Book Review: The President's Vampire by Christopher Farnsworth

The President's Vampire
Author: Christopher Farnsworth
Series: Nathaniel Cade (Book 2)
Publication: Putnam Adult (April 28, 2011)

Description: The ultimate secret. The ultimate agent. Nathaniel Cade returns. 

For 140 years, Nathaniel Cade has been the President's Vampire, sworn to protect and serve his country. Cade's existence is the most closely guarded of White House secrets: a superhuman covert agent who is the last line of defense against nightmare scenarios that ordinary citizens only dream of.

When a new outbreak of an ancient evil-one that he has seen before- comes to light, Cade and his human handler, Zach Barrows, must track down its source. To "protect and serve" often means settling old scores and confronting new betrayals . . . as only a centuries-old predator can.

My Thoughts: A political thriller meets a paranormal story in THE PRESIDENT'S VAMPIRE. Nathaniel Cade has been sworn to protect the country as the President's vampire for 140 years. He is the most secret of secret agents. His handler is Zach Barrows who had a very promising political future and job in the West Wing before he was drafted into service with Cade.

In this episode, the second in the series, Cade and Zach are tracking down a conspiracy which intends to turn humans into lizard people and bring about a new world order. I liked that flashbacks to earlier in Cade's history. I liked the relationship between Cade and Zach which lets each of them play on their strengths.

The story was fast-paced, exciting and bloody. Fans of thrillers and the paranormal will enjoy this story.

Favorite Quote:

It had all the hallmarks of a good compromise: it didn't look like it was going to make anyone happy.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The President's Vampire by Christopher Farnsworth

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

This week I am spotlighting The President's Vampire by Christopher Farnsworth. This book has been on my TBR mountain since Sept. 9, 2011. I probably bought it right after I finished Blood Oath but it got set aside until now.
Here is the description:

The ultimate secret. The ultimate agent. Nathaniel Cade returns. 

For 140 years, Nathaniel Cade has been the President's Vampire, sworn to protect and serve his country. Cade's existence is the most closely guarded of White House secrets: a superhuman covert agent who is the last line of defense against nightmare scenarios that ordinary citizens only dream of.

When a new outbreak of an ancient evil-one that he has seen before- comes to light, Cade and his human handler, Zach Barrows, must track down its source. To "protect and serve" often means settling old scores and confronting new betrayals . . . as only a centuries-old predator can.

Beginning:

NOVEMBER 29, 2001, NEAR PARACHINAR, PAKISTAN

Nathaniel Cade watched the men from his hidden perch as they walked up the narrow mountain path.

Friday 56:

Graves—whatever his real name was—had been part of every major covert operation the CIA pulled in the past four decades. His résumé read like the Agency's greatest hits.

Book Review: Eight Million Gods by Wen Spencer

Eight Million Gods
Author: Wen Spencer
Publication: Baen (June 4, 2013)

Description: First entry in a new urban fantasy saga by the creator of the popular Tinker contemporary fantasy/SF series. A young American expat writer in Japan suffering from OCD tries to figure out if she’s crazy or not while solving a murder that may be part of a war among Japanese deities.

A contemporary fantasy of mystery and death as American expats battle Japanese gods and monsters to retrieve an ancient artifact that can destroy the world.

On Saturday afternoon, Nikki Delany thought, "George Wilson, in the kitchen, with a blender." By dinner, she had killed George and posted his gory murder to her blog. The next day, she put on her mourning clothes and went out to meet her best friend for lunch to discuss finding a replacement for her love interest.

Nikki is a horror novelist.  Her choice of career is dictated by an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that forces her to write stories of death and destruction.  She can't control it, doesn't understand it, but can use it to make money anywhere in the world. Currently "anywhere" is in Japan, hiding from her mother who sees Nikki's OCD as proof she's mentally unstable.  Nikki's fragile peace starts to fall apart when the police arrest her for the murder of an American expatriate. Someone killed him with a blender.

Reality starts to unravel around Nikki.  She's attacked by a raccoon in a business suit.  After a series of blackouts, she’s accompanied by a boy that no one else can see, a boy who claims to be a god.  Is she really being pursued by Japanese myths—or is she simply going insane?

What Nikki does know for sure is that the bodies are piling up, her mother has arrived in Japan to lock her up for the rest of her life—and her novels always end with everyone dead.

My Thoughts: Nikki Delany is on the run from her mother. She is currently in Japan. Nikki has OCD and a condition that forces her to write. Her mother has had her committed to mental institutions, medicated and under the care of a huge number of psychiatrists who all try to convince her that she is insane. Nikki's mother is a rich, powerful senator. The only way to keep from being institutionalized again is to run.

Nikki uses her compulsion to write in order to write horror novels. When she is telling her friend Miriam about a scene that she has recently written and shared to her blog, she is overheard by a police officer. The Japanese police arrest her because someone seems to be recreating Nikki's fictional murders in the real world.

It is at this point that the story takes a turn to the paranormal. Her writing leads her to a katana that holds a kami, a Japanese nature spirit, who takes control of her body and moves her around. She is attacked by a tanuki impersonating one of the police officers who interviewed her. She writes about and then meets a shapeshifter that she first calls Scary Cat Dude.

The Scary Cat Dude, actually named Leo, is searching for his adoptive father and finds Nikki because she wrote about him and hopes she can write more and find out where he is. Nikki learns that she writes the truth which is horrifying to her because everyone she writes about dies in gruesome ways. Now she has written herself and her friends into the story and has to find a way to change the ending.

