Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night, by Kresley Cole

Format: Paperback, 359 pages

Published: First published October 30, 2007

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Back cover blurb: Her breathless kiss haunts him… Bowen MacRieve of the Lykae clan was nearly destroyed when he lost the one woman meant for him. The ruthless warrior grew even colder, never taking another to his bed — until a smoldering encounter with his enemy, Mariketa the Awaited, reawakens his darkest desires. When sinister forces unite against her, the Highlander finds himself using all his strength and skill to keep her alive.

His slow, hot touch is irresistible…

Temporarily stripped of her powers, Mari is forced to take refuge with her sworn adversary. It’s rumored that no one can tempt Bowen’s hardened heart, but soon passion burns between them. Though a future together is impossible, she fears he has no intention of letting her go.

No deed is too wicked for her seduction…

If they defeat the evil that surrounds them, can Mari deny Bowen when he demands her body and soul — or will she risk everything for her fierce protector?

My review: Oh, Bowen! What a scrumptious beast you are! You may be my new favourite IAD man… it’s a tough choice between you and Bastian. This story had me frustrated and then hot, and frustrated some more, and then surprised – the whole gamut of emotions, which is great in a book. I couldn’t put it down, and that ending was quite a finale. Mariketa was another kickass heroine I loved, and I also enjoyed the introduction of the new demon characters who I see will get their own stories later in the series.

I’ve said before I love the new covers, but here is my only gripe: the dude on this one doesn’t look anything like a Lykae. In fact, the guy on the previous book did, so maybe they got them mixed up and this is meant to be Bastian? He looks more vamp than were to me. Not a big problem, though. This is still a winner.

My rating: 5/5

A Political Affair, by Mary Whitney

 

Format: ebook, 284 pages

Published: October 18, 2012

Publisher: The Writer’s Coffee House Publishing House

Back cover blurb: Stephen McEvoy never expected to fill his father’s U.S. Senate seat at such a young age—or to fight to keep it. When clever Anne Norwood interns in his office, Stephen dismisses her as another pretty face—until her independent streak catches his attention. They’re both too smart to fall for one another, yet they do. During a tough election, their relationship is an impossible political gamble. Campaigns—like love—are either won or lost.

My review: I have a soft spot for political love stories, so I was really excited to read this. Yes, it’s the old story of a politician falling for his intern, but the way Mary Whitney has told the tale means it comes across as far from cliched.

Stephen McEvoy, heir to his family’s political dynasty, has been a player in the past, but when Anne Norwood becomes an intern in his office he fights his attraction to her, not in the least because her family comes from the opposite side of the political spectrum to him. Once they can no longer deny their feelings, their relationship must be “managed”, and that’s where the excellent secondary characters come in. I loved Stephen and Anne, but his family and old friends were lots of fun, and the rival politicians were suitably villainous. The behaviour of Helen, in particular, made me wonder what really goes on up on Capitol Hill!

This is a great read, which I would highly recommend. I must also say it is a beautiful cover. I’m looking forward to more from Ms. Whitney

My rating: 5/5

The Lincoln Lawyer, by Michael Connelly

 

Format: Paperback, 404 pages

Published: 2005

Publisher: Orion

Back cover blurb: Criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller’s father was a legendary lawyer whose clients included gangster Mickey Cohen. But Dad also passed on an important piece of advice that’s especially relevant when Mickey takes the case of a wealthy Los Angeles realtor accused of attempted murder: “The scariest client a lawyer will ever have is an innocent client. Because if you [screw] up and he goes to prison, it’ll scar you for life.”

Louis Roulet, Mickey’s “franchise client” (so-called becaue he’s able and willing to pay whatever his defense costs) seems to be the one his father warned him against, as well as being a few rungs higher on the socio-economic ladder than the drug dealers, homeboys, and motorcycle thugs who comprise Mickey’s regular case load. But as the holes in Roulet’s story tear Mickey’s theory of the case to shreds, his thoughts turn more to Jesus Menendez, a former client convicted of a similar crime who’s now languishing in San Quentin. Connelly tellingly delineates the code of legal ethics Mickey lives by: “It didn’t matter…whether the defendant ‘did it’ or not. What mattered was the evidence against him–the proof–and if and how it could be neutralized. My job was to bury the proof, to color the proof a shade of gray. Gray was the color of reasonable doubt.” But by the time his client goes to trial, Mickey’s feeling a few very reasonable doubts of his own.

My review: My sister gave me this ages ago but I have no idea why I haven’t read it before now. It gets off to a slow start, but has plenty of twists and turns, and I was pleasantly surprised several times at the author’s ingenuity. The crooks are decidedly unpleasant and Mick walks a fine line between being dodgy and noble, but in the end you can’t help cheering for him. I loved the ex-wives, too, and was glad to see he had a nice relationship with his daughter. I can see why it was made into a movie, but it went straight to video here so I haven’t seen it. Might have to check out some more of Connelly’s work now.

