New Additions To The TBR Pile In July

July has been an off month for me. Though I've acquired a few new additions, I didn't finish reading very many books during the month though I am currently reading four books. Perhaps a case of the Summertime Blues...

Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead

Description: Succubus. An alluring, shape-shifting demon who seduces and pleasures mortal men. Pathetic. A succubus with great shoes and no social life. See: Georgina Kincaid.
When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous. A girl can be anything she wants, the wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch. Granted, they often pay with their souls, but why get technical?

But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid's life is far less exotic. Her boss is a middle-management demon with a thing for John Cusack movies. Her immortal best friends haven't stopped teasing her about the time she shape-shifted into the Demon Goddess getup complete with whip and wings. And she can't have a decent date without sucking away part of the guy's life. At least there's her day job at a local bookstore--free books; all the white chocolate mochas she can drink; and easy access to bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can't.

But dreaming about Seth will have to wait. Something wicked is at work in Seattle's demon underground. And for once, all of her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won't help because Georgina's about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny...


Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

Description: Condemned to death for black magic and shunned, Rachel Morgan has three days to somehow get to the annual witches convention in San Francisco and clear her name. If she fails, the only way she can escape death is to live in the demonic ever after . . . for ever after.

Banned from the flight lists, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack, headed for the West Coast for his own mysterious business. But Rachel isn’t the only passanger along for the ride. Can a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car survive for over 2,300 miles? And that’s not counting the assassin on their tail.

A fearsome demon walks the sunlight, freed after centuries of torment to slay the innocent and devour souls. But his ultimate prey is Rachel Morgan. While the powerful witch with nerves of steel will do whatever it takes to stay alive, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.


How To Host A Killer Party by Penny Warner

Description: Don't let murder crash your party.

Presley Parker was just happy to get her party planning business off the ground. Now she's gotten the gig of the year, planning Mayor Davin Green's sumptuous "surprise" wedding for his socialite fiancée, to be held on Alcatraz.

But when the bride is found floating in the bay and the original party planner is found murdered, Presley becomes the prime suspect. If the attractive crime scene cleaner, Brad Matthews, doesn't help her tidy her reputation, she'll be exchanging her formal wear for prison stripes...


Goodnight Tweetheart by Teresa Medeiros

Description: New York Times bestselling author Teresa Medeiros absolutely dazzles in this quick-witted, laugh-out-loud funny, and highly moving love story that will set readers’ hearts atwitter.

Abigail Donovan has a lot of stuff she should be doing. Namely writing her next novel. A bestselling author who is still recovering from a near Pulitzer Prize win and the heady success that follows Oprah’s stamp of approval, she is stuck at Chapter Five and losing confidence daily. But when her publicist signs her up for a Twitter account, she’s intrigued. What’s all the fuss?

Taken under the wing of one of her Twitter followers, “MarkBaynard"—a quick witted, quick-typing professor on sabbatical—Abby finds it easy to put words out into the world 140 characters at a time. And once she gets a handle on tweets, retweets, direct messages, hashtags, and trends, she starts to feel unblocked in writing and in life. After all, why should she be spending hours in her apartment staring at her TweetDeck and fretting about her stalled career when Mark is out there traveling the world and living?

Or is he?

Told almost entirely in tweets and DMs, Goodnight Tweetheart is a truly modern take on a classic tale of love and loss—a Griffin and Sabine for the Twitter generation.

REVIEW: Goodnight Tweetheart by Teresa Medeiros

Title: Goodnight Tweetheart
Author: Teresa Medeiros
Publisher: Gallery
Publication Date: January, 2011
Paperback: 222 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 9/10

Description: New York Times bestselling author Teresa Medeiros absolutely dazzles in this quick-witted, laugh-out-loud funny, and highly moving love story that will set readers’ hearts atwitter.

Abigail Donovan has a lot of stuff she should be doing. Namely writing her next novel. A bestselling author who is still recovering from a near Pulitzer Prize win and the heady success that follows Oprah’s stamp of approval, she is stuck at Chapter Five and losing confidence daily. But when her publicist signs her up for a Twitter account, she’s intrigued. What’s all the fuss?

Taken under the wing of one of her Twitter followers, “MarkBaynard"—a quick witted, quick-typing professor on sabbatical—Abby finds it easy to put words out into the world 140 characters at a time. And once she gets a handle on tweets, retweets, direct messages, hashtags, and trends, she starts to feel unblocked in writing and in life. After all, why should she be spending hours in her apartment staring at her TweetDeck and fretting about her stalled career when Mark is out there traveling the world and living?

Or is he?

Told almost entirely in tweets and DMs, Goodnight Tweetheart is a truly modern take on a classic tale of love and loss—a Griffin and Sabine for the Twitter generation.

My Thoughts: In today’s technologically advanced world, love finds us no matter where we are. Those of us who are highly skilled in all things Twitter will relate to Abby and Mark and for those of us who aren’t so knowledgeable in all things Twitter will still relate to Abby and Mark. I found myself drawn to this book by the title and though I’m not an advanced “Tweeter” as other people are, this story is still easy to get into.

I loved how each Twitter conversation between Mark and Abby starts with the question “what are you wearing,” which elicits some humorous responses and ends with a goodnight round robin volleying back and forth until Mark ends it with “Goodnight Tweetheart.”

I could not put this book down. Like Abby, I eagerly anticipated what Mark Baynard would say next and find out where in the world he was traveling to next. I loved how his wit and charm draw Abby out of her slump and she begins writing again with his daily encouragement.

Overall, I loved this book but I struggled with the rating. I felt the ending left me a little flat. There should have been more, giving the reader a little closure. Still, this book is a solid A- that will charm the reader, bring a smile to their face and a laugh to their soul.

REVIEW: Kindred In Death by J.D. Robb

Title: Kindred In Death (In Death #29)
Author: J.D. Robb
Publisher: Putnam
Publication Date: November, 2009
Hardcover: 374 pages
Genre: Mystery / Suspense / Thriller
Rating: 10/10

Description: When the newly promoted captain of the NYPSD and his wife return a day early from their vacation, they were looking forward to spending time with their bright and vivacious sixteen-year-old daughter who had stayed behind.

Not even their worst nightmares could have prepared them for the crime scene that awaited them instead. Brutally murdered in her bedroom, Deena's body showed signs of trauma that horrified even the toughest of cops; including our own Lieutenant Eve Dallas, who was specifically requested by the captain to investigate.

When the evidence starts to pile up, Dallas and her team think they are about to arrest their perpetrator; little do they know yet that someone has gone to great lengths to tease and taunt them by using a variety of identities. Overconfidence can lead to careless mistakes. But for Dallas, one mistake might be all she needs to bring justice.

My Thoughts: What appears to start out as a random brutal crime quickly turns into a web of revenge and horror as a brutal killer is systematically killing the loved ones of people he blames for ruining his life. With the impending nuptials of Louise and Charles and Eve’s near panic at the thought of her matron of honor duties, she has very little time to find the killer but our Eve would much rather get bloody and chase down a killer than be subjected to the rituals of marriage and being within 100 miles of Trina and her devices of female torture.

As always, I loved this book and can’t get enough of Eve, Roark and the gang. However, I was expecting a more intense takedown of the subject. As usual, it played out flawlessly, but with the level of brutality the killer demonstrates, I expected him to go down fighting. Perhaps the author didn’t want her beaten and bloodied right before the wedding. Even so, Eve does get her hands dirty a few times and takes a few hits for the team. Not enough snark with Summerset this go around, but these two pace themselves beautifully and don’t disappoint when they do take the gloves off. I love how Peabody is developing as a character. She’s really coming into her own as a detective and with Eve’s mentoring, she will be a force to be reckoned with. What can I say about Roark that hasn’t been said a million times already? As Peabody and Mavis would say, he’s mag. I always enjoy seeing him getting to use his computer geek skills working with Feeney and McNab to assist Eve.

