Saturday, January 30, 2016

Book Review: Blood Cross by Faith Hunter

Blood Cross
Author: Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock, Book 2
Publication: Roc (January 5, 2010)

Description: Jane Yellowrock is back on the prowl against the children of the night...

Leo Pellissier, head of the Vampire Council, has hired skinwalker Jane Yellowrock to hunt and kill one of their own who has broken sacred ancient rules. But Jane quickly realizes that in a community that is thousands of years old, loyalties run deep, mythos have real power, and the past often has more force than the present.

When the witches and blood magic--black magic--become involved, Jane Yellowrock needs new weapons and friends at her side to fight the malevolent evil that stalks New Orleans.

My Thoughts: Jane Yellowrock is in New Orleans trying to fulfill her contract with the vampire master of the city and kill the vampire that is creating rogue vampires. The events of the previous book have made the master of the city - Leo Pellissier - very angry with her and lost so deeply in grief that he is a danger to himself and those around him. Her witch friend Molly and Molly's two children are staying with her in New Orleans while Molly's husband is in Brazil. Good thing Molly is there because for some strange reason vampires and witches, normally bitter enemies, are teaming up.

Jane not only has to stay alive but has to contend with a different kind of vampire who is learning a way to cut down on the usual ten year wait before a newly turned vampire regains his identity and sanity. As Jane hunts for this vampire she also learns more about vampire history and beliefs.

Jane is also learning more about herself as she goes through some ceremonies to help her recover her lost past. That she is a skinwalker is a secret from most of the world but a couple of people learn her secret in this episode. I love the relationship between Jane and her Beast. I also love her relationship with Bruiser - George Dumas - who is Leo Pellisier's blood servant and her relationship with Rick LaFleur - former undercover cop and current love interest.

Fans of urban fantasy will enjoy this series. I can't wait to read the next volume and am excited to have so many still to go.

Favorite Quote:
"Leo is not the most dangerous creature in this city." His voice was low and certain, the tone of a man who has seen and survived too much. "It is his power that has kept the peace for so long, between beings that have few morals, and often no compunction about killing humans. He is simply not himself, lost in his grief."
I bought this book. You can buy your copy here.

Friday, January 29, 2016

Friday Memes: Blood Cross by Faith Hunter

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 Blood Cross by Faith Hunter which is the second book in her Jane Yellowrock urban fantasy series. Here is the description from Amazon:
Jane Yellowrock is back on the prowl against the children of the night...

Leo Pellissier, head of the Vampire Council, has hired skinwalker Jane Yellowrock to hunt and kill one of their own who has broken sacred ancient rules. But Jane quickly realizes that in a community that is thousands of years old, loyalties run deep, mythos have real power, and the past often has more force than the present.

When the witches and blood magic--black magic--become involved, Jane Yellowrock needs new weapons and friends at her side to fight the malevolent evil that stalks New Orleans.
Beginning:
Molly and the kids and I were eating a big lunch when the lightning hit. 
Friday 56: 
Rick LaFleur, former undercover cop, now on administrative duty, led me down several flights of stairs to a room with no name, only a number: 666.

"Cute," I said of the numbers.

"Yeah, cop humor. we keep the weird-shit cases and the woo-woo files in here."

Thursday, January 28, 2016

ARC Review: Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold

Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Series: Vorkosigan Saga (Book 17)
Publication: Baen (February 2, 2016)

Description: Three years after her famous husband’s death, Cordelia Vorkosigan, widowed Vicereine of Sergyar, stands ready to spin her life in a new direction. Oliver Jole, Admiral, Sergyar Fleet, finds himself caught up in her web of plans in ways he’d never imagined, bringing him to an unexpected crossroads in his career.

Meanwhile, Miles Vorkosigan, one of Emperor Gregor’s key investigators, this time dispatches himself on a mission of inquiry, into a mystery he never anticipated – his own mother.

Plans, wills, and expectations collide in this sparkling science-fiction social comedy, as the impact of galactic technology on the range of the possible changes all the old rules, and Miles learns that not only is the future not what he expects, neither is the past.

My Thoughts: The seventeenth Vorkosigan Saga focuses on Cordelia and Sergyar. Three years have passed since Aral's death and the first immense grief is finally abating. Cordelia comes back to Sergyar from Barrayar carrying genetic material that she and Aral had stored many years before. It is her goal to stop being Vicereine and become a parent again - a parent of daughters. She believes that it is time to rewrite her life.

Admiral Oliver Jole is also going to have his life rewritten. For more than twenty years, he, Aral and Cordelia have been in a discrete - very discrete - relationship. When Cordelia offers him the chance at children using Aral's genetic materials, he needs to re-evaluate his life and plans too. Starting to date Cordelia also impacts his choices.

