The Gunslinger (Dark Tower, #1) by Stephen King
26 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in 3 Stars, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Stephen King Tags: fantasy, sci-fi, Stephen King
Published July 1st 1989 by Signet, Paperback, 315 pages, ISBN-13: 9780451160522
The heroic fantasy is set in a world of ominous landscape and macabre menace that is a dark mirror of our own world. A spellbinding tale of good versus evil, it features one of Stephen King’s most powerful creations – The Gunslinger, a haunting figure who embodies the qualities of the lone hero through the ages from ancient myth to frontier western legend. His pursuit of The Man in Black, his liaison with the sexually ravenous Alice, his friendship with the kid from Earth called Jake, are part of the drama that is both grippingly realistic and eerily dreamlike, an alchemy of storytelling sorcery.
Review: Just about as I remembered it when I first read it almost two decades ago…
I can’t really write a review like I usually do, with a small rundown of what happens and then comment on it. The book is confusing, as I remembered it from long ago.
We see some background on Roland, the Gunslinger. We get his coming of age story, which is almost disturbing if not for the fact that his world is on different plane than ours. He is searching for the Dark Tower, compelled to search for it, and is after the Man in Black, the embodiment of evil. He wants answers, and only the Man in Black can give them to him.
Along the way, he meets a lot of people, who I don’t believe were originally evil, but are turned that way, as the Man in Black passed through town before him.
Then he meets Jake, a young boy from our plane, who had been brought over by the Man in Black. I still don’t really understand why Jake was even put in the Gunslinger’s path. What am I missing? If someone knows, please let me know.
And just when Roland catches up with the Man in Black, he has a difficult decision: lose Jake or lose the Man in Black. He chooses to lose Jake. I felt badly for Jake. He didn’t ask to be pushed into traffic and killed. He didn’t ask to be brought over to a different plane of existance. I felt just as confused as the kid. I was left with many questions unanswered. Once I read the Author’s Afterword, I did get a bit of a sense as to what King is up to in this series, and come to realize that a lot of those questions I have are just as much unanswered for him as well. Okay, so now I don’t feel like I’m swimming in the middle of an ocean with no hope in sight.
I will continue with the series, one book per month, along with some of the ladies in the group. I never did finish the series, and I’m determined to get it done.
Rating: 
The Spellman Files (Spellman, #1) by Lisa Lutz
26 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in 5 Stars, Comedy, Drama, Lisa Lutz, Mystery Tags: Comedy, Drama, Funny, Lisa Lutz, Mystery, Private Investigator, Suspense
Published January 27th 2009 by Pocket, Mass Market Paperback, 470 pages, ISBN-13: 9781416594178
Meet Isabel “Izzy” Spellman, twenty-eight-year-old private investigator with relentlessly intrusive bosses (Mom and Dad), a chronically perfect lawyer brother (often under duress), and uncle who randomly disappears on benders (“Lost Weekends”), and a kid sister on her trail (hired by her parents to ascertain the identity of her new boyfriend). When Izzy snaps, the only way out of the family business is to solve an ice-cold missing persons case that leads to the disappearance of someone she loves…
Review: Offbeat and quirky, a book you can’t pass up!
Isabel Spellman grew up purposely being the complete opposite of her “absolutely perfect in every way” older brother. So she did the only thing that came naturally: Rebelled in every way, shape and form. Constantly getting into trouble. It didn’t help having private investigators for parents who taught their children the business early. Isabel used those skills to land herself in all that trouble.
They spy and blackmail each other as much as they spy for their clients. But Izzy’s patience is tested when her parents assign her fourteen-year-old sister the job of spying on her for the purpose of identifying Izzy’s boyfriend. Things go from bad to worse, Izzy has had it, and decides to quit. So, her parents persuade her to take one last case – the dead-cold missings persons case. Negotiations ensue, and Izzy is to work the case for 2 months, whether she solves it or not, and she’ll be able to leave without any hounding from her parents.
But as Izzy’s suspicions grow, with facts in the case that just don’t add up, Albert and Olivia do everything in their power to stop Isabel’s pursuit. But Izzy’s doggedly determined to find out what happened to Andrew Snow, no matter what.
