vibrant and interesting and alive like other writers. This means some scenes happen in such a boring way, I feel too detached and uninterested. In the end the book, having so much potential, feels like a let down but we know it could be better..specially considering the storyline, which is very intriguing... it just isn't treated in the best way, I think.

I'll keep reading because some details make me curious, but it's not a priority and it doesn't make me salivate in the prospect of reading another book so soon.

Lynn Flewelling - Casket of Souls

More than the dissolute noblemen they appear to be, Alec and Seregil are skillful spies, dedicated to serving queen and country. But when they stumble across evidence of a plot pitting Queen Phoria against Princess Klia, the two Nightrunners will find their loyalties torn as never before. Even at the best of times, the royal court at Rhíminee is a serpents’ nest of intrigue, but with the war against Plenimar going badly, treason simmers just below the surface.
And that’s not all that poses a threat: A mysterious plague is spreading through the crowded streets of the city, striking young and old alike. Now, as panic mounts and the body count rises, hidden secrets emerge. And as Seregil and Alec are about to learn, conspiracies and plagues have one thing in common: The cure can be as deadly as the disease.

Comment: I started reading the Nightrunner series by this author a long time ago. It's a fantasy series, full of magic and spells and characters full of life and secrets that come alive in very vivid and enthralling stories. And with each book I keep getting surprised and entertained even when the book isn't as appealing as the better ones. This isn't the case, because Casket of Souls was intriguing and exciting until the end.

Seregil and Alec are the two main characters in the series and since book #1 we've been following their adventures and challenges. Seregil is the older one, a kind of mentor for Alec and also his partner. One of the best scenes in all the books was when Alec told Seregil he loved him, it was so sweet.
In all the books we also have development in the political situation of the world they live in. There's constant war between two places and as spies to the queen, these two see themselves in the most difficult situations but they always manage to get free and arrive home safely.

In this book we have two actions taking place. First, there's the political side of the action. Queen Phoria is fighting the plenimarans but she's chosen her eventual replacement. It's neither of her siblings, but her nice, Elani. However, many nobles would have preferred to see her sister Klia on the throne because Klia is brave and wise. There's just the little detail that Klia doesn't want to be queen. Then there are those who want to kill Klia so she can stop being a potential threat to the queen.
While these political games are played, a group of actors comes to the city and they soon become the starts of the season. Seregil sees nightrunner potential in Atre, the company's principal star.
Somewhere in the book, people start getting ill and they simply fall wherever they are, fall asleep with their eyes open and eventually die. No one knows how this happens, what causes this and even wizards can't find a magical cause.
All these things happen at the same time we see some personal development in the character's lives.
It was an intriguing read, full of twists and little details about things the reader wants to see or hopes to. I love seeing Seregil and Alec getting smart and trying to help and solve the problems around them. The cause for all the problems is connected and after a wile is starts to become obvious. Still, I was curious to see how they would solve everything and if they would be on time to save someone they fell it's part of their family.
In the end, a major thing happened and I can't wait to see how it would influence the upcoming books - which I hope are going to be written!
I recommend this fantasy series to everyone.

Karen Rose - No One Left To Tell

It may be unlucky for some...Will anyone live to tell the tale?
If one more woman should accidentally fall, there'll be no more women and...Ramon Munoz has spent five years in prison, convicted of a murder his family is convinced he did not commit. Unable to get the courts to take them seriously, they turn to private investigator Paige Holden for help. Paige cannot resist the family's pleas. But when Ramon's wife, having just handed her the evidence that will help prove his innocence, is brutally executed in front of her eyes, Paige is thrown headlong into a case which will place her life into jeopardy. As Paige risks everything to prove Ramon was set up, she comes to realise that there is more at stake if Ramon is freed than she could have ever guessed. Can Paige stay alive long enough to unmask an unstoppable killer who will not rest until there's no one left to tell?

Comment: I really like this author. She writes great books and inserts a good romance in there too. The only thing I don't like in her books is the parts where the bad guys "talk". I really, really hate all those pages where we see the villains tell about their evil plans or committing their nasty business. I actually think it wouldn't be a loss if we didn't have that. I understand why it happens, it's the author's trademark too, but to me, personally, it's very annoying to have to go through it..I already know the bad guy is bad, why the need to put it in such an explicit form? Argh...