I really enjoyed the writing and the details about Japanese mythology. I loved Nikki who wasn't at all sure, at first, that she wasn't going insane. I loved her courage and her determination to have a life free from her mother's control.

Fans of urban fantasy, anime and Japanese culture are the ideal audience for this one.

Favorite Quote:

Nikki's stomach was full of cold snakes. Getting into a car with a practical stranger was a huge personal "no no" for her. Only someone who was stupid as well as crazy would do it. Horrible things were done to them and their bodies were hidden away where they would never be found. She know almost nothing about Leo except that he knew what it was like to snap a person's neck with his bare hands. It wasn't a particularly reassuring factoid. 

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Eight Million Gods by Wen Spencer

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

This week I am spotlighting Eight Million Gods by Wen Spencer. this is the first book in a new urban fantasy series by an author I enjoy. It has been sitting on my TBR mountain since June 8, 2013. Here is the description:

First entry in a new urban fantasy saga by the creator of the popular Tinker contemporary fantasy/SF series. A young American expat writer in Japan suffering from OCD tries to figure out if she’s crazy or not while solving a murder that may be part of a war among Japanese deities.

A contemporary fantasy of mystery and death as American expats battle Japanese gods and monsters to retrieve an ancient artifact that can destroy the world.

On Saturday afternoon, Nikki Delany thought, "George Wilson, in the kitchen, with a blender." By dinner, she had killed George and posted his gory murder to her blog. The next day, she put on her mourning clothes and went out to meet her best friend for lunch to discuss finding a replacement for her love interest.

Nikki is a horror novelist.  Her choice of career is dictated by an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that forces her to write stories of death and destruction.  She can't control it, doesn't understand it, but can use it to make money anywhere in the world. Currently "anywhere" is in Japan, hiding from her mother who sees Nikki's OCD as proof she's mentally unstable.  Nikki's fragile peace starts to fall apart when the police arrest her for the murder of an American expatriate. Someone killed him with a blender.

Reality starts to unravel around Nikki.  She's attacked by a raccoon in a business suit.  After a series of blackouts, she’s accompanied by a boy that no one else can see, a boy who claims to be a god.  Is she really being pursued by Japanese myths—or is she simply going insane?

What Nikki does know for sure is that the bodies are piling up, her mother has arrived in Japan to lock her up for the rest of her life—and her novels always end with everyone dead.

Beginning:

"Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is escape your powerful, control-freak mother," Nikki whispered to the mirror hung on the back of the apartment's door.

Friday 56:

Nikki lifted out the bag, undid the ties, and shifted the fabric aside to look closer at the sword inside. Gold swallowtail wings gleamed on a violet field.

Book Review: Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay

Books Can Be Deceiving
Author: Jenn McKinlay
Series: A Library Lover's Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Berkley; 2nd Print edition (July 5, 2011)

Description: Lindsey is getting into her groove as the director of the Briar Creek Public Library when a New York editor visits town, creating quite a buzz. Lindsey's friend Beth wants to sell the editor her children's book, but Beth's boyfriend, a famous author, gets in the way. When they go to confront him, he's found murdered-and Beth is the prime suspect. Lindsey has to act fast before they throw the book at the wrong person.

My Thoughts: BOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING was an entertaining cozy mystery. Lindsay is new at the Briar Creek Public Library. She came there after losing her job in an academic library and shedding her cheating fiance.

Her best friend Beth is the children's librarian. Beth is also an aspiring author who is dating a famous children's author. When Beth shows her portfolio to a visiting editor, she is surprised to be called a plagiarist because her boyfriend Rick is set to publish an extremely similar book. When Beth visits the now ex-boyfriend with Lindsay and a local ship's captain, she finds that he has been brutally murdered. The local police chief is convinced that Beth is the murder.Since Lindsay refuses to believe that Beth murdered her plagiarizing ex, she begins her own investigation and discovers interesting and disturbing things about Rick.

I liked Lindsay's new group of friends at the library. The book had some laugh out loud moments when describing Lindsay's attempts to learn the various crafts that were done as a part of the crafting book club. I liked the references to other books and authors. I liked that Lindsay knew the favorite authors of many of her patrons. I liked that Lindsay was beginning to feel at home in Briar Creek.

Fans of cozies and libraries will enjoy this entertaining story. Interesting additions to the book include a discussion guide to one of books the book group discusses, a knitting pattern for the hat Lindsay makes, and a recipe for hot chocolate which was served to Lindsay by the boat captain Sully after a harrowing experience.

Favorite Quote:

"Nothing," Violet said. "But...um...what are you knitting it for?"

"My dad."

"Oh, so he is real," Nancy said. there was a twinkle in her blue eyes that should have warned Lindsey, but she missed it.

"Of course my father's real," she said.

"Wow, so how does it feel to be a descendant of Bigfoot?" Beth asked. She muffled her laughter with her knitting.

"What?" Lindsey asked and then looked at the sock on her two circular needles and frowned. "Oh, you. It's not that big."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Hammered by Kevin Hearne

Hammered
Author: Kevin Hearne
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles (Book 3)
Publication: Del Rey (July 5, 2011)

Description: Thor, the Norse god of thunder, is worse than a blowhard and a bully—he’s ruined countless lives and killed scores of innocents. After centuries, Viking vampire Leif Helgarson is ready to get his vengeance, and he’s asked his friend Atticus O’Sullivan, the last of the Druids, to help take down this Norse nightmare.

