In My Mailbox (Jan. 9, 2011)

The weekly In My Mailbox post is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is fun to see what everyone else gets in their mailboxes, shopping bags, and library visits. Click on the link to The Story Siren's site to see the rules and join in the fun.

 

I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow when you see all the wonderful books everyone gets. You will discover lots of great blogs and lots of books that you won't be able to live without.

I began the week by getting Dark Secrets by Elizabeth Chandler. I won this book during the Holiday Break Reading Challenge. Thanks, KarinLibrarian!

I am a huge fan of Jayne Ann Krentz and was very eager to receive her latest - In Too Deep. This is the first book of a new trilogy. It features Fallon Jones who is in charge of J&J Investigations. They are the private detectives for paranormal crimes. I read it and thought it was wonderful. My review is scheduled for Jan. 13.

I have also been following Eileen Wilks like some demented fan girl. She doesn't publish often enough for me. So I am always delighted to learn she has a new book out. Blood Challenge is another story about Lily and Rule. Rule might be one of the hottest heroes in all of paranormal fiction. I can't wait to read this one.

Werewolf in Manhattan by Vicki Lewis Thompson was added to my TBR stack because I am a sucker for werewolf books. She also infuses humor in her novels that I really appreciate.

I have been reading the Southern Arcana series by Moira Rogers on my Kindle and had to add Deadlock as soon as it came out so that I could keep up. I like the romances and the strong characters in these stories.

I enjoyed the Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy L. Sayers and was intrigued when I found out that Jill Paton Walsh was continuing the series after Sayers' death. It will be nice to revisit old friends in these new stories starting with A Presumption of Death.

Taken by the Others by Jess Haines is the sequel to Hunted by the Others. I have now got both of them on my Kindle. I have been meaning to read the first story for a while but haven't had a chance yet. 

Wolfe's Hope by Lora Leigh is a novella in the Breeds series. It is the first book. I have and have read books 2-4 in that series and need to catch up.

I recently read and loved The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig. I immediately set about acquiring the rest of the series. Don't they have the most lovely and romantic covers? I can't wait to begin these historical fiction/contemporary romances. 

I also shopped the free titles in the Kindle Store this week too. These are the ones that appealed to me.

Always the Baker, Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker

Slow Ride by Lorelei James

A Woman Called Sage by DiAnn Mills

Boyfriends, Burritos and an Ocean of Trouble by Nancy Rue (This one was actually recommended by one of my Kindly using students.)

Avempartha by Michael J. Sullivan

Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass

That is my haul for the week. What did you get in your mailbox?

ARC Review: The Heart of Winter (Anthology)

The Heart of Winter
Authors: Maggie Shayne, Linda Winstead Jones, Day Leclaire
Publication: Harlequin; Original edition (January 4, 2011)


Description: This trio of irresistible stories from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Maggie Shayne and USA TODAY bestselling authors Linda Winstead Jones and Day Leclaire touch the heart of who we are and what we desire….


Prepare to be…


Tempted


Melinda Terwilliger is a mild-mannered teacher—until she accidentally becomes The Toughest Girl in Town. But she meets her match in an undercover cop determined to get to know the real Melinda…with kisses hot enough to melt any woman's heart!


Seduced


When law secretary Nell Rose is snowbound with a handsome stranger, keeping her New Year's Resolution becomes nearly impossible. Why swear off men when a romantic weekend with a reclusive writer seems to be the ideal way to ring in the new year?


Swept Away


Plain Jayne Myleston seduced her office crush at a masked ball—and then found she'd turned up the heat with the wrong man! Even after the ball, she can't say no to her Mystery Lover. That is, until Jayne finds out who he really is!


My Thoughts:


The Toughest Girl in Town by Maggie Shayne -- Melinda is a doormat. She's a sister who lends her sister her car but still makes the payments. She is a teacher being run over by her students. She is the teacher who corrects papers for the other teachers. But not for long! Her best friend hypnotizes her and, when she is under, she hears a TV program about a spy and then believes that she is a former spy. Her new attitude impresses fellow teacher Matthew who just happens to be an undercover cop trying to clean up her neighborhood. Cute story!


Resolution by Linda Winstead Jones -- Nell Rose is a secretary at a law firm but she's on her way to a vacation in the mountains when a snowstorm lands her in the ditch in front of the home of Julian who is a horror writer. Julian lives in an isolated area and he has been plagued with a stalker who writes some disturbing letters. However, they are snowbound together and end up falling in love. Very nice story!