So, the story focus on Grayson Smith. He has a secret that few people know and he is a very decent and fair prosecutor. We know him from the previous novel. Paige is also a known character, she was mentioned before too. Paige is a PI whose most recent client asked for her help to prove her husband wasn't guilty of a crime and should get out of jail, but she is killed on her way to Paige's house and the only thing left is a disk with evidence of those involved in framing her husband.
Paige and Grayson team up to try to solve the crime and all the lies and motif's around Paige's client's death and at the same time a romance starts developing between them.

The romance is actually quite good. The first books by the author were more romantic than sizzling in this aspect but lately (the last 3 books or so) it feels like the romance got a level up, it's more intense and feels like it's more hot too. I, at least, thought so considering the way the two main characters are in their intimacy. They're falling in love and although I think it happened a bit too fast (three days) it's fiction and in the end I liked how well they suited and how they trusted each other's with secrets and the past and their fears and acknowledged a mutual acceptance for the other. It was sweet.
The plot....like always I have no idea how this author (or others in the genre, for that matter) can come up with such hideous ideas about the human behavior...how can people think and act that way...it's all imagination but reality has shown that fiction isn't that unlikely. In this case, the bad guy doesn't act alone and one of them does things I just can't understand, it's too awful. Still, I enjoyed the process of discovering the how and the why and to see the good guys catching up the bad ones.
I also liked the little details here and there about other characters...some will be protagonists in the future, others have been in the past and it's very good that the author presents us tidbits about their current lives, it's a great way to keep them in our memories and to show the main couple doesn't live in a bubble.
I can't wait for the next one...and this one was a great read, for sure.

Sandra Hill - The Norse King's Daughter

Princess Drifa can certainly see why Sidroc Guntersson is a living legend -- on battlefield and in bedchamber both. But the King of Stoneheim’s willful daughter pitches a royal fit when she learns of the true reason for the virile Viking’s passionate attentions. A third-born son with no hope of inheriting the family jarldom, scheming Sidroc must marry and is interested in Drifa only for her father’s land and money. The barbarian is lucky she just cracks him on his fool head with a pottery pitcher!
Five years later, Drifa needs Sidroc’s protection -- in Byzantium, no less! -- though revenge holds more appeal for this man she left for dead. ’Tis a pity two such perfect enemies match each other so well, passion for passion. So much so that the bold Viking berserker is soon thinking marriage again . . . only this time it will be on his terms!

Comment: I know, I know, I said I wouldn't read more books by this author in the near future because they're becoming too much the same, but I already had this one purchased so I decided to get it over with.

This is the story of Drifa and Sidroc. Drifa refused to marry Sidroc years ago because she found out he only wanted a woman to be the mother of his child and she wanted to marry for love. Now, years later she's traveling to Byzantium to do research on flowers - her passion - but while there she sees herself in trouble and Sidroc is there as a warrior and he helps her. During all the adventures, they finally fall in love, proving their fast relationship from the past did have reason to flourish in the present.

I have to confess this story was much better than the one I've read before. This story has two funny but also capable of seriousness main characters and most important than that, it had a better plot with some interesting subjects, like the family liaisons that can limit or help out lives and the life in an harem back in those days. Of course, everything told in a lighter mode and without much deepness but it still provided interesting thoughts.
The plot was an easy one, both to read and to follow but this is to be expected. The reader has to think these books serve more to entertain than to make us think, but while in the mod for it, I also have to admit the author delivers, plus it has many funny moments and it's always a good time to laugh with the character's antics.
I finished the book with thoughts of harems and how awful it must be to a woman in those lands to be almost a slave because she doesn't have any rights or independence. In this aspect, the book portrayed a very serious situation which I'd have liked to see more developed, but I knew it wouldn't be. The family ties was another thing I liked here, specially because in previous books it was always too perfect or too nonexistent.

In the end I liked the time I spent reading but I don't regret not having any more to read. It's a type of book that can become boring after so many the-same-thing.