One survival strategy has worked for Atticus for more than two thousand years: stay away from the guy with the lightning bolts. But things are heating up in Atticus’s home base of Tempe, Arizona. There’s a vampire turf war brewing, and Russian demon hunters who call themselves the Hammers of God are running rampant. Despite multiple warnings and portents of dire consequences, Atticus and Leif journey to the Norse plain of Asgard, where they team up with a werewolf, a sorcerer, and an army of frost giants for an epic showdown against vicious Valkyries, angry gods, and the hammer-wielding Thunder Thug himself.

My Thoughts: HAMMERED was another excellent addition to the Iron Druid Chronicles. In this episode, Atticus needs to keep his promise to Leif and get him to Asgard where he can finally take his revenge on Thor. Now, Atticus has gotten all sorts of good advice from both Jesus and the Morrigan who tell him that this is a major bad  idea. But Atticus has given his word.

Along with Leif and the werewolf alpha Gunnar are three other supernatural beings who also have a need for revenge against Thor. They include an Asian named Zhang Guo Lao, a Finnish semi-forgotten god named Vainamoinen, and a Russian thunder god named Perun. In a somewhat Canterbury Tales mode, we hear each of their stories about their reasons for wanting Thor dead.

I am always amazed and informed about various world mythologies when I read this series. The juxtaposition of characters out of legend with current culture makes these stories amazing. This is probably the first time I have ever gotten an ear worm from reading though. Atticus walks in on two frost giants making love and quickly needs something to erase the image from his mind. He chooses to focus on It's a Small World After All which he says is one of the most annoying songs ever. I agree!

This is also a story that begins lots of changes for Atticus. He will have to run and hide to avoid the ire of the rest of the gods. He spends time saying goodbye to his life in Tempe. He is leaving with not much more than his apprentice and his dog. His leave-taking brings up one of the downsides of a really, really long life. People you love don't live forever and every loss brings pain.

This is an excellent series for fans of urban fantasy. It just keeps getting better and better. I can't wait to read more.

Favorite Quote:

It used to be so easy for me to run, to care about nothing but myself and the earth underneath my feet. That had been my modus operandi ever since Tahirah died; I never stayed anywhere long enough to be bound by commitments, never entangled myself with the lives of others, and told myself it was all about avoiding Aenghus Og. That was more true than I realized: What I'd truly been avoiding was love, the strongest binding there is, and the pain that scrapes at your insides when the bond is forcefully broken.

It has been more than five centuries. I still miss her. She smiles in my dreams sometimes and I wake up weeping for the loss.

I bought this one on July 7, 2011. You can buy your copy here.

Teaser Tuesday: Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

"You don't have to go with me," Beth said. "I can handle this on my own."

"Normally, I would agree with you," Lindsay said as she paused to sniff the cologne sample in the magazine. To citrusy; why was men's cologne always heavy on the citrus? "But given that you threatened to feed him to the sharks in front of a listening audience, I'm thinking I should be there."

This week my teaser comes from Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay. It is the first book in the Library Lovers series. Because I can't resist books about libraries and librarians, I added it to my stack on March 2, 2012. Here is the description:

Lindsey is getting into her groove as the director of the Briar Creek Public Library when a New York editor visits town, creating quite a buzz. Lindsey's friend Beth wants to sell the editor her children's book, but Beth's boyfriend, a famous author, gets in the way. When they go to confront him, he's found murdered-and Beth is the prime suspect. Lindsey has to act fast before they throw the book at the wrong person.

Book Review: Mercy Burns by Keri Arthur

Mercy Burns
Author: Keri Arthur
Series: Myth and Magic (Book 2)
Publication: Dell; 1st edition (April 19, 2011)

Description: For readers of Keri Arthur’s bestselling Riley Jenson Guardian series comes a new sexy and exciting paranormal romance—the second novel in her acclaimed Myth and Magic series.

Mercy Reynolds is a reporter in the San Francisco Bay area, but she’s also more—and less—than human. Half woman, half air dragon, she’s a “draman”—unable to shift shape but still able to unleash fiery energy. Now something will put her powers to the test.

Mercy’s friend Rainey has enlisted her help to solve her sister’s murder. Then a horrible accident claims Rainey’s life, leaving Mercy only five days to find the killer: If Mercy fails, according to dragon law, Rainey’s soul will be doomed to roam the earth for eternity. But how can Mercy help when she herself is a target? With nowhere else to turn, she must join forces with a sexy stranger—the mysterious man they call “Muerte,” or death itself, who’s as irresistible as he is treacherous. But can even Death keep Mercy alive for long enough to find her answers?

My Thoughts: MERCY BURNS was an interesting paranormal romance. Mercy is a draman - half-human, half-dragon - who has been raised a second class citizen and been abused by the full dragons in her area. She is a journalist who is investigating the extermination of some draman towns with her best friend Rainey when they are run off the road. Rainey is killed and Mercy has 5 days to find her killers in order to save her soul.

While investigating, she is taken captive and thrown into a cell with a muerte named Damon Rey - a full dragon who has special tasks and acts as an executioner for his kingdom. Mercy's dragon powers manage to get them free and, since they both want to know who and why the draman towns were destroyed, they team up. Mercy is rather impulsive and doesn't have much of a sense of self-preservation. If she had more sense, she would run from the muerte since everyone is afraid of them.

Mercy very hesitantly falls in love with him. Her main hesitation has to do with her previous experiences with full dragons. It doesn't help that he has certain mistaken prejudices about draman too. However, their love grows as they have to depend on each other to solve the mystery. The romance doesn't go smoothly since Damon doesn't believe that he can emotionally commit to anyone.

Fans of paranormal romance and especially dragon fans will enjoy this story.

Favorite Quote:

"Where the hell are we going?"

"Back to your brother's place. You need to get some things together, then get the hell away from there."

"I don't really think—"

"Yeah, we discovered that."

