Dying For Chocolate by Diane Mott Davidson

Meet Goldy Bear: a bright, opinionated, wildly inventive caterer whose personal life has become a recipe for disaster. She's got an abusive ex-husband who's into making tasteless threats, a rash of mounting bills that are taking a huge bite out of her budget, and two enticing men knocking on her door.

Now determined to take control of her life, Goldy moves her business and her son to ritzy Aspen Meadow Country Club, where she accepts a job as a live-in cook. But just as she's beginning to think she's got it made--catering decadent dinners and posh society picnics and enjoying the favors of Philip Miller, a handsome local shrink, and Tom Shulz, her more-than-friendly neighborhood cop--the dishy doctor inexplicably drives his BMW into an oncoming bus.

Convinced that Philip's bizarre death was no accident, Goldy decides to do a little investigating of her own. But sifting through the unpalatable secrets of the dead doc's life will toss her into a case seasoned with unexpected danger and even more unexpected revelations--the kind that could get a caterer and the son she loves. . .killed. 

Although the mystery in this book seems quite implausible, in particular the method of murder, watching Goldy solve the crime is part of the fun of the book. However the best part of the book is the description of food, and the tantalizing recipes scattered through out the book.  

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973."

So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her -- her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling.

The first chapter is both disturbing and brutal, due to this initially I felt unsure as to whether I wanted to read on. I'm glad I did. Once I got into it I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Seduce Me In Shadow by Shayla Black

Ex-marine Caden MacTavish has shunned his magical heritage all his life, but he will do anything to heal his desperately ill brother, a Doomsday Brethren warrior in mourning for his missing mate. Posing as a photographer, Caden must convince firecracker tabloid reporter Sydney Blair to reveal the source of her recent exposé on a supernatural power clash. Unfortunately, keeping his hands off the sizzling redhead proves as hard as getting them onto the potent and mystical Doomsday Diary he discovers at her bedside. A bloody rebellion led by an evil, power-hungry wizard is imminent. If Sydney divulges the book's existence, she will jeopardize magickind's most deeply guarded secrets and become the ruthless wizard's number one target. Caden has never trusted magic's cruel and dangerous powers, but he will protect Sydney with his life and magic -- even if it means risking his heart.

Light, fun read. Action, romance and a touch of humour. 

I am David by Anne Holm

David's entire twelve-year life has been spent in a grisly prison camp in Eastern Europe. He knows nothing of the outside world. But when he is given the chance to escape, he seizes it. With his vengeful enemies hot on his heels, David struggles to cope in this strange new world, where his only resources are a compass, a few crusts of bread, his two aching feet, and some vague advice to seek refuge in Denmark. Is that enough to survive?

A compelling story beautifully and simply told. 

Wanderlust by Ann Aguirre

This story picks up right where Grimspace left off, where she has brought down the primary ruling regime of the universe, the Farwan Corporation. A power vacuum has ensured and the Conglomerate steps in and tries to hold on to power. The Conglomerate appoints Sirantha as ambassador to Ithiss-Tor, a standoffish, xenocentric culture of insectoid like aliens, with a bit of serpent thrown into the mix. But there's a catch, Sirantha has been threatened by the dominant organized criminal operation that would like to see this diplomatic mission fail. So off goes Sirantha with her cast of characters, the mercenary and her lover March, Vel, the Ithiss-Tor bounty hunter who was sent to capture her in Grimspace, Dina the lesbian mechanic, and Jael, a genetically superior human. They escape the capitol planet and to avoid capture set off on a rather circuitous adventure that finds them battling the man-eating Morgut, entering into a vicious war on the planet Lachion, which March most recently called home, and then facing off with the organized crime syndicate out to sabotage Sirantha and her mission.

A great, fun read full of adventure. I love this series! 

Angels of Darkness

"Angel's Wolf by Nalini Singh." On the back of the book, `In the spellbinding universe of the Guild Hunter, a vampire becomes obsessed with the seductive angel who rules the Louisiana territory. But in her court, all is not what it appears to be.