When Cordelia informs Gregor, Miles, Mark, Simon and Alys about her plans, Miles dispatches himself along with his wife and six children to Sergyar to find out what is going on. Meanwhile, both Jole and Cordelia are very busy in their roles as Admiral of the Sergyar Fleet and Vicereine as they are trying to co-ordinate the growth and development of the planet and the relocation of the planetary capital. There are constant demands on their time and attention that makes it difficult for them to have any sort of relationship, even a discrete one.

There aren't big political problems in this story; the Cetagandans seem focused elsewhere. The problems are internal to Jole and Cordelia. The book talks a lot about the life-changing and awesome responsibility of becoming a parent. Cordelia had always wanted more children but, because of Miles's physical limitations and Barrayaran politics, she and Aral never felt the time was right to have them. Now, she has the opportunity to finally make that goal a reality. Jole had never really given children a thought. He being too Barrayaran to have seen the possibilities inherent in the uterine replicator technology and being unaware of the existence of the stored genetic material. The thought of children is more life-altering for him than for Cordelia.

I loved all the references to other events that took place in earlier books in this series. I loved the chance to see Miles and his family again. I have always admired Cordelia's character and was so happy to have another book that starred her. I liked the way the author managed to insert something new - a long-standing relationship with Oliver Jole - into the saga.

Fans of the series won't want to miss this story which is filled with Bujold's masterful prose, subtle humor, and vivid characterizations. But new readers won't feel lost. This story is compelling on its own and explores some very interesting questions about science and the possibilities it offers.

Favorite Quote:
She swiped her hands through her hair. "What part of 'Let's not site the planetary capital next to an active volcano' do they find hard? This place should be a nature reserve. All right, maybe a historical park, later on. But then when that damned mountain next goes off it'll only take out dozens or hundreds of people, not millions."
I bought this eARC. You can buy your copy of the finished book here.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Book Review: Harmony Black by Cragi Schaefer

Harmony Black
Author: Craig Schaefer
Series: Harmony Black (Book 1)
Publication: 47North (February 1, 2016)

Description: Harmony Black is much more than your average FBI special agent. In addition to being a practicing witch, she’s also an operative for Vigilant Lock, an off-the-books program created to battle occult threats—by any means necessary. Despite her dedication to fighting the monsters threatening society, Harmony has become deeply conflicted about her job. Her last investigation resulted in a pile of dead bodies, and she suspects the wrong people are being punished for it.

While on a much-needed vacation, Harmony gets pulled back into action. This time, though, she’s gone from solo work to being part of a team. Their target: the Bogeyman, a vicious and elusive figure…and the creature that destroyed Harmony’s childhood.

Surrounded by quirky, fascinating characters as dedicated to one another as they are to their new partner, Harmony must learn to trust her team—and a new romantic interest—on a dangerous and deadly mission that conjures up memories she’d much rather forget.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed the book which begins a new series that combines two of my favorite genres - urban fantasy and mystery. Harmony Black is a straight-arrow FBI agent who also happens to be a practicing witch. She is recruited to be part of a secret FBI operation and sent to Talbot Cove to investigate the disappearance of some children.

Harmony knows Talbot Cove. She was born there and lived there until she was six years old. She and her mother left town after her little sister Angie was taken and her father, the sheriff, killed trying to save his daughter. Harmony was sure that it was the Bogeyman but the police were looking for a more rational explanation.

Since then Harmony has had other encounters with the strange. Being back in Talbot Cove with her partner was was raised by a serial killer, a computer hacker, and an old pro in a wheelchair, Harmony has to find out why the Bogeyman has come back. And she and the team have to find a way to stop him.

I liked the characters and the relationship between Harmony and her new partner Jessie. I also liked that she got to meet a childhood friend who is now a Deputy. I liked the supernatural bounty hunters. While neither one cared much for humans, Fontaine proved himself useful while Nyx made an excellent secondary villain.

I am eager to read more in this new series.

Favorite Quote:
"Okay," Kevin said,"want some weird? Here's some weird. We've got only partial blueprints, scanned in from the originals. I'm showing first-floot access to a pretty good-size cellar. The cellar itself? Not shown. Probably want to check that out."

