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.