ARC Review: The Waking Fire by Anthony Ryan

The Waking Fire
Author: Anthony Ryan
Series: The Draconis Memoria (Book 1)
Publication: Ace (July 5, 2016)

Description: Throughout the vast lands controlled by the Ironship Trading Syndicate, nothing is more prized than the blood of drakes. Harvested from captive or hunted Reds, Greens, Blues and Blacks, it can be distilled into elixirs that bestow fearsome powers on the rare men and women known as the Blood-blessed.

But not many know the truth: that the lines of drakes are weakening. If they fail, war with the neighbouring Corvantine Empire will follow swiftly. The Syndicate’s last hope resides in whispers of the existence of another breed of drake, far more powerful than the rest, and the few who have been chosen by fate to seek it.

Claydon Torcreek is a petty thief and an unregistered Blood-blessed who finds himself pressed into service by the Protectorate and sent to wild, uncharted lands in search of a creature he believes is little more than legend. Lizanne Lethridge is a formidable spy and assassin facing gravest danger on an espionage mission deep into the heart of enemy territory. And Corrick Hilemore is the second lieutenant of an Ironship cruiser whose pursuit of ruthless brigands leads him to a far greater threat at the edge of the world.

As lives and empires clash and intertwine, as the unknown and the known collide, all three must fight to turn the tide of a coming war, or drown in its wake.

My Thoughts: This volume begins an epic fantasy series. We follow three main viewpoint characters - Lisanne Lethbridge, Claydon Torcreek, and Corrick Hilemore.

Lisanne is a spy for the the Ironship Syndicate. She is a blood-blessed who is able to use the blood harvested from drakes to enhance her speed and healing, shoot fire, have visions, and stop objects in motion. She is set on a mission by her director to locate a mythical white drake. She spies on the scholar who has been searching for it for a lifetime and befriends his young daughter.

Claydon is an unregistered blood-blessed who is a thief in the poorest part of Carvenport. He is drafted by Lisanne's boss Lodima Bondersil to go with an expedition headed by his uncle to find this mythical white drake.

Corrick begins as a Second Lieutenant on the IPV Viable Opportunity but soon finds himself in command when war breaks out between the Protecorate and the Corvantine Empire. An even bigger problem occurs when the various colors of drakes all seem to be becoming more aggressive and determined to wipe the humans off the continent and perhaps the whole world.

This fantasy has a richly built world. I loved the idea of the drakes of red, green, blue and black who are hunted and harvested for their blood. I also thought the hunt which spanned a good part of the continent where the drakes lived was fascinating. The characters were complex and engaging. The action was truly epic.

I am eager to read the next book in this series because I have a number of unanswered questions.

Favorite Quote:

The Ironship Syndicate had made itself perhaps the most powerful organization in the world on the basis of innovation, but in the process had burdened itself with and ever-more-complex and extensive bureaucracy and a Board given to tortuous deliberation. The Corvantines has no Board, they had the Emperor. Scion of an erratic and often corrupt line he may have been, but apparently possessed of sufficient wit and singular vision to at least put the corporate world on the back foot within a few days of launching his grand military gambit.

I got this eARC from NetGalley for review. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Damage by Felix Francis

Damage
Author: Felix Francis
Publication: G.P. Putnam's Sons; First Edition / First Printing edition (October 7, 2014)

Description: Undercover investigator Jeff Hinkley is assigned by the British Horseracing Authority to look into the activities of a suspicious racehorse trainer, but as he’s tailing his quarry, Jeff bears witness to a bloody murder. Could it have something to do with the reason the trainer was banned in the first place—the administration of illegal drugs to his horses?

Soon it’s discovered that many more horses have tested positive for stimulants—and an unknown person starts making demands, threatening to completely destroy the integrity of the racing industry. To protect the sport itself, Jeff must uncover the perpetrator. But he’s up against someone who will stop at nothing to prevail.