"The cellar," I said. "Great. Because nothing bad ever happens in the cellars of creepy old houses."
I got this one through the Kindle First program. You can buy your copy here.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Teaser Tuesday: Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. 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:
It...made no sense. Except that sometime in the past three years, she had switched from counting her years not up from birth, but back from death—a grab-bag of time not growing, but shrinking, use it or lose it.
This week my teaser comes from Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold. This is the latest in her Vorkosigan saga and stars Cordelia. Here is the description from Amazon:
Three years after her famous husband’s death, Cordelia Vorkosigan, widowed Vicereine of Sergyar, stands ready to spin her life in a new direction. Oliver Jole, Admiral, Sergyar Fleet, finds himself caught up in her web of plans in ways he’d never imagined, bringing him to an unexpected crossroads in his career.

Meanwhile, Miles Vorkosigan, one of Emperor Gregor’s key investigators, this time dispatches himself on a mission of inquiry, into a mystery he never anticipated – his own mother.

Plans, wills, and expectations collide in this sparkling science-fiction social comedy, as the impact of galactic technology on the range of the possible changes all the old rules, and Miles learns that not only is the future not what he expects, neither is the past.

Monday, January 25, 2016

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan. 25, 2016)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

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.

Other Than Reading...

This week was filled with lots more excitement than I really wanted. I came out of the Elementary School on Monday planning to drive to the high school and found that the battery was dead in my car. A friend jump started me and I drove home and put the car in my garage. I then walked to the high school braving wind chills that were quite a ways below zero. I walked home after school and tried to start my car but it was completely dead. I called my car dealership to make an appointment to get a new battery and then started looking for someone who would come jump start my car so that I could get to the appointment. Naturally, the appointment was for Tuesday afternoon.

A friend drove me to work on Tuesday. I walked between schools and home again braving wind chills that were well below zero again. When the guy came to start my car, it wouldn't even start with a jump start. Luckily, he came in his tow truck. I had to have my car towed about 25 miles to the dealership and I got to make conversation with a big black dude named Bubba all the way there. He was quite a nice young man!

I waited at the dealership because they said they could fix the car in a couple of hours. While running the diagnostics to find out what the problem was (in case it was more than a battery that was too old), they discovered that I needed new front brake pads. Since I was already there, I had that done and an oil change. Since I knew I'd be waiting, my Kindle was in my purse. I managed to finish reading one book and read 10% of another.

After reclaiming my now very reliable car, I decided to run a couple of other errands before going back home. I stopped at Great Clips and had six inches cut off my hair. I was trying to grow it out but decided that my fine hair wasn't suitable for long hairstyles. I was getting tired of eating it and picking up long strands of white hair all over my house.

Finally, I took myself out to dinner at Outback and came home with half a steak to eat another day. I arrived home to find that the book fairy had stopped at my house. I received a big box of YA titles from Macmillan and two adult mysteries from a publicist.

Wednesday, bright and early (actually dark and early), I drove into Rochester again to have lab work done before my annual physical. Then I was off to work just one hour late which worked out quite well because we always start one hour late on Wednesdays so that teachers can be in Professional Learning Teams.

Thursday was blessedly normal and Friday was an early out for students and work time for teachers to do grades. Our first semester is over! I left at my usual 1:30 and had my annual physical where I learned that I was doing okay - no changes from last year. However, I do have couple more medical tests on the horizon to get more data for my doctor.

The weekend was spend assessing student work and preparing report cards, blogging and reading. I didn't leave my house!

Read Last Week
On His Watch by Katie Ruggle was a novella. It introduces the characters and begins the plot of a series of romantic suspense books. The novella is currently free at Amazon. I have the first book in the series on my Kindle for review. The setting and characters were interesting. I reviewed this on GoodReads and LibraryThing but not on my blog.

The Infamous Heir by Elizabeth Michels was a nice historical romance that also had a mystery. I enjoyed the characters in this one too. My review will be posted on Feb. 25.
Hostile Witness by Leigh Adams was a mystery that I got for review from Crooked Lane Books. It had one of the most unique amateur detectives that I have ever read about. The plot was nicely twisty and the characters were engaging. This book begins a new series. My review will be posted on Feb. 6.

The Fine Art of Murder by Emily Barnes was a cozy-ish mystery also from Crooked Lane Books. The main character is a retired chief of police turned artist who is back home in Edina supporting her daughter who is going through a divorce. She gets involved in a mystery that also threatens to dig up some old family secrets of the wealthiest family in town. My review will be posted on Feb. 4.
Benefit of the Doubt by Neal Griffin was his debut mystery/thriller. I enjoyed the Wisconsin setting and found the characters engaging, the plot fast moving, and the tension high throughout the whole story. My review will be posted on Feb. 10.

Currently
I am currently reading A Voice from the Field by Neal Griffin which will be released on February 3. When I was offered this one for review, I was also offered Benefit of the Doubt because the main character of this book was an important side character in that one.