With 29 books in the series and no indication of slowing down, I am excited to see what Eve and the gang gets into next.

REVIEW: Eternal Kiss Of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

Title: Eternal Kiss Of Darkness (Night Huntress World #2)
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: July, 2010
Paperback: 361 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance / Urban Fantasy
Rating: 10/10

Description: An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness . . .

And now one woman has stumbled into the shadows.

Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she's only imagined in her worst nightmares.

At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he'd seen it all. Then Kira appears—this fearless, beautiful . . . human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable.

But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose either the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.

My Thoughts: This book turned out to be quite the surprise. In a good way. Mencheres has been a central character through the entire Night Huntress series and yet I didn’t seem have much interest in him. He always seemed to be brooding and even a little dull and mopey. In Destined For An Early Grave, there was a slight glimpse and hint of Mencheres’ ability to demonstrate quick wit and snappy dialogue. I’m happy I didn’t write him off as too dull or boring because I would have missed this story and that would have been regrettable. Those of us who have been fans of Ms. Frost’s books from the beginning know Mencheres to be quite eccentric and a little hard to warm up to. In his words, he’s older than dirt and has seen a lot of pain and suffering and endured quite a bit of his own as well. If you enjoy tortured characters carrying around scads of emotional baggage, you can’t go wrong with Mencheres. He’s used to people using him, hurting him, betraying him and even trying to kill him. He’s not used to a complete stranger endangering her own life trying to help him.

Kira is carrying her own baggage. Bad relationships, sick sister, loser brother, the list goes on. What I really liked about her is she’s a fighter. When she’s down, she refuses to stay down. She stands up to an abusive husband and picks her life up and moves forward. She doesn’t needlessly throw herself into stupid situations but when she sees a man being attacked, she doesn’t think twice about trying to help even though it nearly costs her own life. Unfortunately, she has seen too much and finds herself being kept somewhat of a prisoner until Mencheres can erase her memory about what she has seen.

I really loved this story because up until this book, Mencheres has been a character that I haven’t been able to relate to or connect with. His presence never seemed to carry the story anywhere or provide any interesting moments though he has always been a central character. With this book, Mencheres is revealed as a force to be reckoned with. He starts out as the same brooding and moping character as before, but quickly shows a completely new side to his personality that I never knew existed. Now I see a compassionate character that is protective and caring. He is a strong character with powers beyond imagining but has immense wisdom. It’s like the old Mencheres that I was seeing in previous books had died and was reborn into a completely different character.

I’m looking forward to where this series will take me next. Now that Mencheres is no longer the boring wet blanket I thought him to previously be, I would love to see a spin off book for Vlad, Ian and Tate.

New Additions To The TBR Pile In June

My book hoarding seems to have made a reappearance in June. Definitely needing a twelve step program for my book binge affliction...

Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber

Description: In her small town, dubbed "Dullsville," sixteen-year-old Raven — a vampire-crazed goth-girl — is an outcast. But not for long...

The intriguing and rumored-to-be haunted mansion on top of Benson Hill has stood vacant and boarded-up for years. That is, until its mysteriously strange new occupants move in. Who are these creepy people — especially the handsome, dark, and elusive Alexander Sterling? Or rather, what are they? Could the town prattle actually ring true? Are they vampires? Raven, who secretly covets a vampire kiss, both at the risk of her own mortality and Alexander's loving trust, is dying to uncover the truth.

Ellen Schreiber's spooky and stirring romance tells the story of two outsiders who fall in love in a town where conformity reigns, and ends with a shocking surprise.

Undead And Unfinished by MaryJanice Davidson

Description: Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor is fed up of trying to decipher the strange things prophesied in The Book of the Dead. At the end of her tether, she strikes a deal with Satan who promises to help - if she and her half-sister Laura pay a visit to Hell. Hell, it would seem, is more terrifying than Betsy could have ever imagined - a waiting room with bad carpeting, re-runs of 70s TV shows and ancient Good Housekeeping magazines. But when Betsy and Laura find themselves catapulted back and forth through time, they realize they could seriously screw everything up for good...

Kindred In Death by J.D. Robb

Description: When the newly promoted captain of the NYPSD and his wife return a day early from their vacation, they were looking forward to spending time with their bright and vivacious sixteen-year-old daughter who had stayed behind.

Not even their worst nightmares could have prepared them for the crime scene that awaited them instead. Brutally murdered in her bedroom, Deena's body showed signs of trauma that horrified even the toughest of cops; including our own Lieutenant Eve Dallas, who was specifically requested by the captain to investigate.

When the evidence starts to pile up, Dallas and her team think they are about to arrest their perpetrator; little do they know yet that someone has gone to great lengths to tease and taunt them by using a variety of identities. Overconfidence can lead to careless mistakes. But for Dallas, one mistake might be all she needs to bring justice.

Eternal Kiss Of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

Description: An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness . . .

And now one woman has stumbled into the shadows.

Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she's only imagined in her worst nightmares.

At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he'd seen it all. Then Kira appears—this fearless, beautiful . . . human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable.

But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose either the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.

Count To Ten by Karen Rose

Description: In all his years in the Chicago Fire Department, Lieutenant Reed Solliday has never experienced anything like this recent outbreak of house fires—devastating, vicious, and, in one case, homicidal. He has another problem—his new partner, Detective Mia Mitchell. She's brash, bossy, and taking the case in a direction he never imagined.

Mia's instincts tell her the arsonist is making this personal. And as the infernos become more deadly, one look at the victim's tortured faces convinces her and Reed that they must work closer to catch the killer. With each new blaze, the villain ups the ante, setting firetraps for the people Reed and Mia love. The truth is almost too hot to handle: This monster's desire for death and destruction is unquenchable...and for Mia he's started the countdown to an early grave.

A Glimpse Of Evil by Victoria Laurie

Description:Professional psychic Abigail Cooper is about to discover that some cold cases are better off dead...

As the FBI's newest Civilian Profiler, Abby Cooper is using her powers of intuition to help solve a backlog of the bureau's cold cases. But when she's the only one who's convinced that several separate cold cases are related, she'll have to call on every intuitive bone in her body before she's the one put on ice...

REVIEW: Destined For An Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Title: Destined For An Early Grave (Night Huntress #4)
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: July, 2009
Paperback: 355 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance / Urban Fantasy
Rating: 9/10

Description: Her deadly dreams leave her in grave danger...

Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they've fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it's time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She's having visions of a vampire named Gregor who's more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn't know about.

Gregor believes Cat is his and he won't stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who holds her heart, only Cat can break Gregor's hold over her. She'll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she's ever faced . . . even if getting that power will result in an early grave.

My Thoughts: I love this series and this installment really pulled at my heart and emotions. This book also had me laughing myself silly, tears running down my face with one of the best scenes I’ve read in a while between Cat and Bones’ sire, Mencheres…

"Then you remember the dream,” Mencheres stated. “That bodes ill.”

The fear of that made my reply snappy. “Hey, Walks Like An Egyptian, how about for once you drop the formal stuff and talk like you live in the twenty-first century?”

“The shit’s gonna splatter, start buggin’, yo,” Mencheres responded instantly. I stared at him, then burst out laughing, which was highly inappropriate considering the very grave warning he’d just conveyed."

In this story, we learn a little bit more about Cat’s life before she met Bones. We find out there’s a vampire who is much older than Bones who is staking a claim on Cat, demanding she be returned to him as she is apparently his wife and has bonded with him. Obviously, Bones isn’t going to accept that lying down and compliance is definitely not in his vocabulary either. The scary thing about this vampire is that he can snatch Cat away through her dreams.

