Island Of The Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore
My Rating: 8 *’s
A pilot for the Mary Jean Cosmetics Corporation--a hopeless geek trapped in a cool guy's body--Tucker Case's troubles begin one very drunk morning at the Seattle airport Holiday Inn Lounge. Surrendering to the strident will of a call girl who wants desperately to join the Mile High Club, he proceeds to crash his shocking pink jet on the runway--totaling the plane and seriously damaging the organ that got him into this mess in the first place. Now, with his flying license revoked, his job and manhood demolished, facing a possible prison term or, worse, the murderous wrath of Mary Jean Dobbins and her corporate goons, Tuck has to run for his life toward the only employment opportunity left for him: piloting a Lear jet for a shady medical missionary and a sexy, naturally blond High Priestess on the remotest of Micronesian island hells.
But first he has to get there, encountering spies, cannibals, journalists, and would-be bitch goddesses every step of the way. Traveling with his Filipino transvestite navigator and a fruit bat companion, Roberto, Tuck braves shark-infested waters and a typhoon before reaching the dark heart of a tropical paradise--all before his first day of work.
If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern
My Rating: 10 *’s
Everything in Elizabeth Egan's life has its place, from the espresso cups in her gleaming kitchen to the swatches and paint pots of her interior-design business. Order and precision keep life under control --- and keep Elizabeth's heart safe from the pain and hurt she has suffered in the past. Being a reluctant mother to her six year old nephew while trying to keep her design business on track is a full time job for Elizabeth, and one that leaves little room for error --- or fun. Until one day, when Ivan unexpectedly comes into their lives. The mysterious Ivan is carefree, spontaneous, and always looking for adventure --- everything that Elizabeth is not. Yet when Elizabeth is starting to trust him, it turns out that Ivan isn't at all who she thought he was.
The Princess-in-Training Manual / Divas Don't Fake It by Jacqueline de Soignee / Erica Orloff
My Rating: 8 *’s
An irreverent look at what it takes to be a princess in the 21st century.
***THE PRINCESS-IN-TRAINING MANUAL by Princess Jacqueline deSoignée
FORGET YOUR INNER CHILD
Who wants to embrace that whiny mess?
Your inner Princess is calling... and she's got some fabulous plans for you....
First, a princess defined:
Princess: [prin'ses] noun.
1. A nonreigning female member of a royal family. (That would be me, Princess Jacqueline deSoignée).
2. A regally attractive or outstanding woman. (Also me, but will soon be you, too, once you've completed the Princess-in-Training course!)
For a modern-day monarch, life is more than just saketinis at Nobu and jaunts to Paris. One must earn the initials H.R.H. (Her Royal Highness) before her name. One can't simply be born with them. (Well, technically, I guess one can).
Watch, er, read, as I demonstrate princessly behavior. Join me in my adventures, from Prada -- spotting at fifty paces to encounters with frogs masquerading as princes (and Vice Versa) to being trounced by the tabloids, and learn how to handle foibles with the aplomb befitting a true princess.
***DIVAS DON'T FAKE IT by Erica Orloff
THE DIVA WITHIN
Psst. You. Over there, with the boa. Are you a diva? I can see you're shaking your head no. But being a diva isn't all plate-throwing and smack-talking. Ask yourself:
Do you:
* Walk into the room and know you can kick the ass of every person in it if you wanted to?
* Eat dessert guilt free?
* Laugh loud and long without fear of wrinkles?
* Love to dish dirt?
* Use f*** without abandon?
* Play matchmaker with your friends, with or without their consent?
* Never take "no" for an answer?
* Love with grand passion?
* Know how to make a grand entrance... and exit?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you just might be a diva. It's a fearsome power to have. But you must take it on, flaunt it, work it. Meet Xandra Kingston -- a self-proclaimed diva from a long line of passionate Russians. She'll show you how....
K Is For Killer by Sue Grafton
My Rating: 7 *’s
When Kinsey Millhone answers her office door late one night, she lets in more darkness than she realizes. Janice Kepler is a grieving mother who can't let the death of her beautiful daughter Lorna alone. The police agree that Lorna was murdered, but a suspect was never apprehended and the trail is now ten months cold. Kinsey pieces together Lorna's young life: a dull day job at the local water treatment plant spiced by sidelines in prostitution and pornography. She tangles with Lorna's friends: a local late-night DJ; a sweet, funny teenaged hooker; Lorna's sloppy landlord and his exotic wife. But to find out which one, if any, turned killer, Kinsey will have to inhabit a netherworld from which she may never return.
A Man In A Kilt by Sandy Blair
My Rating: 9 *’s
There's nothing like a Highland fling...
A LONELY LAIRD
Duncan MacDougall, the laird of Blackstone, was cursed centuries ago to wander as a ghost within the echoing walls of his island castle -- and only one woman can free him. Can it be the new mistress of Blackstone, just arrived from over the sea? Duncan has heard that pretty Miss Elizabeth Pudding is no more than a cook -- and she hails from a barbarous land called the Bronx. But she must learn the ways of a lady all the same -- and she must stay at Blackstone for six long months to inherit. 'Tis time enough to teach her -- and time enough to woo her....
AN ENCHANTING LADY
Beth has seen the handsome specter from the day she crossed the threshold of Blackstone. Duncan MacDougall is a tall, translucent figure with black hair and piercing blue eyes. Yet a mist separates him from the land of the living... a mist as strong as cold steel. It is said that only love can dissolve it -- and bring the man of her dreams to warm, breathing life....
The 5th Horseman by James Patterson
My Rating: 8 *’s
The members of the Women's Murder Club face an unspeakable menace in the most suspenseful hospital drama since Coma. Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer is shopping with the newest member of the Women's Murder Club, lawyer Yuki Castellano, and Yuki's mother, Keiko, when suddenly Keiko collapses. She's rushed to San Francisco Medical Center where her condition stabilizes. Yet days later, the hospital calls Yuki with devastating news. Keiko was given the wrong medication and it brought on a fatal heart attack. Even more astonishing, this is not the first time SFMC has made this mistake. Just as patients are about to be released with a clean bill of health, their conditions take a mysterious turn for the worse. As the hospital comes under scrutiny, Lindsay and the Women's Murder Club investigate for themselves. Is there a maniac at work, playing God with peoples lives? And has Lindsay somehow made him -- or her -- even worse? The newest addition to the top-selling new mystery series takes the Women's Murder Club into the most terrifying situation they have yet to encounter.
I Think I Love You by Stephanie Bond
My Rating: 7 *’s
WHAT'S A LITTLE SIBLING RIVALRY...