And just when Izzy believes she has a break in the case, her sister, Rae, goes missing. Question is: Does Rae’s disappearance have anything to do with the Snow case?
**Worthwhile read, something for everyone.
It’s hard to try and determine which genre to put this book in. The spine specifically says “Fiction”, but it has other genres tied in. There is a case, a mystery that needs solving, but it’s not the basis of the plot.
There is comedy. Between the spying, the dirt, the blackmail, the negotiations, your snorting with laughter at some of the characters antics.
There is a little drama. Not only does little sister Rae go missing, the family does what they can to find her, you feel what Izzy’s feeling. But Uncle Ray needs to be included in that drama. “Lost Weekends” are the norm; Uncle Ray disappears for days on end, drinking, gambling, and bedding women. I cried when Izzy and Rae went to Reno to bring him back the final time, only they weren’t bringing him back the way the family usually did.
Well worth the read! My mistake was reading the excerpt of the next book in the series, Curse of the Spellmans. LOL, now I really want to get my hands on that book!
White Cat by Holly Black
25 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in 4 Stars Tags: Holly Black, YA
Synopsis (from Goodreads): Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they’re all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn’t got the magic touch, so he’s an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He’s noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love — or death — and your dreams might be more real than your memories.
Review:
In these pages you will find a world where the simple act of shaking ungloved hands is unheard of and the very idea would make people cringe. Where a bare hand can become risque and the simple act of brushing up accidentally against another person can be seen as a hostile act. This idea alone is enough to interest me, but Black takes it farther yet. She’s developed a world where such powers are just as dangerous to possess as they are awesome. Where crime lords have spawned in order to take advantage of the ensuing wrath of a public that doesn’t share the same gifts. Different families are akin to the mob bosses in our own very real history. It’s all so intriguing, even before the history of being a worker comes to light, you feel like you could know these people.
Cassel is a wonderful protagonist. He’s easy to identify with, to sympathize with and to root for up to the very end. Although I wouldn’t want to say much else about the characters, because as a reader you’re in for a bumpy ride, full of twists and turns that are so much fun! Like the synopsis says, “he will have to outcon the conmen”. (4 out of 5-stars)
Until next time! -Samantha
Hidden Wives
23 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in 5 Stars Tags: cult-religion, Kim
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Hush, Hush, Sweet Sister-Wives”
Unspoken scandals run beneath this secret polygamist community in Utah like coal and iron run through Pennsylvania.
Hidden Wives tells the riveting story of Rachel and Sara, two 15-year old sisters, empowered by their will to live, love…and survive.
I received this book from Claire Avery, the pseudonym of a sister author tag team. I spent a lot of time holding my breath while reading this over the past week!
However, I do give advance warning of some graphic passages.
The Blind Contessa’s New Machine
18 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: first reads, historic romance, Kim
The Blind Contessa’s New Machine by Carey Wallace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received from First Reads on Goodreads.
When you alight from your carriage onto the cobblestone drive of a home in Victorian Italy, you enter the world of Contessa Carolina, a young woman who loses her eyesight soon after her marriage to Pietro. Casey Wallace writes a lyrical first novel filled with imagery and eloquence.
While the story was quiet and simple, I gave five stars for her creative writing.
The Demon in Me (Living in Eden, #1) by Michelle Rowen
17 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in 3 Stars, Michelle Rowen, Paranormal Romance Tags: 3 Stars, Michelle Rowen, Paranormal Romance
Published May 4th 2010 by Berkley, Paperback, 336 pages, ISBN-13: 9780425234686
Hell hath no fury…
Fate has led Eden Riley to become a “psychic consultant” to the police, even though her abilities are unreliable at best. Those paranormal powers are about to get her into a jam she couldn’t have predicted: After her hunky police detective partner guns down a serial killer in front of her, Eden realizes that she’s quite literally no longer alone. A voice in her head introduces himself as Darrak. He’s a demon. But not in a bad way!
…Like a woman possessed.
Darrak lost his original body three hundred years ago, thanks to a witch’s curse. This is the first time he’s been able to speak directly to a host, plus there’s a bonus: Eden’s psychic energy helps him to take form during daylight hours. He wants to use this chance to find a way to break his curse – finally. Otherwise, Eden’s going to have to learn to live with this sexy demon … like it or not.
