Skin Trade by Laurell K Hamilton

"When a vampire serial killer sends Anita Blake a grisly souvenir from Las Vegas, she has to warn Sin City’s local authorities what they’re dealing with. Only it’s worse than she thought. Ten officers and one executioner have been slain—paranormal style. Anita heads to Vegas, where’s she’s joined by three other federal marshals, including the ruthless Edward. It’s a good thing he always has her back, because when she gets close to the bodies, Anita senses “tiger” too strongly to ignore it. The weretigers are very powerful in Las Vegas, which means the odds of her rubbing someone important the wrong way just got a lot higher."

More men in Anita's life. A couple that have been mentioned before take a step into the limelight. I would like to see more of Jean-Claude, Micah and Nathaniel.

With the death of the Mother of all Darkness I wonder who the new baddie will be.

Tall Tales on the Iron Horse by Colin P Davies

TALL TALES ON THE IRON HORSE is a collection of Science Fiction stories that has you wondering if what you have just read is true, are you on earth or in on another planet and what time of history are you in!!

A mix of stories as usual in a volume of short stories.

My favourites were The Girl With The Four-Dimensial Head, The Hay Devils and Clifford and the Book Mole.

THe Shape of Snakes by Minette Walters

It is November 1978. The winter of discontent. Britain is on strike. The dead lie unburied, rubbish piles in the streets ? and somewhere in West London a black woman dies in a rain-soaked gutter. She was known as ?Mad Annie? and was despised by her neighbours.

Her passing would have gone unmourned and unnoticed but for Mrs. Ranelagh, the young woman who finds Annie as she dies and who believes ? apparently against reason ? that she was murdered.

Whatever the truth about Annie ? whether she was as mad as her neighbours claimed, whether she lived in squalor as the police said, whether she cruelly mistreated the many cats found starving in her house ? something passed between the two women in the moment of death which binds Mrs. Ranelagh to Annie?s cause for the next twenty years.

But why is she so convinced it was murder when, by her own account, Annie died without speaking? Why does the subject make her husband so angry that he refuses to talk about what happened that night? And why would any woman spend twenty years painstakingly uncovering the truth ? unless her reasons are personal??

I liked the way part of the story was told with e-mails and letters. There were lots of twists and turns.

Blood Noir by Laurell K Hamilton

A favor for Jason, vampire hunter Anita Blake’s werewolf lover, puts her in the center of a fullblown scandal that threatens master-vampire Jean- Claude’s reign—and makes her a pawn in an ancient vampire queen’s new rise to power.

I enjoyed this installment of Anita Blake's story. Lots of plot development, well written sex scenes and not too many of them.

The Cynic by Elizabeth Michaels

Miss Meg Sutton was the wealthiest debutante to come to Town for some time. She did not lack for instant admirers from amongst the best Society had to offer.

This did not, however, include Lord Wrendale, dubbed "The Cynic" for his jaundiced view of The Marriage Mart and his pledge to remain in single blessedness forever.

He had never looked to meet such a one as Meg, whose own disparaging sentiments towards holy matrimony proved a challenge too unique for even the most seasoned of cynics!

The usual misunderstandings but ,as always, 2 unlikely people end up together.

All Our Worldly Goods by Irene Nemirovsky

Pierre and Agnes are in love but Pierre is engaged to someone else approved by his snobbish mother and the tyrannical family patriach, the industrialist Julian Hardelot. Their love provokes a family fued which cascades down the generations."

This was a beautifully written book.

Horse Heaven by Jane Smiley

Two years in the lives of horses and horse people. The characters include the trainers, the hyper-rich owners, the gamblers, the jockeys, horse-crazy teenage girls - and best of all, the horses.

The characterizations of ALL creatures, be they human, equine, or canine, to be right on target. Wonderful reading for the equestrian-minded!

The Present by Johanna Lindsay

The Present finds the Malory clan gathered at their ancestral estate to celebrate the holidays. To add to the excitement, a beautifully wrapped gift has mysteriously appeared in the parlor. No one knows who placed it there and Jason Malory, the eldest and only permanent resident of Haverston, has no inkling that the intriguing package is about to change his life forever. What connection does the gaily wrapped gift have with the unmarked grave in the meadow? Was the great-great-grandmother of this generation of Malory's a Gypsy or a Russian Princess? Or both? How will the Malory clan accept the secrets revealed by this wonderful Christmas gift?

Very light and fluffy, even for this sort of book.