"Alphas: Origins by Ilona Andrews." `A woman is kidnapped into a world divided by a superhuman civil war. As the captive of an irresistibly dangerous male, she has two choices: submit and become a pawn, or take hold of her own destiny.'

"Nocturne by Sharon Shinn." `Accepting a position in a secluded and whispered-about mansion, a woman soon discovers the source of its mystery: the blind, tormented angel who lives there, and whose secrets could now destroy them both.'

"Ascension by Meljean Brook." `When vampires disappear from a community he's protecting, a world-weary Guardian doesn't know what evil he's hunting, but he'd rather hunt alone than accept help from his ex-lover and fellow Guardian, Radha.


I enjoyed all 4 stories and couldn't pick a favourite. 

The Corpse Walker by Liao Yiwu

The Corpse Walker introduces us to regular men and women at the bottom of Chinese society, most of whom have been battered by life but have managed to retain their dignity: a professional mourner, a human trafficker, a public toilet manager, a leper, a grave robber, and a Falung Gong practitioner, among others. By asking challenging questions with respect and empathy, Liao Yiwu managed to get his subjects to talk openly and sometimes hilariously about their lives, desires, and vulnerabilities, creating a book that is an instance par excellence of what was once upon a time called “The New Journalism.” The Corpse Walker reveals a fascinating aspect of modern China, describing the lives of normal Chinese citizens in ways that constantly provoke and surprise.

Some interviews were more interesting than others, but overall an interesting read.

The Demon You Know by Christine Warren

As a research grunt at a local television station, Abby Baker tends to blend into the background, which is where she’s most comfortable. But when she ends up being the last resort to cover a hot story, Abby discovers a whole new side to her personality when she is possessed by a fiend—a type of rogue demon. Suddenly everyone wants a piece of her. And now the demon Rule—also a hunter of his own kind who have gone astray—is Abby’s only hope…

The "Others"--that is, vampires, werewolves, fae, and all manner of supernatural beings have made the choice to reveal themselves to the human populations, and are still fighting for equal rights etc. Rule is a demon--but demons in this series are for the most part counted among the good guys. Rule in particular makes a living protecting his world and the human world from the dark, dangerous, and more or less evil fiends. Abby is an ordinary human who ends up possessed by a fiend, Lou. Lou is in hiding because he possesses knowledge of a spell that could give power into the hands of the most sinister of all fiends. Abby is quickly taken under the protection of rule and his friends--a band that includes many Others introduced in previous books.

 I enjoyed this addition to the series, but not as much as I have liked others.

Third Choice by Margot Dalton

In Detective Jackie Kaminsky's newest case, a "perfect family man" vanishes without a trace. Now considering marriage herself, this case is causing Jackie to have serious doubts. After all, if a husband as dependable as John Stevenson can't be trusted, who can?

Missing person? Murder victim? Or murderer? That's what Spokane detective Jackie Kaminsky must uncover. And all she has to go on is what the distraught young wife can tell her about John Stevenson. He loves his wife, he's crazy about their four kids and he's got a good job working for an up-and-coming Spokane politician. But one night he went out to get baby formula - and he didn't come back. Has the "perfect husband and father" simply abandoned his family? Is he somehow connected to the hit-and-run death of his boss's young daughter? Or as Jackie is beginning to suspect, is John's disappearance the perfect decoy for something more sinister? 

Another good read in this series.  A few twists and a surprise ending.

Heart Choice by Robin D Owens

On the planet of Celta, where psychic talents thrive and desires flourish, Straif Blackthorne is the last of his kind. After his family dies due to a genetic disorder, Straif is determined to find a cure and rebuild his heritage. Nothing else matters--until he meets Mitchella Clover. But Straif cannot give Mitchella his heart, for she is unable to bear children. Only when tragedy threatens to destroy them do they realize what truly matters, and what they truly mean to each other. 

Another good instalment in the series. Light, SF romance. 

