From the Stacks

Author takes reader to "The Edge of Danger"

2006-06-27T00:47:00.000-04:00

In "Edge of Danger" by Cherry Adair($6.99,Ballantine Books), Gabriel Edge has a problem. A T-FLAC operative in the psi division of the anti-terrorist organization, Gabriel's latest mission is to use his telepathic power to "read" scientist Eden Cahill.

It's a matter of national security, but in order to get the information from Eden's mind, Gabriel has to get close to her which he refuses to do.

You see, along with being wizards, Gabriel and his two brothers are also under a curse put upon their family by the witch Nairne. If the Edge brothers marry for love instead of duty, nothing they do will be able to protect their Lifemate from certain death.

Gabriel's not saying that Eden is his Lifemate, in fact he adamantly refuses to believe she is, but he can't deny she affects him like no other woman he's ever met. So he thinks the smart thing to do is avoid any physical contact with her. Unfortunately for Gabriel, Eden is strong-willed and Gabriel can't access her mind.

Eden has information on a device that has been stolen by terrorists. T-FLAC needs to know just how much damage the device can do in the wrong hands and Eden hasn't exactly been forthcoming.

Gabriel has no other choice. He kidnaps Eden, both to get the information he needs and to protect her from the same people who took the device.

Fans of Cherry Adair can look forward to another thrilling novel of suspense in "Edge of Danger," the first in new trilogy about the Edge brothers.

Mary Jo Putney ensorcels readers with "The Marriage Spell"

2006-06-19T00:23:00.000-04:00

It's winter in 1813 in Mary Jo Putney's"The Marriage Spell" ($24.95, Ballantine Books), when Jack Langdon, Lord Frayne, is mortally wounded during the hunt in the English Midlands.

Devastated, Jack's friends take him, reluctantly as to the home of the local wizard -- Sir Andrew Barton -- reputed to be a great healer. The nobility are disdainful and distrustful of magic, but desperate circumstances call for desperate measures.
Unfortunately, Barton is not home. But fortunately for Jack his daughter, Abby, a healer also, is in residence at Barton Grange.

With Jack a death's door, Abby thinks she can save him with the aid of a healing circle. Her price is Jack's hand in marriage. Jack agrees to her terms.

Abby manages to save his life and though she tries to release him from their bargain, Jack decides he wants to marry her. He finds Abby kind, intelligent and honorable and if he marries her he won't have to endure the marriage mart.

But for a man repelled by magic to the point that he denies his own nature, Jack and Abby won't have an easy time of it. Plus, there's the matter of braving London Society which won't treat his wizard wife kindly and then reclaming Langdale Hall, Jack's family seat, from his evil stepfather.

"Tall, Dark & Dead" leads heroine into trouble

2006-06-13T00:57:00.000-04:00

In "Tall, Dark & Dead" by Tate Hallaway ($14, Berkley Books), Garnet Lacey has given up magic. She's also trying to change her propensity for being late.

If she hadn't been late, she wouldn't have arrived after her coven had been slaughtered by Vatican assassins and if she hadn't arrived after the fact to see the assassins still there, sprinkling her coven's remains with holy water, then she wouldn't have called into herself the Goddess Lillith.

When Lillith came, she took over and after she's gone, Garnet wakes up to the slaughter she has wrought -- to the Vatican assassins.

Garnet leaves Minneapolis in a hurry, gives up magic, lands in Wisconsin and is just trying to live her life by avoiding the Vatican Witch Hunters.

Until tall, dark and dead walks into her magic shop. Magic shop? Well, Garnet it's the perfect cover.

No self-respecting real witch would be caught "within a mile of this New Age, Warlock-wannabe haven." At least she hopes that's what the Vatican will think anyway. Then she meets Sebastian Von Traum who comes into her shop.

Garnet is attracted to Sebastian, but she can't quite figure out what he is. She does know that since he's missing an aura, he's dead. She figures there's no future in dating him and that's that.

Until Garnet realizes that there's a Vatican killer on Sebastian's trail. She decides she has to warn him before he ends up like her coven -- permanently dead and unanimated.

Hallaway's Garnet Lacey is an interesting character so I hope we see more of her in future books.