Constance O'Day-Flannery - This Time, Forever

Insurrectionist Meggie Billbride had a premonition something would go wrong when she planted the bomb at the mining company offices. Still, the hot-tempered revolutionary refused to back out of her mission . . . and when the dynamite exploded she was certain she was sailing toward the pearly gates. Instead, she discovered she was in a flying machine of the future and seated next to the most handsome mortal she'd ever seen! And as Meggie met his kind emerald gaze and sought his confidence and comfort, the disoriented beauty's terror of her predicament was soon replaced by flaming hot passion!
Fantastically rich Thomas Carter was about to complain about his first-class privacy being disturbed, but when he saw the oddly-dressed goddess beside him, his outrage turned into curiosity. Her slight Irish accent, her quaint hairstyle, and her fresh bright attitude intrigued him much more than all the modern worldly women who had been his usual female fare. The worldy tycoon wasn't satisfied with imagining what lay beneath the high-necked dress. He swore to pursue her relentlessly until he had won her, for now and for always!

Comment: This was the remaining book I had to read by this author. I liked it. I mean...comparing it to all the others, I can't say it's my favorite (that would be the 1st or the 2nd I've read) but it did bring an interesting story to me.

Just a little note...interesting how some things change...when I started reading these books I loved them and my liking them diminished the more I read...I wonder if it was all me or if the books themselves got worse? One year we love something, the other we might not? Why do you think our taste changes like this? I like to think it's because the characters and their adventures stop having the same meaning, but then, some books have the same flavor even after so long and I like them as much, so...even if I change, doesn't the story's tone? In the end I guess it's the matter of some books just not being good for me as a reader, unfortunally.

Ok, back to the book...
The protagonists are in different times and both travel back and forth to solve the plot's issues.
Meggie comes from the 19th century and Thomas lives in 1990. She's poor and fighting for better conditions to her family while being the target of scorn because of her past, very harsh on women at the time. Thomas is rich and divorced and doesn't want complications in his life.
Meggie travels in time first and lands in an airplane next to Thomas. he helps her when she can't help herself in a different time and they start a relationship although not without the expected trials in the middle. In the end of the book, something unexpected happens but of course, here's a happy end.

This book wasn't so bad, even with all the usual clichés in these type of books. The characters grew and learned their lessons while falling in love. This part was good to read and I actually had several moments during the book where I just had to keep reading. What annoyed me a bit was the descriptions of certain things, nothing in particular, but the overall feeling of the book, it's very obvious it was written, any years ago. This wouldn't bother me that much if the action took place in the past but it didn't. Like I said, it went back and forth and when I guess I'd have preferred if it would stick to one instead. Which one doesn't really matter but I suppose in terms of plot in the present would suit better.
The end wasn't what I imagined so I guess it wasn't as predictable as I thought it might be. I can't say it was a bad end, just...unfair in a certain kind of way. Everything ended with an obvious HEA but I don't think it was the best think to be done because one of the characters seemed to have a very hard path and although it isn't that unavoidable I still thought it was a bit over the top considering the tone of the book. Still, it didn't ruin the book, it just made me not want to read the end again.

This ended up not being such a bad book but it didn't come close to the ones I liked the best. Perhaps one day I'll try one or two of the ones I didn't read and let's see what I'd say then.

Anne Bishop - Tangled Webs

The invitation was signed Jaenelle Angelline, and it summoned her family to an entertainment she had specially prepared. Surreal SaDiablo, former courtesan and assassin, arrives first. But when she enters the house, Surreal finds herelf trapped in a living nightmare created by the tangled webs of Black Widow witches ... and if she uses Craft to defend herself, she risks being sealed in the house forever.

But Jaenelle did not send the invitation. And now Jaenelle and her family must rescue Surreal and the others inside without becoming trapped themselves - and then discover who has created such a place, and why ...

Comment: This author has written some of my favorite books in the fantasy genre. People can label her books as they want but to me she writes pure fantasy. Her jewels stories are fantastic and I also liked her other trilogy about fae. I'll read eventually her other series but the fact is, her dark jewels trilogy and following novels about the Blood is what made her known.
Her best feature is the fact she mixes up so many scenes full of fantasy actions, imaginative powers and things and at the same time presents cozy scenes and family affairs. I loved it!

This is the 6th book in the world of the Blood. All the main characters are here and the reader is supposed to know what happened in the previous books. I won't be telling but in short order, very bad queens wanted to control the minds of men and the world but Jaenelle Angeline was born and with her the greatest power that existed and she managed to destroy the evil in the world. Of course, with that, many sacrifices were made but still the world is a better one now. Another note to say, the darker the jewel people have, the bigger the power.