So there's some bad blood and bruised egos among the Metcalf sisters. At least they're reuniting. A cause to celebrate? Not for Justine, Regina, and Mica. Their parents are splitting up and the family business is going on the auction block -- just a little reminder of how much they really have in common....
WHEN SECRETS, BACK-STABBING, AND MURDER...
Take the local bad boy who proposed to Justine, seduced Regina, and ran off with Mica. Add the unsolved murder they witnessed when they were young girls, and their vow to keep it a secret. Toss in their knack for being drawn to shady men, and there's only one thing left for them to do -- put the bonds of family loyalty to the test.
PUT THREE SISTERS ON COMMON GROUND?
But it takes courage to outsmart a murderer, know-how to avenge the cad who betrayed them, and patience to bring their parents back together. Three talents. Three sisters. And who knows? Maybe even three new chances to fall in love when Justine, Regina, and Mica discover how much they're willing to risk -- and forgive -- in the name of sisterhood....
Plum Lovin’ by Janet Evanovich
My Rating: 8 *’s
Watch your back! Look both ways! Because love is in the air and that means big trouble! Mysterious men have a way of showing up in Stephanie Plum's apartment. When the shadowy Diesel appears, he has a task for Stephanie -- and he's not taking no for an answer.
Annie Hart is a "relationship expert" who is wanted for armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Stephanie needs to find her, fast. Diesel knows where she is. So they make a deal: He'll help her get Annie if Stephanie plays matchmaker to several of Annie's most difficult clients. But someone wants to find Annie even more than Diesel and Stephanie. Someone with a nasty temper. And someone with "unmentionable" skills.
Does Diesel know more that he's saying about Annie Hart? Does Diesel have secrets he's keeping from Stephanie and the two men in her life -- Ranger and Morelli? With Stephanie Plum in over her head, things are sure to get a little dicey and a little explosive, Jersey style!
A New Lu by Laura Castoro
My Rating: 9 *’s
"What was I thinking? Sex for the last time. That's what."
Five-O magazine lifestyle columnist Lu Nichols has led an ordinary life. Marriage. Career. Two kids. Now she's turning fifty, and the wear is showing. The kids are grown. The ink is dry on the divorce papers. Her boss wants to do an extreme makeover feature, starring Lu. And those bad oysters she ate have turned out to be something a little more permanent.
"I'm almost fifty years old, recently divorced. Now I'm about to be an unwed mother. And you thought you had issues."
Her soon-to-be-wed daughter is horrified. Her boss is thrilled; she can turn her delicate condition into a monthly expose. Her ex is AWOL. And the sexy, slightly younger doctor who delivered the news? Well, he hasn't run off screaming yet. And however it all turns out, there's one thing Lu can be sure of --- she's knocked up, but not out. And more than ready for a brand-new Lu...
Otherwise Engaged by Suzanne Finnamore
My Rating: 8 *’s
"What nobody tells you about getting engaged is he asks you and you're delirious for about two days and then it tapers. He asks you and you're running around telling grocery clerks and ordering subscriptions to bride magazines and discussing prong settings versus suspension settings, and then after two days this ebullience passes. It is no longer conceptual; you have the whole wedding to plan and from that moment on the pressure builds.
"The ebullience comes back, two days before the wedding. The boomerang effect. Something else no one tells you about.
"They should parachute this information into the major cities."
For every woman who has ever dreamed of getting married or survived the pre-wedding hell of planning the big day; for every man who has ever watched in horror as the woman he loves mutates into a bride-to-be--a wickedly funny first novel about the excruciating ritual otherwise known as modern marriage.
Michael has finally asked Eve to marry him. It is tempting to believe that everything is going according to plan. But from her first anxiety-producing en- counter with Modern Bride magazine to setting a date ("My impression is that if you don't set a date, they stone you"), finding a dress, ordering invitations ("I don't want the plain envelopes. I want the white go-go boots. Everyone else has them"), and the unrelenting chaos of life in the world beyond the wedding, from the fights and resentment ("For eighteen months I rubbed his back and made him soup and performed really sincere fellatio and now I'm tired") to the disconcerting realization that lately when she looks at her fiancé she hears the striking of a Chinese gong and the words FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE echoing through her head, Eve discovers that planning a wedding is fraught with unexpected perils, and it's a long walk to the altar.
Gone by Lisa Gardner
My Rating: 9 *’s
For ex-FBI profiler Pierce Quincy, it's the beginning of his worst nightmare: a car abandoned on a desolate stretch of Oregon highway, the engine running, purse on the driver's seat. And his estranged wife, Rainie Conner, gone, leaving no clue to her fate.
Did one of the ghosts from Rainie's troubled past finally catch up with her? Or could her disappearance be the result of one of the cases they'd been working --- a particularly vicious double homicide or the possible abuse of a deeply disturbed child Rainie took too close to heart? Together with his daughter, FBI agent Kimberly Quincy, Pierce is battling the local authorities, racing against time, and frantically searching for answers to all the questions he's been afraid to ask.
One man knows what happened that night. Adopting the alias of a killer caught eighty years before, he has already contacted the press. His terms are clear: he wants money, he wants power, he wants celebrity. And if he doesn't get what he wants, Rainie will be gone for good. As the clock winds down on a terrifying deadline, Pierce plunges headlong into the most desperate hunt of his life, into the shattering search for a killer, a lethal truth, and for the love of his life, who may forever be...gone.
Vanish by Tess Gerritsen
My Rating: 9 *’s
A blessed event becomes a nightmare for pregnant homicide detective Jane Rizzoli when she finds herself on the wrong side of a hostage crisis.
A nameless, beautiful woman appears to be just another corpse in the morgue. But when Boston medical examiner Maura Isles unzips the body bag and looks down at the body, she gets the fright of her life. The corpse opens its eyes. Very much alive, the woman is rushed to the hospital. But the bizarre soon turns lethal. With shockingly cool precision, she murders a security guard and seizes hostages ... one of them a pregnant patient, Jane Rizzoli.
Who is this violent, desperate soul, and what does she want? As the tense hours tick by, Maura joins forces with Jane's husband, FBI agent Gabriel Dean, to track down the mysterious killer's identity. When federal agents suddenly appear on the scene, Maura and Gabriel realize that they are dealing with a case that goes far deeper than just an ordinary hostage crisis. Only Jane, trapped with the armed madwoman, holds the key to the mystery ... if she survives.
Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison
Rating: 9 *’s
There's no witch in Cincinnati tougher, sexier, or more screwed up than bounty hunter Rachel Morgan, who's already put her life and her soul in dire jeopardy through her determined efforts to bring criminal night creatures to justice.
Between "runs," she has her hands full fending off the attentions of her blood drinking partner, keeping a deadly secret from her backup, and resisting a hot new vamp suitor.
Rachel must also take a stand in the war that's raging in the city's underworld, since she helped put away its former vampire kingpin --- and made a deal with a powerful demon to do so that could cost her an eternity of pain, torment, and degradation.
And now her dark "master" is coming to collect his due.
Three Bedrooms In Chelsea by Liz Ireland
Rating: 8 *’s
Can three sexy singles share an apartment -- without driving each other crazy?
LOVE MAY COME AND GO. BUT LOCATION IS EVERYTHING.
It's bad enough that actress/waitress Edie Amos's boyfriend leaves her for a job in Istanbul. And that she's been fired from her only acting job -- as a dancing fava bean in an industrial show. But how can she possibly pay the rent on her Chelsea dream apartment? Is nothing permanent in this life? The only thing to do is find a roommate. Unfortunately, she gets two.
Tall, blonde, and imposing Greta Stolenbauer is like a dominatrix without a dungeon. Her idea of exercise is smoking while watching the Yoga channel and she eats men for breakfast. Danielle Poitier is a pampered Texas princess determined to make a go of a writing career in New York without her daddy's money and influence. Big talk for a girl who falls for every creep with a corny line. Edie's New York paradise has transformed into a reality TV show with no end date. Goodbye privacy. Hello club-hopping, psycho-dodging, party-throwing insanity.
But when Edie's luck goes from bad to worse, she finds support -- and friendship -- in the unlikeliest of places. Now, for three girls in Chelsea, it's suddenly all about finding the job, chasing the dream, landing the guy, and paying the rent on time. And while men, money, and perfect apartments may come and go, the one thing you can always count on are your friends -- wherever you find them.
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
My Rating: 9 *’s
Charlie Asher is a pretty normal guy. A little hapless, somewhat neurotic, sort of a hypochondriac. He's what's known as a Beta Male: the kind of fellow who makes his way through life by being careful and constant --- you know, the one who's always there to pick up the pieces when the girl gets dumped by the bigger/taller/stronger Alpha Male.
But Charlie's been lucky. He owns a building in the heart of San Francisco, and runs a second-hand store with the help of a couple of loyal, if marginally insane, employees. He's married to a bright and pretty woman who actually loves him for his normalcy. And she, Rachel, is about to have their first child.
Yes, Charlie's doing okay for a Beta. That is, until the day his daughter, Sophie, is born. Just as Charlie --- exhausted from the birth --- turns to go home, he sees a strange man in mint-green golf wear at Rachel's hospital bedside, a man who claims that no one should be able to see him. But see him Charlie does, and from here on out, things get really weird...
People start dropping dead around him, giant ravens perch on his building, and it seems everywhere he goes, a dark presence whispers to him from under the streets. Strange names start appearing on his nightstand notepad, and before he knows it, those people end up dead, too. Yup, it seems that Charlie Asher has been recruited for a new job, an unpleasant but utterly necessary one: Death. It's a dirty job. But hey, somebody's gotta do it.
Christopher Moore, the man whose Lamb served up Jesus' missing years (with the funny parts left in), and whose Fluke found the deep humor in whale researcher's lives, now shines his comic light on the undiscovered country we all eventually explore --- death and dying --- and the results are hilarious, heart-warming, and a hell of a lot of fun.
Marley & Me: Life And Love With The World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan
My Rating: 9 *’s
The heart-warming and unforgettable story of a family in the making and thewondrously neurotic dog who taught them what really matters in life
John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same.
Marley quickly grew into a barreling, ninety-seven-pound steamroller of a Labrador retriever, a dog like no other. He crashed through screen doors, gouged through drywall, flung drool on guests, stole women's undergarments, and ate nearly everything he could get his mouth around, including couches and fine jewelry. Obedience school did no good—Marley was expelled. Neither did the tranquilizers the veterinarian prescribed for him with the admonishment, "Don't hesitate to use these."
And yet Marley's heart was pure. Just as he joyfully refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. Marley shared the couple's joy at their first pregnancy, and their heartbreak over the miscarriage. He was there when babies finally arrived and when the screams of a seventeen-year-old stabbing victim pierced the night. Marley shut down a public beach and managed to land a role in a feature-length movie, always winning hearts as he made a mess of things. Through it all, he remained steadfast, a model of devotion, even when his family was at its wit's end. Unconditional love, they would learn, comes in many forms.
Is it possible for humans to discover the key to happiness through a bigger-than-life, bad-boy dog? Just ask the Grogans.
Lexi James And The Council Of Girlfriends by Melissa Jacobs
My Rating: 8 *’s
Insanity loves company...
WHEN IN DOUBT, IT'S TIME TO CALL IN THE COUNCIL OF GIRLFRIENDS
"Princess" Grace, the relentless romantic; La Diva Lola, a South American celebrity chef with a secret sex life; Mamma Mia, who took the Husband & Children exit to the suburbs; The Fabulous Ellie Archer, a journalist who follows her heart across an ocean; and Mistress of the Universe Lexi James, Philadelphia's premiere PR exec, who has plenty of women in her life, but no man.
Lexi James knows that men come and go (mostly go), but the Council of Girlfriends is forever.
Lexi's used to being the woman with the plan, but lately her plan is unraveling like a discount sweater. First, a suburban supermarket meltdown made her end her engagement to Mr. (Not So) Perfect. Then one too many run-ins with her status-seeking boss left her shining career a little lackluster. But Lexi knows she can count on the COG to help make things right. There are no secrets between these ladies -- or so Lexi thinks. Because she's about to learn it's not only her life that's taken some unexpected turns. And with more surprises still ahead, the Council could be in for their wildest ride yet.
The Dream Hunter by Sherrilyn Kenyon
My Rating: 10 *’s
In the ethereal world of dreams, there are champions who fight to protect the dreamer and there are demons who prey on them...
Arik is such a predator. Condemned by the gods to live eternity without emotions, Arik can only feel when he’s in the dreams of others. For thousands of years, he’s drifted through the human unconscious, searching for sensation. Now he’s finally found a dreamer whose vivid mind can fill his emptiness.
Dr. Megeara Kafieri watched her father ruin himself and his reputation as he searched to prove Atlantis was real. Her deathbed promise to him to salvage his reputation has now brought her to Greece where she intends to prove once and for all that the fabled island is right where her father said it was. But frustration and bad luck dog her every step. Especially the day they find a stranger floating in the sea. His is a face she’s seen many times.... in her dreams.