Mystery Lover by Day Leclaire -- This was probably my favorite story of the anthology. Jayne doesn't want to mix business and pleasure. However, she does greatly admire her boss Nick. Nick, however, is willing to go to great lengths to be Jayne's every fantasy and to merge their fantasy lives into their working lives until it all becomes their real lives. Jayne is more than a match for her tycoon. 


All three stories were very entertaining and romantic. I recommend this anthology to all lovers of romance. 


Favorite Quote:

New Year's Eve. If the past week was any clue, it was going to be a sucky year. The man she'd thought might be "the one" had turned out not to be a commitmentphobe after all. He was married and had three kids. There's commitment for you! Three children, she couldn't believe it. What the hell? She had friends who had kids so she knew how time-consuming little ones could be. How had Bill found the time to try to weasel his way into her bed?

Book Beginning: Queen of Shadows by Dianne Sylvan

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Katy at A Few More Pages.  


Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading. 


If you like, share with everyone why you do, or do not, like the sentence.

The guy next to her in the checkout line looked kind of like a vampire.

This begins Queen of Shadows by Dianne Sylvan. Here is the product description:

Meet Miranda Grey-music and magic are in her blood.


Overwhelmed by her uncanny ability to manipulate people's emotions through her music, Miranda Grey comes to the attention of vampire lord David Solomon. Believing he can help bring her magic under control, David discovers that Miranda's powers may affect the vampire world too...

This sounds just right for someone in the mood for urban fantasy.

Review: The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

The Iron Duke
Author: Meljean Brook
Publication: Berkley Trade; Original edition (October 5, 2010)


Description: First in an all-new series where seductive danger and steampunk adventure abound in the gritty world of the Iron Seas. 

After the Iron Duke freed England from Horde control, he instantly became a national hero. Now Rhys Trahaearn has built a merchant empire on the power-and fear-of his name. And when a dead body is dropped from an airship onto his doorstep, bringing Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth into his dangerous world, he intends to make her his next possession.

But when Mina uncovers the victim's identity, she stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone in England. To save them, Mina and Rhys must race across zombie-infested wastelands and treacherous oceans-and Mina discovers the danger is not only to her countrymen, as she finds herself tempted to give up everything to the Iron Duke.



My Thoughts: I enjoyed this steampunk story. The setting was an alternate England that has recently overthrown the Horde. The Horde had controlled life for over 200 years. The people in England had been infected with nanos that allowed the Horde to control them. They didn't feel emotions; they didn't know when the Horde might cause a Frenzy of sexual activity. Now, with the Horde gone, they are relearning how to deal with emotions and trying to rebuild their society and economy.


Mina Wentworth is a Detective Inspector who investigates the various crimes that the new emotions cause. She is also the product of a Frenzy and half-Horde. The hatred of the Horde has caused her to face major prejudice and even danger. It has also convinced her that her behavior has to be above reproach and that she must always be alone. Her family are extremely important to her because they accept her as she is. She doesn't want to do anything to harm their reputation.


Rhys Trahearn was a pirate and is now known as the savior of England because he is the one who brought down the Horde. He had a very difficult childhood and youth as he was sold as a slave as a child and captured by pirates as a youth. He rose to be captain of the pirate ship and, though a hero to the people, is a villain to the British Navy. He doesn't know anything about families or personal relationships because he hasn't had any.


These two unlikely romantic characters meet when Mina is sent to investigate a body found on Trahearn's front porch. The relatively simple case leads to a deep-seated conspiracy to kill everyone with nanos. Mina and Rhys travel to Europe and Africa to try to unravel the conspiracy before the conspirators succeed in their evil plot. Along the way, they learn more about each other and, very reluctantly on Mina's part, fall in love.


This was an excellent story with incredible world building. I recommend it to lovers of steampunk and romance. 


Favorite Quote:

He focused on the inspector, instead, even though she didn't want him watching her. But Rhys liked the way she looked, particularly when her expression suggested that she'd prefer to have a gun aimed at his head than sit across from him in a private railcar.

Review: Crux by Moira Rogers

Crux
Author: Moira Rogers
Publication: Samhain Publishing (January 5, 2010)


Description: Jackson Holt makes a decent living as a private investigator in New Orleans, home of one of the largest underground supernatural populations in the United States. He and his partners have never met a case they couldn’t crack…until a local bar owner asks him to do a little digging on her newest hire.

New Orleans is the fourth destination in as many months for Mackenzie Brooks, a woman on the run from a deranged stalker. After all, any man who shows up on her doorstep claiming to be her destined lover has more than a few screws loose. But crazy doesn’t explain why he always finds her no matter how far she runs.

When her well-meaning boss puts a PI on her case, Mackenzie comes face to face with the incredible truth: magic is real, and whatever spell has kept her hidden and separate from the paranormal world is rapidly deteriorating.

