Awaken Me Darkly by Gena Showalter

In a time and place not too far away, Mia Snow is an alien huntress for the New Chicago Police Department, and she's the perfect girl for the job. Tough and sexy, she's earned each of her scars battling the elusive enemy among us. Now, investigating a series of killings, she is shaken to the core when a burst of violence leaves her partner Dallas fighting for his life. A tall, erotic stranger holds the power to heal the injured agent -- and to bind Mia in an electrifying and dangerous seduction. He is Kyrin en Arr, of the deadly Arcadian species -- an alien, a murder suspect -- who has Mia walking a knife's edge, risking her badge and even her life. . . and edging closer to a shocking revelation that will shatter everything she's ever believed.


Sci-fi/paranormal cop thriller. Mia got a bit annoying at times with always hitting Kyrin and I didn't find their romance entirely believable. A nice enough, light read. 


I liked Book 2 in series, which I read a while ago, more than this.

Ironside by Holly Black

Things have been uneasy ever since Roiben assumed the throne of the Unseelie Court, and with the threat of war in the air and Roiben's coronation drawing near, everyone is on edge. Changeling Kaye Fierch knows that she loves Roiben, but she feels increasingly unwelcome and out of place in the Unseelie Court. So the night of the coronation, determined to prove herself to Roiben and the rest of the court, she makes a formal declaration and pledges herself to him as his consort. However, faerie custom demands that a quest be undertaken before anyone can sit as the Lord's consort, and Roiben grants Kaye an impossible task: to find a fairy who can tell an untruth. Now she is forbidden from seeing or speaking to him until she completes something she knows cannot be done. 

Kaye doesn't know where to go, because she has been feeling uncomfortable at home as well, knowing that she stole a human child's life. In a moment of desperation, she tells her mother the truth: that she is a changeling that was switched with Ellen's real daughter, the real Kaye, and she vows to retrieve her from the Seelie Court and return her to Ellen. She feels that this, at least, is something she can do, even if there's no way she can complete Roiben's quest. 

But with all the tension between the courts there is nowhere safe, and in venturing into the Seelie Court to find her human counterpart, Kaye puts herself within reach of Lady Silarial. Silarial wants Roiben's throne, and she's willing to do anything, including using Kaye, to get it. Once again Kaye finds herself in the middle of Faerie politics, but this time Roiben's not there to save her, and she may not have a way out. 


A few twists and turns keep things interesting.  It was an OK read, just a bit....flat, I guess.

Man of My Dreams

In the Sherrilyn Kenyon story Livia must loose her virginity or be wed to an 82 year old lech. How she overcomes her problems and finds the man of her dreams is touching and delightful. 

Maggie Shayne gives us a psychic who need someone to believe in her, The man of her dreams is a detective who finally fulfills her needs, but not before she saves him from a curse. 

Suzanne Forester gives us a heroine who really doesn't know who the man of her dreams is. But someone or fate has placed him in her path a few weeks before her wedding. Will her eyes be opened or not? It is amazing who gives fate a hand. 

Virginia Kantra tells us about a woman who lost her love 14 years ago. Now on a dark night she finds the man of her dreams is caught in the net of a fairy queen. But if he is the man of her dreams does that mean she is the woman of his dreams? 

A very entertaining read. I enjoyed it very much.  My favourite was Fire and Ice by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Eat, Prey Love by Kerrelyn Sparks

 Carlos Panterra is looking for a mate, a woman who will love and care for the young orphans he's recently taken under his wing (or paw, as the case may be). When the shape shifter spies the beautiful Caitlyn, it's like sunshine amidst the darkness. At last, he's found the perfect woman, except . . .

Caitlyn Whelan is mortal. Worse, her father is the head of a CIA agency bent on hunting the undead. Still, Caitlyn knows that Carlos is the man for her, shape shifter or not. So she jumps at the chance when her sister offers her a job to work with him, determined to show Carlos their attraction is more than just animal magnetism. But danger lurks in the night, and their unleashed, untamed passion might just get them both killed . . .