Bones also does a very convincing job of making Cat think they are through after she goes to Gregor to try to help the situation by convincing him to leave her alone. I should say the operative word here is “try” and of course it doesn’t work. Gregor is insistent that she belongs to him and is very persistent and it’s not in a good way at all. Bones even convinced me that he and Cat were through and it made me sad and a little annoyed at Cat for creating the situation, no matter how good her intentions were.

There are some major events in the book that came as a shock and a surprise. I won’t go into them so as not to ruin the story for any of you who haven’t yet read it. I struggled with the rating for this book because I love this series and I did love this book. However, something devastating occurs that I felt didn’t need to and I think it will make the series lose some of its charm. It’s not enough for me to stop reading, but I feel like the author chose a path that didn’t need to be travelled.

The devastating event notwithstanding, I highly recommend this book and the series. Fans of this series will enjoy the witty dialogue and snarky comments we have come to expect and enjoy. The awesome in your face fight scenes and the smoking hot love scenes all combined to deliver another fantastic installment to the Night Huntress series.

REVIEW: Knock Off by Rhonda Pollero

Title: Knock Off (Finley Anderson Tanner #1)
Author: Rhonda Pollero
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: February, 2008
Paperback: 320 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: 10/10

Description: Meet Finley Anderson Tanner. FAT to her enemies. A West Palm Beach paralegal, who hates the gym, still rents her condo and loves two hour lunches with her friends. But what really gets Finley hot is hunting down deeply discounted designer goods she can wear at her upscale law firm.

Too bad work isn't all about fashion. Especially when a grieving widow is sitting in your office, convinced that her husband's accidental death wasn't. Investigating murder isn't really Finley's bag (that would be Prada, 75% off), but the deeper Finley digs, the stranger things get, and this discount shopper knows slightly irregular when she sees it. Kind of like sexy Liam McGarrity. Everything about the hot, hunky P.I. screams, "Get out while you still have your underwear!"

For a girl whose biggest ambition is take-out Moo Shu at 5:01, life is taking some exciting, unpredictable, and decidedly dangerous turns. Someone doesn't like Finley's new work ethic. And if this paralegal wants to bring home the real goods, she'll have to keep from becoming a killer's total knock off...

My Thoughts: An important thing you need to know about me when it comes to reading is I don’t read very fast and am not like some of my book buddies out there (you know who you are) that read hundreds of books a year. The next thing you need to know about me is I read this book in 2 DAYS!!! I could not put this book down, literally. You’re probably saying “you’re kidding.” I kid you not. Everywhere I went, I had this book with me reading, watching television, making dinner, sitting on the toilet…this was not one of those stories that I would pick up and read a paragraph or a page and be able to put it down. This book made me miss my program, burn dinner and cause pins and needles in my legs from lack of circulation! But it was so worth it!

When we first meet Finley, she is working as a paralegal for a firm handling estates and trusts. She gets pulled into a murder case when she inherits a client whose husband died and the client is convinced it wasn’t an accident. The client is very overbearing but Finley begins to look into her husband’s case. Finley isn’t your stereotypical airhead and she quickly learns that things about her client’s husband’s death aren’t adding up.

I really liked Finley. She’s not afraid of getting a little dirty and even receiving death threats don’t deter her from digging. Not having any murder investigation background at all, she manages to put her paralegal education to good use and begins researching. I was impressed at how tenacious she was since the client was a real pill.

Liam McGarrity is everything Finley’s not. He’s a former police officer who is carrying some secrets and it will be interesting to see how long before he opens up. Finley is convinced he has a wife, possibly an ex wife, that he is still sleeping with so I expect she will be digging into that scenario at some point.

There’s major attraction chemistry going on with Finley and Liam. I’m looking forward to seeing where that goes. Finley has a very difficult mother and their relationship is tense at best so I am curious to see how Finley responds to her mother’s criticism. Finley is in a relationship that the reader understands very explicitly is not the exciting love fest that Finley craves. It will be interesting to see if Finley stays with him in the second book. I have to admire Finley that though her relationship isn’t what she is hoping for and she is feeling major attraction vibes for Liam, Finley doesn’t jump into bed with him. I’m strongly hoping that the relationship issue gets resolved soon because Liam is yummy.

The plot moves forward at a great pace and the identity of the killer came as a surprise but not a shock. This is a great start to what I hope will be a very entertaining series. I am looking forward to seeing what Finley gets into next.

REVIEW: I Only Have Fangs For You by Kathy Love

Title: I Only Have Fangs For You (Young Brothers #3)
Author: Kathy Love
Publisher: Brava
Publication Date: December, 2006
Paperback: 320 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: 8/10

Description: One thing you have to know about my brother Sebastian: he loves being a vampire. He's eternally twenty-five. He's single, and frankly, he's a chick magnet. Yeah, undeath is good. The only thing he's serious about is his nightclub, Carfax Abbey. It's the sort of dark, happening spot where vampires can really let their fangs down. My brother Rhys and I have tried to get Sebastian to clean up his bad-boy ways like we did, but then he went and called us fang-whipped. Okay, Bite Boy, chew on this…

The ultimate righteous reformer, Wilhelmina Weiss, is on a mission to shut down Carfax Abbey. It seems the spirited, sexy-without-knowing-it vampire is working undercover as a cocktail waitress while waging a secret war to bring him down. Sebastian's A-positive he can convince Miss Goody-Vampire-Two-Fangs that nothing beats the ecstasy of a good vampire bite. I gotta tell you, the suspense would kill me—if I weren't already undead.

My Thoughts: Without starting a debate on the pros and cons of vampires and being a loyal member of Team Jacob, I will say that I have been a fan of vampire-themed romance novels for a very long time since I read my first Amanda Ashley novel. Over the years there have been many variations on the vampire theme, which includes humor and some tongue-in-cheek wit and banter. I almost didn’t read this book because the last book in this story seemed too campy on the humor for me. Poor Christian went from pretty evil and scary to living in a trailer park listening to country music. Sadly, the story was very cliché and boring for me. So hopefully you will understand why I started this book with deep reservations.

Sebastian Young is a ladies’ man. He knows the ladies are drawn to him and he uses it to his advantage. He has no intention at all of ending up like his brothers did, head over heels in love and “fang whipped.” Sebastian owns a nightclub called Carfax Abbey (don’t you just love it?) and that keeps him pretty busy anyway so he doesn’t have time for any long term commitments. Strange occurrences have been happening at the club and Sebastian believes there’s a saboteur among them. First the police, now the Health Department are investigating and Sebastian is determined to get to the bottom of it.

Wilhelmina Weiss is one of the waitresses at Carfax Abbey. She hasn’t been there long and she isn’t very good at her job, which explains a lot as because being a waitress really isn’t her job. Her job is to shut down Carfax Abbey, by any means possible. She’s working undercover at Carfax Abbey for a group called The Society, a group of paranormal creatures who are trying to keep humans safe from the evil vampires of the City and the group has picked Sebastian as the number three most dangerous vampire. Trying to flood the club by starting a fire or creating a health hazard by trying to infest the place with rats are some of the attempts she makes to shut down the club. Luckily for Sebastian, none of them work.

I adored Sebastian. Of all three Young brothers, he is my favorite. He loves being a vampire but isn’t evil. He has embraced his immortality with both arms and is living the undead life to the fullest. Unlike his brothers, Sebastian doesn’t seem to have any regrets or wastes his time looking in the past. Though he’s very charming and appears to be a good guy, there were times I got the impression that he was just going through the motions. His mind seems to be fixated on biting or sex, usually both at the same time. He puts up a good front, but he is lonely. He is intrigued by the new waitress, Wilhelmina, but can’t understand why.