But she thinks she might like it.
Review: Eden Riley has psychic abilities. Sometimes, she just knows things. Let me repeat that. Sometimes she knows things. Images or thoughts just come to her. And it was during one of these sometimes episodes where she caught the attention of Toronto’s chief of police. His wife’s dog had gone missing, and after calling her faithful psychic, Eden, the dog was found. And now the chief of police wants her help in finding a serial killer.
Going to the house of the last murder, along with the lead detective, Ben Hanson, she has this sudden weird vibe, a pull towards a coat closet. Sure enough, the killer had returned to the scene of the crime. When her life is threatened, Ben shoots the killer dead, and Eden watches as this black smoke rises from the corpse, hesitates, and makes a bee-line directly at her. No one else sees this black smoke.
Then she hears a voice; a male’s voice. At first, she believes there’s someone nearby. Then she realizes … the voice is coming from inside herself. Terrific – she’s been possessed – by a demon, no less.
Over three hundred years ago, Darrak’s body was destroyed, his spirit cursed, and has been living in humans bodies ever since. This is the first time one of his hosts can actually hear him and communicate with him. Not only that, but her psychic ability manages to help him take form during the daylight hours.
Now that he has a host who can not only hear him but can communicate with him, he asks for her help in finding the witch that cursed him. Once she desolves the curse, Darrak will be free, and will be able to leave Eden alone.
And now Eden is learning that the “bump in the night” beings are actually real. She pays for an exorcism that she doesn’t go through with, and now the Malleus, a group of people hell-bent (pardon the expression) on eradicating evil, won’t leave her alone. Finding the witch is beginning to look impossible, and she learns that if Darrak isn’t set free within a year, he will drain her energy dry, resulting in killing her. Oh, and as any demon, while he didn’t totally lie to her, he didn’t tell her the whole truth, either. He’s not just any demon, but an archdemon, and one of the worst kind.
What ever happened to her boring and monotonous life?
**A cute story, but not quite a paranormal romance.
Personally, I think this one should have just been put in the paranormal genre. While I saw the possibilities between Eden and Ben, the hot detective, I didn’t feel a spark between them. However, with Darrak, I could feel the pull, the attraction between them. And yet, it’s forbidden, for he can completely drain her energy if he’s not careful. And she can do worse without meaning to.
I found Eden to have a level head, even though she’s a “sometimes” psychic who completely doubts her own abilities. Can’t blame the girl – her abilities never worked when she wanted them to – they worked eradically at best. Even with all the paranormal information thrown at her, she kept her head, pushing aside her panic in order to deal with the problem at hand.
Darrak, although an archdemon, spent so many centuries possessing humans that humanity seems to have burned itself in him. He’s no longer the cruel, heartless, evil demon that he was. And he’s fallen in love with Eden. Now, more than ever, it’s important that they find someone to dissolve the curse.
At first, I found the story to be on the corny-cutesy side. Seemed it was a plot I’ve read before. But about halfway through the book, there’s a twist that takes the story in a new direction, and it improved from there. The characters are colorful, action scenes well played out, and the romance has just enough ‘zing’ to it that the reader can feel it. I may have rated it 3 stars, but it’s a 3.5′er for me.
Rating: .5
Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, #1) by Patricia Briggs
17 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in 5 Stars, Patricia Briggs, Urban Fantasy
Published January 31st 2006 by Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated, Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages, ISBN-13: 9780441013814
Werewolves can be dangerous if you get in their way, but they’ll leave you alone if you are careful. They are very good at hiding their natures from the human population, but I’m not human. I know them when I meet them, and they know me, too.
Mercy Thompson’s sexy next-door neighbor is a werewolf.
She’s tinkering with a VW bus at her mechanic shop that happens to belong to a vampire.
But then, Mercy Thompson is not exactly normal herself … and her connection to the world of things that go bump in the night is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble.
Review: Mercedes “Mercy” Thompson is a walker. A coyote, to be precise. As a walker, she can shift forms at anytime, between her human self and a coyote. Fast and nimble as a coyote, she is also somewhat stronger, with better hearing, sight and intincts, as a human.
