Susannah's Garden by Debbie Macomber

When she was eighteen, Susannah Nelson was sent abroad to school. In what she saw as her fathers attempt in dictating her life it effectively separated her from her boyfriend Jake, and she never got to see her brother Doug again who was killed that summer in an automobile accident. After a few short letters, Susanna never heard from or saw Jake and though it hurt at the time, she later met, married a fine man, and raised a family. -----

Now her children are just about grown, she's hitting midlife, and Susannah's marriage seemed stale as her thoughts continually seemed to focus on what `could have been' if her father hadn't interfered in her life and romance with Jake. With her father recently passed on, she had been summoned home sooner than she'd planned when alerted by neighbors and friends that her widowed mother was having difficulties dealing with her loss and living alone. Back in the house and town she'd grown up in Susanna would have to deal with her mother's increasing aging problems, and make some tough decisions regarding her care. Additionally, she would she face the past, discovering new insights into her troubled relationship with her dad, and dealing with a similar issue concerning her rebellious nineteen year old daughter. 

A lovely, heartwarming read.  I like the ending.  She discovered/decided that the life she had was way better than if her life had gone in any other direction and she and her husband reconnected. 

The Man Who Lied To Women by Carol O'Connor

When a woman killed in Central Park is mistakenly identified as Mallory, the former street urchin and computer whiz sets herself up as bait by moving into the apartment building that houses her three main suspects. Using a computer and the building's electronic bulletin board to psych out the killer, she stirs up more than she bargained for, including someone who wants her dead. Other elements in the intelligent plot include a crime of passion, a suspenseful cat-and-mouse game and a boy who may be telekinetic and whose stepmothers keep dying. 

A different sort of heroine, in some ways she reminded me of Dexter. She has her own set of rules that don't always conform to society's. Lots of bad guys, lots of men who lie to women but who is the murderer she is after?

I would read more in this series. 

Kill The Messenger by Tami Hoag

At the end of a long day battling street traffic, bike messenger Jace Damon has one last drop to make. But en route to delivering a package for one of L.A.'s sleaziest defense attorneys, he's nearly run down by a car, chased through back alleys, and shot at. Only the instincts acquired while growing up on the streets of L.A. allow him to escape with his life—and with the package someone wants badly enough to kill for. 

Jace returns to Lenny Lowell's office only to find the cops there, the lawyer dead, and Jace himself considered the prime suspect in the savage murder. Suddenly he's on the run from both the cops and a killer, and the key to saving himself and his ten-year-old brother is the envelope he still has—which holds a message no one wants delivered: the truth.

Very good read, likeable characters and a perfect ending.

Cara Gayle by Geraldine O'Neill

 Cara Gayle is one of life's pleasers. A young, country school-teacher in 1960s Ireland, she spends her life looking after her philandering husband, Oliver, and her pious mother, Maggie. When Cara's seventh wedding anniversary reveals her husband's latest infidelity, Cara decides it's time to do something for herself. Offered the chance to escape her loveless marriage for a few weeks by accompanying her parents to a family wedding in Lake Savannah, upstate New York, she's only too keen to accept. The gorgeous scenery and the relaxed, American approach to life make Cara more aware than ever of how narrow and unfulfilling her life in Tullamore has become. When she meets Jameson Carroll, a reclusive artist who lives with his young son on the shores of the lake, Cara embarks on a once-in-a-lifetime passionate affair. Yet in the background, her return to Ireland and life with Oliver looms. Can Cara Gayle find the courage, at long last, to finally please herself?

An engaging love story, that was much quicker and easier to read than I had expected from the size of the book.

Black Magic by Cherry Adair

SHE HATES USING MAGIC . . .

Ever since the death of her parents, Sara Temple has rejected her magical gifts. Then, in a moment of extreme danger, she unknowingly sends out a telepathic cry for help—to the one man she is convinced she never wants to see again.

HE’S A POWERFUL WIZARD . . .

Jackson Slater thought he was done forever with his ex-fiancée, but when he hears her desperate plea, he teleports halfway around the world to aid her in a situation where magic has gone suddenly, brutally wrong.

THEY’VE BEEN CHOSEN TO SAVE THE WORLD . . .

But while Sara and Jack remain convinced they are completely mismatched, the Wizard Council feels otherwise. A dark force is killing some of the world’s most influential wizards, and the ex-lovers have just proved their abilities are mysteriously amplified when they work together. But with the fate of the world at stake, will the violent emotions still simmering between them drive them farther apart . . . or bring them back into each other’s arms? 