With time running out, she has no choice but to trust Jackson as he struggles to uncover the truth of her past—and her destiny.

My Thoughts: This was a fun paranormal mystery/romance. Mackenzie is a rare cougar shifter only she doesn't know it. She is on the run and terrified. She has stopped to gather some funds by tending bar. Her boss happens to be a well-connected wolf shifter named Nick. Nick asks her friend Jackson who is a magician to see if he can find out why Mackenzie is so scared and who's chasing her. They uncover a can of worms. 


Mackenzie is on the run for a very powerful cougar seer named Charles Talbot who wants to use Mackenzie to breed baby cougars who will be able to convert humans into cougar shifters since their breed is dying out. Seers are so powerful that they frequently go crazy and this one is well over the line. He has already killed her parents because they disagreed with her goals. He also killed Marcus's parents and raised him to believe that he must marry Mackenzie.


Jackson, his partner Alec, his mentor Mahalia, and Nick and her family all get involved in trying to keep Mackenzie safe. Meanwhile, Mackenzie and Jackson fall in love. When Mackenzie is kidnapped by Charles they all mobilize to try to save her. 


This was a great paranormal romance. I recommend the series and the author to lovers of romantic books about shape shifters. 


Favorite Quote:

"Feeling better?"


"No," she retorted, annoyed by his dogged friendliness. She could see the marks her teeth had left on his neck, yet he seemed completely unbothered by the fact that she'd hurt him.


He shrugged and reopened his book. "Maybe you need more sleep."


It was infuriating. "Sleep is supposed to make me feel better about being kidnapped?"

Review: Crossroads by Moira Rogers

Crossroads
Author: Moira Rogers
Publication: Samhain Publishing (November 2, 2010)


Description: He’s the last man she should ever want. She’s the last woman he can ever have.

A Southern Arcana novel.

 

Coming from a family with psychic gifts, Derek Gabriel was aware of but separate from the dangers of the supernatural world, until a rogue wolf shifter stripped away his humanity. The change he barely survived didn’t drive him insane, but the cultural bias against him as an inferior transformed wolf might. And it doesn’t help that he’s fallen for the daughter of the most powerful wolf in the country.

 

Almost from the moment she was born, Nicole Peyton started planning her escape from the strict confines of elite shapeshifter society, an old-fashioned world where women are valued only for their bloodlines and bank accounts. In New Orleans she has a bar she loves, friends in decidedly low places, and a smoldering sensual tension with an incredibly attractive and deliciously unsuitable man.

 

Their forbidden longing erupts into unbridled need—until Nick’s sister burns into town with a strike team hard on her heels. Saving her means Nick has to play by the Conclave’s rules…and give up the man she is growing to love.

 

Unless Derek does something completely crazy—issue a challenge that could shake the foundations of their world.

 

Warning: This book contains forbidden lust, strip poker, instinct-driven sex in odd places, devious shapeshifters, and love and loss in a world of paranormal politics and supernatural schemes.

My Thoughts: This was another great shape shifter romance but a little heavy on the politics for me. Nick left New York to get away from the expectations of the Conclave and carved out a life for herself in New Orleans. Things were good until her sister fled New York pregnant with her bodyguard's child and trailing Conclave soldiers who wanted him dead and her back. Nick had to play politics to keep her sister safe.


After a long time of hesitation, she had fallen in love with Derek but couldn't keep him. A newly turned wolf would never be accepted into the world of the Conclave. Derek also knew that there was a lot of prejudice against turned werewolves by those who were born werewolves. Nick's father is the alpha of the Eastern region. No one has higher status than his family. Derek knew that he couldn't compete. But Nick walked away from that life and wants Derek. But she is forced to choose between her sister and her lover.


The romance was hot and the danger was exciting. I recommend this book to lovers of shape shifter romances. I look forward to the third book in the series which will be available on Jan. 4, 2011.


Favorite Quote:

Derek fought a wave of anger at the man's casual, unconcerned tone. "I'm covered in my friend's blood, a bunch of which I found splattered all over my baby cousin. If I find out you knew what your people were going to do, I'll help that headcase kill you before Nick can get here."

Teaser Tuesday: The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

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!

This teaser is from The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook. It is a steampunk mystery/romance. I am fascinated with the world that Brook has created. 


My teaser:

But only the stars above knew where Andrew was, and instead she had the damned Iron Duke, and a ramshackle coach that dipped and creaked alarmingly as he stepped inside, as if four men had boarded instead of just one. He seated himself beside her, and began watching her again, lord of all he bleeding surveyed--and taking up more room than any man had a right to.