So, this book. Surreal is part of the family that is the key presence in the books. She, like many members of the family, receive an invitation from queen Jaenelle to an horror house, meant to be a funny place for those who don't have magic (therefore, simply humans) but when she arrives there with her escort no one else is there, except a group of children from the orphanage close by. Surreal and Rainier - the escort - enter the house with some of those children and they realize they must play the game without using magic otherwise they won't be able to leave..alive. To make matters worse, the children aren't Blood so they don't have any defense against the evil things inside and it's up to Surreal and Rainier to help them. But the game is dangerous and minute after minute it becomes a game to just be alive until the end.
In the meantime, Jaenelle gets the news someone is trapped inside a house like the one she designed and goes there to help, along with her husband, Daemon and Lucivar, his brother.
The run against time to help the ones inside and to find out who was responsible for Surreal's imprisonment and also the whole plan because it's clear the invitation wasn't for Surreal alone...

I really like to return to a world I know I've spent some good time in. When I read the other books in the world I was transported to a different time and place, but with so many known emotions that it's like seeing a friend after a time...how to explain how it feels to read about familiar characters and their lives? How to show how much I enjoyed every page? I'm sure anyone has that feeling about a certain world or book. In this one, we get another adventure with all those characters and we see a bit of where they are emotional and physically. It's really like seeing an old friend. the writing also allows the reader to feel that way, so good for the author to have put things in such a way.
In the end we saw family members helping others and making sure they were ok, which is such a great topic, even if it wasn't in a fantasy book.To be honest, in terms of character development nothing major happens, but this eels like home and for that only, fans of the books should read it, and those who don't know the world, they are truly missing something extraordinary.
This is a world I recommend without a doubt.

Camilla Lackberg - The Preacher

In the fishing community of Fjallbacka, life is remote, peaceful -- and for some, tragically short. Foul play was always suspected in the disappearance twenty years ago of two young holidaymakers in the area. Now a young boy out playing has confirmed this grim truth. Their remains, discovered with those of a fresh victim, send the town into shock. Local detective Patrik Hedstrom, expecting a baby with his girlfriend Erica, can only imagine what it is like to lose a child. When a second young girl goes missing, Hedstrom's attention focuses on the Hults, a feuding clan of misfits, relgious fanatics and criminals. The suspect list is long but time is short -- which of this family's dark secrets will provide the vital clue?

Comment: The second book in the series by this Swedish author. The first one was a very enjoyable read and now I've read the second one.
The action takes place several months after the end of the first book. In that one, Erica, the main character reconnected with Patrick, a friend from school and they started dating. Now, Erica's pregnant and it's almost her due time to have the baby. It's summer and some relatives want to spend they vacations at Erica and Patrick's house, because it's so close to the beach. This means poor Erica has to cook and clean and no one seems to care that she has such a hard time just walking because of her belly.
At the same time, Patrick has to deal with a murder scenes and all that comes with it. A young girl is found dead on top of the remains of two others and the crimes don't seem to be related but in the end the connection is stronger than we think. On top of it, it's the connection to the Preacher's family and the secrets that family has are everywhere.

About the crimes: there's a whole cast of characters that are linked to the crimes and some of them seem very mysterious and act strangely. Slowly we get more clues about who is involved and why the murders occurred in the first place. I was very intrigued by it and the way the author inserts clues here and there like it's no big deal made me even more eager to know more. The end is quite a surprise and the last scene is very memorizing, in my opinion.
About the main character's lives: Erica is heavily pregnant and the relatives we see around her don't help and think she's there to serve them and this annoyed me a bit, I mean, it's fine you want to spend some time with family but considering her condition it was expected a little more help at least. I like how the author mixes up family scenes and the murder scenes, it gives a more relaxes feel to the story, like it's not that dark.
The secondary characters are interesting, specially Mellberg, once again his adventures are hilarious. Others annoy me and I hope to see them get their due in time.

I think the author's strongest point is exactly the way she puts everything in her book, and even little scenes from characters we met in the first book, like Erica's sister so we can know what's happening to them. It gives a more compact feeling to the story.
I'll keep reading her books and th next one is this month.