Hannah's Awakening by Sue Lyndon

E - book

Hanna longs for a life outside her tightknit Amish community, and as her nineteenth birthday approaches she finally works up the courage to leave her home for good. Her first taste of the outside world comes courtesy of an English neighbor, Ben Foster, who gives her a job and a place to stay. He also gives her butterflies in her stomach and some very improper thoughts that she doesn’t quite understand. 

The moment Hanna shows up at his cabin and shyly asks for help, Ben finds that ignoring her sweet feminine presence isn’t possible when she’s suddenly wearing form-fitting clothing and sleeping under his roof. In spite of his growing passions Ben does his best to make Hanna feel welcome in his home. After she disobeys him during a trip to town, however, she does something unexpected—she comes to him and pleads to be punished. The act of chastising her changes the nature of their relationship, and when Ben asks Hanna to think of him as her daddy things take a passionate turn. 

Hanna blossoms under Ben’s attentions. She’s never experienced such love and care, and she softens inside every time he calls her his baby girl. Though it leaves her blushing bright red with shame, being undressed and bathed sets Hanna on fire in a way she has never felt before. Her daddy can also be firm when it is needed, and Hanna soon learns that naughty girls get their bare bottoms soundly spanked. 

Even as she tries to enjoy every second with him, Hanna knows that her future with Ben is uncertain. They’re both running away from their past, and Hanna has always planned to run far, far away. Are their paths only meant to cross for a short time, or will they discover a new road to walk together?

I enjoyed this book. Some spankings and a gradual move into an age-play relationship.  I would like there to be another on what happens next.

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

When Mercy Thompson, mechanic and shapeshifter, attempts to return a powerful fae book she previously borrowed in an act od desperation, she finds the bookshop locked up and closed down. It seems the book contains secrets - and the fae will do just about anything to keep it out of the wrong hands. And, if that doesn't take enough of Mercy's attention, her friend Samuel is struggling with his wolf side - leaving Mercy to cover for him lest his own father declare Samuel's life forfeit. All in all, Mercy has had better days, and if she isn't careful she may not have many more…"

I love how Adam and Mercy's relationship us growing. Some of the characters from previous books make an appearance. Lots of action and interest. Another great book in the series. 

Forever Bound

E - Book

14 short stories all to do with bondage.

My favourite story was Roped In by Medea Mor.  The husband is into Shibari.  He dis a full body harness thing on his wife, tight around here breasts, her waist and between her legs. Then he had her get dressed in clothes to hide the ropes and took her to a family BBQ. She could feel the ropes, his control, the whole time.

It was well written and VERY hot.

Sweet Seduction by Maya Banks

e-book

He was the stuff erotic dreams are made of 

Salon owner Julie Stanford wanted Nathan Tucker ever since she gave him his first massage. Getting paid to feel every inch of his body, stripped, oiled, and spread out in front of her? Stuff dreams are made of. But the sexy guy was oblivious to the signals she was sending until she finished off his final rub-down with something extra. In fact, the best extra he ever had. Unfortunately, he came around too late. Now Julie's moving on? 

She was everything he'd dreamed of 

The woman was driving him crazy.  She lit fire to his insides then ran like a scalded cat.  And now she's going to someone else to have all her fantasies fulfilled?  Over his dead body? He's more than willing to give her what she wants, and as soon as he pins the little minx down, he'd show her his own brand of sweet seduction.

It's all fun and games until someone falls in love.

Salon owner Julie Stanford wanted Nathan Tucker ever since she gave him his first massage. Getting paid to feel every inch of his body was the stuff dreams were made of. But the sexy lug was oblivious to the signals she was sending, so Julie's moving on. 

Not so fast. Nathan wasn't about to let this one get away. He's more than willing to give her what she wants, and as soon as he pins the little minx down, he'll show her his own brand of sweet seduction. 


Another good read in this series.

They are interested in each other but don't talk so lots of misunderstandings.  All fixed with lots of hot sex.  

Lots of sex, some D/s stuff but more menage  2 men, I very lucky woman.  

Not the most deep and meaningful of books, but a fun read.

The Olive Sisters by Amanda Hampson

When Adrienne's marketing company goes down, her lifestyle does too. She retreats from the city to the beautiful, abandoned olive grove once owned by her Italian grandparents. A 'tree change' isn't what Adrienne has in mind, however, and life in the country delivers some surprises as she confronts the past and learns the secrets of the Olive Sisters .

A pleasant read. Adrienne was a bit annoying at first. I enjoyed the way the stories of the generations was told.  

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.

Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them. 

A joy to read. A beautifully written, moving story.  It is set in Western Australia where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean.  I loved the setting of the lighthouse on Janus Island and would love to live there.