An OK read with no surprises. I knew who the baddie was from the first time his character was introduced.  Not as good as I would usually expect from Cherry Adair.

The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis

Sancha de Aragon, princess of Naples and illegitimate daughter to the coldhearted duke of Calabria (briefly king of Naples), is used to establish ties to the feared and influential House of Borgia when her father betroths her to the younger scion, Jofre. War with the French briefly returned her to Naples, but rumors of her beauty reach her lecherous father-in-law, Pope Alexander VI, who recalls her and Jofre to opulent Rome. There, she avoids the pope's advances—and her jealous sister-in-law Lucrezia's animosity—but falls into a steamy affair with her brother-in-law, the dashing Cesare, cardinal of Valencia. Cesare becomes furious when she refuses to leave Jofre, and he sets out on a warpath that includes her brother Alfonso, who has also married into the Borgia clan—to Lucrezia...

Well written, interesting story.

Midwinter's Bliss by Cathleen Claire

Seeking shelter from a snowstorm at the house of the notorious Marquess of Amberton, Lady Hope Blissfield and her companion unwittingly crash a raucous bachelor party and force their reluctant host to observe proper rules of conduct.

Light, fluffy and totally unbelievable nonsense.

Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

As a person with so few living relatives, Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse really hated to lose one. But she never guessed that it would be her cousin Hadley—a consort of the Vampire Queen of New Orleans. After all, technically speaking, Hadley was already dead. And now, as unexpected heir to Hadley’s estate, Sookie discovers the inheritance definitely comes with a risk.
Someone doesn’t want Sookie looking too deeply into Hadley’s past—or for that matter, Hadley’s possessions. And they’re prepared to do anything in their power to stop her. But who? The range of suspects runs from the Rogue Weres who reject Sookie as a friend of the Pack to the Vampire Queen herself, who could be working through a particularly vulnerable subject—Sookie’s first love, Bill.
Whoever it is, they’re definitely dangerous—and Sookie’s life is definitely on the line…

Pretty good book, had some good twists that take you by surprise. Because the True Blood series is taking some liberty's with plot lines and the order things happen in, Sookie having Fairy blood wasn't the big shocker in this book it was supposed to be.  But she did have a new lover, Quinn, a were-tiger i don't remember from the series.  He should be in though, he sounds ....umm...tasty.

Moment of Truth by Lisa Scottoline

When attorney Jack Newlin discovers his wife dead in their home, he's convinced he knows who killed her—and is equally determined to hide the truth. He decides to frame himself for murder, and to seal his fate he hires the most inexperienced lawyer he can find: a reluctant rookie by the name of Mary DiNunzio from the hot Philadelphia firm of Rosato & Associates. But hiring Mary may turn out to be his biggest mistake. She doubts Jack's confession, and her ethics and instincts tell her she can't defend a man who wants to convict himself. Smarter, gutsier, and more persistent than she has any right to be, Mary sets out to prove what really happened—because, as any lawyer knows, a case is never as simple as it seems. And nothing is ever certain until the final moment of truth.

The Impostor Prince by Tanya Anne Crosby

Scottish lord turned highwayman holds up a coach. The occupant looks exactly like him and so he realises immediately it must his twin brother, the one he never knew he had until this moment.  Se he knocks him out, switches clothes and gets in the coach.  He gets home and his father, a king of a small country, never notices anything different. He falls in love with an unsuitable girl, reveals all to his father and they all live happily ever after.  

 Light, fluffy and and very improbable romance.

The Darkest Surrender by Gena Showalter

Possessed by the demon of Defeat, Strider cannot lost a challenge without suffering unimaginable pain. For him, nothing stands in the way of victory. Until Kaia, an enchanting Harpy, tempts him to the razor's edge of surrender.

Known among her people as The Disappointment, Kaia must bring home the gold in the Harpy Games or die. Strider is a distraction she can't afford because he has an agenda of his own--steal first prize, an ancient godly artifact, before the winner can be named. But as the competition heats up, only one prize will matter--the love neither had thought possible... 

I have never liked Kaia but this book brings out a little more personality to her. It showed a side of her that had some vulnerability to it which made her more well-rounded and likeable.

I prefer the books where the woman is human. I found a lot of the harpies stuff annoying.

i still love the series and will continue to read it to find out what happen to the other Lords.

Children on the Oregon Trail by A. Rutgers van der Loeff

A story based on the remarkable journey made by the Sager children through the north-west of America in the pioneering days of 1844. John Sager is 13 when his family leave Mississippi for the Far West. When tragedy strikes and John's parents die, he is left to look after his six younger siblings.