 Eat, Prey, Love is a great easy read - full of humor and romance...and a little bit of sex. 

Pride Mates by Jennifer Ashley

In Shifterstown in the Austin area, human attorney Kim Fraser is defending shifter Brian Smith from the charge of murdering his human girlfriend. Brian is the first shifter she ever met though their existence has been known for two decades. Like mots humans, she assumed shifters were beasts who needed collars to keep them from going berserk. In spite of her fears of shifters being violent bogey-beasts, she believes her client is innocent; so she comes to Shifterstown to obtain the help of the go to shifters the Morrisey brood; father Dylan and brothers Liam and Sean. 

Liam informs Kim that Brian never came to him so why should he help him. Kim explains she got the short straw as the junior lawyer, but believes Brian is innocent because the collar prevents violent crime. She also says the prosecution, cops, and judge have not played fair and her client has given up, but she has not. Although he has doubts about getting involved because of his attraction to the brave lawyer who came alone, Liam is forced to intervene when a shifter without a collar threatens Kim's life. 

The key to the first Shifters Unbound romantic urban fantasy is the belief that the world of Jennifer Ashley exists; especially the racism with parallels to America as humans even those who never met a shifter believe they are deadly animals needing control. The story line is fast-paced from the moment the feisty lawyer challenges the powerful shifter and never slows down as love and the law clash in what is a terrific tale of people's rights and dignities. 

The New Space Opera

 The new space opera shares with the old the interstellar sweep of events and exotic locales, but Dozois and Strahan's all-original anthology shows how the genre's purveyors have updated it, with rigorous science, well-drawn characters and excellent writing. Many of the 18 stories play with the scope that characterizes classic space opera. In Greg Egan's Glory, creatures embody themselves as aliens to perform archeological research, only to get caught up in a struggle between two worlds. Robert Reed's Hatch, limited in locale to the hull of a giant ship, proves that the scope of the struggle for life is always epic. Stephen Baxter's Remembrance walks a line between the personal and the global as resisters against Earth's conquerors remember one man's struggle against the alien invaders. Kage Baker's humorous Maelstrom, in which an acting troupe on frontier Mars puts on a Poe story for the miners there, tells a personal story in an epic setting. The new space opera teaches us that despite the bizarre turns humanity may take to conquer these outré settings, a recognizable core of humanity remains. 


As usual with any collection of short stories I enjoyed some more than others. My favourites were Minla's Flower and The Emperor and the Maula.

Overall a good selection of stories from a variety of authors. 

Dream Quest

Nine short stories, all some sort of paranormal.


In "Lady of Maragorn", true love is threatened by a lifelong curse...In "Kallaayt", a dragon must fight for the human woman he loves...A contemporary woman wakes in the arms of her favorite swashbuckling movie hero and struggles to save his legendary land in "Knight Moves"...A woman on a space station befriends a man she believes can never love her if he learns she's crippled in "The Girl in a Box"...In walking "Through the Woods" divorcee Beth faces a haunting challenge, and a man with a broken heart...and a Chalith warrior risks revealing his dark secret to save the life of the woman he's been sent to kill in "To Call the Moons".

Life, love, ghosts, space stations, shapeshifters, dragons, intergalactic intrigue and more!


As usual with any short story collection I enjoyed some more than others.

My favourites were Kallaayt's Tal, about a dragon rescuing a damsel in distress and To Call the Moons  which was a sort of vampire demon rescuing a woman being chased by assassins.. 

Play of Passion by Nalini Singh

Drew Kincaid is well used to long, difficult hunts as the pack tracker - responsible for reining in wolves that go rogue, giving in to their animal halves. Doing everything he can to save them and bring them back, before making that impossible choice to kill them - for the good of the Pack. But nothing has prepared him for the challenge he faces to win the heart of the one woman that he's wanted for so long. 