The Guilty by Jason Pinter

As I lie in bed with Amanda, ignoring another late-night call from my ex, a shot rings out in the New York night and a beautiful starlet dies outside the city's most popular nightclub. This is the kind of story I was born to chase—but I never dreamed this story began over a hundred years ago.…

Suddenly another life is taken, the bullet fired from one of the deadliest guns ever made. Both victims are highly controversial, their murders more like public executions. My search leads me into the twisted world of The Boy—a world defined by a demented code of honor and shocking, long-buried secrets of the world's most infamous outlaw.

When this assassin realizes I'm getting too close to the truth, uncovering the past could jeopardize everything I care about. Because in his world there's a fine line between good and evil, and the difference between innocence and guilt depends on who's holding the gun.… 

I've tried to read another book by this author, but could't get into it.  This one was a bit slow to start but OK once I got into it.  I got annoyed by the main character, at times he was just soooo stupid!

Not Your Ordinary Faerie Tale by Christine Warren

After her two best friends marry a blood-sucking vampire and furry-faced werewolf, Corinne D’Alessandro is making a vow of her own: NO interspecies dating. But when her editor asks her to investigate “leprechaun” sightings, the sassy New York reporter finds herself on the trail of the hottest story of the year—and the sexiest man alive…

His  name is Luc, and he’s as gorgeous as any Prince Charming in any bedtime story. There’s just one problem: He’s not human, he’s fae. A captain of the Fae Queen’s Guard, Luc is on a dangerous mission—and he could use the help of a certain leprechaun-hunting reporter. But when their two worlds collide, the sparks begin to fly. If Corinne and Luc can’t control their lust—and focus on the villains in this story—their faerie-tale romance won’t end happily ever after…

I always enjoy this series.  Love the humour in them,  The romantic scenes weren't quite as good in this book as they have been in others. 

Fatal Tide by iris Johansen

Melis Nemid's isolated life on her own Caribbean island studying dolphins is interrupted by word from her foster father, Phil Lontana, introduced in Johansen's Dead Aim [BKL F 1 03]. He wants her to contact wealthy oceanographer Jed Kelby, who shares his fascination with the mythical, Atlantis-like city of Marinth. Against his nature, Phil insists he's eager to let Jed help him. This seems fishy, so Melis travels to Athens in search of Phil just in time to see him and his ship blow up. This is the first in a series of horrendous tragedies, and Melis seeks Kelby's help in finding out who is behind it all. Kelby agrees but sets a high price, insisting that Melis assist him in finding the lost city. There is a strange chemistry between them, but, initially, very little trust. Melis is the key to finding the underwater city, but first she must relive her tragic past in order to find and destroy a psychotic killer. 

 A little slow at first, but once I got into it I couldn't put it down.

Packing For Mars by Mary Roach

Roach tackles the strange science of space travel, and the psychology, technology, and politics that go into sending a crew into orbit. Roach is unfailingly inquisitive (Why is it impolite for astronauts to float upside down during conversations? Just how smelly does a spacecraft get after a two week mission?), and she eagerly seeks out the stories that don't make it onto NASA's website--from SPCA-certified space suits for chimps, to the trial-and-error approach to crafting menus during the space program's early years (when the chefs are former livestock veterinarians, taste isn't high on the priority list). Packing for Mars is a book for grownups who still secretly dream of being astronauts, and Roach lives it up on their behalf--weightless in a C-9 aircraft, she just can't resist the opportunity to go "Supermanning" around the cabin. Her zeal for discovery, combined with her love of the absurd, amazing, and stranger-than-fiction, make Packing for Mars an uproarious trip into the world of space travel. 

Loved it., couldn't put it down. Lots of interesting facts, laugh out loud moments and answers to questions I had never thought to ask. 

The Door Into Summer by Robert A Heintein

Dan Davis was tricked by an unscrupulous business partner and a greedy fiancee into spending thirty years in suspended animation just when he was on the verge of a success beyond his wildest dreams. But when he awoke in the future, he discovered he had the means to travel back in time -- and get his revenge!