Knight by Kristen Ashley

e-book

Anya Gage has learned that to get anything good in life, you have to work for it. She has no expectations, no dreams.

Then she finds herself at a party where she doesn’t want to be and she meets Knight.

Knight Sebring knows who he is, what he wants and what he likes. And he gets it. But he never expected something as sweet as Anya Gage to wander into his bedroom during a party he did not expect to be having to borrow his phone.

Knight tries to leave Anya to the life she deserves of white picket fences and a man who watches football on Sundays – good, normal and clean. But when Anya comes to his nightclub and finds herself in a situation, he knows someone has to look after her, he can’t fight it anymore and he decides that man will be him.

Knight teaches Anya that, just as with the bad, in life you should also expect the good. And he teaches her this by giving it to her.

But Knight has a dark past and just as he desires Anya for exactly who she is, he fears when she finds out exactly the man he has become and always intends to be, she’ll leave him for good, normal and clean. 

Really good book.  Good storyline with not a typical hero.  He's into control , mainly in the bedroom but out of it to some extent too.  Looking forward to the next in the series.

The Seance by Heather Graham

A chill falls over Christina Hardy's housewarming party when talk turns to a recent murder that has all the hallmarks of the so-called her otherworldly source is reliable, and the body count is growing.

The spirits are right. The Interstate Killer is still out there, and Christina's life is hanging in the balance between this world and the next.

This book was OK but not as good as others I've read by the same author.  The mis-direction as to the identity of the killer was very obvious and the actual killers at the end came out of left field and with no reason for them to have been committing the murders.

Shifter

A book of 4 short stories all to do with shape-shifters.

My favourite story was A Jaguar's Kiss by Lora Leigh.  I have read and enjoyed others in this series by the same author.  The hero's are very alpha and very protective of their women.

Seduced by Shadows by Jessa Slade

When Sera Littlejohn meets a violet-eyed stranger, he reveals a supernatural battle veiled in the shadows, and Sera is tempted to the edge of madness by a dangerous desire. Ferris Archer takes Sera under his wing, now that she is a talyan - possessed by a repentant demon with hellish powers. Archer's league of warriors have never fought beside a female before, and never in all his centuries has Archer found a woman who captivates him like Sera.

With the balance shifting between good and evil, passion and possession, Sera and Archer must defy the darkness and dare to embrace a love that will mark them forever.

I got a bit over the ' I'm evil because I'm possessed by a demon' bit. Other than that an OK read.

Indulgence in Death by J.D. Robb

First it was a limo driver shot through the neck with a crossbow. Then it was a high-priced escort found stabbed through the heart with a bayonet. Random hits, thrill kills, and murderers with a taste for the finer things in life - and death - are making NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas angry. And an angry Eve can be just as an efficient and dangerous predator as the killer. As time runs out on another innocent victim's life, Eve's investigation will take her into the rarified circle that her husband Roarke travels in - and into the perverted heart of madness. 

 I enjoy Eve and Roarke's relationship even more than the mystery. Another excellent addition to this series.

Wicked Ties by Shayla Black

She didn’t know what she wanted…


  
Morgan O’Malley has seen a lot of kinky things as the hostess of a cable sex talk show. But she’s never met a man like Jack Cole before. A self-proclaimed dominant, he’s as alpha as a male can get—and good for Morgan to have around when an obsessed stalker ratchets up his attempts to get to her. 
  
Until he made her beg for it. 
  
Though Jack is a bodyguard, Morgan feels anything but safe in his presence because, slowly and seductively, Jack is bringing her deepest fantasies to the surface. And when he bends her to his will, what’s more shocking than her surrender is how much she enjoys it—and starts to crave his masterful touch. A willing player in Jack’s games, Morgan knows that his motives aren’t pure, but she has no idea how personal they are… 

The sex scenes are hot.  I didn't like how he started out using her for revenge against her supposed fiancé without caring about how his revenge would hurt her.

Burning Wild by Christine Feehan

Bred by capricious parents for his innate leopard-shifting abilities, billionaire Jake Bannacotti has spent his life in an emotional vacuum - especially after a tragic twist of fate has left him to raise his infant son alone. But when his path crosses that of an enigmatic young woman, Jake’s life takes a detour he could never have predicted.

There is something irresistible about Emma Reynolds - something Jake can’t live without. She’s the first human to stir something in him he’s never felt before so he hires her as his son’s nanny to keep her close. It soon becomes apparent that she may not be all that she seems, yet what’s raging between them is pure animal instinct - out of control, burning wild and as hot as the lick of a flame.