Two new releases get summer reading off to great start

2006-06-04T20:16:00.000-04:00

Up first is "Over the Line"($6.99, St. Martin's Paperpacks), the next book in Cindy Gerard's series The Bodyguards.

Former Army Ranger Jason Wilson's first job as a personal securities specialist for E.D.E.N Securities Inc. is to protect bad girl rock star Sweet Baby Jane Perkins. Expecting a hard partying, drugged-out diva, Jason is pleasantly surprised.

Turns out Sweet Baby Jane really is sweet. Jane doesn't do drugs, she doesn't even drink. And, she treats those around her with the same respect that she expects to be treated with.

For a first assignment, this would be the perfect job -- only someone really is out to get Jane.

It could be: The man who stalked her years ago who has recently been released from prison. Her real jerk of a drummer who want more from Jane than she's willing to give. The filmmaker who is documenting Jane's current tour and who makes Jase uneasy. The person or persons unknown who killed Jane's mom.

"Over the Line" should be near the top of your sumnmer reading list.

At the top of your list, I'd put "Killer Dreams" by Iris Johansen ($26, A Bantam Book).

Tightly woven, fast-paced and full of suspense, "Killer Dreams" introduces us to Sophie Dunston and Matt Royd, two individuals who are seeking vengeance for all the right reasons.

I really don't want to give anything away, but I highly recommend this book.

As always, Johansen's characters are fascinating and Sophie and Matt are even more so than usual. Plus, we get a chance to see how Jock Gavin (from "Countdown") is doing and revisit MacDuff's Run.

York's latest werewolf tale has a touch of the supernatural

2006-05-30T01:14:00.000-04:00

Fans get to meet yet another Marshall boy in Rebecca York's latest novel about the werewolf clan, "Shadow of the Moon" ($6.99, Berkley Sensation).

This time it's freelance reporter Lance Marshall and he's scented out a story on an very exclusive D.C. establishment that he's heard rumors about, the Eighteen Club. While lurking outside the club one night in wolf form, Lance spots another lurker, Savannah Carpenter. Savannah is caught taking pictures of the club's clientele as they enter the building.

Lance, against his better judgment, helps her get away from the guard and rescues her confiscated camera. In human form, Lance tracks down Savannah, curious to know what she was doing outside the club.

Savannah's sister is in the hospital in a coma, but unlike the police, Savannah doesn't think her sister wound up that way by accident. Savannah knows Charlotte had a secret and she knows her sister frequented the Eighteen Club. What she doesn't know is how exactly Charlotte wound up in the coma.

But she intends to find out. In the meantime, Savannah seems to have acquired a stalker and she's not so sure she can trust Lance.

Eventually, Savannah and Lance decide to team up to check out the club.

What they find is something they won't be able to handle on their own, so Lance will have to ask his family for help. In a family of alpha werewolves, that's not so easy to do.

As if werewolves, psychic abilities and lifemates aren't enough, York adds yet another element to her werewolf series in "Shadow of the Moon." It makes for excellent reading.

"Extreme Bachelor" needs a clue

2006-05-21T22:02:00.000-04:00

Julia London's "Exteme Bachelor" ($7.99, Berkley Sensation) is the second book in the Thrillseekers Anonymous series. While an OK read I didn't think it was as good as "The Wedding Survivor," the first in the series.

In "Extreme Bachelor," ex-CIA operative Michael Raney's company has hired on to teach stunts to the actresses in "Soccer Mom," a film about suburban soccer moms who divide into two factions and go to war against each other. What Michael doesn't know is that the love of his life, Leah Klein, is one of the actresses in the film.

While Michael is happy to see Leah, Leah doesn't want anything to do with the man who dumped her -- out of the blue -- five years ago and sent her into a tailspin of depression that derailed her acting career. Michael, however, is determined to win back Leah's trust and love.

The two main characters in "Extreme Bachelor" are mildly irritating. It takes Michael five years to figure out dumping Leah was the totally wrong move. For such a smart guy, he's a little slow. And Leah, get over it already. If you still love Michael, and it seems obvious that you do, then just forgive him.

On top of his woman trouble, Michael has other trouble. Unbeknownst to him, an old enemy is gunning for him and that enemy plans to use Leah to get to Michael.