My Thoughts: Jeff Hinkley is an investigator for the British Horseracing Authority who is thirty, has a photographic memory for faces, and is a master of disguises. He is also the concerned younger brother of a sister battling cancer and live-in boyfriend who is wondering if he should marry his long-time girlfriend.

He is surprised when following a banned racehorse trainer around a race meeting to see him casually walk up to a bookmaker and slit his throat. The trainer had claimed that he was not responsible for the doping of the horses in his yard but was convicted anyway.

It doesn't take long for problems to escalate. Someone is blackmailing the BHA. Either they pay or the blackmailer will destroy the credibility of the organization and the public's confidence in horse racing. Jeff has a short period of time to figure out who the blackmailer is and figure out a way to stop him.

The book was filled with investigations. Jeff was a great character who determined to use the skills he gained as a military intelligence officer in Iraq to solve the mystery. I also liked seeing his relationship with his sister and with his girlfriend.

Fans of mysteries will enjoy getting to know Jeff Hinkley.

Favorite Quote:

"I am not a rogue investigator," I said sharply. "Please don't confuse being clandestine with being illegal. I work completely within the law."

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

Teaser Tuesday: The Waking Fire by Anthony Ryan

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. 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 turned to Lizanne, gesturing at the box. "Tell me what you see."

Lizanne moved to the box as Jermayah stood back, her practiced gaze drinking in every detail in a few seconds.

This week my teaser comes from The Waking Fire by Anthony Ryan. I got the eARC for this new fantasy series from NetGalley. Here is the description from Amazon:

Throughout the vast lands controlled by the Ironship Trading Syndicate, nothing is more prized than the blood of drakes. Harvested from captive or hunted Reds, Greens, Blues and Blacks, it can be distilled into elixirs that bestow fearsome powers on the rare men and women known as the Blood-blessed.

But not many know the truth: that the lines of drakes are weakening. If they fail, war with the neighbouring Corvantine Empire will follow swiftly. The Syndicate’s last hope resides in whispers of the existence of another breed of drake, far more powerful than the rest, and the few who have been chosen by fate to seek it.

Claydon Torcreek is a petty thief and an unregistered Blood-blessed who finds himself pressed into service by the Protectorate and sent to wild, uncharted lands in search of a creature he believes is little more than legend. Lizanne Lethridge is a formidable spy and assassin facing gravest danger on an espionage mission deep into the heart of enemy territory. And Corrick Hilemore is the second lieutenant of an Ironship cruiser whose pursuit of ruthless brigands leads him to a far greater threat at the edge of the world.

As lives and empires clash and intertwine, as the unknown and the known collide, all three must fight to turn the tide of a coming war, or drown in its wake.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (June 27, 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... 

My second full week of vacation was lovely. The weather was great - warm enough to have the windows open and but not so warm as to need the air conditioning. They are predicting possibly severe weather yet today but we only have gray skies so far.

I spent some of this week working on my blogging calendars and plans. I chose the books I'll be reading for August and prepared the posts as far as I could without having yet read the books. (I have three books to read before my July calendar is filled and scheduled.) All my Teaser Tuesday and Friday Memes are finished and scheduled. I've also made neat stacks of the print books I'll be reading and made sure that the books were on my Kindle if I didn't have the print copy.

I didn't manage to get all the books I brought home on the calendar but comfort myself with the fact that I should have read most of September's books before my vacation ends. I need to get far ahead because the beginning of the school year is not a time to have to stress over reading and reviewing books. 

Read Last Week

From my TBR mountain, I read:

• Bay of Sighs by Nora Roberts - second in the Guardian trilogy and a nice paranormal romance (July 21 review)
• City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong - beginning of a new series about a hidden village where people who need to can disappear. Our heroine is a police detective who is admitted because of some murders that have been committed there. (July 23 review)
• The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig - 5th in the Pink Carnation series and a nice historical romance (August 3 review)

From the Review Stack, I read:

• Gone Too Deep by Katie Ruggle - third novel in the Search and Rescue romantic suspense series. This had a sweet romance and gave some clues to the mystery that is spanning the series. (August 2 release date, July 27 review)
• The Bluebonnet Betrayal by Marty Wingate - cozy mystery in which gardener Pru has to find out who murdered the president of the Austin Rock Garden Society. I love the characters in this series and enjoyed learning more about the Chelsea Flower Show too. (August 2 release date, July 28 review)

Currently

I'm finishing up my current YA read and haven't started anything new.