I really liked Wilhelmina, though I detest the name. Luckily, Sebastian calls her Mina, which suits her much better, thank goodness. She’s been a vampire for a while, though not as long as Sebastian. One thing I found interesting is that she doesn’t seem to know how to be a vampire. She has no idea what it means, what she can do and she goes to great lengths to hide her appearance. She has no sense of style. Her hair is a complete mess and she wears glasses, which she obviously doesn’t need. She refuses to drink human blood, even from the blood bank. She hates Sebastian with a passion and that really surprised me. He wasn’t the one to change her but yet, he’s the target of all of her animosity. She’s carrying extensive emotional baggage. Her crossing over experience was horrifying and it’s a miracle that she managed to survive.

Sebastian is a surprising character. His curiosity about Mina rises when he learns that she is the one trying to sabotage his club. I expected him to want revenge or have her punished in some way. I mean his brother Christian tried to murder his future sister-in-law, so I thought some evil act on Sebastian’s part would be making an appearance. Nope. Couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead, Sebastian tracks her down and they strike a bargain. He will show her how great it is to be a vampire in exchange for not biting any humans for a month. At this point, you really begin to see the real Mina and understand where she’s coming from and witness her excitement and amazement at how different the world is when you open yourself up to it and she couldn’t have a better teacher than Sebastian. Her opinion of Sebastian changes drastically and they begin to trust each other, though she is much quicker to opening herself up to that possibility.

In the end, this installment became my favorite of the three. Sebastian is a fun character who isn’t afraid to take risks or speak his mind. He learns some important lessons about trust from his brothers, of all people and in his unique way goes after what he wants. Mina is a surprising character from first meeting her all the way to the end. She’s open minded and willing to admit when she’s wrong. They make a great couple. I am hoping to read the fourth book in this series this year which is about the sister that Rhys, Christian and Sebastian have thought was dead. I recommend this book and the series for fans of all vampire romance.

REVIEW: You Can't Hide by Karen Rose

Title: You Can’t Hide
Author: Karen Rose
Publisher: Warner
Publication Date: April, 2006
Paperback: 497 pages
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: 8/10

Description: YOU DON'T KNOW WHO I AM.

Terror has forever changed the life of psychiatrist Tess Ciccotelli. Someone is tormenting her patients, pushing them to commit suicide, and setting her up to take the blame. But Tess can't break her oath to protect her patients' privacy at all costs. Even when detective Aidan Reagan demands a list of everyone she's treating. Even when the mounting danger threatens Tess herself.

YOU CAN'T STOP WHAT I'M DOING.

Aidan doesn't like anyone who stalls his cases. Still, he can't help but admire Tess's fierce loyalty to her patients, especially when it becomes clear that a nameless, faceless enemy is set on destroying her career, her family, and finally, Tess herself. As Aidan's heart softens, the killer's will hardens, and one thing becomes clear -- the noose is tightening around Tess's neck.

YOU CAN'T HIDE

My Thoughts: One of the indicators that a series is good is when the author keeps you connected to earlier characters while still moving the series forward and devoting the current book to the current story instead of rehashing the past stories. Some authors do this perfectly while some are unable to do it at all, driving me to give up on the series completely.

YOU CAN’T HIDE is the fifth book in Karen Rose’s romantic suspense series. I am very reluctant to even label it as part of a series because each book up to this point stands on its own and doesn’t require the previous books to have been read first. However, I strongly recommend you read them all as it would be a shame to miss them. The Reagan family is back in this story that features Aidan Reagan, who is now a Detective. He and his partner are investigating the suicide of one of Tess Ciccotelli’s patients and the clues seem to point to Tess as the one to blame. Immediately, the reader is given a sense of the animosity between Aidan and Tess and we quickly learn that Aidan despises Tess because he is angry that a serial killer of children escaped prosecution because of her medical testimony. Aidan suspects Tess and argues with his partner who believes Tess is innocent. Unfortunately for Tess, more of her patients die and Tess’s life becomes endangered. After one tense and dangerous standoff, Aidan realizes that Tess is being set up. Along the way, they develop feelings for one another.

I really liked this story especially when Aidan started being more open minded about what was going on with Tess and not letting his anger lead him. I had my suspicions early on about who was behind the killings and sabotage of Tess. My suspicions proved correct though I don’t know why I suspected this person to begin with. The most interesting aspect wasn’t about WHO was behind this, but WHY they were doing it. This proved to be very disturbing as each layer revealed another dark and sinister fact and that this villain could be capable of the level of hate required to commit these acts proved to be the most frightening of all.

Aidan and Tess are a perfect match. Their personalities complement each other and both have trust issues resulting from bad relationships. Both have suffered personal loss. Both have built walls around their hearts. Tess is estranged from her family back in Philadelphia and being around Aidan’s family fills the void in her soul. Tess has a cat named Bella and Aidan has a Rottweiler named Dolly, which is just one more aspect of why I loved these characters.

This author is becoming a favorite for me to choose when I want suspenseful stories featuring likeable characters with wounded souls but carrying great amounts of strength of will and personality.

New Additions To The TBR Pile In May

I was a good book addict in May. Definitely read more than I took in so could that mean I'm on my way to recovery? Yeah...no. Don't get excited people, I definitely wouldn't go that far. I'm pretty sure this book addiction is incurable... :o)

Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler

Description: When Chelsea Handler needs to get a few things off her chest, she appeals to a higher power - vodka. You would too if you found out that your boyfriend was having an affair with a Peekapoo or if you had to pretend to be honeymooning with your father in order to upgrade to first class. Welcome to Chelsea's world - a place where absurdity reigns supreme and a quick wit is the best line of defense.

In this hilarious, deliciously skewed collection, Chelsea mines her past for stories about her family, relationships, and career that are at once singular and ridiculous. Whether she's convincing her third-grade class that she has been tapped to play Goldie Hawn's daughter in the sequel to Private Benjamin, deciding to be more egalitarian by dating a redhead, or looking out for a foulmouthed, rum-swilling little person who looks just like her... only smaller, Chelsea has a knack for getting herself into the most outrageous situations.

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea showcases the candor and irresistible turns of phrase that have made her one of the freshest voices in comedy today.

No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Description: Live fast, fight hard and, if you have to die, then take as many of your enemies with you as you can. That is the Amazon credo and it was one Samia lived and died by. Now in contemporary New Orleans, the immortal Amazon warrior is about to learn that there’s a worse evil coming to slaughter mankind than she’s ever faced before.

Shapeshifter Dev Peltier has stood guard at the front of Sanctuary for almost two hundred years and in that time, he’s seen it all. Or so he thought. Now their enemies have discovered a new source of power--one that makes a mockery of anything faced to date.

The war is on and Dev and Sam are guarding ground zero. But in order to win, they will have to break the most cardinal of all rules and pray it doesn’t unravel the universe as we know it.

REVIEW: Boys That Bite by Mari Mancusi

Title: Boys That Bite (Blood Coven #1)
Author: Mari Mancusi
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: April, 2006
Paperback: 262 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance / Young Adult
Rating: 9/10

Description: My mom is so going to kill me if she finds out I'm turning into a vampire...

Okay, so technically she can't because I'm immortal. Well, not yet. See, due to the worst case of mistaken identity with my dark-side-loving twin sister at a Goth hangout called Club Fang, Magnus, a vampire hottie, went for my innocent neck instead of hers. Now, if I don't reverse it in time, Magnus will be my blood mate forever and I'm doomed to be a blood-gulping, pasty, daylight-hating vampire. Believe me, it seriously bites!

After the unfortunate slaying of the vampire leader, it's up to me, my sister, and Magnus to find the one thing that can solve my problem--the Holy Grail. No joke. I seriously hope I can get out of this on time because, somehow, I scored the hottest prom date in my school, the mouth-watering Jake Wilder. And I do NOT want to be a vampire for the prom--let alone the rest of eternity.