Mallery keeps up interested in "The Marcelli Bride"

2006-05-14T23:09:00.000-04:00

Fans of Susan Mallery's Marcelli sisters trilogy will definitely want to check out her latest book, "The Marcelli Bride"($6.99, Pocket Star Books).

We get to visit again with Marco and Colleen Marcelli, Grandpa Lorenzo, Grandma Tessa, Grammy M and sisters Katie, Francesa, Brenna and Mia.

This time out it's Joe Larson's story -- brother to the Marcelli sisters. Joe, a Navy SEAL, is put on baby-sitting duty guarding Darcy Jensen, one of the president's daughters. Joe is not looking forward to the detail, as Darcy has a reputation for being difficult. He's also not too crazy about the "safe" location where Darcy will be hidden away.

Darcy is not too crazy about the situation either. She was out shopping, minding her own business, when she's kidnapped out from under of the nose of her Secret Service detail. After being manhandled, tossed into the back of a dirty van and taken to a warehouse, the kidnapper's leader shows up and chastises them for taking the "wrong" first daughter. They'd been after Darcy's sister, Lauren, the popular and beloved sister of the first family. Loaded back into the van, Darcy is taken back to the mall from where she was snatched and dumped.

Darcy and Lauren are immediately taken into hiding, at separate locations, until the kidnappers can be identified and rounded up. Lauren's destination is somewhere in the Midwest, while Darcy is headed for the California wine country and the Marcelli Winery.

Joe has issues with his "family." Darcy has issues with her father and her public life. But just maybe they can work out their issues together while managing to keep Darcy safe and maybe falling in love.

"The Hunt" is on for serial killer

2006-05-07T22:21:00.000-04:00

In Allison Brennan's "The Hunt," Miranda Moore has been obssessed with the serial killer known as The Butcher for the past 12 years.

When she was 21-years-old, Miranda and her best friend, Sharon, were kidnapped by The Butcher. Kept chained, the girls were tortured and raped for seven days befor the Butcher finally frees Miranda and Sharon. But only lets them go so he can hunt them after giving them a two-minute head start.

Miranda survived the hunt, Sharon didn't. In fact, Miranda is the only victim of the Butcher's who managed to escape him. Kept blindfolded throughout her abduction, Miranda can't give the authorities of a description of the Butcher.

The Butcher has continued to hunt coeds from the local college. Over the years, the authorities have attributed at least eight murders to him, but by the time the bodies have been found, the elements and the local wildlife have pretty much gotten rid of any clues that the Butcher might have been left behind.

But this time they have a break, the Butcher's latest victim has been found only hours after her death. And, called in to assist in the investigation by the local sheriff is top-notch FBI agent Quincy Peterson.

Quinn Peterson was part of the Butcher investigation all those years ago when Miranda was abducted, before his the few leads they had dried up and he was pulled from the case. He and Miranda have a history, but it's been 10 years since they've seen each other. Miranda, a former FBI trainee, holds Quinn responsible for getting her kicked out of Quantico just before her graduation 10 ten years ago.

It's a race against time to find the Butcher before the Butcher finds his next victim. Is Miranda up to the task? Will Quinn finally get Miranda to listen and understand his actions 10 years ago? And will the Butcher finally get what's coming to him? Read "The Hunt" to find the answers.

MacAlister's latest Beloved novel a winner

2006-05-02T03:16:00.000-04:00

Meet Paen Scott of "Even Vampires Get the Blues" by Katie MacAlister ($6.99,Signet Eclipse). Paen is a Dark One, a vampire born without a soul. He's damned unless he can find his Beloved and his three younger brothers (vampires all, but with a soul thank you very much)want to help him, sending every available female they can find to Paen's door.

Well, Paen is sick of it. He doesn't need a woman to save him because for the last 25 years he's been searching for the "Simia Gestor Coda." The "Coda" is an ancient manuscript that supposedly explains the origins of Dark Ones and a way to undo the curse binding a Dark One.