What she doesn’t know is that Arik holds more than the ancient secrets that can help her find the mythical isle of Atlantis. He has made a pact with the god Hades: In exchange for two weeks as a mortal man, he must return to Olympus with a human soul. Megeara’s soul.
With a secret society out to ruin her expedition, and mysterious accidents that keep threatening her life, Megeara refuses to quit. She knows she’s getting closer to Atlantis and as she does, she stumbles onto the truth of what Arik really is.
For Arik his quest is no longer simple. No human can know of a Dream-Hunter’s existence. His dream of being mortal has quickly turned into his own nightmare and the only way to save himself will be to sacrifice the very thing he wanted to be human for. The only question is, will he?
California Demon: The Secret Life Of A Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner
My Rating: 10 *’s
Welcome to San Diablo --- the perfect place to raise a couple of kids and a lot of Hell, especially if you're Kate Connor, retired demon hunter. Now, after fourteen years as a suburban housewife, raising two kids and supporting her husband's political ambitions, she's rejoined the workforce...well, secretly, at least. Between fending off demon attacks, trying to figure out why the mysterious new teacher at the high school seems so strangely familiar, and keeping a watchful eye on her daughter's growing infatuation with a surfer dude, Kate is the busiest --- and most dangerous --- soccer mom on the block.
How To Be Popular by Meg Cabot
Rating: 8 *’s
Do you want to be popular?
Everyone wants to be popular—or at least, Stephanie Landry does. Steph's been the least popular girl in her class since a certain cherry Super Big Gulp catastrophe five years earlier.
Does being popular matter?
It matters very much—to Steph. That's why this year, she has a plan to get in with the It Crowd in no time flat. She's got a secret weapon: an old book called—what else?—How to Be Popular.
What does it take to be popular?
All Steph has to do is follow the instructions in The Book, and soon she'll be partying with the It Crowd (including school quarterback Mark Finley) instead of sitting on The Hill Saturday nights, stargazing with her nerdy best pal Becca, and even nerdier Jason (now kind of hot, but still), whose passion for astronomy Steph once shared.
Who needs red dwarves when you're invited to the hottest parties in town?
But don't forget the most important thing about popularity!
It's easy to become popular. What isn't so easy? Staying that way.
A Fistful Of Charms by Kim Harrison
My Rating: 10 *’s
The evil night things that prowl Cincinnati despise witch and bounty hunter Rachel Morgan. Her new reputation for the dark arts is turning human and undead heads alike with the intent to possess, bed, and kill her --- not necessarily in that order.
Now a mortal lover who abandoned Rachel has returned, haunted by his secret past. And there are those who covet what Nick possesses --- savage beasts willing to destroy the Hollows and everyone in it if necessary.
Forced to keep a low profile or eternally suffer the wrath of a vengeful demon, Rachel must nevertheless act quickly. For the pack is gathering for the first time in millennia to ravage and to rule. And suddenly more than Rachel's soul is at stake.
Fangs For The Memories by Kathy Love
My Rating: 9 *’s
OH, BROTHER!
There are Christmas mornings and then there are Christmas mornings like this one: watching my brother, Rhys, swagger through our New York City apartment... smiling. We are talking about Rhys, the detached, surly and annoying; the man who turned brooding into an art form. But he's not brooding now. No, he's practically threatening to pistol whip me for shaking hands with the beautiful, sweet, half-dressed creature named Jane who just tried to sneak out of his bedroom. Weird. And who knew Brother Grim even had a sex drive?
But it isn't just the smiling and the sudden libido that has me freaked out. Something terrible happened last night, something that made my brother break his own rule and save the life of a mortal. Whatever it was, now he doesn't remember anything from the past two hundred years. He wants Jane so bad that he's forcing himself to forget he's a vampire, taking himself back to a time before he crossed over and our family was destroyed. He's sauntering around the place like a Regency viscount with an English accent, saying things like "I behaved like a randy, soused caper-wit." Did we ever really talk like that? So, Rhys doesn't know he's a vampire, and neither does Jane. This is what we call a problem.
All I know is, this mortal woman has managed to touch my brother's frozen heart, and I, Sebastian Young, will do whatever it takes to help him keep her....
Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur
My Rating: 8 *’s
HALF VAMPIRE. HALF WEREWOLF. ALL TROUBLE....
A rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, Riley Jenson and her twin brother, Rhoan, work for Melbourne's Directorate of Other Races, an organization created to police the supernatural races --- and protect humans from their depredations.
While Rhoan is an exalted guardian, a.k.a. assassin, Riley is merely an office worker --- until her brother goes missing on one of his missions. The timing couldn't be worse. More werewolf than vampire, Riley is vulnerable to the moon heat, the weeklong period before the full moon, when her need to mate becomes all-consuming....
Luckily Riley has two willing partners to satisfy her every need. But she will have to control her urges if she's going to find her brother....Easier said than done as the city pulses with frenzied desire, and Riley is confronted with a very powerful --- and delectably naked --- vamp who raises her temperature like never before.
In matters carnal, Riley has met her match. But in matters criminal, she must follow her instincts not only to find her brother but to stop an unholy harvest. For someone is doing some shifty cloning in an attempt to produce the ultimate warrior --- by tapping into the genome of nonhumans like Rhoan. Now Riley knows just how dangerous the world is for her kind --- and just how much it needs her.
The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen
My Rating: 9 *’s
PECCAVI. The Latin is scrawled in blood at the scene of a young woman's brutal murder: I HAVE SINNED. It's a chilling Christmas greeting for Boston medical examiner Maura Isles and Detective Jane Rizzoli, who swiftly link the victim to controversial celebrity psychiatrist Joyce O'Donnell --- Jane's professional nemesis and member of a sinister cabal called The Mephisto Club.
On tony Beacon Hill, the club's acolytes devote themselves to the analysis of evil. The Mephisto scholars aim to prove a startling theory: that Satan himself exists among us. With the grisly appearance of a corpse on their doorstep, it's clear that someone --- or something --- is indeed prowling the city. Could this maniacal killer be one of their own --- or have they inadvertently summoned an evil entity from the darkness?
Delving into the most baffling case of their careers, Maura and Jane embark on a terrifying journey to the very heart of evil, where they encounter a malevolent foe . . . one whose work is only just beginning.
Hand-Me-Down by Lee Nichols
My Rating: 9 *’s
Wearing hand-me-downs was one thing. Dating one is quite another.