My Thoughts: Very fast read and entertaining first book of a new to me young adult series by an author whose work I’ve only read are time travels. I have noticed I have become more drawn to and intrigued by paranormal young adult stories. Not sure why. Perhaps the characters seem less jaded and cynical to me than in the adult counterparts. Maybe it’s that whole “the future is so bright, I gotta wear shades” mentality that seems to permeate all of the young adult books I have read lately. It’s not a bad thing really; the difference is so intriguing because there’s a sense of adventure and wonder and yes, even innocence in the story that isn’t always present in other series.

This story revolves around identical twins, Sunshine and Rayne McDonald. Ironically, these identical twins couldn’t be more different. Sunshine is a dedicated student who maintains a good grade point average, is on the field hockey team and is currently the understudy to the lead in the school play. She has a major crush (who doesn’t?) on Jake Wilder who doesn’t know she exists and who is also in the school play. Rayne has no interest in school, devoted to maintaining a Goth persona and wants to be a vampire. Rayne all but twists Sunny’s arm into accompanying her to a Goth hangout called Club Fang. Sunny meets Magnus who turns out to be a vampire and who proceeds to bite her, not realizing it was supposed to be Rayne he was to bite. Now Sunny will become a vampire in one week unless she and Magnus can find a way to reverse the change.

This story was a lot of fun. Sunny’s transformation to the undead was quite humorous and I loved her and Magnus together. Initially, Rayne seemed very self absorbed but she grew on me and I ended up liking her a lot too. Some of the things Sunny experiences as she gets closer to becoming a vampire were very entertaining. The smell of food causes her to be physically ill, her initial taste of blood and her surprise at how much she enjoyed it and the unexpected effects of the Vampire Scent having on guys around her. Sunny is adamant she doesn’t want to be a vampire even though she is developing feelings for Magnus and he for her. I enjoyed the conflict. Magnus is willing to do anything to help Sunny get her humanity back in spite of the virtual rejection he is feeling at her reaction to being a vampire.

Along the way, Sunny’s mother is convinced she is on drugs, Sunny is called upon to take over the lead in the play, Sunny and Magnus witness the slaying of the vampire leader and have to travel all the way to England to obtain the cure before prom. Oh, and she still needs to buy a prom dress…

The ending came as a surprise and ends on a big cliffhanger lead in to the next book. I will definitely be looking for the next book in the series so I can find out what happens next. Overall, if you enjoy reading a vampire series featuring young adults and prefer it to be of the lighter variety, I highly recommend this book.

REVIEW: No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Title: No Mercy (Dark-Hunter #19)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Publisher: St. Martin’s
Publication Date: September, 2010
Hardcover: 343 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance / Urban Fantasy
Rating: 8/10

Description: Live fast, fight hard and, if you have to die, then take as many of your enemies with you as you can. That is the Amazon credo and it was one Samia lived and died by. Now in contemporary New Orleans, the immortal Amazon warrior is about to learn that there’s a worse evil coming to slaughter mankind than she’s ever faced before.

Shapeshifter Dev Peltier has stood guard at the front of Sanctuary for almost two hundred years and in that time, he’s seen it all. Or so he thought. Now their enemies have discovered a new source of power--one that makes a mockery of anything faced to date.

The war is on and Dev and Sam are guarding ground zero. But in order to win, they will have to break the most cardinal of all rules and pray it doesn’t unravel the universe as we know it.

My Thoughts: I have loved this series since the beginning and have loved each book, some more than others and this one is no different, but I sense a change in me as I feel a shift to this series coming. Long time fans of this series already know the history of the characters so I won’t rehash it here. My only gripe with this story and series overall is there was too much focus on the conflict between Ash and Nick. This story is supposed to be about Sam and Dev. I don’t care much for the changes I am seeing in Nick and I’m heartbroken at the relationship now occurring between Nick and Ash. Please stop rubbing my nose in it and resolve it already...

Now with that out of the way, I can focus on this story. I loved the pairing of Sam and Dev. I thought they were perfect for each other, both strong and fierce but both carrying deep pain and scars that make them vulnerable. And as I’ve come to expect from this series, these two have great chemistry in and out of the bedroom. There is refreshing comedic banter and high adrenaline fight scenes.

Sam is not a typical Amazon warrior. Not only was she Queen but she was married, which is the exception to the norm. When she is betrayed and her husband and child are murdered in front of her, she sells her soul to Artemis as she lies dying and becomes an immortal Dark-Hunter. Fast forward 5,000 years to modern day New Orleans and she is now assigned to guard Nick as he is a high commodity now that he’s becoming evil. When she meets Dev Peltier, they feel an instant connection and attraction though Sam thinks he’s just a “horn-dog.” She’s right. He is. But, she’s OK with it (and frankly, so was I). One of Sam’s powers is that she can pick up everything that has happened to someone just by touching something of theirs or something they’ve touched. As a result, she has lived an existence all these years of one filled with pain, agony and heartbreak, reliving the painful events of others. Fortunately for Sam, she does not experience that when she touches Dev.

Dev has carried guilt most of his life as his mother blamed him for the death of his two brothers. Here is a guy who just wants to be accepted and loved, but who was rejected and blamed for something that wasn’t his fault. Experiencing something like this would make the strongest of men very leery of relationships and very distrustful of people in general. Dev is a very easy man to like. His sarcastic wit and humor are great ice-breakers and Sam feels immediately at-ease when she meets him.

Sam becomes hunted by the Daimons when news of her abilities reaches their leader, Stryker. He’s hell-bent on finding a way to lift the curse of their race and find Apollo’s weakness so he can kill him and will use all means necessary to force her to help him. The Daimons have discovered a way that they can walk in the daylight, which will put the Dark-Hunters at an extreme disadvantage. As evil as Stryker is, I have a grudging respect for him. I don’t know if he will ever be redeemed, but this character intrigues me. Savitar also makes an appearance in this book and, as always, I can’t get enough of him either. I would really love to see him get his own story.

Though there are some unresolved issues between Sam and Dev at the end of the book, I found their story to be very good. I expect they will show up down the road in future books as these characters are prone to do. Overall, I highly recommend this series if you are looking for stories that make you smile, excite you, get your blood boiling and highly entertain you.

REVIEW: Bloodline by Jill Jones

Title: Bloodline
Author: Jill Jones
Publisher: St. Martin’s
Publication Date: June, 2000
Paperback: 336 pages
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: 5/10

Description: Victoria Thomas is one of the FBI's finest criminal profilers, a career born of the tragic, unsolved murder of her younger sister. She's also a closet "Sherlockian," involved in a group that follows the famous English detective. This hobby leader her to London, to a symposium on Sherlock Holmes, where she finds unexpected passion...and a chilling murder mystery involving a modern-day Jack the Ripper.

He's murdering women and leaving clever, diabolical messages for Victoria to follow. He's teasing her, taunting her, daring her to find him. For he, too, is following his calling—answering the terrible demons of his bloodline, proving he is every bit as elusive as his infamous ancestor.

In the chilling Bloodline, Jill Jones weaves a spellbinding tale of icy suspense, haunting romance, and lost history, that spans from the time of Jack the Ripper in 1888, to this very day.

My Thoughts: I’ve long been fascinated by the unsolved Jack the Ripper murders in 1888 and have my own personal speculation on who Jack was. For the most part, I enjoyed this story that centers around an FBI profiler who is battling her own personal demons trying to solve the murder of her sister several years before. After an especially grueling case, Victoria is all but ordered to take a vacation. She shanghais childhood friend, Trey, and they depart for London to attend a weekend seminar featuring a speaker from Scotland Yard about the unsolved Ripper murders.