I bought this one on April 21, 2011. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Steel's Edge by Ilona Andrews

Steel's Edge
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: The Edge (Book 4)
Publication: Ace (November 27, 2012)

Description: The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is a fairy tale—and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny…

Charlotte de Ney is as noble as they come, a blueblood straight out of the Weird. But even though she possesses rare magical healing abilities, her life has brought her nothing but pain. After her marriage crumbles, she flees to the Edge to build a new home for herself. Until Richard Mar is brought to her for treatment, and Charlotte’s life is turned upside down once again.

Richard is a swordsman without peer, future head of his large and rambunctious Edger clan—and he’s on a clandestine quest to wipe out slavers trafficking humans in the Weird. So when his presence leads his very dangerous enemies to Charlotte, she vows to help Richard destroy them. The slavers’ operation, however, goes deeper than Richard knows, and even working together, Charlotte and Richard may not survive...

My Thoughts: This is the story of Charlotte de Ney and Richard Mar. Charlotte is a blueblood from the Weird who has a remarkable gift for healing. Richard is from the Edge and is a remarkable swordsman. Charlotte flees to the Edge after she learns that she is barren and her husband annuls their marriage. The gift of healing has an opposite counterpart. As strong as her healing is, she is equally able to kill with her gift. It was her strong desire to kill her fair-weather husband that sent her running.

With the help of Éléanore Drayton, who is the grandmother of Rose, George and Jack, she manages to make a new life for herself in the Edge. Things change drastically when Richard is brought to her in immediate need of healing after his encounter with slavers. The slavers are hot on his heels and recapture him, killing Éléanore and another young girl who happens to be there. Charlotte sets off to rescue Richard but has to resort to her dark side to do it.

Together, she and Richard are determined to bring down the slave trade and are even more determined when they discover who is behind it. Along the way, and despite each one feeling that they are unworthy of being loved, the two fall deeply in love.

This was a fast-paced, engaging story. I also liked getting to catch up with a couple of my favorite characters from earlier Edge books - George and Jack. I feel that this book could stand alone but it gains richness and depth if you read the rest of the Edge series first.

I highly recommend this one for fantasy fans.

Favorite Quote:

Charlotte faced him. Her wet tunic molded to her figure, and her hair, which she'd put up into a neat knot, had come undone and hung over her face. That air of detachment and civility had been washed away, as if someone had taken an elegant cat, groomed to within an inch of its life, and dumped a bucket of water on it. Her expression had the same shock, outrage, and promise of violence.

If he laughed, she'd probably kill him. Quite literally.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Steel's Edge by Ilona Andrews

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

This week I am spotlighting Steel's Edge by Ilona Andrews. This is the fourth book in The Edge series. I added it to my stack on Nov. 27, 2012. Here is the description:

The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is a fairy tale—and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny…

Charlotte de Ney is as noble as they come, a blueblood straight out of the Weird. But even though she possesses rare magical healing abilities, her life has brought her nothing but pain. After her marriage crumbles, she flees to the Edge to build a new home for herself. Until Richard Mar is brought to her for treatment, and Charlotte’s life is turned upside down once again.

Richard is a swordsman without peer, future head of his large and rambunctious Edger clan—and he’s on a clandestine quest to wipe out slavers trafficking humans in the Weird. So when his presence leads his very dangerous enemies to Charlotte, she vows to help Richard destroy them. The slavers’ operation, however, goes deeper than Richard knows, and even working together, Charlotte and Richard may not survive...

Beginning:

"My Lady?"

Charlotte looked up from her cup of tea at Laisa. The young girl held an envelope of thick, heavy paper.

"This came for you."

Friday 56:

A torrent of fire devoured the house. Orange-and-red flames billowed out of the roof, blackened support beams thrusting out like bones of a skeleton. Fire filled the doorway, boiling within the house, winding about the porch posts, and belching smoke. The orange flames surged through the windows, licking the siding.

Book Review: Darkness Unbound by Keri Arthur

Darkness Unbound
Author: Keri Arthur
Series: Dark Angels (Book 1)
Publication: Dell; Original edition (September 27, 2011)

Description: The fight against darkness rages on for the next generation—in New York Times bestselling author Keri Arthur’s exciting new series set in the world of the Guardians.

Being half werewolf and half Aedh, Risa Jones can enter the twilight realms between life and death and see the reapers, supernatural beings that collect the souls of the dead. But she soon makes a terrifying discovery: Some sinister force is stealing souls, preventing the dead from ever knowing the afterlife.

Reapers escort souls—not snatch them—but Risa is still unnerved when a reaper shadows her in search of someone Risa has never met: her own father, an Aedh priest, who is rumored to be tampering with the gates of hell for a dark purpose. With the help of her “aunt”—half-werewolf, half-vampire Riley Jenson—and an Aedh named Lucian who may have lost his wings but none of his sex appeal, Risa must pursue whatever shadowy practitioner of blood magic is seizing souls, and somehow stop her father . . . before all hell breaks loose.

My Thoughts: Keri Arthur begins a new series in the world she created in the Riley Jensen series. This time the main character is Risa Jones, half-Aedh and half-werewolf. Risa and her friends Ilianna and Tao met in school and now have started a restaurant together. They are all independently wealthy. Ilianna is a mare and a witch; Tao is half-human and half-werewolf.

Risa has inherited some of her mother's gift of clairvoyance but she has also inherited some of the Aedh gifts from the father she has never met. Her mother uses motherly guilt to have Risa visit a children's hospital to see if the child of one of her mother's clients is gone or can be healed. Risa is astonished to learn that the child's soul has been ripped from her and destroyed, making it impossible for her to be reincarnated.