Next Week

First I'll be reading two from my review stack:

• A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet - This August 2 release is a romantic fantasy I got from NetGalley
• The Widower's Wife by Cate Holahan - This August 9 release is a mystery I got from NetGalley

Then I'll be reading from TBR mountain:

• Enemy Games by Marcella Burnard - This science fiction romance was added to the stack on July 8, 2013.
• Front Runner by Felix Francis - This is the second mystery starring Jeff Hinkley and was purchased last March
• The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig - This is the sixth in the Pink Carnation series.

Reviews Posted

All review books this week.

• Boundary Born by Melissa F. Olson - final book in the Boundary Magic urban fantasy series released on June 21.
• Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg - fantasy releasing on June 28
• Seconds to Live by Melinda Leigh - third in Scarlet Falls romantic suspense series releasing on June 28

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

There are lots of Kindle impulse buys on my stack this week. 

Allison Gordon Two-Book Bundle - I like mysteries and I like sports and I like spending $.99 to get two books.

Hunter, Hunted by Ashley Meira - This new urban fantasy sounded good.

Penric and the Shaman by Lois McMaster Bujold - This is the second novella Bujold has released starring this main character.

The Star King by Susan Grant - This was a free science fiction romance.

I added two to my review stack too this week.

• The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst - She emailed me and asked if I want to review this one. I have enjoyed everything else I've read by her and gladly said yes. This book will be released on September 20.
• Living Spectres by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro - This was a Read Now selection at NetGalley. I read the first book which had a major cliffhanger ending. I have to read this one in hopes of some resolution to the mystery. It will be released on November 1 (link goes to NetGalley as Amazon hasn't heard of this one yet.)

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

ARC Review: Seconds to Live by Melinda Leigh

Seconds to Live
Author: Melinda Elliot
Series: Scarlet Falls (Book 3)
Publication: Montlake Romance (June 28, 2016)

Description: Wildlife biologist Mac Barrett avoided his hometown of Scarlet Falls for years—too many bad memories. But when he receives the news that his father is dying, he rushes home only to discover he’s too late. Shaken, Mac retreats to his remote cabin seeking peace and solace. Instead, he crashes his jeep to narrowly avoid running over the naked body of a woman lying in the road. Even more disturbing, when he regains consciousness, the body is gone.

Police detective Stella Dane wants to believe Mac, even if his story about the vanishing body seems far-fetched. But when Mac’s description matches the missing woman she’s been searching for, it raises a disturbing question: How does a dead body disappear?

Mac and Stella will have to work together to find the answer and catch a psychotic kidnapper—and quickly. The killer has a deadly message to send, and the case is about to become personal…

My Thoughts: Mac Barrett is back in Scarlet Falls because his father has died. He left the Amazon jungle with a bullet wound in his side and a dead partner. Besides the emotional stress of dealing with is feelings about his father, he also walks into a crime scene. While on the way to his cabin, he swerves to avoid hitting a naked woman on the road. When he regains consciousness, she is gone. Stella Dane believes him when he tells her about the woman. She had just that day been called in because a woman was reported missing.

Someone is killing young women and leaving their staged bodies in public places. What they seem to have in common besides a general physical resemblance is that they were all dealing successfully with drug addictions. There are a number of suspects from the creepy guy who hangs around outside the church where Narcotics Anonymous meets to the husband of victim number two.

Stella and Mac work together to try to find out who the killer is. Along the way, they fall in love. When a young friend of Stella's - another former addict - disappears, pressure increases to find the killer before he kills again.

