Book Review: Wolf with Benefits by Shelly Laurenston

Wolf with Benefits

Author: Shelly Laurenston

Publication: Brava (March 26, 2013)

Description: Ricky Lee has no plans of getting serious about anyone, but he will protect Toni Jean-Louis Parker. Not just because he's been hired to do so, but because it's the right thing to do. And if that means travelling around the country with one complicated She-jackal, dealing with chocolate-eating wild dogs, instigating trouble between his brothers, and having the most amazing sex he's ever had...well, who said his job didn't have perks? Toni doesn't know how she keeps getting herself into these situations. But even she has to admit there's something about Ricky Lee Reed that she finds kind of interesting...and downright sexy. Now they just have to survive long enough to figure out if what they have is worth fighting for...

My Thoughts: WOLF WITH BENEFITS was another quirky—very quirky—paranormal romance by Shelly Laurenston. Jackal Toni Jean-Louis Parker is the oldest of eleven and is the one who can manage to keep her siblings' lives organized. All of the other kids are prodigies in one field or another and almost all of them have the ego to go with their extraordinary gifts. Toni is constantly solving problems—often self-created problems—for her assorted siblings. 

Toni meets Ricky Lee Reed while escorting some of her younger siblings to the sports arena where one of her brothers wants Bo Novikov's authograph—and to sketch him naked. Ricky Lee finds her entertaining and attractive. He's a wolf and so isn't at all prejudiced against jackals since they are both canines. Not that he wants to mate with her, but a little fun would be good. 

It doesn't take long before Toni and Ricky Lee are both involved in Toni's new job as Director of Team Travels and Promotions and a threat to her siblings. The dialog is crisp and funny. The byplay between Toni and Ricky is funny. The story is filled with appearances by characters from earlier books in the series including Blayne, Bo Novikov, and Dee-Ann Smith. A new character, Livy Kowalski the honey badger, adds all sorts of craziness of her own. 

This one was fun. Fans of funny, quirky paranormal romances will love it. 

Favorite Quote:

"Y'all need to remember that these Russian bears are not be be trifled with," Rory went on. "So if it looks like things are getting out of hand"—he looked directly at his brother—"let Toni do the talking."

Toni blinked. "Me? Why me?"

"If you can calm down Novikov, then Lord, woman, you can calm down damn near anybody."

"Thank you?"

I bought this one. You can get you copy here.

Friday Memes: Wolf with Benefits by Shelly Laurenston

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.

After reading a couple of books that were demanding and difficult, I decided to browse my TBR mountain to find something lighter. I chose Wolf with Benefits by Shelly Laurenston because I always enjoy her paranormal romances. Here is the description of this one:

Ricky Lee has no plans of getting serious about anyone, but he will protect Toni Jean-Louis Parker. Not just because he's been hired to do so, but because it's the right thing to do. And if that means travelling around the country with one complicated She-jackal, dealing with chocolate-eating wild dogs, instigating trouble between his brothers, and having the most amazing sex he's ever had...well, who said his job didn't have perks? Toni doesn't know how she keeps getting herself into these situations. But even she has to admit there's something about Ricky Lee Reed that she finds kind of interesting...and downright sexy. Now they just have to survive long enough to figure out if what they have is worth fighting for...

Beginning:

"Are you my daddy?"

Friday 56:

Using her own daughter's brush with death to ease her way into the wild dogs' home was beneath even Jackie's usual depths. Maybe even Kyle's! 

I am looking forward to quirky characters and snappy dialog and lots of sexy romance. Laurenston hasn't ever disappointed me in the past.

ARC Review: Aberration by Lisa Regan

Aberration

Author: Lisa Regan

Publication: Sapphire Star Publishing LLC (May 16, 2013)