A remarkable story of survival. i would love to know what happened to them next. 

Dog Days by John Levitt

Mason used to be an enforcer, ensuring that suspect magic practitioners stayed in line. But now he scrapes out a living playing guitar. Good thing he has Louie, his magical...well, let's call him a dog. But there are some kinds of evil thateven Louie can't sniff out. And when Mason is attacked by a supernatural assailant, he'll have to fall back on the one skill he's mastered in music and magic-improvisation.

Started out fairly slow, i wasn't sure I'd like it at first but it sucked me in and now i want to find the next in the series.  

The Christmas Cookie Club by An Pearlman

Every year at Christmastime, Marnie and her closest girlfriends mark their calendars for the cookie exchange. Everyone has to bring a batch of homemade cookies and a bottle of wine, but this year, it’s their stories that are especially important—the passion and hopefulness of new romance, the betrayal and disillusionment some relationships bring, the joys and fears of motherhood, the stress of financial troubles. On this evening, at least, the sisterly love they have for one another rises above it all.

A nice, seasonal feel-good story. I liked the sparkly cover, the recipes and the history of some of the ingredients. 

Christmas is Murder by C.S. Challinor

Prompted by memories of happy childhood visits at Swanmere Manor, QC Rex Graves travels to that remote estate, looking forward to a relaxing Christmas holiday in the country. His mother's friend, the widowed Dahlia Smithings, is still in residence there, having converted her family home to a small hotel.
A series of unexpected events complicates his plans in this entertaining debut novel straight out of the Agatha Christie school of plotting.
His arrival coincides with a blizzard that will bury the inn, effectively isolating both guests and staff. Within minutes, he learns that the previous afternoon's tea had been disrupted by a sudden death. One of the guests confides to Rex that he has questions about the cause of death: Was it a stroke - or poison in the almond tart?
Soon, there's another death. An accident? Or is there indeed a murderer in the house? The body count rises and Rex investigates, aided by two fellow guests. The amateur sleuths uncover some curious secrets and an abundance of possible motives as the list of suspects grows. Unfortunately, that list must include Rex's two confederates, one of whom is an attractive young woman who has sparked a romantic interest in the bachelor barrister.
Finally, in the classic denouement, the survivors gather in the drawing room to hear Rex reveal the solution to this contemporary cozy mystery.

An entertaining seasonal mystery and suspense read.

Lilla's Feast by Frances Osborne

At the end of her life, Frances Osborne’s one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother Lilla was as elegant as ever - all fitted black lace and sparkling-white diamonds. To her great-grandchildren, Lilla was both an ally and a mysterious wonder. Her bedroom was filled with treasures from every exotic corner of the world. But she rarely mentioned the Japanese prison camps in which she spent much of World War II, or the elaborate cookbook she wrote to help her survive behind the barbed wire.

Beneath its polished surface, Lilla’s life had been anything but effortless. Born in 1882 to English parents in the beautiful North China port city of Chefoo, Lilla was an identical twin. Growing up, she knew both great privilege and deprivation, love and its absence. But the one constant was a deep appreciation for the power of food and place. From the noodles of Shanghai to the chutney of British India and the roasts of England, good food and sensuous surroundings, Lilla was raised to believe, could carry one a long way toward happiness. Her story is brimming with the stuff of good fiction: distant locales, an improvident marriage, an evil mother-in-law, a dramatic suicide, and two world wars.

Lilla’s remarkable cookbook, which she composed while on the brink of starvation, makes no mention of wartime rations, of rotten vegetables and donkey meat. In the world this magical food journal, now housed in the Imperial War Museum in London, everyone is warm and safe in their homes, and the pages are filled with cream puffs, butterscotch, and comforting soup. In its writing, Lilla was able to transform the darkest moments into scrumptious escape.

Lilla certainly lived in interesting times and had a very eventful life. A fascinating story. I loved the recipes, not that i would like to try all of them.

Christmas Stars

 A collection of Yule time Christmas stories - some Science Fiction, some Fantasy.

Christmas past, present and future.

As usual with short story collections, some I liked more than others. My favourites were;
Miracle by Connie Willis
The Greatest Gift
The Gifts of the Magistrate
and Stars Over Santa Claus


Sci Fi Christmas stories was a bit different.

Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris

 Lily is less than thrilled about going home for the holidays, especially when her sister's wedding is involved. She loves her family, but things just haven't been the same since she was violently assaulted years ago. To add to her notoriety, Lily manages to nab a purse natcher within a few days of her arrival and then is the first to walk in on a brutal double homicide. Before the buzz even begins to die down, Lily's detective boyfriend Jack Leeds shows up at the wedding rehearsal. Much as Lily would like to think that Jack showed up to offer her his moral support in her time of need, she knows better. Jack is investigating an eight-year-old kidnapping and the trail leads right to Lily's hometown - and her sister's widowed fiance. With only three days before the wedding and corpses piling up all over town, Lily must work fast to clean up the messy case before her sister commits...marriage!

I thoroughly enjoyed this Lily Bard installment. Both the mystery and Lily's personal relationships were well done. 

Wizard's Daughter by Catherine Coulter

When Ryder Sherbrooke finds a child nearly beaten to death in an alley in Eastbourne, he takes her home to Brandon House. She doesn't speak for six months. Her first words, oddly enough, are a haunting song: I dream of beauty and sightless night I dream of strength and fevered might I dream I'm not alone again But I know of his death and her grievous sin. Ah, and just what does this strange song mean that was seemingly imprinted on the child's brain? She names herself Rosalind de La Fontaine since she cannot remember who she is. In her first season in London in 1835, under the aegis of the Sherbrookes, she meets Nicholas Vail, the seventh Earl of Mountjoy, newly arrived from Macau. It is instant fascination on both their parts, but for different reasons. With Grayson Sherbrooke, they are led to an ancient copy of a mysterious book written by a sixteenth-century wizard. The book is written in a baffling code that neither Grayson nor Nicholas can read. But Rosalind can, easily. Strange things start happening. Both Nicholas and Rosalind know it has to do with the old book and, perhaps, even her past, particularly the song she first sang as a child. The urgency builds as they realize Rosalind is the key to a centuries-old mystery.

A romance with some magic.  it could have done with more and better explained magic.

Ill Wind by Rachel Caine

Joanne Baldwin is a weather warden who can control the weather and keep it from being more destructive than it could be. There are fire and earth wardens as well, and they all work for a secret agency that organises all warden activity to protect humans from the worse that nature can throw out. The wardens work together to magically control natural events such as cyclones, raging fires, and earthquakes under the direction of the agency. The agency has very strict rules and regulations for the use of warden power. If a warden goes bad, the agency strips that person of their powers and erases their memories. The most powerful wardens have their own djin, magical beings that enhance warden powers. Joanne doesn’t realise it yet but she is one of the strongest and most powerful Wardens in the agency.

Like all organisations there are those who scheme for control and Joanne’s boss – Bad Bob – has taken on a demon in his bid for power. His goal achieved he needs to rid himself of the demon, and the only way he can do this is to find a more powerful Warden and force him or her to accept it. He selects Joanne as his victim and in the process of passing the demon on to her he is killed. The book opens with the demon possessed Joanne running for her life to the only person she believes can help her. She is pursued not only by Agency operatives who believe that she killed her own boss, but the forces of nature itself, there is a big storm following her and seems intent on killing her. Joanne has to figure out who is after her and why, who she can trust and above all how to get rid of the demon and survive.

I was a bit unsure at first, the idea of people who control the weather was a bit   blah, but once I got into loved the ride.  Lots of twists and turns, lots of action and a possibility of romance.

I will be keeping an eye out for more in this series. 

Hunting Julian by Jacqueline Frank

As a guardian for his colony, Julian Sawyer travels to Earth to bring back the Chosen - women who possess energy potent enough to help revitalize his people. The stunning, silver-clad beauty who strides into his club one night radiates a sensual magnetism unlike any he's encountered, and Julian realizes that Asia Callahan is not just Chosen, she is his kindra: his one true mate. For months, Asia has tracked the beautiful and mysterious Julian across the country, convinced that he's behind the disappearance of her sister and a dozen other women. She's prepared to believe he's a ruthless killer, but when she presents herself as bait, she discovers that the truth is far more shocking. Taken to a strange, hazardous realm she never knew existed, Asia will face the ultimate choice - between abandoning the life she's always known, and forsaking a passion as dangerous as it is power.


I really enjoyed this.   The usual mis- understandings on the path to true love and all that with a happy ending.  I'll be looking out for more in this series.

Crossbones by Nancy Pickard

When the Port Frederick, Massachusetts, Civic Foundation learned it was about to inherit a $4 million Kansas cattle ranch, it was up to Jenny Cain to check out this most unusual bequest. Unfortunately, when Jenny arrived at the hospital room of the Foundation's mysterious, gravely ill benefactor, Charles W. 'Cat' Benet IV, he was already dead. Murdered. Yet out on the Crossbones Ranch, Jenny was unexpectedly content. Maybe it was the wide open spaces. Or maybe it was the ranch hand Quentin Harlan, with his deep blue eyes and old-fashioned charm...

