Monday, October 31, 2011

Spider's Revenge by Jennifer Estep (Elemental Assassin, #5)



What can I say? I love this series. It is a treat for me to read about Gin Bianco.

The fifth book starts with Gin trying to take down Mab at her home during a dinner party. Mab has invited multiple bounty hunters to kidnap Gin's baby sister Bria. The plan unfortunately doesn't succeed and Gin has to avoid getting killed by a very astute woman.

Gin will need to learn from her mistake and she will do anything to keep her "family" safe.

As always the book has its funny and sad moments like when we learned what truly happen to Sophia.

This book is packed with action and the love between Owen and Gin develops wonderfully. I couldn't be happier for them. Now, I just can't wait to see what happens in the next book. New villain?

5/5 Fangs

Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh




We start the second book a year after the first one finishes.

Elena Devereaux is now an angel. A newborn Angel who needs to learn to survive pretty fast since many people want her dead. She is adjusting to her new life and a new set of wings. She needs to learn to fight again and fly too.

A new danger has developed, the Archangel Lijuan has evolved and now she can raise the dead. She is throwing a ball in Beijing and has invited Elena and Raphael. They know this is a trap and Raphael is worried about the outcome.

New alliances develop and new enemies show their faces.

I enjoyed the interaction between Elena and the Seven. Her fighting scenes with them were probably my favorite.

Easy fast-paced read.

3.5/5 Fangs

Confessions of an Improper Bride by Jennifer Haymore



Serena Donovan is back in London after six years. The last time she was in London her reputation was compromised and while going home to the Islands her twin (Meg) dies in a ship accident. 

Years later Serena is forced by her mother to travel to London assuming her sister's identity and is engaged to be married.

To Serena's surprise, the man who ruined her reputation is a good friend of her fiancee. She thought she had stopped loving Jonathan Dane but one look at him and the memories come back.

Jonathan, now Earl of Stratford can avoid feeling attracted to his friend's fiancee. Is it because "Meg" reminds him of Serena, whom everyone thinks is dead? Or is she? He knows there is something more to this woman and he will not stop until he figures it out.

It was an easy read. The romance is believable.

3/5 Fangs

Demon Hunting in Dixie by Lexi George


Addy Corwin is a florist in Hannah, Alabama. Her whole life changes when she takes her dog out for a walk. She stumbles into a fight between a demon and a warrior, Brand Dalvahni, from another dimension. He saves her life but at the same time, she gets marked by the demon. Her appearance starts improving and she becomes attracted to her protector.

His "brother", Angswar comes to find Brand when he doesn't come back home. They discover that Hannah is full of special people and demons want to take over the town.

It is a funny book but at times the southern jokes are overdone.

3/5 Fangs

I Love The Earl by Caroline Linden



The life of Margaret de Lacey suddenly changes when her brother inherits the Dukedom of Durham. From a penniless spinster to a Lady with a huge dowry, making her a very rich heiress.

Rhys Corwen, Earl of Dowling is looking for a wife with money. Someone who can help him pay all his debts. He attends a party in search of a rich lady. But when Margaret refuses to dance with him and tells him the hard truth of his persona, he suddenly becomes smitten with her and he knows she will be the only woman he wants as his wife. But how to prove that is not about the money anymore?

Enjoyable novella.

Cliffhanger: No

3/5 Fangs

Silent Governess by Julie Klassen




Olivia Keene is escaping from a situation at home. She runs away and by bad luck she overhears a confession about Lord Brantley's real parents. She is placed in jail and is attacked by another prisoner, causing her to loose her voice.

When Lord Brantley finds out, he removes her from there and places her in his home. She is to become first a nursemaid to his cousins and then their Governess.

Lord Brantley wants her close to him to make sure she keeps quiet. One thing leads to another and they find out they enjoyed each others company.

This is a Christian Lit. Regency Fiction.

3/5 Fangs

The Best of Times by Penny Vincenzi




The Best of Times is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed. The book tells you about the life of multiple characters that are forever changed after a motor vehicle accident on the M4 close to London. We have the doctor who is traveling with his mistress. We have the aspiring black actress catching a ride with the lorry driver. The lorry driver trying not to fall asleep behind the wheel. There is the groom trying to get to his wedding on time. The widow meeting with her lost American lover from over sixty years. The Best Man learning the groom is not who he thought he was.

In a second our lives can change and all the what-ifs can affect the choices we make.

The book has a happy ending. What made it real was that it was not a perfect one. Almost though... 

4/5 Fangs

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The Girl In The Gatehouse by Julie Klassen



Banished from her house after a scandal, Mariah Aubrey moves to her aunt's Gatehouse. She has been sent there by her father due to her indiscretion with a gentleman.

Her friend Miss Dixon goes with her too. After a few weeks, her aunt passes away and the stepson decides to charge Mariah rent. She is running out of funds and decides to sell her novels. She tells her publisher that she will be signing them under an assumed name -Lady A.

Her cousin rents the property to Captain Matthew Bryant. The Captain recently returns to England and is now rich. He wants to convince the lady whom he proposed marriage and turned him down years ago, now that he has money. When the Captain meets Mariah they become friends and later attracted to each other.

The characters are vibrant and several secondary storylines are attached together. Several mysteries are resolved at the end. I found myself smiling during certain scenes.

This is a Christian Lit.