A Most Unsuitable Duchess by Gail Mallin

He had never thought to be grateful for his wicked temper... No one could dictate that Marcus Richmond, Marquis of Dene, marry against his will. But his father had decreed this would be so, by way of an unwelcome ultimatum... Following the interview, Marcus had sprung his pair and driven his phaeton to an inch, very nearly knocking down Miss Corisande Clifford. Having learned of her lack of fortune, family or friends, Marcus took her under his wing... But it was not long before Miss Corisande became the obstacle to his future and the owner of his heart...

Quite entertaining - some of the usual misunderstandings but they were handled well.

Secrets of the Wolf by Karen Whiddon

"She'd returned to her birthplace to expose her mother's killer. But her questions stirred a sleeping killer and police chief Reed Hunter couldn't stay away he had to protect her. But could he protect her from the truth about herself?"

Werewolf porn, but not great on the porn bit.

Animal Appetite by Susan Conant

To win a bet with a friend that she can write about something other than dogs, Holly Winter begins in-depth research into the life of Hannah Dunston, a local 17th-century heroine who turns out to have been a murderer. Clues into Hannah's past lead to the murder of Jack Winter Andrews 18 years ago and the mysterious circumstances of finding his golden retriever tied to his desk at the crime scene. Holly diligently searches through libraries and other people's cluttered basements to discover the identity of Jack's killer, the location of his illegitimate son, and Holly's own tie to Hannah Dunston. Conant adeptly weaves Andrews's murder together with the legend of Hannah Dunston, resulting in an intriguing mesh of converging facts. The author keeps readers entertained between major breakthroughs in the story by relating all sorts of pointers about dogs in general, and more specifically Holly's own malamutes, who play a role in solving the crime. Holly comes across as self-assured, independent, and knowledgeable, and all of the other characters are precisely drawn through subtle details and expertly manipulated facts. During the last chapters, the suspense and tension build rapidly, although the twist at the end is somewhat convenient.

Holly was a bit too annoyingly over the top about her dogs. But even with Holly this was an enjoyable rea

Carnival of Love by Helen Dickson

Rescuing Lavinia Renshaw from a Venetian canal was one thing. Accepting her surprising proposition of marriage was quite another. Maxim Purnell thrived on taking risks. However, his situation was complicated enough without taking on a wife.

But there was no denying Lavinia had succeeded in piquing his curiosity — and desire. To come in to her considerable legacy she needed a husband, and she intended their arrangement to be a marriage of convenience only. So what would happen if Maxim decided to make her his wife for real?

The 2nd half was better than the 1st, even if Lavinia did forgive Maxim rather easily and frequently.

Nightshade by Kim Wilkins

Gina is learning the biggest lessons of her life as an apprentice witch to Alyce Nightingale. Impressed with Gina's ability, Alyce passes on an old amulet that used to belong to a famous Siberian sorceress, and that's when Gina's nightmares begin: haunting dreams of a child lost in the forest, a cruel shadow in pursuit. In a botched psychic experiment, the shadow crosses over into Gina's world.

Now, with a malicious spirit on the loose, Gina is going to have to focus all her brainpower on solving the mystery and sending the shadow back. Meanwhile, Gina's friend Vanessa is acting strange, and her boyfriend Dali is going seriously off the rails. It's not an ideal way to spend the summer holidays, but Gina thinks she's coping.

Witchsong by Kim Wilkins

Is there a serial killer at large in Blackwater Bay? Residents are fearful and the police are desperate. When they approach Gina Champion for psychic help on the case, she suspects that a black sorceress might be behind the killings.Meanwhile, Gina has to cope with real life. It is the end of the year. Her boyfriend Dali is away for Christmas, and her older sister has come to stay, causing more trouble than she is worth. But if Gina doesn't solve the case quickly, she could be next on the killer's list . . .

A teenage psychic who helps the police? Some of this 15 year olds exploits area a little hard to believe. It was a quick, light read that kept me entertained and interested me enough that I am reading the next in the series.

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penny

1867, Canada
As winter tightens its grip on the isolated settlement of Dove River, a woman steels herself for the journey of a lifetime. A man has been brutally murdered and her seventeen-year-old son has disappeared. The violence has re-opened old wounds and inflamed deep-running tensions in the frontier township - some want to solve the crime; oher seek only to exploit it.To clear her son's name, she has no choice but to follow the tracks leaving the dead man's cabin and head north into the forest and the desolate landscape that lies beyond it ... "

An unusual story with lots of twists and lots of stories within the main one. Some are hinted at or left without an ending and I would have liked to know more.