Risa is also being followed by a reaper named Azrael. Usually reapers are the ones who guide souls to the light path or the dark path but Azrael isn't that kind of reapers. His job is to destroy those who escape from the dark path. He is following Risa because he believes her father is planning to seal the gates to the dark path and the light path. While this sounds, at first, like a good thing, in fact, it means that the world will run out of souls and babies will be born vegetables.

Risa has never met her father but that doesn't keep Azrael and a number of others from trying to use her to get to him. The story is filled with kidnappings, attempted murders, and other mayhem as Risa and her friends try to find out who is stealing souls and what her father really wants.

This is the first book in a series that has now reached seven books. Fans of urban fantasy and especially fans of the Riley Jensen series won't want to miss these.

Favorite Quote:

Reapers came in all shapes and sizes, often taking the form most likely to be accepted by those they'd come to collect. I'm not sure what it said about me that my reaper was shirtless, tattooed, and appeared to be wearing some sort of sword strapped across his back.

I bought this one on Sept. 27, 2011. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Melting the Ice by Jaci Burton

Melting the Ice
Author: Jaci Burton
Series: A Play-by-Play Novel (Book 7)
Publication: Berkley Trade (February 4, 2014)

Description: BODY CHECK

Everything’s coming together for budding fashion designer Carolina Preston. Only months away from having her own line, she could use some publicity. That’s when her brother suggests his best friend as a model—hockey player Drew Hogan.

Carolina and Drew already have a history—a hot one, back in college. Unforgettable for Carolina, but for Drew, just another slap shot. This time, though, it’s different. His perfect body would be for professional use only. This time, she could use him.

Drew is all for it. He’s looking forward to the exposure. Plus, it would give him a chance to prove to Carolina that he’s changed. If only he could thaw her emotions, convince her to let down her guard and let him in just one more time…

My Thoughts: MELTING THE ICE was another sexy sports romance by a master of the genre. This one also explores the "wrong time, wrong place" trope as Carolina and Drew had a one-night stand as he is graduating from college. He goes off to work on his future as a NHL star leaving her heart-broken.

Fast forward some years and Carolina is a fashion designer who is ready to launch her own line and needs a male model with a reputation of his own. Her brother suggests his best friend Drew. Carolina is reluctant but can't deny that Drew's standing as a hockey star will help get needed publicity for her debut.

Drew has grown up and has never forgotten Carolina. He is a little conflicted because of the rule of not hitting on a friend's younger sister. He wants a chance to show Carolina that he is not the thoughtless douche that he was in college.

The romance almost goes astray because of how busy both Carolina and Drew are. They don't seem to have very much in common. Hockey and fashion don't usually mix. This is a story about love triumphing over these superficial differences.

Fans of sexy sports romances are the audience for this one.

Favorite Quote:

How foolish she'd been to thinks he could dress him, that Drew was like any other model she'd measured—like any other man she'd had in her house—and that she could be oblivious to his male form as she touched and turned him in every conceivable way so she could get his measurements.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Melting the Ice by Jaci Burton

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

This week I was looking for something steamy and chose Melting the Ice by Jaci Burton. This is the 7th book in her Play-By-Play series and should be a sexy sports romance. Here is the description:

BODY CHECK

Everything’s coming together for budding fashion designer Carolina Preston. Only months away from having her own line, she could use some publicity. That’s when her brother suggests his best friend as a model—hockey player Drew Hogan.

Carolina and Drew already have a history—a hot one, back in college. Unforgettable for Carolina, but for Drew, just another slap shot. This time, though, it’s different. His perfect body would be for professional use only. This time, she could use him.

Drew is all for it. He’s looking forward to the exposure. Plus, it would give him a chance to prove to Carolina that he’s changed. If only he could thaw her emotions, convince her to let down her guard and let him in just one more time…

Beginning:

Carolina Preston's pencil glided over the paper like an Olympic figure skater performing an arabesque.

Friday 56:

He laid the drawing down. "I don't say what I don't mean, Carolina. The reason I picked it up was that it caught my eye. It's something I'd wear on the weekend."

Book Review: Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo

Pray for Silence
Author: Linda Castillo
Series: Kate Burkholder (Book 2)
Publication: Minotaur Books; 1 edition (June 22, 2010)

Description: New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo delivers an electrifying thriller in which Chief of Police Kate Burkholder must confront a dark evil to solve the mysterious murders of an entire Amish family.

The Plank family moved from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to join the small Amish community of Painters Mill less than a year ago and seemed the model of the Plain Life—until on a cold October night, the entire family of seven was found slaughtered on their farm.  Police Chief Kate Burkholder and her small force have few clues, no motive, and no suspect.  Formerly Amish herself, Kate is no stranger to the secrets the Amish keep from the English—and each other—but this crime is horribly out of the ordinary.

State agent John Tomasetti arrives on the scene to assist.  He and Kate worked together on a previous case during which they began a volatile relationship.  They soon realize the disturbing details of this case will test their emotional limits and force them to face demons from their own troubled pasts—and for Kate, a personal connection that is particularly hard to bear.

When she discovers a diary that belonged to one of the teenaged daughters, Kate is shocked to learn the girl kept some very dark secrets and may have been living a lurid double life.  Who is the charismatic stranger who stole the young Amish girl’s heart? Could the brother—a man with a violent past, rejected and shunned by his family and the Amish community, have come to seek out revenge?  As Kate’s outrage grows so does her resolve to find the killer and bring him to justice—even if it means putting herself in the line of fire.