Another great Christine Feehan read.  I am enjoying this leopard series more with each book.

Jake is very dominant, controlling and doesn't know how to show love.  Emma is very loving and accepting of Jake's issues most of the time, but she lets him know when he has gone too far.

A great suspenseful, romantic read.

Winter Kiss by Deborah Cooke

For millennia, the shape-shifting dragon warriors known as the Pyr have commanded the four elements and guarded the earth’s treasures. But now the final reckoning between the Pyr and the dreaded slayers is about to begin… 

The mysterious Dragon’s Blood Elixir gives immortality to Magnus, the Pyr’s greatest enemy, and his minions—so it must be destroyed. Outcast from the Pyr because of his own dangerous impulses, Delaney will do anything to vanquish Magnus—and vows to complete a mission which will either redeem him or end his suffering. 

But his plans don’t take into account his sudden firestorm—or the hot-tempered Ginger Sinclair. The firestorm reforms Delaney closer to his old self. And when Ginger learns about Delaney’s scheme, she cannot resist a strong man with a noble agenda. 

An OK read. I liked the dragon bits. There was too much background information, some of it repeated a number of times, and that interfered with the row of the story.

The Rouseabout by Rachael Treasure

Kate Webster is a loveable larrikin who likes to play hard and worry about the consequences ;ater. She can't help mucking up opportunities life gives her. Rocked by her mothers death. she takes a dare at one of Australia's wildest rural events - a Bachelor & Spinsters ball. Its a dare that changes everything...….

An OK read Kate was a bit annoying at times. I liked the references to Australian country music and the description of the land.

If Only by Cherise Sinclair

This is the story of Sally and the Feds.

Sally finds a Master not tom the Shadowlands and leaves Shadowlands to be with him.  She finds he is abusive so leaves him and returns to the Shadowlands as a Trainee. The 2 Feds are now Masters at the Shadowlands. They top together and they take an interest in Sally. She has lost a lot of her cheeky, bouncy personality. She also has a job with the police  as a computer expert and gets involved in the Slavers investigation.

What I like so much about this series is not only the scenes and the sex, but mores the relationships.  The way all the relationships are a bit different, but always with that underlying D/s dynamic. How the men are always so protective and caring. The girls are their own people, willing to push the boundaries a little bit and ready to take the consequences when they do.

The books are well written and entertaining.

You're So Vein by Christine Warren

Ava Markham is beautiful, savvy, chic, and more at home with Kate Spade than with the idea of fangs and fur. She can’t get quite used to the fact that some of closest friends have crossed over to the Other side. Then one night she is attacked by a rogue vampire, and her deepest fears are realized when her body begins a dangerous transformation from human to immortal—a change she cannot survive without the help of an alluring stranger who comes to her rescue…

Vladimir Rurikovich, an elite member of the European Council of Vampires, is on the prowl for a murderous vampire fugitive on the night he saves Ava from the clutches of death. It takes just one look for Dima to know he cannot live another eight centuries without the stunning and seductive Ava—until he discovers a secret about her bloodline that could change everything… 

I didn't like Ava as a minor character in other books in this series, still don't like her in her own book. 

Secrets of a Perfect Night

This anthology of New Year's Eve celebration stories pairs Regency authors Stephanie Laurens and Victoria Alexander with contemporary author Rachel Gibson, and the collection is a rare treat. The tales begin with Laurens's scandalous Lord Dere as he arrives on Abigail Woolley's doorstep in the midst of a blizzard. Dere and Abigail share a past that neither can forget. They've both gone far too long without love and if propinquity and passion have their way, a blissful future awaits them.

The second in this trio of tales is Victoria Alexander's "The Last Love Letter." Beautiful Rachael Gresham had given all the love in her passionate young heart to handsome Jason Norcross. But treachery and greed tore them apart, their hearts shattered with betrayal and despair. Now fate has brought them together again, the truth at last revealed. Will Rachael and Jason have the courage to put the past behind and reclaim the love that has endured the long years spent apart?

In Rachel Gibson's "Now And Forever," high school friends Brina McConnell and Thomas Mack come together again at a class reunion. They may both have changed for the better on the outside, but inside, they're still as passionately attracted to each other as when they were teenagers. The fire that threatens to scorch them now is very adult, but whether it will last past New Year's Eve is anyone's guess.

Lots of brazen hussy's in these stories. I enjoyed all 3 stories.