Description: FBI analyst Kassidy Bishop is assigned to the "For You" killer's task force after a series of sadistic murders bearing the same signature arise in different parts of the country. The homicides are both calculated and savage, occurring in different states, but bearing the same signature: the words "for you" scribbled at each crime scene. The case chills Kassidy, bringing back memories of her own encounter with a violent criminal five years earlier. The stakes rise when the task force links the killer's signature to Kassidy. As more and more bodies turn up, Kassidy must delve into her past and the mysterious death of her twin sister, which holds the key to uncovering the killer's identity. The closer Kassidy comes to finding the killer, the closer she comes to a deadly confrontation that could cost her everything-including her own life.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed this thriller a lot. Kassidy Bishop has had a tough life. When they were in college, her twin sister died by falling from the window of her eleventh floor dorm room and Kassidy is convinced that she didn't jump. She becomes an FBI agent and, when acting as bait for a serial killer, she is beaten and tortured before someone comes in releases her, hands her her own gun, and lets her kill her attacker. The facial reconstruction and resulting memory loss were enough to have her transferred into the Behavior Analysis Unit at the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime. 

She is now working the case of a serial killer who is leaving a message—For You—at the scene of every crime. On the personal front, she is having a long-distance affair with Portland Detective Jory Ralston. They don't meet often but the passion is intense when they do meet. Kass feels very guilty about their relationship because Jory is married. Jory wants to divorce his wife and be with Kass but she fears she will lose him as she has lost many of those close to her. Things get even more complicated when Kassidy realizes that the killer is killing people that she knew. 

The story is also told from the viewpoint of the For You killer. It turns out that he is doing his killing for Kassidy. She saved him from abuse at the hands of a group of older boys when they are middle schoolers and he has fixated on her. He wants to protect her and has developed a fantasy that the two of them are in love. The story of his abusive childhood and assorted mental issues including dissociative identity disorder make it hard to hate him despite the horrible things he does. It is also extremely creepy that he has been stalking Kassidy for more than 20 years. 

I can't really say too much more about the plot without some major spoilers. The story was filled with twists and turns as we saw the events from both Kassidy's and the killer's points of view. The story-telling technique managed to keep building the tension all the way to the stunning resolution. Fans of psychological thrillers will really enjoy this one. 

Favorite Quote:

Then grief. I knew this feeling. First, the smoky cloud of denial because the reality was so foreign, so alien, so contrary to everything you knew as a human being, that it simply could not be true. For a split second, you hoped your denial would make it so. Then there was the sensation of falling. Reality snuck up on you. It took a convoluted path, but when it hit you, it hit like a door slamming closed for the last time. 

I received this eARC from the author for review. You can buy your copy here. 

Teaser Tuesday: Aberration by Lisa Regan

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!

Aberration by Lisa Regan has made its way to the top of my review stack. Here is the description of this May 16 release:

FBI analyst Kassidy Bishop is assigned to the "For You" killer's task force after a series of sadistic murders bearing the same signature arise in different parts of the country. The homicides are both calculated and savage, occurring in different states, but bearing the same signature: the words "for you" scribbled at each crime scene. The case chills Kassidy, bringing back memories of her own encounter with a violent criminal five years earlier. The stakes rise when the task force links the killer's signature to Kassidy. As more and more bodies turn up, Kassidy must delve into her past and the mysterious death of her twin sister, which holds the key to uncovering the killer's identity. The closer Kassidy comes to finding the killer, the closer she comes to a deadly confrontation that could cost her everything-including her own life.

Teaser:

I rested and watched him with my good eye. I tried to tamp down the fear bubbling up inside, making my already thundering heart race faster. My earls filled with the sound of it, like a train roaring down the tracks.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (June 3, 2013)

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.

Here is what I read last week:

Aberration by Lisa Regan was an interesting thriller that is told from the viewpoint of FBI Agent Kassidy Bishop and from the viewpoint of the serial killer who is fixated on her. It was nice and twisty. My review will be posted on June 6.

Wolf With Benefits by Shelly Laurenston was a humorous paranormal romance filled with quirky characters. This story brought back a number of characters from earlier Laurenston books and the whole crew got involved in all sorts of events. My review will be posted on June 8.

Mortal Fire by Elizabeth Knox is hard to describe. This YA book takes place on an alternate Earth which shares many historical events but has magic. The book had a very slow beginning but ended up keeping my attention even though I didn't really understand all the magic. My review will be posted on June 6 for this June 11 release.

The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry will also be released on June 11. This was a fast-paced thriller about a girl who is on the run from people who want to kill her. She has lost her memory and must decide who she can trust. My review will be posted on June 8.