For the most part, I enjoyed the story that mixes the historical facts with the growing romance between Victoria and Jonathan Blake. Throw in a Jack the Ripper copycat killer who is murdering women and has chosen Victoria to receive his dark messages and graphic and disturbing gifts. The identity of the modern day Ripper provided a satisfactory closure as well. My problem with this book was instead of ending the story with the killer being captured and Victoria and Jonathan riding off into the sunset, the story continues and goes off the deep end into a conspiracy theory about the 1888 Jack’s identity and a bunch of cloak and dagger moments and cover-ups.

I may be in the minority here, but though several theories about Jack’s identity make logical sense, I personally feel that there being no resolution is a big part of the appeal of this case. If you can overlook the last chapter, maybe even skip it all together, you may enjoy this story overall.

REVIEW: The Confession by John Grisham

Title: The Confession
Author: John Grisham
Publisher: Doubleday
Publication Date: October, 2010
Hardcover: 432 pages
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Rating: 10/10

Description: John Grisham delivers his most extraordinary legal thriller yet. Filled with the intriguing twists and turns that have become Grisham’s trademark, this newest novel will prove once again that no one keeps readers in suspense like America’s favorite storyteller. An innocent man is days from execution. Only a guilty man can save him.

For every innocent man sent to prison, there is a guilty one left on the outside. He doesn’t understand how the police and prosecutors got the wrong man, and he certainly doesn’t care. He just can’t believe his good luck. Time passes and he realizes that the mistake will not be corrected: the authorities believe in their case and are determined to get a conviction. He may even watch the trial of the person wrongly accused of his crime. He is relieved when the verdict is guilty. He laughs when the police and prosecutors congratulate themselves. He is content to allow an innocent person to go to prison, to serve hard time, even to be executed.

Travis Boyette is such a man. In 1998, in the small East Texas city of Sloan, he abducted, raped, and strangled a popular high school cheerleader. He buried her body so that it would never be found, then watched in amazement as police and prosecutors arrested and convicted Donté Drumm, a local football star, and marched him off to death row.

Now nine years have passed. Travis has just been paroled in Kansas for a different crime; Donté is four days away from his execution. Travis suffers from an inoperable brain tumor. For the first time in his miserable life, he decides to do what’s right and confess.

But how can a guilty man convince lawyers, judges, and politicians that they’re about to execute an innocent man?

My Thoughts: With 24 published books under his belt, John Grisham’s newest release is by far the most disturbing but riveting story I’ve read in a long time. Grisham is an author who I know will pull out all the stops to deliver a well-told story that draws me in. This story was disturbing to me because the idea that an innocent man is convicted on such flimsy evidence and a forced confession appalls me on so many levels. Worse is that he spends the next nine years living in the most deplorable of conditions on death row in virtual solitary confinement. The perks and benefits of freedom that most of us enjoy and usually take for granted is keenly felt by me knowing Donté lives in conditions worse than that of a caged animal and is facing death. The story held me captivated and riveted to the edge of my seat in tense anticipation of what would happen next. Is Travis Boyette really the killer or another wacko seeking notoriety? Will he get to Texas on time to stop the execution? Even if he gets to Texas, will the authorities listen to him?

I did not like Travis Boyette one bit. I felt like he was messing with people and playing games, especially when he would waffle back and forth with Pastor Schroeder about coming forward and admitting his guilt. Boyette’s interest and inappropriate comments about the Pastor’s wife gave me the creeps and I was on edge thinking he was going to attack her.

I really liked Keith Schroeder, the Kansas Lutheran minister to whom Travis Boyette confides. I could really feel the anxiety he was feeling wanting to do the right thing but not sure what that is. I admired his resolve to personally take Boyette to Texas, though it could mean legal trouble for him down the road as he would be obstructing justice by helping Boyette abscond while on parole.

I liked Donté’s lawyer, Robbie Flak. He is like a pit-bull in his defense of Donté. He goes the extra mile, working tirelessly to stop the execution and though he comes across as a bit fanatic at times, it’s obvious to the reader that he is devoted to his profession and that it’s more than just a job for him.

Whether you support or oppose the death penalty, this story will make you think, it will disturb you, it will give you hope and it will disappoint you. Most of all, it will keep you holding your breath, turning each page to see what happens next.

REVIEW: Good Girls Do by Julie Kenner

Title: Good Ghouls Do (Beth Frasier, #2)
Author: Julie Kenner
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: September, 2007
Paperback: 240 pages
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 4/10

Description: As the vampire population at Waterloo High continues to grow, Beth Frasier realizes that she's on the frontline of saving not only the school, but her hometown. And only one thing is for sure: She's got to find the head vampire and kill him...quickly!

Her only problem? With her classmates quickly turning over to the dark side, Beth doesn't know who to trust or kill.

My Thoughts: The second book in the Beth Frasier series leaves a huge cliffhanger and with only two books currently published, I’m left wondering what will happen next. We find out who Beth’s maker is, but his death does not give Beth or Clayton their humanity back. We are also given a glimpse into a potential triangle between Beth, Clayton and Kevin the vampire hunter.

This book focuses mainly on Beth’s fears that Clayton is trying to kill her so he can regain his humanity after several attempts are made on her life. Beth is also trying to make the formula that will allow vampires to walk in the sun. Though there is some minimal progress and success, it’s not what she or the other vampires were anticipating.

We see more of Beth’s father in this story and are given the news that Beth will be moving in with her father while her mother is in Paris, France for several months working.

Overall, this was an OK story that has some potential to be a really interesting series. I’m still curious to see where it will take me next so I will be looking for the next book when it is published.

New Additions To The TBR Pile In April

Do they count as new additions if I've already read them? :o)

The Confession by John Grisham

Description: John Grisham delivers his most extraordinary legal thriller yet. Filled with the intriguing twists and turns that have become Grisham’s trademark, this newest novel will prove once again that no one keeps readers in suspense like America’s favorite storyteller. An innocent man is days from execution. Only a guilty man can save him.

For every innocent man sent to prison, there is a guilty one left on the outside. He doesn’t understand how the police and prosecutors got the wrong man, and he certainly doesn’t care. He just can’t believe his good luck. Time passes and he realizes that the mistake will not be corrected: the authorities believe in their case and are determined to get a conviction. He may even watch the trial of the person wrongly accused of his crime. He is relieved when the verdict is guilty. He laughs when the police and prosecutors congratulate themselves. He is content to allow an innocent person to go to prison, to serve hard time, even to be executed.

Travis Boyette is such a man. In 1998, in the small East Texas city of Sloan, he abducted, raped, and strangled a popular high school cheerleader. He buried her body so that it would never be found, then watched in amazement as police and prosecutors arrested and convicted Donté Drumm, a local football star, and marched him off to death row.

Now nine years have passed. Travis has just been paroled in Kansas for a different crime; Donté is four days away from his execution. Travis suffers from an inoperable brain tumor. For the first time in his miserable life, he decides to do what’s right and confess.

But how can a guilty man convince lawyers, judges, and politicians that they’re about to execute an innocent man?

Knock 'Em Dead by Rhonda Pollero

Description: Finley knows it can't be good news when she's awakened at 5:40 a.m. by someone knocking on her door. Her hunch proves correct. Finley's pal Jane is hysterical and clad only in a negligee. It all started when Jane went out on a blind date the previous night with a hunk named Paolo --- and ended when she woke up next to his corpse. Finley knows Jane wouldn't hurt a fly, especially one with a zipper. Too bad the police don't agree...

Having survived her own ordeal of questioning and criminally bad coffee at the local cop shop, Finley's got to post bail and hire an attorney for Jane. But with most of her cash tied up in credit card debt, she knows she has to do the unthinkable: hit her mother up for money. As if attempting to thaw out the Ice Queen isn't hard enough, there's the unthinkable, part II: resisting McGarrity. Yes, dangerously sexy P.I. Liam McGarrity has offered his services ... for a discounted rate. To prove her theory that Jane and Paolo were drugged by the real killer, Finley will have to buckle down and work with Liam. She'll just have to remind herself that she already has the perfect boyfriend in her FedEx pilot Patrick.