Next Week
Just This Night by Mari Madison also came via an email invitation. This marks the author's return to romance. She writes YA under the name of Mari Mancusi. I have a couple of her YA books on TBR mountain.

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

I got quite a number of new books this week.
Crooked Lane Books put two more mysteries up at NetGalley and I couldn't resist them despite the fact that they will be released in early February.

The Fine Art of Murder by Emily Barnes was set in my home state and starred a retired female police chief turned artist.

Hostile Witness by Leigh Adams starred a computer security specialist with an illness that looks a lot like Asperger's to this reader who finds herself mired in a conspiracy of epic proportions.
I read Unholy Blue by Darby Kaye in ARC but also ordered a finished copy for my Kindle. It was released this week and downloaded to my Kindle.

I got two more review books in the mail on Tuesday. They came as a result of my positive response to a publicist's email.

Benefit of a Doubt by Neal Griffin is a gritty police procedural featuring all sorts of corruption that takes place in a small town in Wisconsin. This book was released last May.

A Voice from the Field by Neal Griffin is the second book. It stars a character who appeared in Benefit of a Doubt and gives her her own story. This one will be released on Feb. 3.
The Kindle Daily Deal on Wednesday was for an urban fantasy trilogy by an author that I recently read. I enjoyed her YA book, like urban fantasy, and thought I'd give these a try while they were on sale.
Also on Wednesday I was approved for The Skeleton Garden by Marty Wingate which is the latest in her Potting Shed series. I have enjoyed all the others in this cozy series. This one will be released on March 15.

I added 19 books to my TBR mountain this week (see my other blog to see the rest). I got 10 young adult books. Thirteen of the new arrivals were review books with release dates stretching out until the end of August. I have noticed that the adult review books I received usually have very short turnarounds. Four of the five this week will be releasing on Feb. 3.

I have added a total of 39 new books so far in 2016. Thirty-one are still unread.

To see what Young Adult books I have been reading and plan to read, check out Ms. Martin Teaches Media - my other blog.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Book Review: Sweet and Deadly by Charlaine Harris

Sweet and Deadly
Author: Charlaine Harris
Publication: Berkley; Reprint edition (March 6, 2007)

Description: Now best known for her New York Times bestselling Sookie Stackhouse novels, Charlaine Harris hit "a home run the first time out" (Birmingham News) with the story of a murder that embroils a small-town reporter in mystery that hits close to home...

Catherine Linton has returned to her hometown of Lowfield, Mississippi, unconvinced that the death of her parents in a car crash six months earlier was an accident. And her suspicions are confirmed when she stumbles upon the dead and beaten body of her doctor-father's longtime nurse. There are secrets being kept in Lowfield. And the town where Catherine grew up may be the same place where she is sent to her grave...

My Thoughts: Catherine Linton is back in her home town of Lowfield, Mississippi, after the death of her parents in a car accident. Catherine left her first job after college as a reporter and returned home to try to come to terms with her loss. She is working for the local weekly paper as the society reporter and trying to find her way out of the depression that she fell into when her parents died.

She has never felt that her parents' accident was really an accident but the sheriff who is also a family friend couldn't find any evidence that the car was tampered with. However, when Catherine stumbles upon the body of her doctor father's long-time nurse, her suspicions are aroused again. She begins to investigate and soon learns that her quiet little southern town is filled with buried secrets. Someone is willing to kill to keep their secret hidden and Catherine is in danger.

This book was written in 1981 and is Harris's first book. There is evidence that this story is set in an earlier time. Catherine is quick to light up a cigarette to relieve stress. The sheriff pussy-foots around telling Catherine that her father's office nurse was the local abortionist because that isn't something a man would say to a nice southern young lady. Catherine's attitude toward her family's former housekeeper who is black and her housekeeper's son who is now a sheriff's deputy reflect attitudes that aren't contemporary and were a little uncomfortable for this contemporary reader. The mystery is well done and certainly well written.

Completist fans of Charlaine Harris won't want to miss this story.

Favorite Quote:
Food, the southern offering on the altar of crisis. Catherine was bemused by its presentation now. Finding a corpse must be close enough to a death in the family to qualify.
I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Friday Memes: Sweet and Deadly by Charlaine Harris

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.

Beginning:
She passed a dead dog on her way to the tenant shack.
Friday 56:
I've been working on it, she thought defensively.

The terrible jolts of the day before had shown her how far she had come and how far she had to go.
This week I am spotlighting Sweet and Deadly by Charlaine Harris. This one has been sitting on TBR mountain since I bought it on Feb. 28, 2007. It is her first book which she wrote in 1981. Here is the description from Amazon:
Now best known for her New York Times bestselling Sookie Stackhouse novels, Charlaine Harris hit "a home run the first time out" (Birmingham News) with the story of a murder that embroils a small-town reporter in mystery that hits close to home...