This is a very enjoyable romantic suspense series. It was good to catch up with Mac's brother and sister and see how the relationships that began in earlier books are progressing.

Favorite Quote:

Stella opened her car door. "Follow me."

But Mac's engine started with a throaty rumble, drowning out her words. He roared out of the parking lot, and Stella rushed to catch up. Driving after him, she sincerely hoped this was not an indication of how well she could keep Mac Barrett under control.

I got this eARC from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Seconds to Live by Melinda Leigh

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:

"Please let me go." Missy spoke to the tiny green LED light in the corner of the ceiling.

Friday 56:

"You don't have to do that. You already do too much for me. You saved my life. That doesn't make you responsible for the rest of it."

This week I am spotlighting Seconds to Live by Melinda Elliot. I got this eARC from NetGalley. Here is the description from Amazon:

Wildlife biologist Mac Barrett avoided his hometown of Scarlet Falls for years—too many bad memories. But when he receives the news that his father is dying, he rushes home only to discover he’s too late. Shaken, Mac retreats to his remote cabin seeking peace and solace. Instead, he crashes his jeep to narrowly avoid running over the naked body of a woman lying in the road. Even more disturbing, when he regains consciousness, the body is gone.

Police detective Stella Dane wants to believe Mac, even if his story about the vanishing body seems far-fetched. But when Mac’s description matches the missing woman she’s been searching for, it raises a disturbing question: How does a dead body disappear?

Mac and Stella will have to work together to find the answer and catch a psychotic kidnapper—and quickly. The killer has a deadly message to send, and the case is about to become personal…

ARC Review: Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg

Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet
Author: Charlie N. Holmberg
Publication: 47North (June 28, 2016)

Description: Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from.

When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.

During her captivity, Maire is visited by Fyel, a ghostly being who is reluctant to reveal his connection to her. The more often they meet, the more her memories return, and she begins to piece together who and what she really is—as well as past mistakes that yield cosmic consequences.

From the author of The Paper Magician series comes a haunting and otherworldly tale of folly and consequence, forgiveness and redemption.

My Thoughts: MAGIC BITTER, MAGIC SWEET was an entertaining fantasy novel. Maire is a baker who can infuse her baked goods with emotions and abilities. She doesn't know her past. In fact, her memory begins only a few years previous to the story when she was found and taken it by Arrice and Franc.

When her town is invaded by marauders, she is captured and sold to Allemas who treats her badly and forces her to use her gift for baking to satisfy her clients. She is forced to make a house of gingerbread among other things.

Maire is visited by an ethereal being named Fyel who seems to know her but who won't tell her about her past. She needs to discover it for herself. I found her discovery, once she made it, the best part of the book.

Fans of fantasy will enjoy this one which talks about choices and the consequences of those choices.

Favorite Quote:

Sugar is like medicine. It swirls on the tongue and settles the gut and inspires happier thoughts to the mind. I've started to take it regularly.

I got this eARC from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Boundary Born by Melissa F. Olson

Boundary Born
Author: Melissa F. Olson
Series: Boundary Magic (Book 3)
Publication: 47North (June 21, 2016)

Description: Something wicked is at work in Colorado’s supernatural community. Vampires are being paralyzed or killed with poison…a weapon favored by witches. This offense threatens to break apart the already-fractured alliance between witches and the undead.

The state’s cardinal vampire, Maven, summons boundary witch Allison “Lex” Luther to stop the killing before it ignites a war. Lex has barely started investigating when she gets another surprise: the biological father she’s never met arrives on her doorstep. He has answers to all of Lex’s questions about her bloodline, but getting those answers could mean betraying the life she’s already built.

Then the next vampire is poisoned—and this time it’s Maven herself. The new evil that hunts Lex is powerful and ruthless enough to stop the strongest supernatural creature in the state. In order to find such a killer, Lex will have to face down her own birthright and call on every ally—both living and dead.