3.5/5 Fangs

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Dayhunter(Dark Days #2) by Jocelynn Drake

This is the second book in this series.
It starts where the first book ends. Mira, Tristan and Danaus have to appear in front of the Coven. They arrive to Venice and from that moment the actions begins and never stops.
By the end of book one Mira learns that she can be manipulated by Jabari and by Danaus. This makes her feel unsafe. The peace she has had for years is gone.
She finds herself wanting to protect Tristan and takes him under her care against her selfish nature. Her "new family" keeps on growing and she can't decide who to trust anymore. Her maker has her own plans too. In Mira's mind is only the safe haven of her Keep/ Savannah where she wishes she was again.
To Danaus and Mira's predicament, members of the Coven have formed alliances with the Naturi. We also learned in this book what Danaus really is. He also learns that not all Nightwalkers are cut the same and Mira is definitely unique.
They both race to stop Rowe from opening the portal that has locked away the evil Naturi.
From Venice to Crete the book moves steadily.

Spoiler Fanglert: I almost stopped reading this book. Mira sleeps with Nicolai. Which was a mistake. If Mira has such complex feelings toward Danaus, why would she sleep with the Lycan. It reminded me of Cassie Palmer. But since I kept reading Karen Chance's series (thanks to Kim and LL) and now is one of my favorites, I have to give Miss Drake the same respect. 

3.5/5 Fangs

Thursday, October 20, 2011

A Family Affair by Karen Chance (Cassandra Palmer Novella)



What a treat to get a novella where Pritkin is the main character.

He is my favorite character this year (Sorry Eric, Bones, Trent/AL).

The novella starts with Pritkin making a deal with Daddy Demon, Rozier.

Rozier wants Pritkin to stop a demon. In exchange, Rozier will stop trying to kill Cassie. Pritkin agrees to this. He travels to Shadowland (a type of Hell) and later on gets attacked by the thing he was supposed to stop.

Before Pritkin leaves he makes Casanova agree to protect Cassie. Casanova is not happy with baby sitting but he doesn't have a choice.

After Rozier attempts to kill Cassie (one more time!), Casanova's demon transport them to Shadowland too. When Cassie learns Pritkin is there, she immediately starts searching for him.

I love this series and can't wait to see what happens in the next book. I like that we were able to glance at Pritkin's thoughts. Sigh!!
Maybe a Spoiler Fanglert I'm guessing Casanova will help Cassie get back to hell.

4/5 Fangs

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Nightwalker(Dark Days #1) by Jocelynn Drake

Mira is a Nightwalker, a 600 year old vampire who can manipulate fire. She is the Keeper of Savannah. She has made this city her home. She maintains the peace between other Nightwalkers and Lycanthropes. Much to her annoyance a slayer has been killing inside her keep. She meets the vampire hunter Danaus who surprisingly is not there to try to kill her but needs her help with a worse evil.
Her gift to her is a Naturi who helped tortured her years ago. Some of the torture remains a mystery to her. Danaus, who works for an organization (Themis) that protects humans, explains to her that the Naturi (Guardians of the Earth) are back and are trying to break the seal that has them locked away in another plane.
The Naturi want to rule the world and their mission is to kill all Nightwalkers and humans. There are five types of Naturi- light, water, earth, and animal.
Mira and Danaus agree on a truce and postpone their mortal (or more like an immortal) fight for the future in order to save the world. They travel to the old country where we meet the Coven too. The Coven is rule by ancient vampires.
This is the first installment and I can say I enjoyed this new world. I like that vampires act as vampires. They can roam the nights but are out during daylight, they also need blood to survive. The secondary characters were plenty. We have Rowe, Barrett Rainer (Lycan), Knox, Amanda, Micheal and Gabriel (her bodyguards), Jabari, Tristan, Ryan.
After I finished this book I immediately picked book two.
3.5/5 Fangs

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Angels' Blood (Guild Hunter #1) by Nalini Singh

The first book of the Guild Hunter series. I have done an earlier review on the prequel.

Elena is a born Vampire Hunter. Vampire Hunters capture rogue vampires. Angels and Archangels rule the world and they are the makers of vampires. In exchange for immortality, vampires are to remain with Angels for a century. This is not a pleasant one hundred years and most vampires try to escape during this time.

To Elena's surprise the New York Archangel, Raphael has hired her services. Raphael wants Elena to track a rogue, the only problem is that this one is not a vampire but an Archangel gone mad. Uram is going through a killing spree and he has to be stopped before more humans get destroyed.

Raphael won't tolerate this in his territory. Raphael is most definitely not human and he doesn't understand Elena at times. Multiple times he thinks of killing her, specially when he feels attracted to her. This could jeopardize him.

I have read Nalini Singh's Psy series and I wanted to read something new. This was a good change.

3/5 Fangs

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

My Lord Wicked by Cheryl Bolen

Freddie Lambeth has come to live with her guardian Lord Stacks. Because of her first name, Lord Stacks assumed he was bringing into his home a young lad.

When she arrives the mistake is uncovered and he is ready to send her back, but she becomes sick and by the time she recuperates and with nowhere else to go he changed his mind and let's her stay.

Little by little they both start opening up and friendship leads to love.
Unfortunately, there are some rumors surrounding the death of his beautiful bride ten years ago.

Can the rumors be true? Can she trust him? Can Lord Stacks forgive himself and love again?
It was an easy read which helped on an overlay plane trip.
 2/5 Fangs

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Love On A Dime by Cara Lynn James

Lilly Westbrook has a secret.
She has been writing dime novels under the pen name Fannie Cole. This could destroyed her family who is part of the elite in Newport, RI in 1899.
Everything can be lost when a rival publishing company starts asking questions and will not stop until the true Fannie is revealed. Lilly is engaged to Harlan Santerre, the wealthy railroad heir, who can help her family maintain their status and will help her brother who is having marital problems as well.
But when Jackson Grail comes back into her life, the only man she has loved, who will she choose?
Can she hope for a second chance in love with Jack? How will she stop the catastrophe that is lurking?
This is a Christian literature. It was an easy read but sometimes Lilly's indecision became annoying.
2/5 Fangs