Catherine Linton has returned to her hometown of Lowfield, Mississippi, unconvinced that the death of her parents in a car crash six months earlier was an accident. And her suspicions are confirmed when she stumbles upon the dead and beaten body of her doctor-father's longtime nurse. There are secrets being kept in Lowfield. And the town where Catherine grew up may be the same place where she is sent to her grave...

Thursday, January 21, 2016

ARC Review: Night Study by Maria V. Snyder

Night Study
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Series: Study Series (Book 5)
Publication: Mira (January 26, 2016)

Description: New York Times bestselling author Maria V. Snyder transports readers back to the realms of Sitia and Ixia in an exciting new Study novel full of magic, danger and intrigue. 

Ever since being kidnapped from the Illiais Jungle as a child, Yelena Zaltana's life has been fraught with peril. But the recent loss of her Soulfinding abilities has endangered her more than ever before. As she desperately searches for a way to reclaim her magic, her enemies are closing in, and neither Ixia nor Sitia is safe for her anymore. Especially since the growing discord between the two countries and the possibility of a war threatens everything Yelena holds dear.

Valek is determined to protect Yelena, but he's quickly running out of options. The Commander suspects that his loyalties are divided, and he's been keeping secrets from Valek…secrets that put him, Yelena and all their friends in terrible danger. As they uncover the various layers of the Commander's mysterious plans, they realize it's far more sinister than they could have ever imagined.

My Thoughts: This episode sees big changes for both Yelena and Valek. Yelena begins the story having lost her magic in the previous book. She is also pretty sure that she is pregnant. The thought of bringing a baby into her current life as a magicless target of assassins scare her spitless. Valek is happy with the news despite the major changes it will make in both their lives.

Meanwhile, in the bigger world, Valek seems to be losing the trust of the Commander and feels that his loyalty is shifting to Yelena and his potential new family. This isn't a good time to doubt the Commander and his loyalty. Owen has escaped from prison and is planning the magical takeover of Ixia. But the Commander feels he is controlling Owen as he plans to try to conquer Sitia. This situation puts Yelena right in the middle. As the liaison between Ixia and Sitia, she is committed to maintaining peace between the two countries.

In Sitia, a cartel has taken to kidnapping and brainwashing magicians in preparation of the feared invasion by the Commander's forces. Both Leif and Yelena are kidnapped by this faction which tries to brainwash them into believing in the goals of the the cartel.

Valek is busy in the northern part of Ixia trying to track down a band of pirates who are being aided by magic users. Valek has a life-altering surprise when he discovers that two of the magicians with the pirates are siblings he didn't know he had. Going home again with them changes him immensely.

When they do finally get back together, they find themselves in the middle of a potential war with only a small cohort of supporters to try to stop things before it is too late. On the plus side, they are together and married and committed to being parents. On the minus side, they need to stop a war in order to live a life that isn't filled with danger. Hopefully, the next book will resolve this war situation. I can't wait.

Favorite Quote:
Dark shadows of grief haunted his expression. More than one person should be asked to bear. But that was the problem with grief. No one ever asked for it. It arrived with its bags already packed for an extended stay. It settled into your best guest room and demanded to be waited on all day long, and when it finally shuttled out the door, it left behind permanent scratches on your furniture. 
I received this eARC from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Spotlight: Books That Need a New Home (Donate Pile)

I have decided that 2016 is the year when I take a look at books on my TBR mountain and read them or donate them. I'm starting with the books that have been on the stack the longest. Hopefully by the end of 2016, my TBR mountain will be only a foothill.