She’d been raised by a wolf pack in Montana and was “forced” to leave at the age of sixteen, when the Alpha’s son was ready to declare her as his mate. Fearing it was for the wrong reasons, Bran lied to Mercy and sent her to her mother, who had since remarried and had other children. A husband and children who never knew about Mercy but welcomed her with open arms. Only there for a few years, Mercy left to be on her own, and it’s the way she likes it.
Now she’s a mechanic, owns her own garage, and fixes mostly import cars, such as VW, Mercedes, Jaquars, etc… She lives next to the Alpha of the local Tri-Cities pack, and while she keeps her head down, sometimes purposely does things to annoy him, because he contradicted her. And while werewolves don’t usually allow walkers to hang around, Adam has placed her under his protection, and the wolves leave her alone.
While fixing a VW in one of her bays, a newly made werewolf kid, seemingly no older than late teens, early twenties, comes looking for work. It’s obvious that he’s new – he didn’t realize what Mercy was, didn’t know the laws of the pack. But Mercy knows what he is and is determined to help him. Overhearing a converstaion he has over the phone, she knows he’s in trouble. And the following night, trouble found him. On the verge of being taken, Mercy attacks and manages to bring Mac to Adam, knowing Adam could help him. But the help doesn’t last long. Adam’s house is attacked, his fifteen-year-old daugther, Jesse, kidnapped, and Adam badly wounded. Mac was murdered and left on her doorstep as a warning; one that she ignores.
She brings Adam to Bran in search of help, and Samuel is back. It’s obvious that he still has feelings for her, but she’s determined not to repeat the past. With Bran’s help, they return with determination to find Jesse and find out what’s going on, because the attack on Adam looked like an inside job at first, but Mercy’s instincts are telling her that, while he may have a traitor in his pack, there’s more to this than what meets the eye.
**And right she was. Mercy has quickly become one of my fave characters, probably because I can associate with her more than I can with other characters. She knows she’s different and doesn’t let that stop her (I feel that), she’s a mechanic who owns her own garage (I may not be an actual mechanic, but I do know mechanics and I’m the office manager of our family-owned auto repair shop). She may be a coyote, but her determination and tenacidy is very much like a pit bull; she’ll keep at it until she gets what she wants or she’ll do it her way anyway.
Samuel bugs me. He has his way of thinking and refuses to think otherwise. There’s this snobbery around him that begs me to take a swing at him, and this assumption he has that what he and Mercy had was not over, the way he acts when other males are around her, makes me want to pound some sense in him. (I will say that I’m glad Mercy is doing what she wants and makes a very big point of it in the last chapter!)
And then there’s Adam. In my opinion, a very good Alpha. He may be rough, but he’s fair. And just like any alpha, he’ll fight to his death to save those he loves, including his kidnapped daughter. He’d declared Mercy as his mate, purely for her protection from the rest of the pack, but I know there’s more to it than that. I’m sure of it (which I believe stands out very well in the last chapter.)
The action scenes are well played out. The information/scene setting is well spaced out so that you’re not overloaded right at the beginning. A great cast of characters (add vampires, fae and witches to the mix,) from the lovable to the devious. I very much liked the world that Briggs created for Mercy. I highly recommend this one to urban-fantasy lovers, and plan on getting the rest of the series as soon as possible. I’m actually kicking myself for not having read it sooner!
Rating:
Smash Cut: Sex, Lies, and Law & Order Worthy of Sir Alfred Hitchcock
15 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in Romantic Suspense, Thriller Tags: Kim
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
A wealthy millionaire is murdered within the first three pages of the storyboard. Although readers are able to deduce who the killer is, they are left to ponder how he did it, given the fact he had a solid alibi.
All that was missing from this book was an after note from Sir Alfred Hitchcock.
I would have enjoyed this book more if the killer wasn’t evident so soon and the romance didn’t hold up the progress of the ongoing story. The book read like a movie being watched, for obvious reasons. The last couple of chapters picked up the suspense thread and redeemed itself.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1) by Stieg Larsson
09 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in 4 Stars, Mystery, Stieg Larsson, Suspense Tags: Mystery, Stieg Larsson, Suspense
Published September 22nd 2009 by Penguin Canada, Mass Market Paperback, 841 pages, ISBN-13: 9780143170099
A spellbinding blend of murder mystery, family saga and financial intrigue.
Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from the secluded island owned by the Vanger family. No one saw her leave the island, and no body was ever found. Her uncle, Henrik, is convinced she was murdered by a member of her own dysfunctional family. Disgraced journlaist Mikael Blomkvist is hired to investigate.
But when Blomkvist uncovers new evidence, it suddenly becomes too dangerous to proceed alone. Enter Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-four-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker with the wisdom of someone twice her age – and a terrifying capacity for ruthlessness to go with it. She’s unwilling to take orders, rides a motorbike like a Hells Angel, and handles makeshift weapons with a skill born of rage.
Together this unlikely team unravels a dark and appalling family history. But the Vangers are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out how far they’re prepared to go to protect themselves.
**Solid mystery-suspense, 4 stars out of 5!
Mikael Blomkvist, early forties, a finacial journalist and part onwer of the magazine, Millennium, has just been convicted of libel against industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerstrom. He’d rather take the conviction and jail sentence than fork over the name of his source. To protect the magazine, he steps down.
Lisbeth Salander, 24, has been a ward of the state since the age of thirteen. Under a guardian, her life is pretty much topsy-turvy. While a brilliant hacker with a photographic memory, she is emotionally shut down. Questions asked that she doesn’t want to answer remain unanswered; she clams up. No one really knows her, and she’s keeping it that way.
Industrialist Henrik Vanger followed the trial, and had his lawyer hire a security firm to check into Mikael. He wants to hire him. Back in 1966, Vanger’s niece, Harriet, disappeared without a trace and is feared dead. Obsessed, Vanger wants his niece, or her killer, found. Every year, since her disappearance, on his birthday, he receives a pressed and framed flower, just like Harriet used to give him. He believes he’s being tormented, and he wants answers. Adding incentive, he promises Mikael dirt against Winnerstrom. Very reluctantly, Mikael agrees to a one-year contract, on the premise of ghostwriting Vanger’s autobiography, which would help open doors to questions he needs answered.
The Vanger family is very extensive, with several oddballs in the bunch. It takes a while to sort through who’s who, and in the meantime, Mikael is going through every stitch of paper, every photograph, that was put together on Harriet, right down to police reports. He believes he’s on a wild goose-chase, believing that, if the police weren’t able to find anything, than neither would he.
How very wrong he was. With bits of information, and old pictures found and located, Mikael begins piecing what happened to Harriet together. Later, with the help of Salander and her photographic memory and her computer skills, they break the case. Only, it’s much worse than anyone could have imagined.
And with a sweet added bonus to end the novel, and again, with the help of Salander, Mikael blows Winnerstrom and his illegal activities right out of the water.
**A lengthy mystery with a happy ending… for some of the characters.
Right from the beginning, I had a hard time with the relationship between Mikael and his partner, Erika. I could understand the long-time friendship, and I could understand the partnership with the magazine, but I really didn’t understand their sexual relationship. His marriage fell apart because he couldn’t stop sleeping with Erika, even though he loved his wife and daughter. She’s married, and yet her husband is completely okay with it. Now, I’m happily married (10 years this July 1st and have been with my husband for 15 years), so maybe that’s why I don’t understand that aspect of their relationship? *shrug* Who knows?
Despite her emotional hang-ups, I admired Lisbeth and wish I had her courage. She doesn’t take anything lying down, and plots her revenges meticulously. She’s brilliant in her strategies, a genius hacker who will find whatever it is you’re trying to hide.
I liked how Mikael treated Salander right from the beginning, never pushing for information she didn’t want to give, but he explained the terms of what a true friendship is, and gave Salander the right to choose for herself if she was willing to accept Mikael’s friendship.
While I found the book slow-paced for about the first-half of the book (of 841 pages, that is a long first-half), I could understand that the author was setting up all the characters so that, like Mikael, you can fgure out who’s who. It was needed, even though it was frustratingly slow. But by the second-half, the mystery, the action, the danger, started heating up, and I was actually surprised at who the “bad guy” was. I had my ideas on someone else, until information that Mikael and especially Lisbeth unearthed. I rooted for them both, was just as creeped out, just as fearful, just as disgusted as they were. Lisbeth ends up having to really examine her emotions, something she never did, and just when she “man’s-up” and decides to lay it all out on the table for Mikael, at the very end of the last chapter, my heart broke for Lisbeth. I won’t say what and spoil it for those who haven’t read it yet. I’ll simply state: Go get this book! It’s a must-read!