My Thoughts: This third Boundary Magic book has Lex learning more about her past while investigating balladonna attacks, mysterious deaths and magicians using crystals to attack and sedate people.

Lex and her twin sister Sam were adopted at birth by the Luthers. Her mother died giving birth to the twins. Lex knows that her magic came from her mother but knows nothing about her. Imagine her surprise when a man named Emil Jasper shows up at her door claiming to be her biological father. Dealing with a mysterious biological father is not something she really has time for. Her boss Maven has been poisoned with belladonna - one of the few things that can harm a vampire - and Lex has to find a cure before chaos erupts in Colorado.

Lex isn't working alone. She has help from witches Simon and Lily Pellar. She also has help from her deceased sister who visits her in dreams but isn't able to give her straight answers to her many questions. She also has the assistance of a ghostly boundary witch who was a madam in Colorado's more wild past. And we can't forget the assistance she has from Quinn who happens to be her love interest and Maven's enforcer.

This story was exciting and filled with revelations about Lex's birth family. Lex also has to find a purpose for her life beyond protecting her niece Charlie. She also has to accept the boundary magic that is a major part of her.

The author states that she is leaving Lex to her adventures for a while to concentrate on another series but leaves open the possibility that she will write about her again. I look forward to finding out what is next for Lex someday.

Favorite Quote:

"Right, anyway. Blossom Wheaton works at the crystal shop in downtown Longmont. You didn't know?"

Blossom lived thirty miles outside of Boulder in a little house with two defense-trained Dobermans and an armful of rifles. I'd never considered what she did for money. "I guess I just figured she ate the kids she lures into her gingerbread house." Simon mad a choking noise in the back of his throat.

Anna just laughed. "She's not that bad, Lex. She actually helped me with a paper on ceremonial applications for various quartzes. She's just a little ... mmm ... prickly."

I got this one for review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Teaser Tuesday: Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. 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:

Cleric Tuck licks his lips, which sport several cracks. "They'll sell us."

This week my teaser comes from Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg. I got this eARC from NetGalley. Here is the description from Amazon:

Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from.

When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.

During her captivity, Maire is visited by Fyel, a ghostly being who is reluctant to reveal his connection to her. The more often they meet, the more her memories return, and she begins to piece together who and what she really is—as well as past mistakes that yield cosmic consequences.

From the author of The Paper Magician series comes a haunting and otherworldly tale of folly and consequence, forgiveness and redemption.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (June 20, 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...

I am finally at my summer home! After medical tests on Monday, I didn't feel well enough to come home until Wednesday. I'm all unpacked and settled for a summer of reading and relaxing. I've been out to eat twice since I got home - once alone and once with my brother. I still have leftovers from the second outing.

Today is Grandma's Marathon day in Duluth. It is my intention to go nowhere near it. I don't want to deal with the traffic or the tourists today. I am, however, considering interrupting my reading with a little baking today.

I am trying something new and actually writing this post on Sunday afternoon. It has been my custom to write this post after work on Fridays and to just update the links on Saturday morning. This week I made it to Saturday morning. Maybe next week I'll get all the way to Sunday.

This is the 2500th post on this blog.

Read Last Week

I began the week by reading Forgotten Secrets by Robin Perini. This was an excellent thriller that I got for review. My review will be posted on July 13 for this July 19 release.

The Wild Ways by Tanya Huff has been on my TBR mountain since 2011. It is the second book in the Magic Emporium series and stars Charlie Gale - musician and wild talent. I enjoyed this one once I got back into the world that was created in the first book. My review will be posted on July 14.

I received Allegiance of Honor by Nalini Singh this week as a Kindle download and read it immediately. I loved catching up with many of the characters from earlier in the series. I am also curious about how the new plot threads are going to be resolved in later books. My review will be posted on July 16.

The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig is the fourth book in the Pink Carnation series. It has been on my TBR mountain since 2011. This one stars two "villains" from earlier books but I enjoyed getting to know them better and watch them fall in love. (It is my intention to finish this twelve book series this summer.) My review will be posted on July 20.