Lieutenant Indigo Riviere is comfortable in her own skin as a dominate female, and has very specific ideas about the kind of male she should mate with. With a dreary example of what happens when a female mates with a less dominant wolf, she's surprised - and worried - when her attraction is to the most playful wolf in the pack. Her mind tells her to stop this, before it burns them both up and destroys the Pack by creating havoc in the hierarchy, but her heart starts to tell her different. And she never counted on Drew's perseverance, or his charm. 

With the world ready to explode around them, Drew and Indigo find themselves playing a wickedly, hot game with each other. As the stakes grow, and their home is stalked, can they find a way to overcome everything threatening to keep them apart and save the pack too? 



This was another great addition to the series, but I do prefer my heroines to be not quite as dominant as Indigo.

The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber

 Lydia Hoffman, a two-time cancer survivor, opens a knitting shop 'A Good Yarn' as a symbol of the new life she plans to lead. She starts a weekly knitting class, hoping to improve business and make friends in the area. The initial class project is a baby blanket. The first to sign up is the very rich Jacqueline Donovan, who loathes her pregnant daughter-in-law but hopes to prove that she will be a good grandmother by knitting a baby blanket. Carol Girard joins the group as she sees the knitting class as a sign that she will finally have a successful in vitro pregnancy. The last member of the the first knitting class is Alix Townsend, a high school dropout with an absentee father and a mother in jail. She is using the class to satisfy a court-ordered community service sentence for a drug-possession conviction for which her roommate is really responsible.



 While predictable, it was a pleasant journey and a satisfying read. 

Wild Fire by Christine Feehan

Conner Vega has been running for a year. He was on a job to infiltrate a family through the daughter to get to the bad people. The daughter's - Isabeau- father was participating with the bad people. Conner found out that Isabeau is his one true mate. He tries to talk the father down, but he refuses and ends up getting shot. Isabeau felt betrayed by Conner. He then runs to the states for a year afraid of running into her again. Now he is called to do another job in the Panama rain forest. There is a woman, Imelda, stealing tribe children and forcing the tribes to run drugs to preserve the children. Upon meeting the job instigator Conner comes face to face with his mate. Now they must work together to bring Imelda down and save the children. 



The main characters, Connor and Isabeau, were great and I loved the way their relationship developed.

We know from the beginning that Connor betrayed Isabeau last time they were together and I didn't need reminding of that as often as it was mentioned.

Overall a great, hot read.  Lots of sex scenes and 1 well done, light spanking scene.

The Last Coyote

After being put on involuntary stress leave for attacking his boss, LAPD detective Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch tackles the 30-plus-year-old murder case of a Hollywood prostitute - his mother. Bummed out by the failure of his latest romance as well, Harry faces a deeper, psychological crisis: his life's "mission" may end if he solves the case. Harry continues, nonetheless, soon discovering that the police and politically powerful others purposely glossed over his mother's murder.

 Lots of action, twists and great characters. I loved it. 

The Killers Game by Jay R Bonansinga

 When ace hit man Joe Flood finds out from his doctor that he's got six months to live, he decides to go out with a bang--by putting a $6-million contract on himself. Then, as every other major hit person in the world heads for Chicago to take up the challenge, Joe gets a message on his machine: "Sorry, we tested the wrong blood sample. You're fine." What's a guy to do but use his own survival skills, and those of his feisty lady friend, to stay alive?


The first few chapters were good, then it just got to be same old, same old as various typical assassins came after him.