Today I'm looking at some books that have been on the stack since 2008. Here are some of the books from the stack that are being donated (and the reasons why):
  1. Hell's Gate by David Weber - I love the Honor Harrington series but somehow the 800 pages and generally unfavorable reviews have kept this on my stack since 2008. This book came out in 2006 with a sequel in 2007. It looks like a third in the series with a new co-author is coming 2016.
  2. Promise Me by Harlan Coben - I've had the 8th book in the Marvin Bolitar series on my stack since 2008. I just read the first one in the series in 2013. I have the second one but haven't been interested enough to put it on my reading stack yet. It could be years, if ever, before I'm ready for book eight.
  3. The Fire Opal by Catherine Asaro - Asaro writes complex and intelligent science fiction but this is fantasy. This fantasy is fourth in a series and received very mixed reviews. I haven't read any of the other books in the series.
  4. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons - This was recommended by someone I admire. But I don't read classics or parodies. It has been sitting since 2008.
  5. Elemental Magic by Sharon Shinn et al. - I confess; I have a problem with anthologies. I don't care for shorter works and usually buy them because they have one story by an author I read. In this case, I have read books by Shinn. However, I never got to this one and have lost interest.
  6. This Sceptered Isle by Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis - I like Lackey Valdemar books but have never really cared for her fantasy books. Time to move it and its sequel - Ill Met By Moonlight - on to other fantasy fans.
  7. Vanish by Tess Garritsen - This is book 5 in the Jane Rizzoli series. I haven't read nor do I own any of the rest of the series. 
Orphaned Books - Parts of series but not book 1. If I've read book one, I did so before 2008 and don't remember them at all.
  1. Forest Mage by Robin Hobb - Book 2 of the Soldier Son Trilogy - 718 page hardcover - Neither book one or book three are on my stack.
  2. The Clone Republic, The Clone Alliance, and Rogue Clone by Steven L. Kent - This looks like it could be an interesting science fiction trilogy but they look a little bit too hard science fiction and I prefer more character-driven stories these days. They are also the first three books in a series that has now reached ten books. I don't want to make that much of a commitment.
Have you read any of these? Can you give me a reason why I must read them?

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Teaser Tuesday: Night Study by Maria V. Snyder

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. 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 grasped the triangular shard and yanked it out in one quick motion. She gasped. Blood poured from the wound.
This week my teaser comes from Night Study by Maria V. Snyder. This is the latest book in her Study fantasy series. Here is the description from Amazon:
New York Times bestselling author Maria V. Snyder transports readers back to the realms of Sitia and Ixia in an exciting new Study novel full of magic, danger and intrigue. 

Ever since being kidnapped from the Illiais Jungle as a child, Yelena Zaltana's life has been fraught with peril. But the recent loss of her Soulfinding abilities has endangered her more than ever before. As she desperately searches for a way to reclaim her magic, her enemies are closing in, and neither Ixia nor Sitia is safe for her anymore. Especially since the growing discord between the two countries and the possibility of a war threatens everything Yelena holds dear.

Valek is determined to protect Yelena, but he's quickly running out of options. The Commander suspects that his loyalties are divided, and he's been keeping secrets from Valek…secrets that put him, Yelena and all their friends in terrible danger. As they uncover the various layers of the Commander's mysterious plans, they realize it's far more sinister than they could have ever imagined.

Monday, January 18, 2016

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan. 18, 2016)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

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.

Other Than Reading... 

This was a quiet week. We are nearing the end of the semester and so students are busy finishing final projects. We had a tour of the new part of the elementary which should be open for business by the end of the month. Preschool classes are already started in their new location but the offices and cafeteria still have some work that needs to be done.

Our weather had taken a turn for the cold here in Minnesota. We haven't had much snow and that doesn't look like its going to change in the near future. That is a good thing because I have a couple of doctor's appointments next week that I don't want to have to reschedule because of weather. 

I'm disappointed but not surprised that I didn't win the Powerball last week. I guess I'll just have to continue life as usual instead of moving to a tropical location where I can just laze on the beach.

Read Last Week
Betting the Bad Boy by Sugar Jamison how has a cover. It was an enjoyable romance featuring the hidden baby trope. My review will be posted on Feb. 3.

Fighting Dirty by Lori Foster is the most recent in her Ultimate series and is the one I liked best of all of them. It had good suspense and a really nice romance. My review will be posted on Feb. 18.

Currently
The Infamous Heir by Elizabeth Michels in next on my stack. This is a historical romance I got for review from NetGalley which will be released on March 1.

Next Week
Just This Night by Mari Madison will also be released on March 1. It is a contemporary romance that I received via an email from a publicist.

Reviews Posted
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?
Turn or Burn by Boo Walker was a free mystery/romance for my Kindle. He emailed me about it and, as I have read and enjoyed some of his other books, I decided to download this book even though I have no idea when I'll find time to read it.

I also got the final two books in the Pern series this week. They are hardcovers that bought from Amazon Marketplace.
I don't know when I'll get a chance to read these either but at least I know I now have the complete series.

I added two new review books also this week. Both are from Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley.
I Dream of Dragons by Ashlyn Chase is the first book in a new paranormal series which will be released on April 5.

Luck Is No Lady by Amy Sandas is a historical romance which will also be released on April 5.

TBR Stack Status

I've added 20 books to the stack so far in 2016. Seventeen are still unread. Nine are review books.

To see what Young Adult books I have been reading and plan to read, check out Ms. Martin Teaches Media - my other blog.