Topping her own bestselling debut, Linda Castillo once again immerses us in the world of the Amish with a chilling story that is both a fast-paced thriller and intriguing psychological puzzle.

My Thoughts: PRAY FOR SILENCE is an intense, gritty mystery that has the main character - Kate Burkholder - reliving some of the trauma that she endured as a young teen. As police chief in usually quiet Painters Mill, Ohio, when Kate is called to the scene of the killing of an entire Amish family, she is plunged into a case that creates echoes of her own past.

The Plank family has been killed from father Amos through baby-in-arms Amos. The father and two sons were shot in the home; the mother and infant were shot running from the house; and the two teenage daughters were tortured and killed in the barn. It is a brutal crime that, at first, looks like a murder-suicide with the father to blame. But inconsistencies have Kate looking further.

Kate calls on her friend, and sometimes lover, John Tomasetti from the Ohio BCI to help her. But Tomasetti is having his own problems. He is currently on administrative leave because of a positive drug test. He turned to alcohol and prescription drug abuse after the deaths of his wife and daughters by a career criminal. Tomasetti was barely holding on and keeping suicide an option when he first met Kate. He is in a little bit better mental shape now partially because he met Kate.

This was definitely a who dunnit sort of story as we watch Kate and Tomasetti investigate. The investigation takes a different turn when fifteen-year-old Mary Plank's diary is discovered and Kate learns that she had a secret English lover who introduced her to sex, drugs, and pornography. Innocent Mary was pulled into a situation she had no way to handle.

I enjoyed the intensity of this story. I ached with both Kate and Tomasetti as they dealt with the psychological pain of their pasts. I recommend this one to mystery lovers.

Favorite Quote:

I think of the mother and baby lying dead in the yard, and a chill runs the length of my body hard enough to make me shudder. I think of the two girls in the barn, the evidence of torture, and all I can think is that there's a cold-blooded killer running loose in my town. A monster with a bloodlust for killing and an appetite that has spiraled out of control. 

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Teaser Tuesday: Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

"He burned them. He beat them. Raped them." I feel that quivery sensation again, as if my stomach is slowly climbing into my throat. "And then he killed them."

For a moment the only sound comes from the chug, chug, chug of the generator.

This week my teaser comes from Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo. This mystery has been sitting on my TBR mountain since Oct. 5, 2010. Here is the description:

New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo delivers an electrifying thriller in which Chief of Police Kate Burkholder must confront a dark evil to solve the mysterious murders of an entire Amish family.

The Plank family moved from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to join the small Amish community of Painters Mill less than a year ago and seemed the model of the Plain Life—until on a cold October night, the entire family of seven was found slaughtered on their farm.  Police Chief Kate Burkholder and her small force have few clues, no motive, and no suspect.  Formerly Amish herself, Kate is no stranger to the secrets the Amish keep from the English—and each other—but this crime is horribly out of the ordinary.

State agent John Tomasetti arrives on the scene to assist.  He and Kate worked together on a previous case during which they began a volatile relationship.  They soon realize the disturbing details of this case will test their emotional limits and force them to face demons from their own troubled pasts—and for Kate, a personal connection that is particularly hard to bear.

When she discovers a diary that belonged to one of the teenaged daughters, Kate is shocked to learn the girl kept some very dark secrets and may have been living a lurid double life.  Who is the charismatic stranger who stole the young Amish girl’s heart? Could the brother—a man with a violent past, rejected and shunned by his family and the Amish community, have come to seek out revenge?  As Kate’s outrage grows so does her resolve to find the killer and bring him to justice—even if it means putting herself in the line of fire.

Topping her own bestselling debut, Linda Castillo once again immerses us in the world of the Amish with a chilling story that is both a fast-paced thriller and intriguing psychological puzzle.

Book Review: Collared by L. A. Kornetsky

Collared
Author: L. A. Kornetsky
Series: A Gin & Tonic Mystery
Publication: Gallery Books; Original edition (November 13, 2012)

Description: They rely on animal instincts…

Meet “Gin” and “Tonic.” She’s a dog person. He’s a cat person. But when these two friendly rivals team up to solve a mystery, you can bet their pets aren’t the only ones getting collared…

Ginny Mallard and her shar-pei, Georgie, are about to run out of kibble and cash, unless she digs up another client for her private concierge business. So she heads to her neighborhood Seattle bar, Mary’s, to sniff out an opportunity. Or a gimlet or two. The bartender, Teddy Tonica, is usually good for a round of challenging banter, and Georgie is oddly fond of his bar cat, Mistress Penny.

Before she can say “bottoms up,” Ginny lands a job tracking down some important business papers that have gone missing—along with the customer’s uncle. If Ginny hopes to track him down, she’ll need more than her research skills: she’ll need a partner with people skills—like Tonica.

This is one dangerous case that’s about to go to the dogs—unless man, woman, cat, and canine can work together as one very unconventional crime-solving team.

My Thoughts: COLLARED was an interesting and entertaining mystery. Ginny Mallard is a freelance concierge who handles things others are too busy or something to do. She has recently adopted a shar pei that she has named Georgie. She hangs out at a bar named Mary's when she wants to get away from home.

Teddy Tonica is the bartender at Mary's. There is also a cat that has adopted Teddy but who comes and goes at her will. Ginny and Teddy are friendly rivals at the Tuesday night trivia contests and have a relationship where one is constantly trying to one-up the other. When one of the other trivia contest participants comes to Ginny and asks her to find his uncle who has disappeared with some papers that are necessary to finalizing a business deal.