Storm Peak by John A Flanagan

Jesse Parker, ex-Denver police detective, has returned to his hometown of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, to spend the winter working the ski patrol and taking it easy. But he is reluctantly dragged back into a world of violence and murder when a serial killer begins a killing spree in the sleepy ski town. The town's popular sheriff, Lee Torrens, asks Jesse to help her out with the investigation as the killer continues to stalk the town, leaving little clue as to his motive. Are the murders random acts of a psychopath, or a cold, calculated escalation of terror? As the two friends work together, the embers of an old union reignite, but the growing notoriety of the Silver Bullet Killer brings complications that will shake the foundations of the small town. No-one is safe. 

Murder, mystery, snowstorms and a romantically stupid hero. A light, entertaining read.

Elizabeth's Wolf by Lora Leigh

She brought him back from death and made him live again.

Dash thought himself alone, a soldier, a fighting machine and no more.

Elizabeth made him realize he was a man.

Danger surrounds the woman his soul marked as his mate, death and blood and a treachery that goes beyond even his worst nightmares. But he will protect her and what she claims as her own. He was created to kill, trained to do it efficiently, and only a man bound to her, heart and soul, will have the strength to save Elizabeth and her prized possession.

He was a lone wolf. A man alone. No pack, no family, no one to call his own until one single, innocent letter awoke Elizabeth's wolf. 

I think I've mentioned before I love a strong, wounded alpha hero who isn't afraid of a little bondage and spanking.  Really good, rather HOT read.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

"The circus arrives without warning ... The towering tents are striped in black and white ... No color at all ... the black sign painted in white letters ... reads: Opens at night fall / Closes at dawn. 'What kind of circus is only open at night?' people ask...

Le Cirque des Reves

...The Circus of Dreams."

 Magical, mystical and marvellous. The best book I've read this year. 

The Whisperers by John Connolly

When the former NYPD homicide detective looks into the suicide of an Iraq war veteran, he discovers that several members of the soldier's unit have also killed themselves and that they may have been involved in smuggling looted treasures into the U.S. Parker begins to fear that the returning soldiers have brought back more than their own personal demons. As he races to find an antique golden box before it falls into the wrong hands, Parker discovers that he's being shadowed by the enigmatic Collector, a repulsive killer whose nature is as problematic as that of Parker himself. 

 Combines supernatural elements with the excitement and suspense of a good detective novel. Even though I worked out where it was going, the journey was well worth the read. 

Dark Lycan by Christine Feehan

 Tatijana of the Dragonseekers spent centuries encased in ice with her sister, trapped in limbo between life and death, never speaking to a soul other than those who tormented her. Now, she has been freed from her frozen prison by an unknown descendent. Awakened in human form, Tatijana yearns to explore the modern world in which she now lives—a world with more mysteries than she is prepared for.

Fenris Dalka has returned to the Carpathian Mountains after a long absence to be with his brother. He is scarred by centuries of battle, and every hard-won victory. But the real reason for his return home could prove deadly if discovered by the wrong man—or woman. Upon his arrival, he is compelled by a beautiful and enigmatic stranger who carries the scent of fresh earth, of forest, of the night itself.

In time Tatijana and Fenris will discover all that unites them—their secrets and pasts, their predators, and the hot flush of passion that stirs their souls. Yet just as surely, seduced into the silvery darkness of a full-moon night, they’ll also discover everything ancient and evil that exists to destroy them. 

I think this series has gone on long enough.  She's bringing in new species and it's not working as well. It was nice to see characters from previous books.

Darkness Unleashed by Alexandra Ivy

The Guardians of Eternity are vampire warriors without equal, bound by their loyalties and sworn to protect their charges from every danger. . .except those posed by their own hungry desires. . .

A scarred recluse, Jagr makes no secret of his disdain for others' company. But now, as a member of Chicago's powerful vampire clan, he has certain obligations to fulfill. The latest: track down a missing were pureblood and return her to her sister. The problem: Regan Garrett has no intention of complying. And though Jagr agreed not to harm an inch of this stubborn female's distractingly tempting body, he'll gladly kiss her into submission, awakening an urge he hasn't felt in years. Hell, in centuries. . .

Regan vowed never to be at the mercy of another man. That goes double for arrogant, steel-muscled vampires with eyes of ice. All Regan wants is revenge against those who imprisoned her. She doesn't need an ally. She certainly doesn't need a mate. But soon Regan will have to choose--between a lust for vengeance, and a passion as dark and dangerous as the night. . 

My favourite so far in this series.  I do love a scarred, tormented, very alpha hero.

The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks

Denise Holden, the 29-year-old heroine, is destitute and forced to live in her mother's old house in Edenton, N.C. She's also the single mother of a handicapped child, Kyle, a four-year-old with "auditory processing problems" that render him unable to express himself or to fully understand others. Though she doesn't suspect it, Denise is on a literal collision course with true love. After she smashes her car into a tree and wakes up to discover Kyle missing, she finds deliverance in the form of Taylor McAden, dashing firefighter and compulsive risk taker, who rescues Kyle, too. Since Taylor enjoys an instant, unprecedented rapport with Kyle, there is little standing in the way of burgeoning romance.