For Anne Olsen, new and improved is the only way to live. So how'd she fall for a second-hand man?
Charlotte had the Malibu Barbie with a full wardrobe. Emily inherited a slightly used Barbie with two outfits and Anne was left with a one-armed, bald Barbie who enjoyed nudist colonies. It's little wonder that at twenty-nine, Anne drives a new car, eats only from freshly opened packages and thinks antique is a euphemism for moldy.
After growing up in the shadows of her older sisters — one a swimsuit model, the other a pop-feminist — Anne's personality is one part sibling rivalry and two parts VD (stands for Vague Dissatisfaction, and yes, it itches). Now she's the self-professed underachiever in the family, determined to find happiness on her own terms. But when her sister's ex-boyfriend — seemingly perfect, potentially interested — re-enters her life, Anne's got to ask: Could she possibly fall in love with a hand-me-down man?
Undead And Unreturnable by MaryJanice Davidson
My Rating: 9 *’s
This is how my tombstone read:
Elizabeth Anne Taylor
April 25, 1974 - April 25, 2004
Our sweetheart, only resting
Only, I wasn't resting under it. I had, of course, died in the spring. Rose in the early dawn hours the day of my funeral and gone on undead walkabout. Since my body was MIA, the funeral was cancelled. But my mother, who had been in a huge fight with my dad and stepmom about what to spend on my marble tombstone, had rushed to order the thing. By the time it was finished, no funeral, no service, no burial. So anyway, my tombstone had been in storage for the last six months.
After a few months, the funeral home had politely contacted my mother and asked what she'd like to do with it. Since mom had the plot and stone paid for, she had them stick it in the dirt the day before yesterday, and mentioned it at lunch yesterday.
Jessica and Laura had been morbidly curious to see it, and I'd tagged along. What the hell, it made for a break from wedding arrangements and Christmas cards....
So begins the newest hilarious adventure in the life of Betsy Taylor, reluctant Queen of the Vampires. It's Christmas time in the kingdom of the undead (otherwise known as Minneapolis), which is as complicated as it sounds. Betsy isn't going to let a little thing like death and blood-drinking stop her from enjoying the holidays, or planning her upcoming spring wedding to drop-dead gorgeous vamp Eric Sinclair.
But all is not merry and bright -- Betsy is plagued by ghosts who demand her help in rectifying their past mistakes, and a serial killer is on the loose. With his victims all being tall, blonde women, Betsy fits the profile exactly....
With warmth, style and laugh-out-loud humor, MaryJanice Davidson shows why readers everywhere love Betsy Taylor, and have turned her adventures into a bestselling phenomenon.
Ricochet by Sandra Brown
My Rating: 9 *’s
When Detective Sergeant Duncan Hatcher is summoned to the home of Judge Cato Laird in the middle of the night to investigate a fatal shooting, he knows that discretion and kid-glove treatment are the keys to staying in the judge's good graces and keeping his job.
At first glance, the case appears open-and-shut: Elise, the judge's trophy wife, interrupted a burglary in progress and killed the intruder in self-defense. But Duncan is immediately suspicious of Elise's innocent act. His gut feeling is that her account of the shooting is only partially true -- and it's the parts she's leaving out that bother him.
Determined to learn the dead man's connection to the Lairds and get at the truth, Duncan investigates further and quickly finds his career, as well as his integrity, in jeopardy -- because he can't deny his increasing attraction to Elise Laird, even if she is a married woman, a proven liar, and a murder suspect.
When Elise seeks Duncan out privately and makes an incredible allegation, he initially dismisses it as the manipulative lie of a guilty woman. But what if she's telling the truth? Then that single fatal gunshot at her home takes on even more sinister significance, possibly involving Duncan's nemesis, the brutal crime lord Robert Savich.
And then Elise goes missing . . .
Ricochet's plot twists -- as only Sandra Brown can write them -- and palpable suspense combine to create this gripping thriller, in which a decent cop's worst enemy may be his own conscience, and trusting the wrong person could mean the difference between life and death.
Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie
My Rating: 9 *’s
She can see right through you....
You'd think being clairvoyant would give Abigail Cooper the ability to avoid danger.
But being psychic doesn't necessarily allow you to sidestep murder and mayhem --- it just lets you know that they're coming....
In Royal Oak, a suburb of Detroit, thirtysomething Abby Cooper lives a life that's kind of like vanilla ice cream --- good enough, but a little bland. Her work as a P.I. --- Psychic Intuitive --- can be rewarding, but she feels like somehow she's missing out on the hot-fudge topping...
Now she's getting what she wished for --- when a client winds up dead and the clues start pointing in Abby's direction. Turns out she knows too many details about the murder for her own good. To make matters worse, the hot blind date she just met is the lead investigator on the case. And gorgeous Detective Dutch Rivers is convinced she's a fraud.
No matter how great her psychic abilities, Abby doesn't know if she can solve this case. Unfortunately for her, though, the killer thinks she can....
You Suck by Christopher Moore
My Rating: 10 *’s
"YOU BITCH, YOU KILLED ME. YOU SUCK!"
Being dead sucks. Make that being undead sucks. Literally. Just ask Thomas C. Flood. Waking up after a fantastic night unlike anything he's ever experienced, he discovers that his girlfriend, Jody --- the woman of his dreams --- is a vampire. And surprise! Now he's one, too.
For some couples, the whole biting and blood thing would have been a deal breaker. But Tommy and Jody are in love, and they vow to work through their issues. Like how much Jody should teach Tommy about his new superpowers (and how much he needs to learn on his own). Plus there's Tommy's cute new minion, sixteen year old Goth girl Abby Normal. (Well someone has to run errands during daylight hours!) Making the relationship work, however, is the least of Jody and Tommy's problems. Word has it that the vampire who nibbled on Jody wasn't supposed to be recruiting any new members into the club. Even worse, Tommy's erstwhile turkey-bowling pals are out to get him, at the urging of a blue-dyed Las Vegas call girl named (duh) Blue.
And that really sucks.
Love @ First Site by Jane Moore
My Rating: 10 *’s
Do you believe in love at first site?
Spunky, sweet-natured Jessica Monroe is thirty-four years old and perfectly happy being single. A producer at a top rated morning show with a coterie of fun friends and a busy nightlife, she isn't in any rush to meet a man. Her girlfriends, however, disapprove. And when they secretly place a personal ad on a hot singles Web site on her behalf, Jess is reluctantly hurtled into the topsy turvy world of online dating, where frogs masquerade as princes --- but your soul mate might be just one click away.