Written in the 50s, it was interesting to see how he envisaged both 1970 and the years up to the year 2000. There were of course some obvious misses in his predictions, and some that were not too far off the mark.

The story is really a simple tale of betrayal and revenge, mixed up with cryogenics and time travel. While being rather dated and clunky, it still made for a quick enjoyable read 

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

12 year-old Ted has Asperger’s Syndrome, this means his brain runs on a different operating system to the rest of us. While he can effortlessly keep track of facts and figures, knows obscure and complicated weather phenomena, and traces weather patterns and shipping forecasts to rest his mind, small talk really throws him and takes him out of his comfort zone. Ted and his family live in London and while they all love Ted to bits they know that when it comes to a crisis, he is not a person you can rely on.

Ted and his older sister Kat haven’t seen much of their cousin, Salim, but out of the blue the family receives a letter from Salim’s mother, Aunt Gloria, saying they are moving to New York and have planned a family visit in London en route. When asked what he’d like to do, Salim, who loves a good view, opts for experiencing a spin on the London Eye. The two mothers opt to have a coffee while Ted, Salim and Kat queue to ride in the London Eye, a huge ferris wheel that allows those locked in the glass-and-steel capsules to see for miles in every direction.

While in the queue a random stranger offers them a free ticket, as Salim is only in London for one day Kat and Ted let him take the ticket. Ted and Kat see Salim enter the capsule and follow his ride, but to their shock, when the capsule returns to the ground half an hour later, Salim is not on board. Salim has gone – but how could he have got out of a locked capsule with no way out once the ride has started? The police are investigating and Ted is intrigued with the mystery. He and Kat decide to investigate as well as Ted has plenty of theories, well nine of them anyway. Can Ted with his differently wired brain, really see connections that everyone else has missed? Kat is willing to give him the chance so Ted has to work with his sister and overcome some of his personal challenges in order to find his cousin.

 A compelling story with plenty of twists and turns, dead ends and red herrings which add up to a great mystery. Ted is an endearing narrator, and it is so interesting to follow his lines of reasoning and trying to catch a dropped clue that will help figure out what has happened to Salim.

A very enjoyable read.

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

It’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather and once the finest home in Walls of Water, North Carolina—has stood for years as a monument to misfortune and scandal. Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite Paxton Osgood—has restored the house to its former glory, with plans to turn it into a top-flight inn. But when a skeleton is found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, long-kept secrets come to light, accompanied by a spate of strange occurrences throughout the town. Thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the passions and betrayals that once bound their families—and uncover the truths that have transcended time to touch the hearts of the living.

I always love this authors books.  She seamlessly has touches of everyday magic woven through her story. There is romance, mystery and magic.  A wonderful, feel-good story.

Prince Charming Doesn't Live Here by Christine Warren

 Danice Carter is not one for glass slippers. A stilettos-wearing lawyer at one of Manhattan’s most elite establishments, Danice has a very strong grip on reality. So when she’s asked by one the firm’s founding partners to take on a personal case, Danice knows she’s in for the opportunity of a lifetime. All she has to do is convince her top boss’s granddaughter, Rosemary, to file a paternity suit. Sounds simple enough…until Danice arrives at Rosemary’s home and is pounced on by a handsome stranger.

Private investigator McIntyre Callahan’s was only following his powerful client’s orders: Find Rosemary—at all costs. Instead, he’s found a super-hot lawyer prowling around looking for answers he can’t give. The half-human, half-Fae Mac tries to warn Danice that she’s way in over her head—that Rosemary may roam among The Others, and may have dangerous ties to the Unseelie Court—but she won’t be deterred. Even if that means following Mac to the ends of the earth to find Rosemary…or surrendering to his supernatural powers of temptation…until death do they part.

Another good entry in the series. Lots of good world building with a few glimpses of characters we've already met and some that are yet to come. 