Rating:
Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran
09 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in 5 Stars Tags: Historical Fiction
Moran’s latest foray into the world of classical history (after The Heretic Queen) centers upon the children of Marc Antony and Cleopatra . After the death of their parents, twins Alexander and Selene and younger brother Ptolemy are in a dangerous position, left to the mercy of their father’s greatest rival, Octavian Caesar. However, Caesar does not kill them as expected, but takes the trio to Rome to be paraded as part of his triumphant return and to demonstrate his solidified power. As the twins adapt to life in Rome in the inner circle of Caesar’s family, they grow into adulthood ensconced in a web of secrecy, intrigue and constant danger. Told from Selene’s perspective, the tale draws readers into the fascinating world of ancient Rome and into the court of Rome’s first and most famous emperor. Deftly encompassing enough political history to provide context, Moran never clutters her narrative with extraneous facts. Readers may be frustrated that Selene is more observer than actor, despite the action taking place around her, but historical fiction enthusiasts will delight in this solid installment from a talented name in the genre. – Synopsis provided by www.bn.com.
I enjoyed this book so much that I would like to read more about Selene and her family. The way this book was written you felt like you were right there with Selene thru her whole ordeal. She was a very strong person to have endured all she did in her life. I think the details of Rome were very vivid, I could almost here the sounds and smell the smells. What a place and time to have lived in, I don’t think I would have made it back then. I don’t cry at many books but for some reason at the end of the finding out a tidbit of what happens to Selene as an adult brought happy tears to my eyes. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
Wild Orchids: A Novel – Jude Devereaux
05 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in 4 Stars, Romantic Suspense Tags: Humor, Jude Devereaux, Kim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Small town folklore breaks an author’s six-year writing block. The two-person narrative of his research and involvement in Cole Creek, with the help of his female assistant, is told with humor and light suspense.
My first read by Jude Devereaux. I loved it and look forward to reading more of her novels.
Nightwalker (Dark Days, #1) by Jocelynn Drake
02 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in 4 Stars, Jocelynn Drake, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy Tags: Jocelynn Drake, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Published August 1st 2008 by Eos, Mass Market Paperback, 370 pages, ISBN-13: 9780061542770
She rules the night…
For centuries Mira has been a nightwalker—an unstoppable enforcer for a mysterious organization that manipulates earth-shaking events from the darkest shadows. But elemental mastery over fire sets her apart from others of her night-prowling breed . . . and may be all that prevents her doom.
The foe she now faces is human: the vampire hunter called Danaus, who has already destroyed so many undead. For Mira, the time has come to hunt . . . or be hunted.
Mira is a Nightwalker, a 700 year-old vampire to be precise. But she isn’t like any other vampire, for she can manipulate fire. She doesn’t kill needlessly, taking only what she needs to survive. As Keeper of her Domain, she resides in Savannah, and “takes care” of her out-of-control brethren who kill for sport and turn humans into vampires at an alarming rate. She refuses to be a “baby-sitter”, dealing with them only when absolutely necessary. For the most part, she just wants to be left alone in her domain, and is happy that way.
But events don’t allow for that wish.
A hunter is in her domain, killing off younger vamps that aren’t strong enough to defend themselves. And he’s looking for Mira. Something is going on in the Nightwalker world, and Danaus is looking for answers; answers that Mira should be able to provide, if only she could remember.
The Naturi, men and women of the elements (earth, light, wind, and so on) are looking to break the seal placed on the doorway between two worlds, looking to bring back the rest of their brethren and their queen. The Naturi want to regain the earth that the humans are destroying, and vampires are nothing more than parasites that need to be squashed. But vampires were the Nightwalkers that forced the Naturi behind that doorway, and placed the seal on the door. Mira was part of that, even though she doesn’t remember.
What she does remember, however, was that she’d been kidnapped by the Naturi five centuries before, tortured by them; they wanted her to betray the Nightwalkers, wanted her to protect the Naturi in a war against the Nightwalkers and break the seal on that door.