But this case is booby-trapped with more serious pitfalls than wicked temptation. For starters, there's the fact that two knives were used to kill Paolo. Then there's a suspicious string of robberies. And when someone tries to run Finley's car off the road, she's got to act quick to find a killer who wants to see her underground...

Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Description: At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.

Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead.

But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he’s next on the menu.

As if starting high school isn't hard enough. . .now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

I Heart Hollywood by Lindsey Kelk

Description: Scandal, celebrity and secrets on the sunset strip...

Angela Clark can't believe her luck ... she's living in New York with a dream job and a sexy boyfriend...

Sent to Hollywood to interview hot actor and fellow Brit James Jacobs, she's in at the deep end amid the thin and beautiful of Rodeo Drive. The only person who seems genuine is James, despite his ladykiller reputation. But then the paparazzi catch them together at Chateau Marmont, and Angela finds herself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons...

Can she convince her boss, her best friend and --- most importantly --- her boyfriend not to believe all they read in the papers? And will Hollywood ever win Angela's heart?

Betrayed by P.C. Cast

Description: Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night. She’s come to terms with the vast powers the vampyre goddess, Nyx, has given her, and is getting a handle on being the new Leader of the Dark Daughters. Best of all, Zoey finally feels like she belongs--like she really fits in. She actually has a boyfriend…or two. Then the unthinkable happens: Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the House of Night. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey’s old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night, and Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world.

REVIEW: Nothing To Fear by Karen Rose

Title: Nothing to Fear
Author: Karen Rose
Publisher: Warner
Publication Date: August, 2005
Paperback: 515 pages
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: 10/10

Description: NOTHING TO SEE

As director of an inner-city women's shelter, Dana Dupinsky safeguards many secrets. Some are new identities; some are new addresses; and some are even hidden truths about herself. Passionately dedicated to Hanover House and the women she protects, Dana has always been reluctant to look for love. But now, just as a case puts her and a child in mortal danger, it seems that love has come looking for her.

NOTHING TO HEAR

Security expert Ethan Buchanan learned to stalk men in the Afghan desert. Now he vows to track down the ruthless woman who kidnapped his godson --- and falling for Dana is not in the plan. Yet her very presence seems to chase away the ghosts that haunt him, and her skillful evasion of personal questions raises his hunting instincts. For there's a deadly new secret at Hanover House. A brutal killer is weaving a web of revenge with a stolen boy at its center. And Dana is the next victim on the list...

My Thoughts: This is my fourth Karen Rose romantic suspense novel and by far, this one is my favorite. With this story, the author delivers characters that come alive within the pages. Several scenes in the story even brought me to tears in addition to the heart racing adrenaline. The author has created a villain so vile and evil that wishing her dead doesn’t begin to describe the level of emotion I felt while reading this book. Maybe because one of her victims is a deaf and mute child and the cruelty she demonstrates in her quest of personal revenge goes beyond appalling.

As with so many other series, characters from the previous books make an appearance and it was great to see them again and to catch up with what has been happening in their lives since I read their stories.

I loved Dana. Besides being compassionate and caring, which is so important if you are going to shelter battered women, Dana is hiding secrets about herself. She isn’t perfect, she isn’t an angel. She’s had her own trail of misdeeds and continues to take risks to help the residents of Hanover House begin new lives.

I loved Ethan. He carries tremendous amounts of guilt over the death of his best friend, Richard when they were stationed in Afghanistan. Because of the injuries he received in combat, he suffers debilitating migraines and having to depend on others isn’t something that is easy for him.

Dana and Ethan are two souls who need each other but don’t want to, who come together in their mutual desire to protect an innocent helpless child. Their individual human weaknesses make them stronger people when they are together than when they are apart.

Romance fans who enjoy their books with suspense and high octane action and adrenaline charged scenes will enjoy Karen Rose’s novels.

REVIEW: Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Title: Infinity (Chronicles of Nick #1)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Publisher: St. Martin’s
Publication Date: May, 2010
Hardcover: 448 pages
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 10/10

Description: At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends ... until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.

Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead.

But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he’s next on the menu.

As if starting high school isn't hard enough ... now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

My Thoughts: I have been a fan of the Dark-Hunters ever since I met Kyrian Hunter so many years ago. I’ve always liked Nick and even though I only knew him as Kyrian’s Squire, there was potential there for him to be so much more and I wasn’t disappointed. With this series, we now get to meet Nick when he was just a kid before he got involved with the Dark-Hunters, before he even knew vampires, demons and shape shifters existed. Sherrilyn Kenyon has created a fantastic reality with the Dark-Hunters that draws the reader into this world wide eyed with astonishment but also keeps the reader entertained with the range of different types of characters and their personalities. Nick is sarcastic and smart-mouthed, but has a softer vulnerable side. Even though he gets dragged into some messy situations, he has good intentions. Even knowing what happens to him, (you have to read the Dark-Hunter series to understand some of this book) I can’t help but think that this series is going to play a pivotal role in Nick’s fate.

Fans of the Dark-Hunter series will be pleased to see the appearance of some of their favorite characters such as Kyrian, Acheron, Simi and Tabitha Devereaux. This series has introduced some new characters too, my favorite is Bubba. He kills zombies and owns a gun store and plays a major role in this story helping Nick figure out why his fellow classmates are turning into zombies. He’s hilarious and provides some fantastic redneck comic relief.

I highly recommend this series for all the Dark-Hunter fans who want to know more about Nick’s background. If you haven’t read the Dark-Hunter books yet, I recommend you start with them first as this series may be a little confusing otherwise.

REVIEW: What's A Ghoul To Do? by Victoria Laurie

Title: What’s A Ghoul To Do? (Ghost Hunters Mystery #1)
Author: Victoria Laurie
Publisher: Signet
Publication Date: April, 2007
Paperback: 281 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: 5/10

Description: M.J. Holliday's a medium with a message --- her business is helping lost souls cross over to the other side. But what if ghosts want to stay put?

M.J. Holliday has two rules. One, she and her partner, Gilley Gillespie, work alone; and two, she doesn't date clients. But when handsome Dr. Steven Sable needs her help, the specter-spotting sleuth is ready to break both of her rules.

It seems the hot doc's grandfather jumped from the roof of the family lodge in an apparent suicide. But Dr. Sable knows in his bones it was foul play, and strange things keep happening at the lodge. He'll hire M.J. and Gilley ---but only if he can come along. Hey, the duo needs the money --- and looking at eye candy all weekend doesn't sound too bad, either.....

But once they reach the lodge, the three realize they're dealing with more ghosts than just Grandpa Sable's. And the spooks keep playing nasty tricks on their human visitors. To the untrained eye, it would appear that ghouls just want to have fun. But M.J. knows they're communicating their distress --- and it's up to her to figure out why....

My Thoughts: I am going to start this review by stating that I prefer this author’s Psychic Eye series. Having said that, don’t let that sway you from checking out this series. I enjoyed meeting M.J. and her partner Gilley. I also liked that M.J. has a parrot she named “Doc” after her infamous ancestor, Doc Holliday. The bird is quite the character. He talks and sometimes says some very inappropriate things, such as singing Y.M.C.A. or some cute things like calling M.J.’s client Dr. Delicious. Steven Sable is M.J.’s love interest and client and has his plate full just trying to make himself understood. He didn’t grow up in America, so his vocabulary is a little different. When he and M.J. share a drink one night, he refers to it as a “nightgown” instead of a night cap.