My rating: 4/5

MORE, by T.M. Franklin

Format: e-book

Published: October 4, 2012

Publisher: The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House

Back cover blurb:

Ava Michaels used to think she was special.

As a child, she fantasized about having magical powers . . . making things happen. But Ava grew up and eventually accepted the fact that her childish dreams were just that, and maybe a normal life wasn’t so bad after all.

Now a young college student, Ava meets Caleb Foster, a brilliant and mysterious man who’s supposed to help her pass Physics, but in reality has another mission in mind. What he shows Ava challenges her view of the world, shaking it to its very core.

Because Caleb isn’t quite what he seems. In fact, he’s not entirely human, and he’s not the only one.

Together, the duo faces a threat from an ancient race bound to protect humans, but only after protecting their own secrets—secrets they fear Ava may expose. Fighting to survive, Ava soon learns she’s not actually normal . . . she’s not even just special.

She’s a little bit more.

My review:

This book is FANTASTIC!!!!! The characters are amazing, the story is thrilling and twists in all the right places, and the budding romance is just perfect! It isn’t often I love a female character from start to finish, but I did with Ava. The bit where she lies in bed wondering what he’s doing… I die! Seriously, I cannot wait to read the rest of this series. A stunning debut novel, and I love the cover!

My rating: 5/5

Eternal Kiss of Darkness, by Jeaniene Frost

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 361 pages

Published: July 27, 2010

Publisher: Avon Books

Back cover blurb:

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 review:

This was sitting by my bed for about a year and I was reluctant to start it for two reasons: I wasn’t sure I was all that interested in Mencheres, and the cover is so awful I felt embarrassed to pick it up. However, I can now admit my doubts were unwarranted. Mencheres is lovely, and once started, I couldn’t put his story down.

Kira was a great heroine – I don’t usually like the heroines in PNRs – and it was fabulous to see how strong she was all the way through, with no contrived angsty subplots. Finding out about Mencheres makes me want to reread Cat and Bones so I can fill in the blanks about him. This also has the bonus of Vlad, and I’ll be moving on to his story soon. I loved it, but I’m still taking a cupcake off for the cringeworthy cover – ugh.

My rating: 4/5

Necropolis, by Michael Dempsey

Format: ebook

Published: October 1, 2011

Publisher: Night Shade Books

Back cover blurb:

In a future where death is a thing of the past, how far would you go to solve your own murder?

Paul Donner is a NYPD detective struggling with a drinking problem and a marriage on the rocks. Then he and his wife get dead–shot to death in a “random” crime. Fifty years later, Donner is back–revived courtesy of the Shift, a process whereby inanimate DNA is re-activated.

This new “reborn” underclass is not only alive again, they’re growing younger, destined for a second childhood. The freakish side-effect of a retroviral attack on New York, the Shift has turned the world upside down. Beneath the protective geodesic Blister, clocks run backwards, technology is hidden behind a noir facade, and you can see Elvis at Radio City Music Hall ever night. In this unfamiliar retro-futurist world of maglev Studebakers and plasma tommy guns, Donner must search for those responsible for the destruction of his life. His quest for retribution, aided by Maggie, his holographic Girl Friday, leads him to the heart of the mystery surrounding the Shift’s origin and up against those who would use it to control a terrified nation.

My review:

I haven’t read much sci-fi for a while, so this was a refreshing change. The first half was great – innovative, written in the hard-boiled Chandler style and full of concepts that seemed totally conceivable for forty years in the future. I liked Donner and Maggie, and the villains were perfectly evil.

However, in the second half of the book I felt things dragged a bit, and found it easy to predict what was about to happen. I knew quite early on what one of the big gotchas would be, and that soured things for me a bit. This book was best when the sudden violence and twists were out of the blue.

My rating: 3.5/5

Need, by Sherri Hayes

Format: ebook

Published: July 26, 2012

Publisher: The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House

Back cover blurb:

As Brianna comes to terms with the realization that she is no longer a slave, she must figure out what she wants for her life. Forgetting her past isn’t an option. It is an integral part of who she is now, and it will forever shape her view of life. The one thing she knows is that she cannot imagine her life without the man who saved her, but can she be what he needs?

Stephan never imagined falling in love with the woman he rescued, but the thought of her no longer being part of his life is physically painful. The scars from her past continue to haunt her, and he is helpless to stop them. All he can do is try to help her work through the traumas of her past. Can he be everything she needs and help her move on?