And now, according to Danaus, it’s happening again. Naturi are killing Nightwalkers, and Mira is looking for answers, not just for Danaus.
But it seems that even trusting your own brethren can get you killed.
**Interesting twist to the paranormal/fantasy world.
I liked the main character, Mira, very much. Strong, independent, determined, she sets out to find answers that she needs. The answers, however, are far from what she wanted. She wanted to lay the problem on the Elders and return to her domain. That is far from what happens.
Danaus… a guy I’d like to have in my corner, if he didn’t see everything in such a black & white fashion. Over two centuries old, Danaus had spent time with monks, which is where his frame of mind was instilled: good was good, evil was evil, and that was that. Mira was a vampire and therefor evil. Vampires kill, they have no souls, that makes then evil. However, spending time with and around Mira, Danaus is learning that vampires aren’t what he was meant to believe, and is struggling with it.
Other characters in the book make for an interesting mix. Some that Mira can’t stand but deals with anyway. One that she adores and respects but comes to learn that he isn’t what she believed him to be.
And just when things go from bad to worse, and Mira realizes that her life will never be the same, the book ends with the perfect set-up for Book #2. Oh, I so freaking hate that when authors do that. But, que sera, sera, and onto book #2, which is in my TBR pile already. I have a few more I need to read this month before getting to this one.
But I thought the entire cast of characters were colorful, personalities completely different from each other. Actions scenes are superb (even if a little overboard on the gore), and the mysteries behind Mira’s faulty memory make for wide-eyed surprises.
Information is the only thing that bugged me, which diminished my usual 5-star ratings on books I think are superb. First, when the author gives you information on the Nightwalker work (in any part of it), you’re overloaded and trying to remember it all – and keep it straight. Then there’s the lack of info: what, exactly is Danaus: we know he’s over two centuries old has has very strong powers. What, exactly is Mira: constantly being told that she’s no ordinary vampire isn’t enough, dang it! We know she can wield fire, and while you get a bit of info (we know she is a First Blood. What the heck is a First Blood?!)
Despite that, I Definitely recommend it!
Rating:
The Sinner – Tess Gerritsen
27 May 2010 Leave a Comment
in 4 Stars Tags: Kim, medical suspense
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Prologue opens with a gentleman snapping photos of devastation in an isolated village in India, and spots one lone survivor.
Later, two nuns are brutally attacked, one fatally, while the other survives.
Ms. Gerritsen entwines these attacks and the tiny village in a series of wild twists and turns using subplots to throw you off-track
Bewitched & Betrayed (Raine Benares, #4) by Lisa Shearin
25 May 2010 Leave a Comment
in 5 Stars, Action, Fantasy, Lisa Shearin, Suspense, Uncategorized Tags: 5 Stars, action, fantasy, Lisa Shearin, Suspense
Published April 27th 2010 by Ace, Paperback, 384 pages, ISBN-13: 9780441018727
Impending war is the least of her problems.
My name is Raine Benares. I’m a seeker. I find lost things and missing people – usually alive. Finding the specters of six eveil mages who escaped the Saghred, a soul-stealing stone of unlimited power, was easy. Stopping them before they unleashed Hell on earth just may be the death of me.
Being bonded to the Saghred wasn’t my idea – neither is hunting down its escapees. Especially not when one of them is also hunting me. He’s regenerating his body by taking the lives of powerful victims, along with their memories, knowledge, and most important of all, their magic. The dark mage wants control of the Saghred, and if he gets it, he’ll become and evil demigod whom no one can stop. The only thing in his way is me.
One of us doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance.
**Review: Completely “UNPUTDOWNABLE!” Just like the first three!**
Okay, you’ve read my reviews before. I usually give a brief detail of what happens in the book, then my thoughts on it. This review is going to be all over the place, LOL! Fair warning.
**Spoiler Alert!** If you plan on reading the novel and don’t want to know what happens, do not read past this point!
Lisa Shearin has done it again!!! This is only the fourth book she has published, and already, with her style, she resembles a veteran; an author who’s been around for years! She’s that good!
Raine’s back, with our entire favourite cast of characters.