An enjoyable read with a nice, feel good ending..  

The Summer Kitchen by Karen Weinreb

When Nora Banks goes to answer the doorbell very early one November 1st, she thinks it must be tardy trick-or-treaters. But it’s no Halloween prank—it’s the Feds, who have come to arrest her husband Evan for a white-collar crime. Nora’s enviable life in the eighteenth-century house she’d filled her days renovating to museum-quality perfection is upended.

In this of-the-moment story about the loss of wealth and social prominence, the private-school mothers in Nora’s exclusive community close ranks against her and her young sons. Only the boys’ nanny Beatriz stands by the family. To support her children, Nora is forced to take a job in the same bakery in which the mothers share coffee every morning. While tempted by the offer of an affair with one of their husbands, she reaches into reserves she didn’t know she had. Thwarting a malevolent wife intent on running her out of town, Nora launches a local business of her own, The Summer Kitchen Bakery-Café. Along the way, she changes the town, its characters, and her way of thinking about life, family, money, and romance.

A great read with a lovely feel-good ending. 

How To Be Lost by Amanda Eyre Ward

Fifteen years ago, on the day the three Winters sisters packed their most precious belongings in their mother's Oldsmobile and planned to run away from home just as soon as school was out, 5-year-old Ellie disappeared. The family never recovered: their abusive father drank himself to death; their unstable mother retreated deeper into her depression; and once-close sisters Caroline and Madeline grew far apart. Now, armed with a grainy People magazine photo of a young woman who might be a 20-year-old version of her beloved youngest sister, Caroline heads out for Montana on a quest to bring her back home. What Caroline, burdened by years of guilt, doubt, and regret, discovers along the way has as much to do with finding herself as it does with tracking down Ellie.

Loved it. I liked the way it was told from various viewpoints and partly through letters. You have all these threads and you think you know the story, then another thread is added and there is more to the story....really well done if not well explained. 

An Irish Country Christmas BY Patrick taylor

A wonderful read about Christmas in another time - when the spirit of peace and harmony was the main purpose of Christmas - before commercialism and political correctness took hold and squashed peace and harmony. 

Another lovely, gentle read set in Ballybucklebo.

Darkness Everlasting by Alexandra Ivy

Two Men--

Darcy Smith always sensed she was different from everyone else--if only she knew how different. Possessing a secret strong enough to end an entire race of demons, Darcy unwittingly becomes a pawn in an epic battle between the vampires and the weres as she discovers a new world filled with ecstasy--and dark passions. . .

One Desires Her Love. . .

Consumed with lust for Darcy, Styx--the Anasso of vampires--will do everything in his power to keep her out of the lair of Salvatore Giuliani, the deadly leader of the weres. But protecting the woman he loves could cost Styx the ultimate price. . .

The Other. . .Her Life.

Salvatore Giuliani knows time is running out for the weres. Pushed to the brink of extinction, he will stop at nothing to make Darcy his ultimate conquest and queen--for she alone holds the key to his survival. But which of these men can Darcy truly trust? For all it takes is one bite to plunge her into a lifetime of servitude--or a lifetime of pleasure...

I really loved this one

Thee Good Thief by Hannah Tinti

Twelve year-old Ren is missing his left hand. How it was lost is a mystery that Ren has been trying to solve for his entire life, as well as who his parents are, and why he was abandoned as an infant at Saint Anthony's Orphanage for boys. He longs for a family to call his own and is terrified of the day he will be sent alone into the world.

But then a young man named Benjamin Nab appears, claiming to be Ren's long-lost brother, and his convincing tale of how Ren lost his hand and his parents persuades the monks at the orphanage to release the boy and to give Ren some hope. But is Benjamin really who he says he is? Journeying through a New England of whaling towns and meadowed farmlands, Ren is introduced to a vibrant world of hardscrabble adventure filled with outrageous scam artists, grave robbers, and petty thieves. If he stays, Ren becomes one of them. If he goes, he's lost once again. As Ren begins to find clues to his hidden parentage he comes to suspect that Benjamin not only holds the key to his future, but to his past as well. 

From page one the story pulled me in with an almost old-fashioned kind of storytelling. Every character is deeply flawed but never wholly a villain (with one exception), and the way Ren is almost immediately surrounded by a motley cast of characters feels natural. 