Currently:

I am currently reading The Pirate's Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke. I got this eARC from NetGalley. I chose this fantasy title because I read and enjoyed the first book in the series—The Assassin's Curse. The book will be released on June 18.

Next Week:

I chose these two from my TBR mountain.

Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts is romantic suspense. I think of Nora Roberts as a comfort read which is just what I am looking for during our busy last week of school. 

Full Blooded by Amanda Carlson should also be fun. It is a werewolf story.

I chose one YA from my stack and one review book for this week. 

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson has been on my TBR stack since Sept. 2011. It is described as a paranormal thriller and sounds good. 

I also have Ink by Amanda Sun from NetGalley. This book will be released on June 25. It is also a paranormal and is set in Japan. 

I don't have anything on the calendar this week except surviving the last week of school with students. I have lots of organizing to do and reports to write. 

What do you have planned?

Stacking the Shelves (June 2, 2013)

Tynga of Tynga's Reviews has a meme to spotlight the books we receive each week. Visit her site to check out the linky and see what everyone gets. I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow.

I added seven books to TBR mountain this week. Most of them were Kindle books. I have somehow managed to convince myself that Kindle books don't really count as additions to my TBR mountain though because they don't take up physical space. That is how I have amassed 896 unread Kindle titles.

Kindle

Anew: The Archers of Avalon by Chelsea Fine was a Kindle Daily Deal that sounded good. 

Squeeze Play by Kate Angell is the first Richmond Rogues book. I am a big fan of sports romances—especially baseball. I have a print copy but wanted one for my Kindle.

I also got Sweet Spot and Ho, Humbug, Ho by Kate Angell which are also part of her Richmond Rogues series. 

I got Along Came a Duke by Elizabeth Boyle and Triplet by Timothy Zahn because they were Daily Deals too. 

Print

Bad to the Bone by Jeri Smith-Ready also arrived this week. I think that means that I have all the WVMP series now. 

What did you get this week?

Book Review: Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris

Dead Ever After

Author: Charlaine Harris

Publication: Ace Hardcover; First Edition edition (May 7, 2013)

Description: THE FINAL SOOKIE STACKHOUSE NOVEL 

There are secrets in the town of Bon Temps, ones that threaten those closest to Sookie—and could destroy her heart....

Sookie Stackhouse  finds it easy to turn down the request of former barmaid Arlene when she wants her job back at Merlotte’s. After all, Arlene tried to have Sookie killed. But her relationship with Eric Northman is not so clearcut. He and his vampires are keeping their distance…and a cold silence. And when Sookie learns the reason why, she is devastated.

Then a shocking murder rocks Bon Temps, and Sookie is arrested for the crime.

But the evidence against Sookie is weak, and she makes bail. Investigating the killing, she’ll learn that what passes for truth in Bon Temps is only a convenient lie. What passes for justice is more spilled blood. And what passes for love is never enough…

My Thoughts: I don't have much to say about this story except that I was satisfied with the conclusion. Even though I have been avoiding other reviews for fear of spoilers, I have heard enough to know that there are a variety of opinions about the way Charlaine Harris chose to end her series. I thought that she kept the story true to Sookie's character.

I liked seeing some favorite characters and some villains make a reappearance in this story. I felt satisfied with where those characters were. I was glad to see Mr. Cataliades and Diantha play a major role in this story. I really liked getting a chance to catch up with Quinn too. A brief appearance by Alcide let us catch up on his life too. 

I thought that the part of the story that dealt with Sookie's relationship with Eric ended up the only way it could given both Sookie's and Eric's characters. It gave Sookie a good chance to demonstrate her resilience and show that, despite all that happened to her through the series, she was still a good Southern girl. "Steel magnolia" wouldn't be a bad description for her. 

Throughout the series Sookie lost a lot of the innocence that she began the series with. Each new type of supernatural and each new thing she learned about her own heritage rubbed off some of the innocence but left a much stronger person. 

Read it and then go back and savor the whole series again. That is what I plan to do.

Favorite Quote:

"Karin is called the Slaughterer."

"Well, that's silly. The Slaughterer's just...cumbersome. 'Karin the Killer' would be way better."

If Bill had been prone to such gestures, he would have rolled his eyes. "Sookie..."

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