Suddenly Jenny had to concentrate hard on missing her husband Geof and her holiday. She was a happily married woman - and Cat Benet's will meant that Quentin Harlan just might be a murderer. But Benet's bizarre family tree yielded far more likely suspects: estranged daughters, unhappy ex-wives, their jealous second husbands... 

 Strange sort of mystery and , by the end, not a real surprise. 

Tanner's Scheme by Lora Leigh

After the Feline Breeds' main base is attacked, Tanner desires revenge. So he kidnaps Scheme Tallant-the daughter of a one-time high-ranking member of the Genetics Council. But when Tanner discovers that Scheme herself is a target of her father's ruthless mission, his vengeance takes a back seat to saving the life of the woman he hopes to claim as his mate.

 I didn't like her name - Scheme. It sounded contrived to make it fit the title pattern.

The book itself was a fun, light, sexy read with a touch of spanking and exhibitionism.

ThePuzzle Bark Tree by Stephanie Gertler

 Grace Hammond and her sister Melanie grew up in a home with very little emotion. Their mother would sit for days on end in her room, not talking to her children. Their father was a busy lawyer and spent most of his time at home consoling his wife. Grace and Melanie grew to love their housekeeper, Jemma, like a mother.
When Grace and Melanie are grown up, they make a tradition of seeing their parents during the Christmas holiday. Jemma decides to head to the Hammond household a couple days before Christmas to help them get ready but makes a shocking discovery. They are both sitting in their bed, dead. When the will is read, Grace discovers that her parents left her a house on an island that she never knew her parents had.
Grace tries to cope with finding out why her parents lived as they did, why she never knew about this island, reoccurring dreams of her and her sister drowning, and a very emotionally detached husband.

I really enjoyed this. There is romance, but to me the mystery, the family secrets and the relationship between the sisters was the main focus.

I enjoyed this very much. 

Harmony's Way by Lora Leigh

Harmony Lancaster has been an outcast from the Breeds since the day she broke out of the lab that was her home and killed every human in the facility. While Harmony will never claim she did it for noble reasons, what pushed her to that point was the safety of her brother, Jonas. While all Breeds do claim familial ties, Harmony and Jonas had the same mother. The mother Harmony killed during her escape. For years, she's been on the run from Jonas. Harmony is certain that the day Jonas finally captures her will be the day she dies. What she doesn't except is for Jonas to give her a way out and a chance at a normal life. All she has to do is go to Broken Butte, NM, and work for the Sheriff's Department, under the direct supervison of Sheriff Lance Jacobs. The last thing she expects to find is her mate.

Sheriff Lance Jacobs has experience dealing w/ the Breeds. Jonas Harrington has to be his least favorite Breed. After mating w/ Harmony before knowing who she was, Lance is convinced taht Jonas is playing the mind games that he seems to love so much. What Lance isn't prepared for is the protectiveness that seems to come so natural to him when it comes to Harmony. Over and over, he tries to show her that her past is exactly that...the past.

Soon Lance and Harmony realize there is more at stake than Harmony's freedom from her past. For Harmony has information that she stole on the night she escaped from the labs...information on the first ever Breed, who is still alive. Harmony soon finds that she'll do anything to stay at Lance's side, even if it means trusting him as she has trusted no other.

I didn't enjoy this one as much as Megan's Mark, mainly, I think, because it was a female breed and male human. There was one spanking scene and a bit of talk of D/s amongst the many sex scenes.

 I am sooo tired of Jonas and his manipulating everyone. I hope he soon gets his own book and gets the difficulties he deserves. 

Megan's Mark by Lora Leigh

In an intriguing new world, genetically altered Breeds and the humans who created them commingle-and sometimes cross the boundaries of desire. Now, an empathetic sheriff's deputy and an arrogant Feline Breed hunt elusive killers while falling prey to their insatiable hunger for one another.

Lots of sex.  All through the book there was talk and threats of a spanking.  Eventually the spanking happened.  Well written, mild but very erotic spanking followed by anal.  I liked this book and have already started the next in the series.

My Desert Kingdom by Jill Koolmees

When Jill Koolmees follows her husband to Saudi Arabia, she is in for a journey that challenges her beliefs, her marriage, even her sanity. Share her voyage of discovery through desert oasis, souk and shopping mall, and meet a cast of characters that includes housemaids and pilgrims, fanatics and princes.