Cravings

 loaded with kinky, creative sex. And indeed, that's exactly what Hamilton delivers in "Beyond the Ardeur," which uses the setting of a wedding to bring back virtually the entire cast of characters from her popular series about necromancer Anita Blake. While Hamilton's fans will enjoy revisiting these night creatures, some may be disappointed to find that this tale is all sex and no slaying; the only mystery is which paranormal hunk(s) will satisfy Anita's ardeur. Far more suspenseful is York's "Burning Moon," which follows a blind tarot reader and a werewolf as they steam up the sheets and try to trap a serial killer. Equally compelling but more inventive is Wilks's "Originally Human"; neither the succubus heroine (whose age varies between 19 and 300, with stops at 50 and 35) nor the reader uncovers her amnesiac mystery man's identity till the final pages. Davidson, meanwhile, delivers nonstop, witty repartee and a surprise denouement in "Dead Girls Don't Dance," a delightful romance between a vampiress and her old college classmate. 


 My Favourite story was Originally Human by Eileen Wilks. 

At Risk by Patricia Cornwell

the action is set in Boston, where an attractive and ambitious DA, Monique Lamont, seeks to use a new anticrime initiative to propel herself into the governor's mansion. Lamont plucks her top investigator, Winston Garano, from a special forensics course to probe an obscure cold case, but the detective's inquiries suggest that his boss may be playing a duplicitous game. I didn't enjoy it as much as I usually do Patricia Cornwell's writing.

Darkness Unbound by Keri Arthur

Being half werewolf and half Aedh, Risa Jones can enter the twilight realms between life and death and see the reapers, supernatural beings that collect the souls of the dead. But she soon makes a terrifying discovery: Some sinister force is stealing souls, preventing the dead from ever knowing the afterlife. Reapers escort souls—not snatch them—but Risa is still unnerved when a reaper shadows her in search of someone Risa has never met: her own father, an Aedh priest, who is rumored to be tampering with the gates of hell for a dark purpose. With the help of her “aunt”—half-werewolf, half-vampire Riley Jenson—and an Aedh named Lucian who may have lost his wings but none of his sex appeal, Risa must pursue whatever shadowy practitioner of blood magic is seizing souls, and somehow stop her father . . . before all hell breaks loose.   Excellent world building, a fast moving plot, a touch of romantic interest and a few characters from her Riley Jensen series make minor appearances.

The Memory Game by Nicci French

 You remember an idyllic childhood. But your memory is deceitful. And possibly deadly... When a skeleton is unearthed in the Martellos' garden, Jane Martello is shocked to learn it's that of her childhood friend, Natalie, who went missing twenty-five years ago. Encouraged by a therapist to recover lost memories, Jane hopes to find out what really took place when she was a child - and what happened to Natalie. But in learning the truth about hers and Natalie's past, is Jane putting her own future at terrible risk?
 

Lots af twists and turns and no one is quite as they appear to be. It is one of those novels that creeps up on you, and before you know it, you've become engrossed and finished half the book.

Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs

 Car mechanic and sometime shapeshifter Mercy Thompson has learned, the hard way, why her race was almost exterminated. When European vampires immigrated to North America, they found Mercy's people had a hidden talent - for vampire slaying. Unfortunately for Mercy, the queen of the local vampire seethe has discovered her true identity. She's also furious when she learns Mercy has crossed her and killed one of her vampires. Mercy may be protected from direct reprisals by the werewolf pack (and her interesting relationship with its Alpha), but that just means Marsilia will come after Mercy some other way. So Mercy had better prepare to watch her back.


A brilliant urban-fantasy/mystery, with plenty of chills and humour. I'm enjoying the developing relationship between Mercy and Adam. 

The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett

 When duty calls. Commander Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork constabulary answers. Even when he doesn't want to. He's been "invited" to attend a royal function as both detective and diplomat. The one role he relishes; the other requires, well, ruby tights. Of course where cops (even those clad in tights) go, alas, crime follows. An attempted assassination and a theft soon lead to a desperate chase from the low halls of Discworld royalty to the legendary fat mines of Uberwald, where lard is found in underground seams along with tusks and teeth and other precious ivory artifacts. It's up to the dauntless Vimes -- bothered as usual by a familiar cast of Discworld inhabitants (you know, trolls, dwarfs, werewolves, vampires and such) -- to solve the puzzle of the missing pachyderm. Which of course he does. After all, solving mysteries is his job.