Currently

Once I finish the silly middle grade review book I'm reading, I will be reading Bay of Sighs by Nora Roberts.

Next Week

The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig is the 5th in the Pink Carnation series.

City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong begins a new series. I am a huge fan of the author.

Two review books are also on the calendar for next week:

• The Bluebonnet Betrayal by Marty Wingate (August 2)
• Gone Too Deep by Katie Ruggle (August 2)

Both of these are the most recent books in series that I have been following.

Reviews Posted

• The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig
• Boundary Lines by Melissa F. Olson
• Veil of Night by Linda Howard

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

I bought a print copy of Penric's Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold and had it autographed when I made a quick day trip to Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore last Saturday. I also had my copy of Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen autographed and bought a new tee-shirt too.

To Save a Mate by Krystal Shannon was free for my Kindle and I just can't resist books about werewolves.

Bay of Sighs by Nora Roberts which I had ordered some time ago arrived this week. It is the second book in her latest trilogy.

I needed The Future Falls by Tanya Huff which completes the Magic Emporium trilogy (since I seem to be unable to finish a series). I bought a Kindle copy.

One of the ladies I lunched with last week at the Senior Center recommended House Rules by Jodi Picoult and, since I'd been meaning to try one of her books, I decided to buy myself a copy. This is a print book from Amazon Marketplace.

I also got The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig which will complete my collection of the Pink Carnation books. This was also an Amazon Marketplace re-purchase as the first one I bought from there hasn't arrived.

I added some review books too.

The Widower's Wife by Cate Holahan is from NetGalley. Published by Crooked Lane Books, it will be released on August 9.

Shadow Falling by Rebecca Zanetti is an Amazon Vine pick. It is an urban fantasy that will be released on August 30.

These next two are published by Sourcebooks Casablanca. I got the eARCs from NetGalley. Both will be released on September 6.

• Roadside Assistance by Marie Harte is a contemporary romance.
• My Wild Irish Dragon by Ashlyn Chase is a paranormal romance.

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

Book Review: Veil of Night by Linda Howard

Veil of Night
Author: Linda Howard
Publication: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (August 10, 2010)

Description: Jaclyn Wilde is a wedding planner who loves her job—usually. But helping Carrie Edwards with her Big Day has been an unrelenting nightmare. Carrie is a bridezilla of mythic nastiness, a diva whose tantrums are just about as crazy as her demands. But the unpleasant task at hand turns seriously criminal when Carrie is brutally murdered and everyone involved with the ceremony is accusing one another of doing the deed.

The problem is, most everyone—from the cake maker and the florist to the wedding-gown retailer and the bridesmaids’ dressmaker—had his or her own reason for wanting the bride dead, including Jaclyn. And while those who felt Carrie’s wrath are now smiling at her demise, Jaclyn refuses to celebrate tragedy, especially since she finds herself in the shadow of suspicion.

Assigned to the case, Detective Eric Wilder finds that there’s too much evidence pointing toward too many suspects. Compounding his problems is Jaclyn, with whom he shared one deeply passionate night before Carrie’s death. Being a prime suspect means that Jaclyn is hands-off just when Eric would rather be hands-on. As the heat intensifies between Eric and Jaclyn, a cold-blooded murderer moves dangerously close. And this time the target is not a bride but one particularly irresistible wedding planner, unaware of a killer’s vow.

My Thoughts: Eric Wilder and Jaclyn Wilde meet when she is at the police station to pay a speeding ticket. She literally runs right into him. They are attracted but go on about their day. Eric is a police detective and Jaclyn is an event planner. They meet again later that evening when she happens to stop into a cop bar to get a drink to unwind from a tough day. Sparks fly, the conversation flows, and, ultimately, they wind up having a one-night stand. He leaves in the morning promising to call her in a week of so when her stretch of six weddings in five days is over.