An enjoyable read. It was interesting to hear about living in Saudi Arabia, the history and the changes taking place. Not a place I would like to live.

On Thin Ice by Cherry Adair

Lily Munroe thought she had married an honest, dependable man, but she was painfully mistaken. It didn’t take long for her once-loving husband to become a secretive stranger–mixing with shady people and even shadier dealings. Although Lily nursed him through a sudden terminal illness, her marriage was over long before he passed away. During that difficult time, only her passion for the exhilarating Iditarod race across Alaska gave her something to look forward to–and she channeled her emotions into training dogs for the grueling event. Now single again, she’s more determined than ever to win the race, awaken her sense of self, and leave her past behind.

In the competition, the person to beat is two-time winner Derek Wright, a man Lily dubs Mr. Wrong. Extremely sexy and devilishly charming, Derek is the consummate playboy. Or is he? Although Lily can’t deny her intense attraction, she believes he is dangerous to her scarred heart. Little does she know that Derek is an elite antiterrorism agent–or how desperately she’ll need to depend on his skills to keep her alive once the race is under way.

I've enjoyed others in this series more than this one.  There were a few errors that didn't make sense.  She met Derek 6 years ago, just before she got married to his best friend.  She was married for 3 years, widowed for 6 months....what happen to the other 2 1/2 years?

Lots of action but the romance was a bit hit and miss.  And sex outside in winter in Alaska during a snow storm  while both wearing multiple layers of clothes?  Very hard to imagine.

Madame Serpent by Jean Plaidy

 In Florence, her father Pope Clement VII arranges for his fourteen years old daughter Caterina de' Medici to marry the second son of the King of France Prince Henry of Orléans; as she leaves behind her beloved Ippolito. However, when she meets her fiancé, Caterina quickly realizes Henry has no interest in her as he loves his mistress Diane de Poitiers.

Prince Henry ignores his wife for his mistress even after they have children. When his older brother the Dauphin and then his father die, Henry becomes the king. Diane's influence is even stronger as visiting dignitaries pay her homage by kissing her hand rather than the Italian wife. However, bitter Caterina accepts the affronts as she stoically plans to insure her offspring one day will sits on the throne while also patiently waiting for the right moment to remind the manipulative Diane just who the queen of France is.


An Ok read.  I've read others by this author that I've enjoyed more. A bit superficial perhaps.

The Family Frying Pan by Bryce Courtney

Mrs Moses is a small woman with a big heart and enormous courage. The only survivor of a Cossack raid on her village, she takes with her a big cast-iron frying pan, so heavy that she can only sling it over her back. Yet this is no ordinary frying pan it's The Family Frying Pan, blessed with a Russian soul. From this frying pan Mrs Moses manages to feed the various refugees who are travelling with her across Russia to freedom. In return, each of the group must tell a story around the campfire at night stories of compassion and bravery, of human frailty and, above all, of hope. 

The true life stories of a small group of Russian refugees... stories of murder, fame, tragedy.
Stories told by Mrs Moses to her grand-daughters husband not long before her death.

I enjoyed this very much. 

16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber

As a family court judge, Olivia Lockhart has dealt with numerous divorce suits but none as peculiar as Cecilia and Ian Randall's. Before the young couple was married the year before, Cecilia and Ian signed a prenuptial agreement stating their marriage would last a lifetime, but now, after the tragic death of their infant daughter, the two wish to rescind the agreement. Sensing that Cecilia and Ian are still in love, Olivia lets her heart guide her decision, and denies their petition. Olivia's decision makes headlines in The Cedar Cove Chronicle and earns her the admiration of the paper's editor, Jack Griffin, a newcomer to the small Washington town. While Jack courts Olivia, and Ian and Cecilia try to repair their marriage, Olivia's daughter is forced to decide whether she should marry a man whom she doesn't love; Olivia's best friend grows frantic over the disappearance of her husband; and Olivia's mother befriends a stroke patient who harbors a secret he would share if he could speak.

Light "women's fiction" (chic lit for the over 40's). An entertaining read.

Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh

Elena Devereaux is a vampire hunter. She's what is known as hunter-born and so it's not just her job. It's her calling. She could no more walk away from it than she could sprout wings and fly. Elena belongs to the Hunter's Guild and, as such, is hired out to those willing to pay to have an expert hunt, capture, and/or kill rogue vampires. In this world, vampires aren't the top man on the totem pole. That honor belongs to the angels. Specifically, the archangels. Archangels rule the world and, get this, they create vampires. Who are then at their beck and call for at least a hundred years of servitude. The vampires are pretty much evil incarnate, but interestingly enough, the angels are not their polar opposites, i.e. paragons of virtue and goodness. In fact, they're sort of outside the whole good vs. evil spectrum. They run the show. They use who and what they need to to keep the vampires and humans in line and, if you value your life, you stay out of their way. Life spices up for Elena when Raphael, the Archangel of New York, enlists her services to hunt down a rogue Archangel who has done the unthinkable and become a vampire himself.