Research is Ginny's strength but people skills are definitely where Teddy shines. The two decide to work together - well, actually, she sort of dares him to help. Together they find more than they ever expected and attract the attention of some goons who don't want them looking for Uncle Joe.

What makes this unique is that the dog and the cat have conversations and spend time looking out for their humans. The cat's and dog's personalities were very realistic to the natures of cats and dogs.

I thought this story was entertaining and will be looking for the sequel to see how a second case goes for these two unlikely detectives.

Favorite Quote:

The man sitting on the other side of the desk was twice Jacob's size, a college linebacker not only gone to seed, but also sprouted. But the suit covering his mass was expensively tailored, and the intelligence inside was vicious.

I bought this one on Jan. 3, 2013. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Collared by L. A. Kornetsky

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

This week I am spotlighting Collared by L. A. Kornetsky. This is a mystery that has been on my TBR stack since Jan. 3, 2013. I chose this one because L. A. Kornetsky is a pseudonym for Laura Anne Gilman who also writes an urban fantasy series I like. Here is the description:

They rely on animal instincts…

Meet “Gin” and “Tonic.” She’s a dog person. He’s a cat person. But when these two friendly rivals team up to solve a mystery, you can bet their pets aren’t the only ones getting collared…

Ginny Mallard and her shar-pei, Georgie, are about to run out of kibble and cash, unless she digs up another client for her private concierge business. So she heads to her neighborhood Seattle bar, Mary’s, to sniff out an opportunity. Or a gimlet or two. The bartender, Teddy Tonica, is usually good for a round of challenging banter, and Georgie is oddly fond of his bar cat, Mistress Penny.

Before she can say “bottoms up,” Ginny lands a job tracking down some important business papers that have gone missing—along with the customer’s uncle. If Ginny hopes to track him down, she’ll need more than her research skills: she’ll need a partner with people skills—like Tonica.

This is one dangerous case that’s about to go to the dogs—unless man, woman, cat, and canine can work together as one very unconventional crime-solving team.

Beginning:

The cat contemplated the distance, readied her muscles, and leapt. Her paws landed within an inch of her intent, and her hindquarters tucked in nicely. Dats did not preen over basics like that, but there might have been an extra curl to her whiskers as she continued along the rooftop.

Friday 56: 

This was all Ginny Mallard's fault. She had talked him into agreeing to help, gotten him to promise, and now was pushing him into talking to people who took questions seriously.

Book Review: The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

The Heist
Authors: Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
Series: Fox and O'Hare
Publication: Bantam; First Edition edition (June 18, 2013)

Description: From Janet Evanovich, #1 bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum novels, and Lee Goldberg, bestselling author and television writer for Monk, comes the first adventure in an electrifying new series featuring an FBI agent who always gets her man, and a fearless con artist who lives for the chase.

FBI Special Agent Kate O’Hare is known for her fierce dedication and discipline on the job, chasing down the world’s most wanted criminals and putting them behind bars. Her boss thinks she is tenacious and ambitious; her friends think she is tough, stubborn, and maybe even a bit obsessed. And while Kate has made quite a name for herself for the past five years the only name she’s cared about is Nicolas Fox—an international crook she wants in more ways than one.

Audacious, handsome, and dangerously charming, Nicolas Fox is a natural con man, notorious for running elaborate scams on very high-profile people. At first he did it for the money. Now he does it for the thrill. He knows that the FBI has been hot on his trail—particularly Kate O’Hare, who has been watching his every move. For Nick, there’s no greater rush than being pursued by a beautiful woman . . . even one who aims to lock him up. But just when it seems that Nicolas Fox has been captured for good, he pulls off his greatest con of all: He convinces the FBI to offer him a job, working side by side with Special Agent Kate O’Hare.

Problem is, teaming up to stop a corrupt investment banker who’s hiding on a private island in Indonesia is going to test O’Hare’s patience and Fox’s skill. Not to mention the skills of their ragtag team made up of flamboyant actors, wanted wheelmen, and Kate’s dad. High-speed chases, pirates, and Toblerone bars are all in a day’s work . . . if O’Hare and Fox don’t kill each other first.

My Thoughts: THE HEIST was a fun beginning to a new series. Kate O'Hare, FBI agent, has made a mission of capturing Nick Fox, con man extraordinaire. However, when she finally runs him down it turns out that he has made a deal with the FBI and is currently on the side of the angels. Kate has been assigned as his partner and they go after a crook who stole $500 billion from innocent investors.

I enjoyed the snappy one-liners that Kate and Nick exchanged and I enjoyed their own unique brand of courting. The side characters were also interesting people. I was especially fond of Willie, a 50-something broad with bought and paid-for tatas, who could drive any sort of vehicle but was licensed for nothing. Add in a make-up artist, an out of work actor with and ego the size of the Grand Canyon, and a guy who can build anything and you have a great crew to work their complicated con.

Of course, Kate has some very interesting back-up herself. Her dad is a retired military man who spent a lot of time in covert ops and has a world-wide network on contacts who come in very handy when the con goes a little wrong.

This was fun and would be great for people who want some humor in their mysteries.

Favorite Quote:

"Obviously you opted out of the honey trap class when you were in SEAL boot camp."

"It conflicted with the one on nose breaking and eye gouging."

Nick added a $900 red silk sarong dress and an $800 cashmere T-shirt and handed the salesgirl his credit card. "We'll take all of these."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Teaser Tuesday: The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

She ran out of the room and to the stairwell, climbing the four flights as fast as she could, which was remarkably speedy for a woman whose most frequent dinner companions were Colonel Sanders, Long John Silver, Ronald McDonald, and the Five Guys.