My Dashing Groom

Border Bride by Shannon Donnelly
Eloping to Gretna Green was the only way spirited Claire Roxburgh could escape an arranged marriage to the sour elderly gentleman her father had chosen. But she didn't count on her betrothed bringing along his best friend, army officer Alan Carlton. And as her "true love" began to show his true colours, Claire began to wonder if Carlton should be the man standing with her at the altar...

Love Lessons by Donna Simpson
With nowhere else to go, penniless Linnet Pelham took refuge with her sister in London only to find that her sister's betrothal to Lord Cairngrove was the scandal of the ton. Linnet was determined to see the wedding take place, which meant convincing Cairngrove's brother, Nic Barton, that the union was right. Two more different people had never lived, yet Linnet couldn't help imagining another ceremony, with Nic as her own groom...

Steal My Heart by Hayley Ann Solomon
When Lady Fern Reynolds confided in a sympathetic houseguest that she was considering running away to London to escape betrothal to an unknown suitor, she didn't expect him to offer her shelter. And she certainly didn't imagine tumbling for him, the Viscount Sandford. But that was the least of her surprises, as she discovered the wedding was to go on as planned - and her groom was strangely familiar. 

 I enjoyed all 3, but the 1st the most. 

Black Magic Woman by Christine Warren

Daphanie Carter is thrilled that her sister Danice finally found her Prince Charming—even though he’s not quite, well, human. Daphanie is trying to keep an open mind. Which is why she jumps at the chance to enter the hidden world of The Others when a friendly imp invites her to a non-human nightclub. Daphanie’s curious to see how the Other half lives—and parties—but soon, one handsome stranger has her bewitched, bothered, and beside herself…

Enter Asher Grayson. As a Guardian, it’s his job to protect humans who get mixed up in the affairs of Others. When he spots Daphanie in a club, going head to head with a notorious witch doctor, he steps in to cool things off. Now the heat is on. Daphanie becomes the target of strange magical attacks, and Asher’s got to undo the voodoo before it’s too, too late. But soon he starts to wonder if this beautiful, beguiling mortal has put a spell on him—because every little thing she does is magic… 

I loved Asher ...he has wings. I enjoyed characters from previous books being involved. Lots of action. A good addition to the series. 

Affliction by Laurell K Hamilton

Had everyone bitten tonight caught this? The other bites had not looked like vampire bites. They'd been zombie, or human looking. Was this infection something that vampires and shapeshifters could catch? If it was, then it was something new. Some zombies are raised. Others must be put down. Just ask me, Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter. 

Before now, I figured I could handle them. Before now, I had never heard of any of them causing human beings to perish in agony. But that's all changed. Micah's estranged father lies dying, rotting away inside from some strange ailment that has his doctor's whispering about 'zombie disease'.

I make my living from zombies - but these aren't the kind I know so well. These creatures hunt in daylight, and are as fast and strong as vampires. If they bite you, you become just like them. And round and round it goes... Where will it stop? Even I don't know.

I wasn't sure about this book at first...a zombie apocolypse?  But i ended up loving it. Couldn't put it down.  The best sex scene of the book (there were a few, but far more story than sex) was when she was with Nicky and Nathaniel.

Gideon by Jacqueline Frank

They're called the Nightwalkers - proud, ancient beings who live in the shadows, existing just beyond the human world. But there are also dangerous humans who hunt them - necromancers who use the blackest magic to manipulate them. And for a Demon named Gideon, the battle against these evil forces will soon be all too personal...For a thousand years, Gideon has healed his people. And as the oldest surviving male of his race, his wisdom has always been respected without question. But Gideon knows that even he is vulnerable to the powerful, primitive desires that befall his kind during Hallowed moons - and nine years ago that truth was hammered home when he found himself claiming Magdalegna, the Demon King's sister, in a wild embrace. Horrified by his lack of control, he left her wanting and furious - and then exiled himself for the better part of a decade. Now, with necromancers threatening his people - and Magdalegna nearly their victim - Gideon must face another truth. He and the beautiful, stubborn Magdalegna are destined to be together, to share a love as deep and old as time itself. But first he needs to regain her trust. Then he'll have to save her life... 

Another excellent book in this series. I loved the chemistry between Legna and Gideon and the way they slowly came to understand each other. 

Jacob by Jacqueline Frank

Since time began, there have been Nightwalkers - the races of the night who live in the shadows of the moonlight. Love with humans is absolutely forbidden, and one man makes certain to uphold this ancient law: Jacob, the Enforcer...For 700 Years, He has resisted temptation. But not tonight...Jacob knows the excuses his people give when the madness overtakes them and they fall prey to their lust for humans. He's heard every one and still brought the trespassers to justice. Immune to forbidden desires, uncontrollable hungers, or the curse of the moon, his control is total...until the moment he sees Isabella on a shadowy New York City street. Saving her life wasn't in his plans. Nor were the overwhelming feelings she arouses in him. But the moment he holds her in his arms and feels the soft explosion of her body against his, everything changes. Their attraction is undeniable, volatile, and completely against the law. Suddenly everything Jacob has ever believed is inflamed by the heat of desire...Bring on the night. 