Walk on the Wild Side by Christine Warren

 Kitty Sugarman is a lot tougher than her name implies. Still, she’s content with how her small- town life keeps her removed from all the changes happening in the world—like the Unveiling of the Others. That is, until a near-tragedy strikes and Kitty discovers she has abilities . . .thanks to a father she never knew was alive. He also happens to be a were-lion and leader of one of the most powerful Prides out West.

When Kitty heads to Vegas to find out more about her father, it’s his sexy, seductive second-in-command or baas of the Pride, Marcus Stewart, who commands her attention. Now that she has tempted Marcus’s hunger for a mate, Kitty finds herself stuck in a vicious struggle for her father’s fortune, while deadly unrest stirs within the pride. Kitty’s rivals won’t rest until she’s gone for good, but Marcus will fight until his last breath to save her…even if it means going against the pride. 

I love this series.  This time it was were-lions.  A few mentions of spankings, bit none actually happened.  She is good at distraction, lol.

Endless Chain by Emilie Richards

It's not easy to hope for the future when you're still running from the past.

Sam Kinkade is finally feeling at home as a minister in rural Toms Brook, Virginia, reasonably content with his life and Shenandoah Valley congregation. But his plans to welcome the area's growing Hispanic community to the church are suddenly met with resistance. Fortunately, when La Casa Amarilla, the church-run community center, is threatened, a stranger named Elisa Martinez walks through his door and Sam realizes he has found a woman capable of building bridges. Elisa is an enigma. Although she slowly becomes involved in the community center, Sam is certain from her guarded manner that she is hiding something. Yet despite their growing friendship Elisa won't discuss her past. Sam is intrigued with that Latina stranger, a woman who, despite the differences in their backgrounds, makes him only too aware of the intimacy missing in his life.

Elisa isn't looking to make friends, let alone put down roots. She has come to hide. But despite her fears of discovery she is enchanted by the beautiful work of and the friendship offered by the church women who invite her to join their quilting circle. And even though she fears the consequences for both of them, she finds herself powerfully drawn to Sam. As she waits and prays for a reunion that may set her free, Elisa is captivated by a generations-old love story. Will she and Sam repeat the past, or can they find the love and the freedom they seek at last?

Love the characters but I din't think this book was as good as the other 2 I've read in the series. I would definitely read more in this this, series.

Death of Grass by John Christopher

DEATH OF GRASS (aka No Blade of Grass) is a terrifyingly good book. Terrifying because in this day of genetically engineered crops the plot is plausible and you wish that it wasn’t.

It is dystopian (or doomsday) tale where the world is facing death by starvation. In DEATH OF GRASS the end of the world as we know it is brought about by the Chung-Li virus. This is a disease that starts in China and kills off all grass species – not just the grass on the front lawn but rice, wheat, barley and rye. Food staples for every human and most animals – especially the ones human‘s eat. China falls to famine, and then the virus spreads to South-East Asia, India and the Soviet Union, and before long grasses are dying in Great Britain.

In England John and his friend Roger continue to eat their bread and cakes feeling safe. John’s brother owns a farm in a valley in the north of England and feels that the virus is going to arrive in England, he urges John and his family to move in with him. John dismisses this and returns to his home in London. He believes the government when it assured Britons that a genetically engineered bio-weapon has been found to destroy the virus. Gradually John and Roger realise that the government has been lying, and the genetically engineered weapon has made things much worse. The virus has arrived and Britain now has little to no footstock to feed its residents. Almost immediately they learn that the government has come up with a plan to reduce the population, the two families have to get out of London and fast and head for the farm.

From this point DEATH OF GRASS focuses on the breakdown of society and is chilling in the way it portrays the desperation of people to survive. Life for the characters quickly becomes survival of the fittest and that life quickly gets very brutal. John and his friend are now heading north with their young family as society falls apart both civilly and morally, picking up guns and stragglers to strengthen their numbers. Will they reach safety? What is safety?

 Original, intelligent and moving story that makes you think.