WoW: Changes by Mercedes Lackey

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. She has a linky widget at her site each week for your post and to make it easy to find posts by other people.

The purpose of the meme is to spotlight books that we are eagerly anticipating. It is fun to take a look at what others are waiting for.

I have noticed that it has expanded my wishlist though. Be warned!

I am a long-time fan of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series. So I was really excited to find out the Changes: Volume Three of the Collegium Chronicles was scheduled to come out on Oct. 4. I couldn't find a picture of the cover for the book but I did find the cover of the audiobook.

Here is the product description:

Enter the thrilling third volume in the epic Collegium Chronicles.

In Mercedes Lackey's classic coming-of-age story, the orphan Magpie pursues his quest for his parent's identity with burning urgency-while also discovering another hidden talent and being trained by the King's Own Herald as an undercover agent for Valdemar. Shy Bardic Trainee Lena has to face her famous but uncaring father, one of Valdemar's most renowned Bards. And Healing Trainee Bear must struggle against his disapproving parents, who are pressuring Bear to quit the Healers' Collegium because he lacks the magical Healing Gift.

Each of the three friends must face his or her demons and find their true strength as they seek to become the full Heralds, Bards, and Healers of Valdemar.

This series would be a good one for young adults transitioning into adult fantasy and science fiction. I will be proud to add it to my Valdemar collection.

Teaser Tuesday: Lassiter by Paul Levine

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!

I am just starting Lassiter by Paul Levine. I was pitched this book by the author and recently received it from the publisher. It is apparently a return to publishing for this author and this series after the backlist titles became hits as ebooks. The last print book in this series came out in 1997. The pitch letter compares it to the Travis McGee series by John D. MacDonald. Since I am a huge fan of that series, I am very eager to try this one.

Teaser:

I get my hands dirty for my clients. I fight prosecutors in court and occasionally in the alley behind the Reasonable Doubt tavern, I stand up to judges who threaten me with contempt and to Bar Association big wigs who would love to pull my ticket. But I won't tote my briefcase across the street for a client who deceives me.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (Sept. 26, 2011)

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

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


I had a good week this past week but it was a very slow reading week. I finished:

New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb which was an intense entry into the In Death series where Eve has to return to Dallas and confront a villain who brings back all the horrible memories of her childhood and forces her to confront them. Luckily, she has the love and support of her husband Roarke to help her get through the horror. Here is my review.

Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett is a retelling of the Minotaur myth that humanizes the characters. It is also a coming of age story and the story of the end of a culture. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing how the cultures clashed. My review will be posted on Sept. 29. I read the ARC but the book is available now.  

I am not reading anything right now. I literally just finished the review for Dark of the Moon. I have looked ahead to my review stack and have chosen these review books for next week.

Lassiter by Paul Levine is a contemporary thriller/mystery. This one came out on Sept. 13.

A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber is his debut young adult science fiction novel which takes place in the same world as his Honor Harrington series but earlier in time. This one will be out on Oct. 4.

Blood: Book One of the Mercian Trilogy by K. J. Wignall is an eARC and is a young adult vampire story. This one will be published on Sept. 27.

It looks like I have quite a variety in next week's reading. 

In My Mailbox (Sept. 25, 2011)

The weekly In My Mailbox post is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is fun to see what everyone else gets in their mailboxes, shopping bags, and library visits. Click on the link to The Story Siren's site to see the rules and join in the fun.
 
I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow when you see all the wonderful books everyone gets. You will discover lots of great blogs and lots of books that you won't be able to live without.

I had a very quiet mailbox this week. I only got one book. I got Cast in Ruin by Michele Sagara which is the seventh in the Chronicles of Elantra. I have been following this fantasy series since the beginning and am eager to continue on.

Here is the product description from Amazon:

Seven corpses are discovered in the streets of a Dragon's fief. All identical, down to their clothing.

Kaylin Neya is assigned to discover who they were, who killed them—and why. Is the evil lurking at the borders of Elantra preparing to cross over?

At least the investigation delays her meeting with the Dragon Emperor. And as the shadows grow longer over the fiefs, Kaylin must use every skill she's ever learned to save the people she's sworn to protect. Sword in hand, dragons in the sky, this time there's no retreat and no surrender…

I can't wait to read this one.


What did you get in your mailbox?

Review: New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb

New York to Dallas
Author: J. D. Robb
Publication: Putnam Adult (September 13, 2011)


Description: The new novel from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author, which takes readers deeper into the mind of Eve Dallas than ever before.


The number-one New York Times-bestselling author J. D. Robb presents an intense and terrifying new case for New York homicide cop Eve Dallas, one that will take her all the way to the city that gave her her name-and plunge her into the nightmares of her childhood.

When a monster named Isaac McQueen-taken down by Eve back in her uniform days-escapes from Rikers, he has two things in mind. One is to pick up where he left off, abducting young victims and leaving them scarred in both mind and body. The other is to get revenge on the woman who stopped him all those years ago.