A laugh out loud whirlwind of disastrous dates ensues, from Simon, who seems dreamy over email but ditches her at the dinner table, leaving her with bill, to Graham, a self described "Ferrari driver" who turns out to be a car salesman --- with several (old, fat, bald, creepy, cheap, stuck-up) men in between. When an unforeseen event turns her world upside down, Jess starts to wonder if the qualities she thinks she wants in a man really are what she ultimately needs ... and whether, as a new mystery suitor appears in her email inbox, Cupid has other possibilities up his sleeve.
Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
My Rating: 9 *’s
Chicago Stars quarterback Dean Robillard is the luckiest man in the world. But life in the glory lane has started to pale, and Dean has set off on a cross country trip to figure out what's gone wrong. When he hits a lonely stretch of Colorado highway, he spies something that will shake up his gilded life in ways he can't imagine. A young woman...dressed in a beaver suit.
Blue Bailey is on a mission. As for the beaver suit she's wearing... Is it her fault that life keeps throwing her curve balls? Witness the expensive black sports car pulling up next to her on the highway and the Greek god stepping out of it.
They're soon heading for his summer home, where their already complicated lives and inconvenient attraction to each other will become entangled with a charismatic but aging rock star; a beautiful, fifty two year old woman trying to make peace with her rock and roll past; an eleven year old who desperately needs a family; and a bitter old woman who hates them all.
Natural Born Charmer...for anyone who's ever thought about leaving their old life in the dust and never looking back. Susan Elizabeth Phillips takes us home again...and shows us where love truly lives.
The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket
My Rating: 9 *’s
The Baudelaires need a safe place to stay – somewhere far away from terrible villains and local police. A quiet refuge where misfortune never visits. Might Heimlich Hospital be just the place?
In Lemony Snicket's eighth ghastly instalment in A Series of Unfortunate Events, I'm sorry to say that the Baudelaire Orphans will spend time in a hospital where they risk encountering a misleading newspaper headline, unnecessary surgery, an intercom system, anesthesia, heart–shaped balloons, and some very startling news about a fire.
Bras & Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski
My Rating: 9 *’s
Rachel can't believe it. Her younger sister, Miri, is a witch! How come Miri inherited the supernatural skills that could have turned Rachel into a teenage superstar?
Just as Rachel suspects, magical powers are wasted on the young. Miri refuses to use them for Rachel's benefit. And Rachel is desperate! Not only does she need to learn some serious dance moves, she's got to win her best friend back, stop her father's wedding, and snag a cute guy's heart.
Maybe Rachel will discover she's got magical powers of her own. Or maybe, just maybe, she can find a way to change Miri's mind....
Nearlyweds by Beth Kendrick
My Rating: 10 *’s
We're tying the knot! (There's just one little hitch...)
Everyone says the first year of marriage is the hardest...but what would you do if you found out that you were never really married in the first place?
In this irresistible romantic comedy from award winning author Beth Kendrick, three wildly different women form an unlikely friendship as they try to decide whether they'd do it all again.
They've had the white dresses and the fancy receptions. But now that the honeymoon's over, Stella, Casey, and Erin have each had to face some hard truths about the men they've married and the lives they've chosen. So when the news breaks that the pastor who presided over their weddings failed to file a few critical pieces of paper, none of these newlyweds are rushing down to the courthouse to legalize their vows. Instead, the brides share their hopes, disappointments, and secrets while grappling with that pivotal question: Should they stay or should they go?
The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale Of Christmas Terror by Christopher Moore
My Rating: 9 *’s
'Twas the night (okay, more like the week) before Christmas, and all through the tiny community of Pine Cove, California, people are busy buying, wrapping, packing, and generally getting into the holiday spirit.
But not everybody is feeling the joy. Little Joshua Barker is in desperate need of a holiday miracle. No, he's not on his deathbed; no, his dog hasn't run away from home. But Josh is sure that he saw Santa take a shovel to the head, and now the seven-year-old has only one prayer: Please, Santa, come back from the dead.
But hold on! There's an angel waiting in the wings. (Wings, get it?) It's none other than the Archangel Raziel come to Earth seeking a small child with a wish that needs granting. Unfortunately, our angel's not sporting the brightest halo in the bunch, and before you can say "Kris Kringle," he's botched his sacred mission and sent the residents of Pine Cove headlong into Christmas chaos, culminating in the most hilarious and horrifying holiday party the town has ever seen.
Move over, Charles Dickens -- it's Christopher Moore time.
Diary Of A Mad Bride by Laura Wolf
My Rating: 10 *’s
He asked for commitment. She'll end up committed....
MY WEDDING WAS STARTING IN LESS THAN TWENTY MINUTES,
and I was stuck in a 7-Eleven parking lot with popcorn kernels wedged in my gums and vanilla ice cream melting on my dress. It was a disaster too large to comprehend. After an agonizing year spent planning my wedding, could it really end like this? The voices chronicling a year of wedding hysteria swirled in my head....
---My grandmother upon viewing the engagement ring
"What do you mean he gave you an emerald! Diamonds are eternal, emeralds say, maybe five years."
---My future father-in-law on the night of my engagement party
"To a happy marriage and, if necessary, a painless divorce!"
---My best friend, Anita
"Oh, screw congratulations! Of course I'm happy for you. Stephen's a major piece of ass and he's got a sense of humor. Just as long as you're certain this is what you want."
Would I survive this day after all...
DIARY OF A MAD BRIDE is for anyone who has ever been a bride, is about to become a bride, yearned to be a bride, or suffered the sheer indignity of appearing in public in the world's ugliest bridesmaid dress....
The Manolo Matrix by Julie Kenner
My Rating: 10 *’s
Aspiring actress Jennifer Crane knows all about games --- the games girls play to get a guy; the games actresses play to land a part; and the good old game of credit card roulette. (How else is a girl supposed to afford her shoes?) But she never expected to be playing a game with life-or-death consequences. Unable to successfully score an acting gig, she has, instead, been cast in the role of reluctant bodyguard to a real-life assassin's target --- a dashing FBI agent of all people! --- and must embark with him upon a scavenger hunt across Manhattan in search of the ultimate prize: survival. Before this, Jenn's definition of fighting dirty has been elbowing her way to the front of the line at a Manolo sample sale. Now, if she wants to stay alive, she's going to have to learn a few new uses for her stilettos ... and they ain't pretty.
Fast, flirty, and full of great footwear, The Manolo Matrix is another electrifying adventure in this breakout series for fashionistas who love a perfectly appointed mystery.