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Kendra Elliot's BONE SECRETS Sunday

Author Message - Kendra Elliot

KNOWN is the hardest book I've ever written. I think it's because my fans had such a fantastic reaction to the first appearance of the hero, Chris Jacobs, in BURIED as a secondary character. I've never received so much email about a character. I put a lot of pressure on myself to create a story worth this honorable character. 

Chris was abducted as a child and held in an underground bunker with his schoolmates by a sadistic serial killer. After two years, Chris and another boy escaped, but his friend died before reaching safety. Chris assumed his dead friend's identity, knowing his own family could be killed if they discovered he was alive. 

In BURIED, Chris is reunited with his real family, but the novel belongs to his brother, Michael Brody. Readers clamored for Chris to have his HEA and I knew he needed his own novel, not a novella. I worked hard to come up with a love interest that was worthy of Chris. 

Gianna Trask is a forensic pathologist with a teen daughter and a background that slightly echoes Chris's past. They have both been through hell and are drawn together by their shared pain. Everything Gianna believes about her past is turned on its side when a dead body shows up after her remote cabin catches fire. She and her daughter are trapped outside the cabin in a snowstorm until Chris appears. 

During every word I wrote, I felt like I had my fans looking over my shoulder, wanting the best for Chris. It had a tendency to make me second guess every decision, drawing out the creative process. But I now feel like I did him justice. I hope my fans love Gianna as much as they adore Chris and agree that they are perfect for each other.  

Excerpt - KNOWN

Chris’s brain shot into fifth gear. 

It had been at a full stop as he told Gianna that he remembered everything about his captivity with the Ghostman. He hadn’t shared his memories with anyone since Brian’s mother, Elena. His secrets had died with her. Early on, Michael and Jamie had asked a few leading questions, but he’d shut them down. He didn’t want their minds polluted with images from his past. They had imaginations; they could use them. 

But with Gianna it was different. She’d moved toward him when he alluded to the horrors that had been done to him. She hadn’t run. She hadn’t rejected him. For one terrifying, heart-stopping moment he’d thought she’d look away; instead she’d reached out. 

He’d grabbed her offering and clamped on like a man dying of thirst. 

As he kissed her, he acknowledged that he’d been closed off for years. Gianna had gently touched his surface, sending small waves across his senses. The waves had rippled over the black memories that’d risen to the surface and calmed them, buried them. He hadn’t fought his usual internal struggle to make the images vanish; they’d simply dissolved. 

He wasn’t a fool. They weren’t magically gone. But they’d never fallen away into the background with such ease. 

Since he’d first seen her, Gianna had soothed his environment. Usually he escaped to his cabin to find that calm; yesterday he’d discovered it’d followed him back home on two legs. Two petite legs attached to one of the most gorgeous women he’d ever seen. 

And she accepted him. She’d looked right into his nightmare and not shied away. 

Her heart beat against his and he ran his hand up into her hair, cradling her skull. She felt so small under his fingertips. Her hand was still clutched in his, gripping like she was scared to let go, and he held their clasped hands against her back, feeling the soft give of her skin and the harder bumps of her spine. With her arm behind her she was open and vulnerable to him, but she didn’t seem to care. He tightened his hold on her, causing her to exhale, and she turned her lips from his, her breath brushing over his cheek. He moved his lips up her face to her cheekbones and her eyelids, to her forehead. A soft scent of coconut shampoo entered his senses, and he abruptly wished they were alone on a tropical island, not standing in her violated home in a rainy city. 

He went back to her lips and her doorbell rang. 

“Holy crap,” she uttered. 

“We’re not done here.” He held her gaze, turning his statement into a question. Once again he placed the decision in her hands. 

“Definitely not.” She pulled back; her eyes were dark, but her lips curved in a promising smile that made his heart painfully contract. In a good way. 

“I’ll get the door.”

***

About the Book

Title: Known
Author: Kendra Elliot
Release Date: January 19, 2016
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Montlake Romance

Summary

After a brutal snowstorm in the Cascade Mountains, Chris Jacobs discovers two things he never expected to see: the charred shell of a cabin, and Gianna Trask and her sixteen-year-old daughter huddled in an SUV, having barely escaped from their burning vacation rental.

Still scarred from a childhood ordeal, Chris knows there’s something sinister about the scene—it’s the stench of burned flesh.

Forced to wait out the blizzard in their rescuer’s retreat, medical examiner Gianna Trask wonders if her hidden past has finally caught up with her. When a body is found in the destroyed cabin’s ashes and a forest ranger is brutally murdered, both Gianna and Chris must confront their secrets if they want to escape the violent threat lurking outside.