Jaclyn has a meeting with one of the worst bridezillas ever the next day. Carrie Edwards is marrying the son of a state senator and is determined to have a perfect wedding. Unfortunately she is just mean and seems to delight in throwing everyone else into chaos. She wants new bridesmaid dresses custom made with only a month to go. She doesn't like the flowers. She won't make a decisions about the food. Jaclyn has to try to soothe the venders and pacify the bride. Carrie has a tantrum, slaps Jaclyn across the face and fires her company. Jaclyn is angry and upset. Not about being fired, because she has hated working for Carrie and knows that they will still be collecting most of their contracted fess, but because she so badly wanted to hit Carrie back.

Next thing she knows, someone has killed Carrie by stabbing her with multiple kebob skewers and she is the number one suspect. Eric is assigned to the case and has to act professionally to clear her name which makes her very angry and hurt. Eric doesn't want the investigation to put a stop to their new romance and thinks that the quickest way to get back to the romance is to clear her name as convincingly as possible.

It turns out the Jaclyn saw the probable murderer as she was leaving the meeting with Carrie. She was so upset and angry that she didn't really notice him other than that he was a grey-haired man driving some kind of silver car. Eric investigates Carrie's murder by interviewing her family and friends and discovers that quite a number of people want her dead. His fears that the murder will come after Jaclyn for fear that she recognized him are realized when Jaclyn becomes a near victim of a drive-by shooting.

Besides the intense action, there are some really nice moments of humor in this one. Eric has had the recent bad luck of stopping for coffee two mornings in a row and foiling attempted robberies at each location. In neither case did he take down the criminal with his gun. More humor comes when Jaclyn is doing wedding planning for a hillbilly wedding and trying to help the mother of the groom keep it from being a complete fiasco.

This was a fun and intense romantic suspense novel. I enjoyed it very much.

Favorite Quote:

The sharp twist of pain in her chest both surprised and dismayed her. She didn't want to feel hurt. It was stupid. Intellectually, she knew that Eric was doing his job, knew she couldn't expect him to say anything else. They had no ties. They hadn't even dated. There was nothing between them other than a one-night stand.

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

Friday Memes: Veil of Night by Linda Howard

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:

Six weddings in five days. Holy shit.

Friday 56:

Instinctively he ducked down, hiding himself from whoever came through the door. Maybe it was nothing.

This week I am spotlighting Veil of Night by Linda Howard. This one has been on TBR mountain since 2010. Here is the description from Amazon:

Jaclyn Wilde is a wedding planner who loves her job—usually. But helping Carrie Edwards with her Big Day has been an unrelenting nightmare. Carrie is a bridezilla of mythic nastiness, a diva whose tantrums are just about as crazy as her demands. But the unpleasant task at hand turns seriously criminal when Carrie is brutally murdered and everyone involved with the ceremony is accusing one another of doing the deed.

The problem is, most everyone—from the cake maker and the florist to the wedding-gown retailer and the bridesmaids’ dressmaker—had his or her own reason for wanting the bride dead, including Jaclyn. And while those who felt Carrie’s wrath are now smiling at her demise, Jaclyn refuses to celebrate tragedy, especially since she finds herself in the shadow of suspicion.

Assigned to the case, Detective Eric Wilder finds that there’s too much evidence pointing toward too many suspects. Compounding his problems is Jaclyn, with whom he shared one deeply passionate night before Carrie’s death. Being a prime suspect means that Jaclyn is hands-off just when Eric would rather be hands-on. As the heat intensifies between Eric and Jaclyn, a cold-blooded murderer moves dangerously close. And this time the target is not a bride but one particularly irresistible wedding planner, unaware of a killer’s vow.

Book Review: The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig

The Deception of the Emerald Ring
Author: Lauren Willig
Series: Pink Carnation (Book 3)
Publication: NAL; Reprint edition (September 4, 2007)

Description: Eloise Kelly has gotten into quite a bit of trouble since she started spying on the Pink Carnation and the Black Tulip-two of the deadliest spies to saunter the streets of nineteenth-century England and France.