Lethally Blond by Kate White
My Rating: 7 *’s
Whenever a celebrity hurls a phone, crashes a car, or murders a spouse, crime journalist Bailey Weggins is there to cover it for the gossip magazine Buzz. Now the much-hyped television show Morgue has begun shooting in Manhattan, and just as Bailey starts reminiscing about her fling with the show's gorgeous star, Chris Wickersham, he phones her. But Chris isn't calling to rekindle their flame. His friend Tom, who plays a small role on the show, has gone missing, and while nobody seems to be alarmed, Chris can't believe his friend would just take off before the show premieres.
Bailey starts to investigate Tom's disappearance as a favor to Chris, and she soon realizes there is more going on than meets the eye. Delving deeper into the glamorous yet crazy world of TV, she finds herself in the middle of a killer story --- literally --- and also in the line of fire. As the missing person case gets hotter, so does the action between the sheets for Bailey --- especially the moment her crush Beau Regan hits town again.
When mysterious phone calls turn ominous and it's clear she's being stalked, Bailey becomes determined to solve the case in less time than the length of a Hollywood marriage. Unless she unearths the truth, she could become the inspiration for Morgue's next episode.
Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong
My Rating: 9 *’s
Paige Winterbourne was always either too young or too rebellious to succeed her mother as leader of one of the world's most powerful elite organizations---the American Coven of Witches. Now that she is twenty-three and her mother is dead, the Elders can no longer deny her. But even Paige's wildest antics can't hold a candle to those of her new charge---an orphan who is all too willing to use her budding powers for evil...and evil is all too willing to claim her. For this girl is being pursued by a dark faction of the supernatural underworld. They are a vicious group who will do anything to woo the young, malleable, and extremely powerful neophyte, including commit murder---and frame Paige for the crime. It's an invitation into adulthood, womanhood, and the brutal side of magic that Paige will have to do everything within her power to make sure they both survive.
Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me? By Jen Lancaster
My Rating: 10 *’s
Jen Lancaster hates to burst your happy little bubble, but life in the big city isn't all it's cracked up to be. Contrary to what you see on TV and in the movies, most urbanites aren't party-hopping in slinky dresses and strappy stilettos. But lucky for us, Lancaster knows how to make the life of the lower crust mercilessly funny and infinitely entertaining.
Whether she's reporting rude neighbors to Homeland Security, harboring a crush on her grocery store clerk, or fighting-and losing-the Battle of the Stairmaster- Lancaster explores how silly, strange, and not-so-fabulous real city living can be. And if anyone doesn't like it, they can kiss her big, fat, pink, puffy down parka.
Scot On The Rocks by Brenda Janowitz
My Rating: 9 *’s
HOW I SURVIVED MY EX-BOYFRIEND'S WEDDING WITH MY DIGNITY EVER-SO-SLIGHTLY INTACT...
Attending your ex-boyfriend's wedding should be against the law.
When her ex-boyfriend, Trip, gets engaged to Hollywood's latest It Girl, Manhattan attorney Brooke Miller plans to attend the wedding. Who says a modern girl can't stay friends with her ex? Besides, Brooke's got her sexy Scottish fiancé, Douglas, to take her as her date. Okay, so maybe he's not exactly her fiancé, but they're living together in his apartment, so she'll be getting the ring any minute, right? Wrong.
After a fight leaves her without a boyfriend (much less a fiancé) just days before the wedding, Brooke faces the ultimate humiliation of attending her ex-boyfriend's nuptials alone. Desperate to find a replacement to fill Douglas's kilt, Brooke concocts an outrageous plan to survive the wedding and win the man of her dreams, all with her dignity ever-so-slightly intact.
All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
My Rating: 9 *’s
Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has her hands full dealing with every sort of undead and paranormal creature imaginable. And after being betrayed by her longtime vampire love, Sookie must not only deal with a new man in her life-the shapeshifter Quinn-but also contend with the long-planned vampire summit.
The summit is a tense situation. The vampire queen of Louisiana is in a precarious position, her power base weakened by hurricane damage to New Orleans. And there are some vamps who would like to finish what nature started. Soon, Sookie must decide what side she'll stand with. And her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
My Rating: 10 *’s
Readers beware. The brilliant, breathtaking conclusion to J.K. Rowling's spellbinding series is not for the faint of heart--such revelations, battles, and betrayals await in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that no fan will make it to the end unscathed. Luckily, Rowling has prepped loyal readers for the end of her series by doling out increasingly dark and dangerous tales of magic and mystery, shot through with lessons about honor and contempt, love and loss, and right and wrong. Fear not, you will find no spoilers in our review--to tell the plot would ruin the journey, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is an odyssey the likes of which Rowling's fans have not yet seen, and are not likely to forget. But we would be remiss if we did not offer one small suggestion before you embark on your final adventure with Harry--bring plenty of tissues.
The heart of Book 7 is a hero's mission--not just in Harry's quest for the Horcruxes, but in his journey from boy to man--and Harry faces more danger than that found in all six books combined, from the direct threat of the Death Eaters and you-know-who, to the subtle perils of losing faith in himself. Attentive readers would do well to remember Dumbledore's warning about making the choice between "what is right and what is easy," and know that Rowling applies the same difficult principle to the conclusion of her series. While fans will find the answers to hotly speculated questions about Dumbledore, Snape, and you-know-who, it is a testament to Rowling's skill as a storyteller that even the most astute and careful reader will be taken by surprise.
A spectacular finish to a phenomenal series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a bittersweet read for fans. The journey is hard, filled with events both tragic and triumphant, the battlefield littered with the bodies of the dearest and despised, but the final chapter is as brilliant and blinding as a phoenix's flame, and fans and skeptics alike will emerge from the confines of the story with full but heavy hearts, giddy and grateful for the experience.
Behaving Like Adults by Anna Maxted
My Rating: 8 *’s
"Modern women don't believe in love. Believing in love carries roughly the same stigma as halitosis. It's as old-fashioned as going on a diet (as opposed to a detox).... I know all that and yet I do."
BEHAVING LIKE ADULTS introduces us to twenty-nine-year-old Holly, the sunny, optimistic owner of Girl Meets Boy, a dating service for those who are "beautiful inside and out." She's ambitious -- and successful -- with her matchmaking, but she hasn't quite fulfilled her own relationship dreams (her ex-fiancé, Nick, seems unlikely to progress from his job as Mr. Elephant, children's party entertainer). So when her friends dare her to pick a man off the top of the pile, she's game.