This was slow to start, but good once I got into it.  Just not as good as her Psy-Changling series.

A Certain Malice by Felicity Young

Senior Sergeant Cameron Fraser, along with his teenage daughter Ruby, has moved from Sydney to his hometown of Glenroyd to take charge of the local police station. Fraser hopes to finally put behind them the deaths of his wife and young son three years before in a deadly fire, one in which Fraser was badly burned trying to save them. He also hopes to protect Ruby and himself from the bikie gangs responsible for the fire that all but destroyed their lives.


Lots of twists and turns in this well thought out mystery. I enjoyed it being Australian too. 

The Fire King by Marjorie M Liu

Long ago, shape-shifters reigned as gods. But even gods have laws that they break at their own peril . . .

Each member of Dirk & Steele has a unique ability. Soria's is the gift of communication—which is why she's been chosen to learn the language of a tormented warrior resurrected after thousands of years of icy sleep.

He is Karr, and once he was a king. Strong as a lion, quick and deadly as a serpent, he saw everything he loved consumed in flames. Death was to be his salvation, but thousands of years later he has been awakened against his will. Now a breathtaking human moves him in ways he neither understands nor desires. But Soria can see beyond his rage . . . and only she can speak the words that will cool the destructive fury in his soul.

Words of love.

Action, romance, mystery and magic all in one very enjoyable read.  The only thing it was missing was  sex.

The Body In The Bonfire by Katherine Hall Page

Despite three brutal murders and some ugly racial prejudice in this 12th mystery to feature amateur sleuth Faith Fairchild, Agatha Award-winner Page (The Body in the Belfry, etc.) keeps the tone light as her heroine reflects wittily on the quotidian challenges of being the wife (and daughter) of a clergyman, the mother of two young children and the head of her own catering business. At Mansfield Academy, a not-so-elite boys' boarding school in a small town outside Boston, someone is harassing black student Daryl Martin, a top athlete and scholar. Faith's friend Patsy Avery calls her in to find out who's responsible for the hate-filled e-mail, offensive newspaper clippings and finally a noose left on Daryl's pillow. Under the cover of teaching a cooking class during winter project term, Faith searches for clues. At the same time, students and maintenance crew build a gigantic pyre for the school's annual bonfire. Faith is sure she's identified the harasser, Sloane Buxton, the aristocratic and handsome leader of a campus clique. When Sloane's corpse turns up in the smoldering embers of the bonfire, suspicion falls on Daryl. The harried headmaster, meanwhile, who rescued Mansfield from bankruptcy years before by buying it, has a lot of explaining to do to concerned parents. With recipes of the dishes Faith prepares in her cooking class in an appendix, this whodunit provides fully satisfying fare for a cold winter's night around the fire. 

Very enjoyable, light read. I do like the recipes being included.

The Gathering by Jennifer Ashley

Created at the dawn of time to protect humanity, the ancient warriors have been nearly forgotten, though magic lives on--in vampires, werewolves, the Celtic Sidhe, and other beings. But now one of their own has turned rogue, and the world is again in desperate need of the IMMORTALS. 

He was known as "the crazy one." And Leda Stowe could see why after finding the stunning half-naked warrior in her lion's pen--unarmed and completely unafraid. Though he could somehow soothe the temperamental beast, nothing could calm the desire that sparked through her body at his touch. She wished they could hide away together on her island forever, but the world thrummed with danger. Before Leda could claim Hunter for herself, they would have to join the other Immortals to face the greatest trial yet: THE GATHERING.

Another great addition to the series.  Not only some well written sex scenes, but humour too. I especially loved Mukasa, the pet lion.

New York To Dallas by J D Robb

In the mid-twenty-first century, NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas is facing possibly her worst nemesis yet: paperwork. Just as Eve finds herself wishing for a murder that would spring her from paperwork hell, something worse comes along.

Isaac McQueen - a violent pedophile Eve took down not long after she became a police officer - has escaped prison. McQueen seems more than eager to get back to raping and torturing young girls, but he's added an additional target to his list: Eve. McQueen's sick cat-and-mouse game will take Eve and her husband Roarke from New York to Dallas, where the demons of Eve's past will collide with the terrifying danger that taking down McQueen presents.