Not only has she unearthed secrets that will rearrange history, she's dallied with Colin Selwick and sought out a romantic adventure all her own. Little does she know that she's about to uncover another fierce heroine running headlong into history.

My Thoughts: I am really enjoying this series. In this episode another member of the band of aristocratic spies finds himself inconveniently married to the sister of the woman he loves. Letty is the younger sister and the practical family "fixer." She isn't the sort to inspire poetry like her sister. She is short, round, outspoken, and completely unable to convincingly tell a lie. Geoff is a seasoned spy but more usually works in the background to prepare things for the more intrepid spies. They get together by accident but he persists in seeing Letty as some sort of schemer who wanted to trap him into marriage.

The two of them find themselves in Ireland just in time to thwart the 1803 Irish rebellion. Things are complicated by the interference of our hero Geoff's dastardly cousin and the mysterious and enigmatic Lord Vaughn who seems to be everywhere in this series.

Hurt feelings, misunderstandings and too much pride manage to keep our young lovers at odds for much of the story which is filled with action and danger and all sorts of mysterious characters.

In the present story line, Eloise finds herself obsessing over an absent Colin who turns up at the most inconvenient time - just as she is out on a blind date that was set up by her grandmother. What is so intriguing to me about this bridging story line is that only a couple of weeks have passed since Eloise met Colin. After following three romances in the historical time period, it feels like more time must have passed in the present day one.

I can't wait to read the next book in this series and am really glad that there are twelve books in the series. Looks like I have lots of enjoyable books in my future.

Favorite Quote:

A fat lot of right I had to be psychoanalyzing Geoffrey Pinchingdale-Snipe, when I was doing the exact same thing, pinning all my hopes and desires on someone I barely knew—largely because I barely knew him. There's nothing like a blank slate. Take one attractive man, slop on a thick coat of daydream, and, voila, the perfect man. With absolutely no resemblance to reality.

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

Book Review: Boundary Lines by Melissa F. Olson

Boundary Lines
Author: Melissa F. Olson
Series: Boundary Magic (Book 2)
Publication: 47North (October 13, 2015)

Description: Fitting into the Old World isn’t going very well for Boulder boundary witch Allison “Lex” Luther: she may have earned a place in a vampire’s service, but now it seems as if every supernatural creature in town has found a reason to hate her. And when Lex and her partner are assigned to investigate the suspicious disappearance of two vampires during the night of the full moon, they find themselves with more questions than answers.

Was it murder…or mutiny?

The crusade for answers will lead Lex all over the Colorado Old World, from a prison cell for a broken werewolf to a haunted Denver brothel. And when Lex determines the responsible party, the hunt is just beginning: something has been awakened in Boulder, something as old and powerful as it is terrifying. Only the woman with death in her blood can stop what’s coming.

My Thoughts: This second book starring "Lex" Luther who is a new boundary witch. Boundary witches are the bad guys of the witch world because of their control over life. Lex has sworn an oath to serve the vampire boss of the area because she has agreed to protect Lex's niece who is a Null and of great interest to the various people into the Old World. This really isn't helping her relationship with the witches who have an uneasy truce with vampires.

The problem in this one has to do with unrest between the vampires, the witches and the werewolves. Something is affecting their magic. Maven, the vampire boss, is trying to solidify her position after killing the previous boss. She sends Lex and her vampire enforcer and Lex's love interest Quinn to investigate the disappearance of two vampires who were monitoring werewolf activities.

I liked this story because we find out more about Old World politics as Lex does. I also like that Lex is single-minded in her desire to keep her dead twin's daughter safe. The cryptid monster was intriguing too.

Favorite Quote:

Quinn nodded as if that was particularly significant, and I raised my eyebrows at him. "Travis has ... had ... expensive tastes," he explained. "Burberry, Saint Laurent, Dior Homme, that kind of thing."

I gave him a slow blink. "I have heard one of those words before."

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