But in one awful evening the perfect-on-paper Stuart turns out to be a thorough cad, and Holly's belief in the goodness of humanity takes a hit. How can she make good matches when she can no longer trust her ability to read people? What does this mean for her business -- and her romantic future? Holly's friends and colleagues are drawn into the complicated drama of her life, while Holly learns her most important lesson: to trust herself.
Step On A Crack by James Patterson
My Rating: 9 *’s
First came Alex Cross. Then the Women's Murder Club. Now meet Detective Michael Bennett, NYPD --- and his ten children.
Detective Michael Bennett is about to take on the most sinister challenge of his career. The nation has fallen into mourning after the unexpected death of a beloved former first lady, and the most powerful people in the world gather in New York for her funeral. Then the inconceivable occurs. Billionaires, politicians, and superstars of every kind are suddenly trapped within one man's brilliant and cold-blooded scenario.
Bennett --- father of ten --- is pulled into the fray. As the danger escalates, Michael is hit with devastating news: After fighting for many years, his wife has succumbed to a terrible disease. As New York descends into chaos, he has lost the great love of his life and faces raising his heartbroken children alone --- and rescuing thirty-four hostages.
Day after day, Bennett confronts the most ruthless man he has ever dealt with, a man who kills without hesitation and counters everything the NYPD and FBI throw at him with impunity. As the entire world watches and the tension builds to a searing heat, Bennett has to find a way out --- or face responsibility for the greatest debacle in history.
I Heard That Song Before by Mary Higgins Clark
My Rating: 8 *’s
At the center of her novel is Kay Lansing, who has grown up in Englewood, New Jersey, daughter of the landscaper to the wealthy and powerful Carrington family. Their mansion -- a historic seventeenth-century manor house transported stone by stone from Wales in 1848 -- has a hidden chapel. One day, accompanying her father to work, six-year-old Kay succumbs to curiosity and sneaks into the chapel. There, she overhears a quarrel between a man and a woman who is demanding money from him. When she says that this will be the last time, his caustic response is: "I heard that song before."
That same evening, the Carringtons hold a formal dinner dance after which Peter Carrington, a student at Princeton, drives home Susan Althorp, the eighteen-year-old daughter of neighbors. While her parents hear her come in, she is not in her room the next morning and is never seen or heard from again.
Throughout the years, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Peter Carrington. At age forty-two, head of the family business empire, he is still "a person of interest" in the eyes of the police, not only for Susan Althorp's disappearance but also for the subsequent drowning death of his own pregnant wife in their swimming pool.
Kay Lansing, now living in New York and working as a librarian in Englewood, goes to see Peter Carrington to ask for permission to hold a cocktail party on his estate to benefit a literacy program, which he later grants. Kay comes to see Peter as maligned and misunderstood, and when he begins to court her after the cocktail party, she falls in love with him. Over the objections of her beloved grandmother Margaret O'Neil, who raised her after her parents' early deaths, she marries him. To her dismay, she soon finds that he is a sleepwalker whose nocturnal wanderings draw him to the spot at the pool where his wife met her end.
Susan Althorp's mother, Gladys, has always been convinced that Peter Carrington is responsible for her daughter's disappearance, a belief shared by many in the community. Disregarding her husband's protests about reopening the case, Gladys, now terminally ill, has hired a retired New York City detective to try to find out what happened to her daughter. Gladys wants to know before she dies.
Kay, too, has developed gnawing doubts about her husband. She believes that the key to the truth about his guilt or innocence lies in the scene she witnessed as a child in the chapel and knows she must learn the identity of the man and woman who quarreled there that day. Yet, she plunges into this pursuit realizing that "that knowledge may not be enough to save my husband's life, if indeed it deserves to be saved." What Kay does not even remotely suspect is that uncovering what lies behind these memories may cost her her own life.
The 6th Target by James Patterson
My Rating: 10 *’s
When a horrifying attack leaves one of the four members of the Women's Murder Club struggling for her life, the others fight to keep a madman behind bars before anyone else is hurt. And Lindsay Boxer and her new partner in the San Francisco police department run flat-out to stop a series of kidnappings that has electrified the city: children are being plucked off the streets together with their nannies-- but the kidnappers aren't demanding ransom. Amid uncertainty and rising panic, Lindsay juggles the possibility of a new love with an unsolvable investigation, and the knowledge that one member of the club could be on the brink of death. And just when everything appears momentarily under control, the case takes a terrifying turn, putting an entire city in lethal danger. Lindsay must make a choice she never dreamed she'd face--with no certainty that either outcome has more than a prayer of success.
Obsession by Karen Robards
My Rating: 7 *’s
A woman survives a horrific attempt on her life, only to feel like a stranger in her own home, in the electrifying new novel from New York Times-bestselling author Karen Robards.
The house is all wrong. Her clothes are all wrong. When Katharine Lawrence recovers consciousness on the kitchen floor, staggers to her feet and looks at herself in the mirror, the beautiful face staring back at her is familiar-but wrong. Despite all the evidence-her pictures are all over the apartment, the clothes in the closets are the right size, and it's her hair caught in the brush atop the dresser-everything feels wrong.
Maybe the trauma of the attempt on her life has given her some kind of amnesia. She's twenty-nine, the special assistant to the head of the National Security Agency, and she's lucky to be alive. She also knows she can trust no one.
Before she can act on her instincts and run for her life, CIA Agent Nick Huston arrives on the scene. The CIA is conducting a special investigation of Katharine's boss, and the mystified woman in her "unreal" house is the key to the operation. But the real Katharine Lawrence has been whisked away for debriefing, and this expendable lookalike, Jenna Hill, is being used until the CIA gets the information it needs. But no one counted on Jenna Hill's outrage at being used. And no one-least of all Nick-could have anticipated the heat that flares between them as the game plays on.
The Turning by Jennifer Armintrout
My Rating: 8 *’s
I'm no coward. I want to make that perfectly clear. But after my life turned into a horror movie, I take fear a lot more seriously now. I finally became Dr. Carrie Ames just eight months ago. Then I was attacked in the hospital morgue by a vampire. Just my luck.
So now I'm a vampire, and it turns out I have a blood tie to the monster who sired me. The tie works like an invisible leash and I'm bound to him no matter what I do. And of course he's one of the most evil vampires on earth. With my sire hell-bent on turning me into a soulless killer and his sworn enemy set to exterminate me, things couldn't get much worse -- except I'm attracted to them both.
Drinking blood, living as an immortal demon and being a pawn between two warring vampire factions isn't exactly how I'd imagined my future. But as my father used to say, the only way to conquer fear is to face it. So that's what I'll do. Fangs bared.