The spectres are running rampid all over Mid, including Sarad Nukpana. Raine is now after them, to put them back where they belong. The opening line is, and I quote: “I was being chased by a pissed-off guy with a knife. A really big knife.” My first thought: And we’re off!!!
Then, not halfway down the page, I cracked up when I read: “And believe me, I got to see enough manhoods and fleeing pasty white posteriors to last me a lifetime.”
When a shriveled up body is dumped at her feet by none other than Sarad Nukpana, she’s warned that the whole situation is about to get worse. Sarad is going to “eat” as much power as he can, and will eventually find a way to control her and the Saghred (stone). And he’s going to go after everyone she cares about and everyone she loves before he gets to her.
Raine will stop at nothing to find him.
We see another side of Mychael; now we learn where he came from before he became Paladin. Their umi’atsu bond grows stronger, and both finally admit to being in love with each other.
Talon gets himself into even more trouble – on a couple of separate occasions. Piaras keeps himself out of most of it, until he goes after Talon. And when Tam learns of where his son has gone, he takes off before anyone can stop him. But of course, Tam is captured by Sarad, and Raine has to make the hardest decision she’s made so far.
The whole scenario gets more and more complicated as the book moves along, and the deeper Raine gets, the more you’re rooting for the home team. A war is averted, for the most part, although the threat is still there. A duke is thought dead, but isn’t. Imala Kalis, head of Goblin Intelligence (with the cute dimples), needs Tam’s help. Imala has a secret of her own as well.
And if I keep going, you’ll end up getting more of the story than I intend to give you. This book has great characters that you love to love and hate with a passion. This book is non-stop intrigue and action, from beginning to end. Figths (magical and non), arguments, truths and lies, conniving deceptions and set-ups, power-hungry elves, mages and goblins, and love-making that was 3 books in the making.
This book, this series, is one of the top fantasy series I recommend to anyone who asks me. Why? Because it deserves the recognition. Run, don’t walk, and get your copy today! What are you waiting for?
Rating:
To the FTC: I shouldn’t even have to post this; I’m Canadian. But, just to keep you happy (and keep me away from a possible $11,000 charge against me *eyeroll*), I will state that I purchased this book at Coles (Chapters) for my own reading pleasure. I was in no way paid for this review.
One Day at a Time by Danielle Steel
25 May 2010 Leave a Comment
in 5 Stars
Coco Barrington was born into a legendary Hollywood family: her mother Florence is a mega-bestselling author, and her sister Jane is one of Hollywood’s top producers. Jane has lived with her partner, Liz, for ten years, in a solid relationship. Florence, widowed but still radiant, has just begun a secret romance with a man twenty-four years her junior. And Coco, a law school dropout and the family black sheep, works as a dog walker, having fled life in the spotlight for the artsy northern California beach town of Bolinas.
When Coco reluctantly agrees to house-sit in Jane’s luxurious home, it turns out Jane’s house comes complete with an unexpected houseguest: Leslie Baxter, a dashing but down-to-earth British actor who’s fleeing a psycho ex-girlfriend. Their worlds couldn’t be more different. The attraction couldn’t be more immediate.
Suddenly Coco is seeing things differently: Leslie is not just a celebrity, he’s a single dad to an adorable six-year-old girl. Her mother is a woman in love, with vulnerability and new insight. And Jane and Liz are about to take the bravest plunge of all – into parenthood. As Coco contemplates a future with one of Hollywood’s hottest stars, as her mother and sister settle into their lives, old wounds are healed and new families are formed – all bonded by love.
**Synopsis provided by www.bn.com
This was my first book I have read by Danielle Steel and I really liked it. I loved the way the book ended. I am also gladJane softened up in the end. Although I still do not really like her as she was so mean to Coco, I can’t believe some of the things she said to Coco. I don’ talways get along with my sister but I would never say such hurtful things. I felt so sorry for Coco when she got attacked in Italy by the paprazzi. I thought for sure that was going to be then end of the relationship but then I thought she would not end the book that way. Leslie was such a nice guy. He did everything right, I also liked his daughter I thought she was cute. I think Coco was braver than her family by chosing to go her own way in life and not following them. It seemed like when her mom found a younger lover and her sister got pregnant they both softened a little