Pratchett flawlessly weaves humor, both subtle and laugh-out-loud funny, into the framework of an engaging story.

I start each Pratchett book thinking this is a weird story, but before long I can't put the book down. Another great one.

The Vampire and The Virgin by Kerrelyn Sparks

Robby is suffering from post-traumatic stress after being captured and tortured by the Malcontents. Although most of his physical wounds have healed he is so full of anger and vengeance that he has become a liability to himself and others. He refuses to talk to a shrink so he is forced by his boss, who is also his great-great-grandfather, to take 4 months off to heal physically and mentally before retuning back to work. He spends this time at one of Roman and Shanna's homes in Greece.

Olivia works for the FBI and is somehow being stalked by a serial killer that is in prison. Olivia is also taking some forced time off from work at her grandmothers house in Greece. She arrives 3 weeks before Robby is ready to return to New York. Both her and her grandmother have the ability to read peoples emotions and can tell when someone is lying. Neither one of them can read Robby. Although Olivia's attraction to Robby is immediate, not being able to read his emotions both thrill and frighten her.  


 Great romance with a touch of humour. 

Caressed By Ice by Nalini Singh

udd Lauren is a Psy, he is also an Arrow, one of the elite fighting forces of the Psy Council. He and his family now reside with the Snowdancer, Changling Clan. His family was ordered to be reeducated which means their minds would be destroyed. They escaped to the Wolf-Changling Clan thinking they would be killed but the children would live. However, the Snowdancers have accepted the whole family into their protection. The children are assimilating and learning to face and use their emotions. But Judd is still Psy and his mind is locked into the protocol of Silence. Any amount of emotion causes the pain of dissonance and can ultimately cause his death.

Brenna Kincaid was tortured and her mind destroyed by a Psy. He abducted her and over a week tore through her mind and cut and hurt her body. When she was rescued she was in a coma, and Sasha a renegade E-Psy who is the mate of Lucas, leader of the Leopard Clan was the only one who could reach her. She is steadily drawn to Judd. She finds it hard to understand why since he is Psy, but he calls to her in every way.  


Brenna's a girl who knows what she wants and sets out to get it no matter the obstacles.


Judd is the perfect product of Silence, cold, logical, emotionless. Yet, Silence for him helps him to control his dangerous abilities, abilities that allow him to kill with a mere thought.

His need to touch Brenna makes him uncaring of the pain caused by dissonance. While he is the "Man of Ice", at the end we see his true possessive nature.

I loved the relationship between these two.

A great read. 

Captive Dreams by Angela Knight

 Celeste and Corinne Carson are writers of science and romantic fiction, respectively. Both have created alpha type male heroes and both feel a special connection to their characters. What they don't realize is that their writings are coming true in their hero's universes, a fact they are about to find out in a most alarming way . . .

Jarred Varrain and Mykhayl Rhodyonovich are the tormented characters of the sisters' fantasies. Trapped in a kind of limbo when the girls are brainstorming, and then helpless to change the eventual outcome once back in their own lives, the men have had enough! For ten long years they have had to watch as their lives are plotted and executed with malicious precision, and now the men finally have a chance to take revenge on their tormentors by kidnapping the women and whisking them off to their individual universes.

Mykhayl's dimension is one of magic and fantasy. As he spirits Corinne away from her home, he can think of nothing other than punishing her for his years of suffering. After completely consuming her, he finds she has possession of him as well, a fact that does not sit well with him. He knows her for the sorceress she is, and after the things done to him by another sorceress, he can not trust her--especially with his heart. Corinne knows he can never love her, but the least she can do is to use her newfound skills to reverse the damage she caused in one of her stories. But will her courage and determination be enough to give this mighty king the queen he needs and the son he deserves?