This week my teaser comes from The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg. I chose this mystery to add to my TBR mountain because I enjoyed Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I was eager to see what she would do with a collaborator and a new set of characters. Here is the description:

From Janet Evanovich, #1 bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum novels, and Lee Goldberg, bestselling author and television writer for Monk, comes the first adventure in an electrifying new series featuring an FBI agent who always gets her man, and a fearless con artist who lives for the chase.

FBI Special Agent Kate O’Hare is known for her fierce dedication and discipline on the job, chasing down the world’s most wanted criminals and putting them behind bars. Her boss thinks she is tenacious and ambitious; her friends think she is tough, stubborn, and maybe even a bit obsessed. And while Kate has made quite a name for herself for the past five years the only name she’s cared about is Nicolas Fox—an international crook she wants in more ways than one.

Audacious, handsome, and dangerously charming, Nicolas Fox is a natural con man, notorious for running elaborate scams on very high-profile people. At first he did it for the money. Now he does it for the thrill. He knows that the FBI has been hot on his trail—particularly Kate O’Hare, who has been watching his every move. For Nick, there’s no greater rush than being pursued by a beautiful woman . . . even one who aims to lock him up. But just when it seems that Nicolas Fox has been captured for good, he pulls off his greatest con of all: He convinces the FBI to offer him a job, working side by side with Special Agent Kate O’Hare.

Problem is, teaming up to stop a corrupt investment banker who’s hiding on a private island in Indonesia is going to test O’Hare’s patience and Fox’s skill. Not to mention the skills of their ragtag team made up of flamboyant actors, wanted wheelmen, and Kate’s dad. High-speed chases, pirates, and Toblerone bars are all in a day’s work . . . if O’Hare and Fox don’t kill each other first.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (July 28, 2014)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I had another, and I'm afraid the last, quiet week when I didn't have anything to do but read. I am feeling pretty good about my reading goals and am getting ahead on my daunting September review stack. 

Of course, just to keep it interesting, my laptop is starting to have some serious problems. It looks like this coming week will include shopping for a new one. That's okay. I think my current machine is over five years old. But I have lots of files I have to get off it including iTunes and OverDrive files that make the idea of switching computers a little intimidating.

I am also planning a road trip to attend an author event on Friday night and going to my winter home for a quick overnight this week.

Read Last Week

Mercy Burns by Keri Arthur has been on my TBR stack since 2011. It was a pretty average urban fantasy/paranormal romance. It was about dragons which made it more interesting because dragons aren't the usual paranormal being found in urban fantasy. My review will be posted on August 20.

No Limits by Lori Foster is the first in a new romantic suspense series. I really liked the characters in this one and appreciated getting to see characters from earlier series. too. My review will be posted as part of the blog tour on Sept. 11.

Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes is a YA contemporary review book. The style of writing with a very tight first person narration made this one a little hard to get into for me but the ending redeemed both the main character and the story for me. My review will be posted on August 20.

The President's Vampire by Christopher Farnsworth has been on my TBR stack since 2011. I enjoyed this book which combines a political thriller with the paranormal. My review will be posted on August 23.

Starry Night by Isabel Gillies was a YA review book about first love and changing friendships. The narrator was an interesting character who seemed younger than her 15 years. My review will be posted on Aug. 28 for this Sept. 2 release.

Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay is a cozy mystery that had been sitting on my TBR mountain since March 2, 2012. I enjoyed the library setting, the librarian main character, and the other quirky characters. I laughed out loud and had a chill up my spine when the mystery got tense. My review will be posted on August 28.

The Jewel by Amy Ewing is a YA dystopian story from my review stack. It is the story of a future society where poor, young girls with physic powers are raised and trained to be surrogate mothers for royalty. Violet is one of those girls. My review will be posted on August 27.

Eight Million Gods by Wen Spencer is from my TBR mountain. This is an urban fantasy set in Japan about a young woman who has OCD and a compulsion to write who is running away from the mother who wants her medicated and institutionalized. It is filled with characters and creatures from Japanese mythology and has a nice romance too. My review will be posted on August 30.

Don't Touch by Rachel M. Wilson is a YA contemporary review book about a girl who has some mental problems. The main one is her fear of touching or being touched. This becomes a problem when she wins the role of Ophelia in the school play and has to touch the cute boy who is playing Hamlet. My review will be posted on August 30.

Currently

I am currently reading Wood Sprites by Wen Spencer. This is a review book that I thought was YA. However, despite the 9-year-old main characters, this is an adult story. The plot is long and complicated; the magic is also complicated. It is also the 4th in the Elfhome series. 

Next Week

Since I am waiting for a couple of adult books that I want to slot into my book review calendar, I'll be concentrating on reading the YA books I have on my review stack until I get them. These are all September releases.

Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley

Get Even by Gretchen McNeil

Blackbird by Anna Carey

The Vault of the Dreamers by Caragh M. O'Brien

Evidence of Things Not Seen by Lindsey Lane

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry

Reviews Posted

• For Her Spy Only by Robyn DeHart
• Love's Justice by Anne Avery
• Invincible by Diana Palmer
• The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness
• Mercy Kill by Lori Armstrong
• Cast in Flame by Michelle Sagara
• The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett
• Death and the Girl Next Door by Darynda Jones
• Shipwreck Island by S. A. Bodeen

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

• Inside of a Dog
• Ms. Martin Teaches Media

I have read 32 of 52 of the books I brought home from my TBR mountain to read this summer but now I'm going to be concentrating on reading the YA review books on my stack. I may be able to read a couple more of the adult books I brought home for summer reading but I also want to read some new books that will be arriving in the next week or two.

What was your week like?