In the fifth book in the Bone Secrets series, Kendra Elliot leads readers on a dangerous, twisting journey of two lives forever changed by a fiery snowstorm in the mountains.

Buy Link


About the Author

Kendra Elliot won the 2015 and 2014 Daphne du Maurier awards for Romantic Suspense. She was also an International Thriller Writers finalist for Best Paperback Original and a Romantic Times finalist for Romantic Suspense. She grew up in the lush Pacific Northwest and still lives there with her husband, three daughters, two cats, and a Pomeranian. She’s always been fascinated with forensics, refuses to eat anything green, and loves a strong mai tai on the beach on Kauai. Visit Kendra at www.kendraelliot.com.

Social Media Links

Saturday, January 16, 2016

ARC Review: Unholy Blue by Darby Kaye

Unholy Blue
Author: Darby Kaye
Series: Bannerman Boru (Book 2)
Publication: Spence City (January 19, 2016)

Description: Strong and Irish.

That's how Shay Doyle likes her whiskey. And her men. As Healer to a clan of immortal Celtic warriors living in modern-day Colorado, she has been gifted with such a man: Bannerman "Bann" Boru, who is warrior, lover, and father. The only problem is keeping the stubborn warrior alive. For Fate seems to have it in for Bann, and his son, Cor, descendants of the kings of Ireland, and recipient of an ancient grudge from the mad god, Cernunnos.

But, with a bit o'luck, Shay, Bann, and the rest of the Doyle clan - along with the aid of a legendary huntsman known as the Black Hand - might just suss out how to kill a shapeshifter that refuses to stay dead, prevent clan warfare, and make a choice that could change their lives.

If they don't lose them first.

My Thoughts: This second book in the Bannerman Boru series has Bann and Shay trying to plan a wedding around incipient clan warfare, an old god who isn't quite dead enough, and battles with both Amandan and Fir Bolgs.

Cernunnos was defeated in the first book in the series but managed to escape being destroyed by invading Shay's dog Max after he was killed defending them. Cor is only 8 rising 9 and can't quite understand that Max is gone. Cernunnos uses that uncertainty to try to kidnap him. Cor's American fey blood might be the key to turning Cernunnos into a god again if Bann and Shay can't protect him.

There is lots of action in this story. Between battling Amandan and the rival Tully clan, there is a kidnapping, an invasion of Fir Bolgs who threaten Clan Doyle, and a guest appearance by Gideon Lir.

What I liked most about this story was watching Shay and Bann build their new relationship. Both are warriors and strong people. Compromise isn't really part of either of their vocabulary until they fall in love with each other. I also loved watching Shay's relationship with Cor grow. He's as stubborn as his father and as loving.

Fans of urban fantasy will enjoy this story and be eager for more.

Favorite Quote:
"Yoga."

"Yes, yoga. And repeating it over and over with that look on your face is not going to make me stop."

"What look is that?"

"The look that screams 'hell will have frozen over enough for the Frost Giants to vacation there before you will find me twisted into a position that resembles a Celtic knot'"
I received this eARC from the publisher via NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Friday, January 15, 2016

Friday Memes: Unholy Blue by Darby Kaye

Happy Friday everybody!
Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City ReaderThe 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.

Beginning:
While she waited by the open door of the plane for the passengers to isembark, the flight attendant watched as the man in 8C—ruggedly handsome with tall, dark, and come fly the friendly skies with me looks—unfolded himself from the aisle seat.
Friday 56:
"Um..." Cor screwed up his face, as if trying to figure out an excuse that wasn't going to get him killed. He gave up and evidently decided on telling the truth. "I-I was following Max, but he took off when—"
This week I am spotlighting Unholy Blue by Darby Kaye. This is the second book in her Bannerman Boru urban fantasy series. I was invited to read this book by the publisher. Here is the description from Amazon:
Strong and Irish.

That's how Shay Doyle likes her whiskey. And her men. As Healer to a clan of immortal Celtic warriors living in modern-day Colorado, she has been gifted with such a man: Bannerman "Bann" Boru, who is warrior, lover, and father. The only problem is keeping the stubborn warrior alive. For Fate seems to have it in for Bann, and his son, Cor, descendants of the kings of Ireland, and recipient of an ancient grudge from the mad god, Cernunnos.

But, with a bit o'luck, Shay, Bann, and the rest of the Doyle clan - along with the aid of a legendary huntsman known as the Black Hand - might just suss out how to kill a shapeshifter that refuses to stay dead, prevent clan warfare, and make a choice that could change their lives.

If they don't lose them first.