The two must figure out how to navigate not only their relationship with each other, but also the outside world. A friend from Brianna’s past shows up where she least expects them, and Uncle Richard continues to enforce his well-meaning agenda to get Brianna more traditional help. As forces, both friend and foe, threaten to tear them apart, Stephan and Brianna have to navigate the turbulent waters and find what they need in each other.

My review:

Excellent sequel to Slave, in which Brianna and Stephan continue to develop their relationship slowly as she recovers from her time as a sex slave. This book has more intimate scenes than the first, as Brianna gradually becomes more comfortable with Stephan’s advances, but I think I enjoyed the intrigue even more. The mystery surrounding Brianna’s past deepens and becomes less clear-cut, and I began to suspect many other characters may have had a part in her abduction. The ending is a perfect cliffhanger, setting up the third installment due next year.

My rating: 5/5

The Duchess of Love, by Sally MacKenzie

Format: Kindle Edition, 106 pages

Published: April 24, 2012

Publisher: Zebra

Back cover blurb:

A Duke In Disguise…

The day was as hot as the pond was inviting. It’s not as if anyone in Little Huffington was going to happen upon a secluded vale on the Duke of Greycliffe’s lands. And Venus Collingswood didn’t want to get her shift all wet. It was the perfect setting in which to plan her lovely bookworm of a sister’s betrothal to the mysterious new duke arriving seven days hence. If only she had a suitable accomplice…

Andrew Valentine, Duke of Greycliffe, never thought arriving at his own household a week early would cause so much trouble. The housekeeper thinks he’s his own cousin. Actually, the chance to not be the duke for a while is a pleasant opportunity indeed. It might even help him interrogate the delectable little nymph he’s discovered swimming in his pond—if he can manage to get a word in edgewise…

My review:

It is quite clear MacKenzie is a fan of Colin Firth diving in the pond at Pemberley… so it’s a good thing I am as well As I read this novella, I could just picture all the events of the story happening on the set of Pride and Prej – in fact, the beginning few lines had me expecting someone to cry “Netherfield Park is let at last!”.

P&P aside, I enjoyed the story, although things progressed incredibly quickly for them to be credible, particularly for the period. The cover is pretty, too, but isn’t how I imagined Venus would look. This is the prequel to a series about Venus and Drew’s sons, and I’d quite like to know what becomes of Aphrodite and Nicholas, so I may have to continue with this series.

My rating: 4/5

Definitely Dead, by Charlaine Harris

• Format: Paperback 336 pages
• Published: 09 July 2009
• Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

Back cover blurb:

Sookie doesn’t have that many relations, so she hated to lose one – but of all the people to go, she didn’t expect it to be her cousin Hadley, a consort of New Orleans’ vampire queen – after all, Hadley was technically already dead. But she is gone, beyond recall, and she’s left Sookie an inheritance – one that comes with a bit of a risk – not least because someone doesn’t want Sookie digging too deep into Hadley’s past – or her possessions. Sookie’s life is once again on the line, and this time the suspects range from the rogue werewolves who have rejected Sookie as a friend of the pack to her first love, the vampire Bill. Sookie’s got a lot to do if she’s going to keep herself alive …

My review:

This took me FOREVER to finish, so I guess that is telling. A lot of this was ho-hum, the best part being Quinn the were-tiger, who seems to be a bit too good to be true. I guess I’ll keep reading, but the more I do the more I realise the TV series has veered so very far from the original storyline. Upshot: not enough hot vamps, too many weres.

My rating: 3/5

Virgin Daiquiri, by Moira Rogers

Format: ebook, 37 pages

Published: December 12, 2008

Publisher: Changeling Press

Back cover blurb:

Caitlin Carlson, the only non-witch in the powerful Dumitrescu line, needs to lose her virginity, and fast. A family legend about a pure soul with prophetic visions has put her first in line for a good, old-fashioned sacrifice, and visiting Last Call seems like the perfect way to head off her one-way trip to the altar. Buy a drink, go upstairs, have sex. Simple. Virgin Daiquiri: Looking for a first lover. Being a demon isn’t as easy as it used to be, especially with the dwindling number of corruptible souls in the 21st century. Luckily for Leofric, he’s never been particularly concerned with corrupting enough innocents to earn a promotion off of the mortal plane. But when a virgin wanders into Last Call and stirs up competition among the younger demons, Leo finds himself tempted to rethink his stance on mixing a demon’s business with a woman’s pleasure.

 

My review:

Oh, yes! This is why I started reading this series. I may even like this one more than the first book… it’s just perfect. Hawt, tender, sassy and with sufficient backstory that I feel I know these two, even in the short time we’re given with them. Leo might have to join my (rather long) fictional boyfriend list

My rating: 5/5