Fantastic start to a new series. Loved the chemistry between Jacob and Bella. Action, romance and a touch of a mystery. I'm looking forward to more in this series. 

While I Was Gone by Sue Miller

Jo Becker has everything a woman could desire: a loving spouse, contented children and a nice dog or two. When her New England veterinary practice takes on a new client, however, her past comes back to haunt her. Long ago, it seems, Jo had escaped her family and identity for a commune in Cambridge. Her Aquarian illusions came to an abrupt, bloody end when one of her housemates was brutally murdered.

Now this unhappy era returns in the person of Eli Mayhew, who had been the odd man out in Jo's boho household. His appearance is both tantalising and upsetting:
"Inside, I slowed down. I felt numbed. I had two last patients, and then I told Beattie to go home, that I'd close up ... I re-filed the last charts, sprayed and wiped the examining table. I reviewed my list of routine surgeries for Wednesday. All the while I was thinking of Eli Mayhew, and of Dana and Larry and Duncan and me, and our lives in the house. Of the horrible way it had all ended."

 I enjoyed this book. I loved the language. The ending was a bit disappointing to me.

I liked this line,  made me think of us,

"We always took one day a week off together, and if the weather was good, we often went fishing. Or my husband went fishing and I went along, usually with a book to read." 

Orchid by Jayne Castle

A top psychic for exclusive Psynergy Inc., Orchid Adams has her hands full with a baffling murder—which doesn’t exactly allow time for husband hunting. Is it even possible there’s a man on St. Helen’s who measures up to her dreams of wedded bliss? Take her new client, Rafe Stonebraker: primitive and elemental, an unlicensed P.I. with some serious secrets, Rafe is hardly marriage material. So why does his powerful presence have Orchid imagining the most outrageous affair? Rafe is embroiled in solving a strange theft while thwarting a hostile takeover of Stonebraker Shipping; he needs a wife—and fast—to salvage his credibility. Orchid Adams doesn’t fit the profile he had in mind, but she fits in his arms. Will their electrifying connection end up getting them burned?

I enjoy this light sci fi romance series.

The Cat Who Tailed A Thief by Lilian Jackson Braun

When small items disappear throughout the town, the residents are up in arms! Pickax has seldom fallen victim to "big city" crimes, particularly during the holiday season. But after the bridge club's money is stolen, the townspeople decide that there is more to this mystery. The rash of petty thievery started when banker Willard Carmichael and his much younger (and flashier) wife, Danielle, moved to Pickax from Down Below. Along with their big-city lifestyle, Willard brought plans to restore the Victorian houses on Gingerbread Alley (fondly known as Pleasant Street). Unfortunately, Willard is murdered in an apparent mugging Down Below. When a local man is accused of the thievery, newspaper columnist Jim Qwilleran has serious questions about the recent crimes plaguing Pickax. For one thing, Danielle's cousin Carter Lee seems too eager to pick up where Willard left off in the restoration project. When he begins to romance wealthy widow Lynette Duncan, things really go awry. It's up to Qwill, Koko and Yum Yum to set the town right and bring the guilty party to justice before both the Duncan family fortune and Pickax are destroyed by greed.

An enjoyable, light read.  

Leopard's Prey by Christine Feehan

Homicide cop, leopard-shifter Remy Boudreux is the oldest and on the hunt for a serial killer that threatens everyone he loves and their way of life. It is not the best time for a big eyed waif from his past to return to the bayou and steal his heart.

Fast paced action, great mystery and steamy romance.

Ape House by Sara Gruen

 Isabel Duncan, a scientist at the Great Ape Language Lab, doesn't understand people, but apes she gets.

John Thigpen is a reporter writing a human interest feature when an explosion rocks the lab. John's story turns into the story of a lifetime, and Isabel must connect with her own kind to save her family of apes.

 A good, interesting read. Loved the Bonobos. The ending was a bit abrupt...or maybe I just wasn't quite ready for the story to end. 