My Thoughts: What a powerful book! I have always enjoyed this series because I love the characters. Eve is so damaged but so strong. Roarke is a romatic hero to die for. I love the touches of humor and humanity. I smile every time Eve sees Trina and is afraid that she is going to inflict some sort of beauty treatment on her. But this episode ramps up the intensity a lot. 


A violent pedophile that Eve puts away almost as her first case has escaped from prison and is determined to continue his criminal ways. And punishing Eve for catching him is very high on his to-do list. Everything about Isaac McQueen reminds her of the horror that she lived when she was a small child. She sees herself in all his victims. Now McQueen has gone to Dallas and kidnapped the last victim of his previous spree. Eve has to go to try to catch him and cage him for good. 


She and Roarke travel there with Eve very off balance. She has no good memories of Dallas. After all, that is where she ended up as an eight-year-old bleeding, battered, and with a broken arm after she managed to kill her father. She is also off-balance because she doesn't have her team with her. Her friends are all working the case from the New York end. Luckily, the Dallas Police Department is both smart and competent. In fact, the twin sister of the woman McQueen kidnapped and who was also one of his victims is on the force. 


Besides trying to find McQueen, Eve makes another startling discovery that brings back her childhood. The story is filled with traumatic events. But it is also filled with the love and support that exist in her relationship with Roarke. Their love is tested but holds up remarkably well.


This was an excellent, emotional episode in a wonderful series. If you are reading the series, you don't want to miss this one. If you haven't started the series yet, why not? It has mystery, romance, and humor in a futuristic New York.


Favorite Quote:

"You're being honored by this department and this city for having the integrity, the courage, and the skill to take out a blight on this department and this city. Dirty, murdering, greedy, treacherous cops are sitting in cages right now because you had the integrity, courage, and skill. I don't care if they do this damn thing in Grand Central, you will get on your feet. You will not puke, pass out, cry like a baby, or squeal like a girl. That's a goddamn order."

"I had more of a 'Relax, Peabody, this is a proud moment' sort of speech in mind," McNab murmured to Roarke.

Roarke shook his head, grinned. "Did you now? You've a bit to learn yet, haven't you?

And I had to include this one too. Oh, to be loved like that!

"Eve." He waited a beat. "I once stood in a field in Ireland, alone, a little lost, and wishing for you more than I wished for my next breath. And you came, though I never asked you, you came because you knew I needed you. We don't always do what's right, what's good. Not even for each other. But when it counts, down to the core of it, I believe we do exactly that. What's right and good for each other."

"There's no rule to that, Eve, It's just love."

Just love, she thought when he stepped out. She may have been going into her own personal hell to face a killer, but right at that moment she considered herself the luckiest woman in the world.

I bought this one for my keeper shelf. You can get your copy here. 

WoW: Animal Attraction by Jill Shalvis

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. She has a linky widget at her site each week for your post and to make it easy to find posts by other people.

The purpose of the meme is to spotlight books that we are eagerly anticipating. It is fun to take a look at what others are waiting for.

I have noticed that it has expanded my wishlist though. Be warned!

Coming on Oct. 4 is Animal Attraction by Jill Shalvis. I recently read Animal Magnetism and found it a fun, sexy, sassy contemporary romance with cute animal characters. Animal Attraction will feature the romance of two of the side characters from that book.

Here is the product description.

Jade Bennett couldn't be happier to escape her past for the quiet ranching town of Sunshine, Idaho. Plus, there's nothing like working for veterinarian Dell Connelly. And though Dell has no intention of settling down, Jade's strength and sass are enticements no red-blooded male can resist.

This one sounds like it will be fun too.

Teaser Tuesday: New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb

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!

My teaser is actually the beginning of New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb. This is the latest (somewhere around number 35) in this series and I am a compulsive reader. I can't wait for each book to come out so that I can get my Roarke fix. Eve Dallas and her cohorts are always entertaining and I love that the romance didn't end with "happily ever after."

Here is the product description:

The new novel from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author, which takes readers deeper into the mind of Eve Dallas than ever before.

The number-one New York Times-bestselling author J. D. Robb presents an intense and terrifying new case for New York homicide cop Eve Dallas, one that will take her all the way to the city that gave her her name-and plunge her into the nightmares of her childhood.

When a monster named Isaac McQueen-taken down by Eve back in her uniform days-escapes from Rikers, he has two things in mind. One is to pick up where he left off, abducting young victims and leaving them scarred in both mind and body. The other is to get revenge on the woman who stopped him all those years ago.

Teaser:

While a late-summer storm bashed against her single skinny window, Lieutenant Eve Dallas wished for murder.

As far as she could see, a good, bloody killing was the only thing that would save her from the torture of paperwork stacked like the Alps on her desk in Cop Central.