Jarred's universe is one of science and technology. When Celeste finds herself face to face with the gadgets she invented, the reality is more alarming than she could have ever imagined. Especially her ultimate creation--the brawny, sexy, cyborg/human glaring down at her with malice. She knows him as well as he knows himself and when the look she has described a thousand times, the one associated with that of the executioner-Jarred, she is more terrified than she can ever remember being. His intentions, however, are not as grim as her impending death, but he will use her then throw her away . . . so to speak. The sex they share is unlike either of them has ever experienced. Just when it seems Jarred's icy exterior is melting in Celeste's favor, her special powers are revealed to him. He realizes then that she has kept this secret from him for almost the entire time of her stay with him. Knowing Jarred's life will soon be jeopardized, Celeste is determined to keep him from harm--knowing he will never love her. But the danger comes from the most unexpected source and it's up to Celeste to neutralize the threat before it's too late.

Definitely an erotic romance. A quick, enjoyable read.

The Untamed Bride by Stephanie Laurens

Colonel Derek Delborough has a dangerous mission to complete, and no time for ladies in need of a traveling companion. Deliah Duncannon doesn’t care what Del says; his aunts promised he would escort her north to Humberside, and she intends to hold him to that promise. At first Del does his best to discourage Deliah, but the outspoken lady insists on accompanying him. It is only when their party is attacked by agents of the Black Cobra that everything changes. Now the only way Del can keep Deliah safe is by keeping her close to him.


Handsome, heroic nobleman meets independent-minded, feisty noblewoman. He is instantly attracted and pursues; she is attracted and resists. Her lungs seize. He flashes a wolfish smile. He seduces her. Lots of sex scenes. Oh, and there's a mysterious traitor/murderer and at some point the hero and heroine are in physical jeopardy. He gets overly protective, she resists again... 



As usual I enjoyed Stephanie Laurens writing, even if, or maybe because, I know exactly how the story is going to play out. 

Succubus Shadows by Richelle Mead

 Georgina Kincaid has formidable powers. Immortality, seduction, shape-shifting into any human form she desires, walking in heels that would cripple mere mortals--all child's play to a succubus like her.
Helping to plan her ex-boyfriend's wedding is a different story. Georgina isn't sure which is worse--that Seth is marrying another woman, or that Georgina has to run all over Seattle trying on bridesmaid dresses. Still, there are distractions. Georgina's roommate, Roman, is cluttering her apartment with sexual tension. Then there's Simone, the new succubus in town, who's intent on corrupting Seth.

But the real danger lies in the mysterious force that's visiting her thoughts, trying to draw her into a dark, otherworldly realm. Sooner or later, Georgina knows she'll be too weak to resist. And when that happens, she'll discover who she can trust, who she can't--and that Hell is far from the worst place to spend eternity. . .

The on again off again relationship between Seth and Georgina needs to be resolved.

I now want the last book to see that it is resolved. Another great installment in this series. 

Succubus Heat by Richelle Mead

Georgina Kincaid has been a bad, bad succubus. . .
. . .which should be a good thing. But lately, thanks to her foul mood over breaking up with bestselling writer Seth Mortensen, she's been so wicked that Seattle's uber-demon Jerome, decides to "outsource" Georgina to a rival--and have her spy for him in the process.

Being exiled to the frozen north--okay, Vancouver--and leaving Seth in the cozy clutches of his new girlfriend is unpleasant enough. Then Jerome is kidnapped, and all immortals under his control mysteriously lose their powers. One bright spot: with her life-sucking ability gone, there's nothing to keep Georgina from getting down and dirty with Seth--nothing apart from his girlfriend that is. Now, as the supernatural population starts turning on itself, a newly mortal Georgina must rescue her boss and figure out who's been playing them--or all hell will break loose. .

The mystery part of the plot blends well with the romance. Loved this installment in the series and can't wait to read the next.