Cooking with Baz by Sean Dooley

Sean Dooley’s father Baz is your typical Aussie larrikin who loves his pub, his mates, his meat and, when he finally returns home many hours later to a cold meal, his family. Part autobiography, part memoir, this book is an amusing look back at Australian suburban life in the seventies and eighties with an artistic mother married to a loud-mouthed bookmaker from the wrong side of the tracks. Sean works with his father as a bookie to pay his way through university but chooses bird-watching and literature over interminable drinking and yarn sessions at the bar.
Among the smiles this memoir evokes is the unconditional love shown by Baz towards Di when she is dying from her second bout of cancer. Emaciated, bedridden, in pain and having no appetite, Baz goes to extraordinary lengths to tempt her palate with an array of his deliciously home-cooked meals. It is during these heart-wrenching times that Baz and Sean reconnect and discover the glories in the common ground they thought they’d lost.

Cooking with Baz is a story about being so different from your father while growing up but getting the chance to get to know and appreciate your dad while you can.

Sean and his father Baz are very different - Sean is a bird-watching, arts loving guy and his dad Baz is an Aussie larikan who seems single minded in his pursuits of pubs, drinking with his mates and his family in that order. Then Baz gets cancer... 

Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr

The plot revolves around the intrigue and in-fighting among the park rangers on the border between Texas and New Mexico.  Even among diehard environmentalists such as Anna and her coworkers, political pettiness exists. When a fellow park ranger is found killed by a mountain lion Anna is suspicious. She doesn't believe it's a lion kill--and she knows that the intricate politics and age-old fighting between ranchers and rangers will result in a sanctified lion kill.

Racing against time, Anna sets out to solve a murder that only she believes is a murder. The more she finds out, the more sinister the seemingly beautiful and pristine canyons and mountains become. Two more rangers disappear...and are ultimately found dead. Just what is going on, and how can Anna stop it? The solution, which comes at the very end of the book, is completely unexpected, and quite satisfying.

 Loved it! The mystery was well done with red herrings and twists, the characters were well drawn and and I loved the description of the desert. I'll be looking out for more in this series.

Hot Blooded by Christine Feehan, Maggie Shayne, Emma Holly and Angela Knight

A bound man with a voracious appetite...A werewolf with human desires...A shape-shifter with one basic need...An immortal lover with a passion for mortal women. These are the stories of Hot Blooded. 

I've read the Christine Feehan story in another anthology, but the rest were new to me. All were enjoyable.  I like all the authors.

Fugitive by Cheryl Brooks

Renowned wildlife artist Drusilla agrees to get away from Earth for awhile and travel to Barada Seven. The lure of a unique paradise filled with beautiful species of birds isn't something she's able to resist but she never imagined that within this primitive yet still progressive environment she'll become friends with some of the oddest creatures and one in particular whom she finds irresistible.

Manx is a Zetithian fugitive with a feline gene and sexual powers longed for all across the universe. His home planet has been destroyed and any survivors have bounties on their heads. Manx has been able to remain undetected on Barada Seven because of his self-sufficiency and the remoteness of the cabin which he's secretly borrowed until the beautiful Earth woman's arrival. Now he's torn between the need to remain hidden and a drive to claim this woman as his mate.

Drusilla is stunned to learn that Barada Seven is a peaceful planet - weapons of any sort aren't permitted. How would it even be possible to protect themselves against hostile invaders? Rather than dwell on how different this planet and its inhabitants are Drusilla chooses to get comfortable in her new surroundings and concentrate on her painting. What she doesn't know is her presence is a source of great frustration for Manx and unparalleled amusement for the eltran Zef. Zef is a large ugly amphibian who lives in the lake - and has the undesirable habit of stating exactly what he thinks. Before Drusilla and Manx even meet Zef informs her that she'll like the male very much - and he's right. Their first encounter sets the tone for their relationship - tumultuous, undeniable sexual attraction tempered with a fair amount of uncertainty. They may be on a peaceful planet but because of Manx's heritage, safety from the vicious Nedwuts schemes are not guaranteed.
 

A steamy, action filled read.  LOTS of sex, but unfortunately not well written sex.

When Darkness Comes by Alexandra Ivy

It's been a hell of a day for Abby Barlow. In just a few hours, she's survived an explosion, watched her employer die, had a startling dream, and now she finds herself in a seedy Chicago hotel with the sexy, unearthly Dante, a man she both desires and fears. For 341 years, Dante has stood as guardian to The Chalice, a mortal woman chosen to hold back the darkness. A terrible twist of fate has now made Abby that woman. Three hours ago, Dante would have used all his charms to seduce her. Now she is his to protect. And he will do so until his very death. A terrifying plan has been set in motion, one that will plunge Dante and Abby into an epic battle between good and evil - and a desperate race to save their love...

Sizzling chemistry between Abby and Dante.  A good but not great read.  I'm not sure why it didn't quite make it into great...