Though I found the story to be interesting, I felt like there were a lot of details that didn’t seem to fit and made it a little bit hard to follow. First of all, Steven’s grandfather has died under mysterious circumstances so he hired M.J. to look into it to determine if it was really suicide. During this time, Gilley has a nasty encounter with an angry ghost who pushes him down the stairs. Obviously, I am led to think that Steven’s grandfather was pushed to his death by the same ghost. The story veers off into a sub-plot involving Steven’s birthright, the father who has never acknowledged his existence, paternity tests and shady land deals. When I got to the end, I am left still wondering if Steven’s father is really his father and what his intentions were throughout the story.

I’m hoping some of these details get clarified in the next book as it appears that Steven will be a regular part of M.J.’s life. Overall, though there are a lot of confusing details that left me with more questions than answers, I am curious enough about the series to find out where it will lead me to next.

REVIEW: Bitten & Smitten by Michelle Rowen

Title: Bitten & Smitten (Immortality Bites #1)
Author: Michelle Rowen
Publisher: Warner Forever
Publication Date: January, 2006
Paperback: 369 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: 7/10

Description: THERE's A NEW VAMP IN TOWN...

Dear Mom,

I might be a wee bit late for Cousin Missy's wedding. It's been a tough week. Turns out, my blind date from hell was literally from hell. Guy bit me. Next thing I know, I'm being chased all over the city by vampire hunters. And did I mention that I got fired, too?

Bright side -- I met a man. Thierry de Bennicoeur. How great is that name? Anyway, he's sexy, six-hundred years old, and a tad suicidal, but no one's perfect, right? And we have a deal -- he's gonna show me the ropes of the vampire world, and I'm supposed to help him end his existence. Or maybe I'll just try to convince him life is worth living -- no small challenge with the mostly immortal, let me tell you. I'll admit it's a complicated relationship. But with any luck, I just might have a date for that wedding after all....

Hugs and Kisses,
Sarah

My Thoughts: Dating in the modern world isn’t all it’s cracked up to be as our heroine, Sarah Dearly finds out when her blind date turns out not only to be a vampire, but bites her and turns her into one of the undead. Then to make matters worse, Sarah’s sire is murdered by vampire hunters just mere minutes after she’s turned and she has no idea what to do next. Luckily, self-preservation kicks in and Sarah does what any self-respecting woman, undead or alive, would do when faced with imminent violence…she hauls ass out of there. When she comes across 600+ year old vampire Thierry de Bennicoeur preparing to commit suicide, Sarah takes a leap of faith (literally) in the hope that she can convince Thierry that life is worth living and herself that she can continue to live her own life before this minor derailment into the vampire community. Along the way, Sarah meets other vampires, some nice and some she would probably like to stake herself and a vampire hunter who is intent on killing her despite her numerous protests that she isn’t evil.

I found this book to be a cute and entertaining story to a series that looks to be very entertaining. I liked Sarah quite a bit. She reminds me of Betsy Taylor from the Undead series by MaryJanice Davidson. If you like that series, you will enjoy this one. Sarah has a lot of attitude and isn’t shy about expressing herself. I thought she had a lot of spunk. Even after being fired from her job and no financial windfalls looming on the horizon, Sarah manages to take charge of the situation and plows forward instead of wallowing in self-pity.

I didn’t warm up to Thierry, unfortunately. He seemed too stuffy and stuck-up for me. Even though it was quite obvious to me that he was attracted to Sarah, I didn’t like that he went out of his way to push her away and wasn’t very nice about it. The fact that she stuck around and had his back says more about her and her integrity and compassion, however. I liked Michael Quinn, the vampire hunter who is after Sarah. I was glad to see he turned out to be one of the major characters. I found his personality very likeable. Sarah befriends one of the vampires at Thierry’s nightclub named George who I found to be very likeable and funny.

Though the jury is still out on whether I want to see Sarah and Thierry end up together, I am looking forward to reading the second book to find out what happens next.

REVIEW: Girls Who Gossip by Theresa Alan

Title: Girls Who Gossip
Author: Theresa Alan
Publisher: Strapless Kensington
Publication Date: April, 2006
Paperback: 311 pages
Genre: Chick-Lit
Rating: 5/10

Description: It's not mean if it's true...

Yes the rumors are true...

I'm actually coming home to Colorado for the summer. Maybe it won't be so bad. After all, I've got cocktails, shopping, and gab sessions with my girlfriends to look forward to. Plus time with my dysfunctional family. Yippee. I'm Helaina, by the way. Helaina Denner if you've known me since junior high, like Hannah and Marni. Helaina Merrill if you know me from film school at NYU. See, I lead a bit of a double life: "starving" student when in Manhattan, daughter of privilege when in Denver

And it gets even better...

...depending on your definition of "better." First off, I've picked this time to try and reconnect with my father. Which would be easier if we'd ever had anything resembling a relationship to begin with. I guess this is one of the pitfalls of having a parent as rich as Bill Gates and as accessible as the Pope...

Seriously, some of this stuff you cannot repeat...

like what I'll tell you about Owen, the adorable journalist I just met. He's sweet, sincere, sexy...real soul mate material. But something's keeping me from letting him get too close. What's my problem, anyway? No need to answer: that's what friends are for. Now, amid high-altitude parties in Aspen, bikini waxes gone mad, and caught-on-tape blackmail fodder, I'm about to find out exactly what one heiress's problems amount to in this crazy world. Just remember, whatever I discover is off the record - for the moment, at least...

My Thoughts: I found the title and book cover very misleading as the story turned out to be something else than what I was expecting. I was expecting a light, fun chick-lit read about, well, girls who gossip. I wouldn’t classify this book as a chick-lit, though that’s what it is marketed as. Don’t get me wrong; I still enjoyed the book once I got over the initial surprise at the punch this book packs. Instead of gossip, this story is actually more about death, the grieving process, dysfunctional families, and revenge. Add in some friends, an internship at a magazine and a budding relationship and you get this book.

The main character is Helaina Denner and she is returning home to Denver for the summer. Her mother recently died under mysterious circumstances a few months back and Helaina is still reeling from the shock and having a difficult time coping with the grieving process. For the most part, she is happy to be back at home and reconnecting with her best friends, Hannah and Marni. She is hoping to reconnect with her father but that proves next to impossible. Helaina discovers that her mother’s sister, Claudia, has moved in and is most likely having an affair with Helaina’s father. I know…ewwwww, right?

Helaina is offered an intern position at a local magazine by a friend of the family and meets Owen who is her boss’ stepson and, it turns out, is also working at the magazine. Helaina thinks the experience gained will be beneficial to her budding filmmaker career.

Things get interesting when Helaina decides to do a little investigating and locates her mother’s journal hidden away in a secret compartment of her mother’s desk. Upon reading the journal, Helaina is given a front-row seat into the despair her mother was feeling, knowing her husband has been unfaithful for most of their marriage, but to also learn that her husband is having an affair with her own sister. The sister she has allowed to move into her home, who she has given money to over the years. Sadly, Helaina’s mother is the victim of gossip as everyone seems to know about her marriage problems, even her hairdresser. Helaina decides she wants revenge on her father and aunt for their part in destroying her mother’s happiness which she believes is the reason behind her death, though the issue of whether Helaina’s mother committed suicide or died because she lost control of her car in a tragic accident is never clarified.

I liked Helaina and felt a lot of sympathy for her. I found her behavior very understandable under the circumstances and hated the way her father treated her. I thought he was a very selfish man who didn’t deserve one smidgen of success or happiness. The outcome of the story leads me to believe that her father and aunt get their comeuppance but there were still a lot of unresolved issues. Fortunately, Helaina makes a major breakthrough when she realizes that we don’t get to choose our family and that working through her grief brings her closer to her mother.

So, chick-lit fans, this is not a light, funny, typical chick-lit read, but it’s a good story that’s worth a look.