Another excellent installment in this series.

From The Ground Up by John Coutis

John Coutis was born with a disability so severe he was not expected to live. From the Ground Up tells John's unique story of courage and endurance. 

 An interesting, inspiring story of a man, who against all the odds, has not only survived but thrived. 

He was born without the bottom half of his spine formed, and legs that were very tiny and never grew.His nieces call him Uncle Half.  He is married and works as a motivational speaker.  

The Darkening By Robin T Popp

Darius wanted nothing more than to unite his family and find companionship. He was lonely after 700 years of being kept prisoner in his mother's realm. When he finally escaped and reached Earth, he had only a portion of his life- force. Although born immortal, Darius could now be killed. Despite that, he risked everything to try to save his youngest brother from the demon who captured him.
Also, Darius has a very unique gift that makes his character fascinating. His body is covered with tattoos that are actual weapons. A dagger, sword, rope, skeleton key, shield, and a dragon. At the touch of his hand, these tattoos leave his body and become real. The battle is on!

New York, Modern Day:
Upon reaching Earth, Darius sees a man beating a woman in a parking lot. Immediately, he rushes to her aid. When the woman realizes that he is one of the Immortals, she offers to help him get to his oldest brother Adrian in Seattle. Before he can go, Darius finds reason to believe that his missing youngest brother is in New York. He will stay and try to save Tain from the demon leader.

Lexi is a werewolf/ witch who works as a bounty hunter. While trying to apprehend a "skip", she finds herself in a tough fight. Out of nowhere, a warrior enters the battle and quickly downs the skip. She is shocked to learn that he is one of the 5 Immortals that she and several other witches attempted to bring to Earth with The Calling spell weeks earlier. Excited that the spell may have worked after all, she takes him to her apartment to contact Adrian.

Tain knows his brothers are searching for him. After 700 years of torture, his mind is bent. He is in love with the female glamour that the demon leader wears. He will kill his own brothers to help destroy the world. Now that Darius has arrived, Tain will pretend to be a victim. It is an easy way to lure Darius to his death.

Darius refuses to believe Adrian's warning about Tain. The oldest must be mistaken. Tain was the most gentle and loving of the 5 brothers. Darius is sure Tain is being held against his will. Whatever it takes, Darius will find and free Tain. When the work is done, Darius will be free to pursue his feelings for Lexi. After centuries of loneliness, he knows he has found the love he always dreamed of.

I liked Darius wearing his weapons as tattoos. Lexi, though she is a tough bounty hunter, isn't too tough and is willing to accept help when she needs it. Another good addition to the series.

The Pesthouse by Jim Crace

 America in ruins, there are no cities, no skyscrapers in what has become a distinctly medieval landscape, travelers on foot and with laden carts, horses and donkeys replacing the frantic cacophony of a world reduced to the basic elements of survival. Knives, bows and arrows have replaced the stuttering menace of assault weapons, the steady roar of jets extinguished. Now weary folk trek eastward, toward the ocean where they hope to cross to Europe. Followed only by disease and want, superstition takes the place of science, the land demanding payment for its generosity, farmers valuable for their knowledge of the soil. In Ferrytown, the needs of travelers have bestowed a constant source of income for those industrious enough to build their town around ferrying and hostelry. Pestilence visits Ferrytown intermittently, the only recent victim thirty-year-old Margaret, whose own father died from the flux that now excoriates her every breath. Left to recover, or not, in the small, removed hut of the pesthouse, Margaret slumbers, fevered.

Brothers Franklin and Jackson Lopez have left their home in the west at the behest of their widowed mother. The brothers are notable for their size, seen as giants compared to other men, their muscles and brawn valuable barter along the way. When Franklin's aching knee will no longer support their journey without rest, Jackson goes ahead to Ferrytown, where he finds respite and sustenance for the night. But fate has other plans for Ferrytown, a great looming upheaval of natural confluences. Meanwhile, discovering the ailing woman in the pesthouse, Franklin shelters with her, the two forging an unexpected alliance; together they will travel across a barren, mud-slogged landscape, the rich natural resources of the old America long extinct. On this extraordinary journey, Margaret and Franklin achieve a closeness that neither could imagine before they met, a joining of wit and will that is their only comfort as they confront the perils ahead.

Civilization reduced to anarchy, menace is everywhere. Even the supposed safety of the Ark, where metal is anathema, exists partly through the fantasy that good intentions can prevail against force.

The Pesthouse is remarkable, beautiful and encouraging. A unputdownable read.