Well, Paen's search for the "Coda" is interrupted by one Caspar Green who appears, literally, in Paen's library to tell him that Paen must fulfill a debt to the demon lord Oriens that Paen's father incurred during the search for his Beloved (Paen's mum). Paen, as the oldest son, must locate the statue of a monkey god called the Jilin God -- if Paen doesn't do this, then Oriens will call in the collateral used to secure his services. The collateral just happens to be Paen's mother's soul and, oh yeah, the debt comes due in five days.

Caspar Green forbids the other Scott brothers to help in the search so one of Paen's brothers recommends a Diviner he heard about who is just opening up a private detective business.

Only half-elf Samantha Cosse is not exactly a Diviner since the Order asked her, politely, to leave. However, Sam is still very good a finding things so she agrees to take the case.

Looks like Paen might need a woman in his life after all, at least to help him save his mother.

If you like your paranormal romances with a dash of wit and a large pinch of humor, check out "Even Vampires Get the Blues." You'll be glad you did.

"Master of Wolves" tells a good tale

2006-04-24T00:27:00.000-04:00

In "Master of Wolves" by Angela Knight ($7.99, Berkley Sensation), something stinks with the police department of Clarkston, S.C.

And Bounty hunter and werewolf Jim London thinks he knows just what it is: death magic. How else to explain the death of fellow werewolf and best friend Tony Shay. Jim knows no mere human could've taken his friend out and the last place Tony was seen alive was in a cell at the Clarkston city jail.

Jim knows the cops won't talk to him and as the Clarkston police chief has already met him and knows he was Tony's friend, he decides to go undercover with the K-9 unit -- as a police dog.

Head of the K-9 department of the Clarkston Police Department, Faith Weston is new to the job and lately she's been noticing that something is not quite right with her fellow officers.

However, Faith has no complaints about the Rambo, the German shepherd a benefactor donated to the K-9 unit. He's just about the smartest police dog she's ever worked with and she can swear, sometimes, that he understands every word she says.

It doesn't take long before Jim figures out that there's a vampire in town and she's got most of the cops of the police department under her spell. Plus, it seems in the throes of death Jim bit one of his attackers, unintentionally making a rogue werewolf that Jim has to destroy too.

Faith's growing suspicions about her fellow cops puts her in the line of fire and forces Jim to reveal his secrets. Unfortunately, if they survive the mess in Clarkston, Jim has to worry about his boss' orders to kill Faith in order to keep the existence of werewolves secret.

"Dead and Loving It" is a laugh a minute

2006-04-17T00:56:00.000-04:00

If you haven't read any of MaryJanice Davidson's books on the Wyndham Werewolves or Betsy Taylor the vampire queen, I wouldn't start with "Dead and Loving It."

Don't get me wrong, I myself laughed until my sides ached when reading "Dead and Loving It," but if you don't have any background on the werewolves and vampires that populate Davidson's world, you'll probably be lost.

A collection of four stories, the first tail, er tale, is "Santa Claws" the story of Alec Kilcurt, the most powerful werewolf in Europe. In "Santa Claws," he is in Boston to pay homage to American pack leaders Michael and Jeannie Wyndham's baby.

Feeling a bit jealous and out of sort, Michael goes for a stroll and meets the sidewalk Santa of his dreams, Giselle Smith.

In "Monster Love," vampire Richard Will meets Janet Lupo when he "rescues" her as she's about to be mugged. after Janet flattens Richard a couple of times ( he was just a little hungry), and he admits he's a vampire they make a date for the next night.

Unfortunately, Janet's pack leader calls her about an hour before her date so she has to head home. Richard, who arrives for their date just as Janet is about to leave, sees this as rejection and kidnaps her.

When Janet comes to, she reads him the riot act and tells him she has to leave, admitting she's a werewolf and when the pack leader calls you have to answer.

Well, of course, Richard knows there's no such things as werewolves, so Janet just bides her time until the full moon, when she warns him he's going to be in for a surprise.

In "There's No Such Thing as a Werewolf, " blind werewolf and doctor Drake Dragon left his pack years ago. There's not much tolerance for physical handicaps among the packs, so Drake lives his life among humans.

And he's doing just fine even though he's a little lonely. That is until he meets Crescent Muhn, a homeless woman with a predilection for leaping off tall buildings because she's convinced she can fly. And oh yeah, for some strange reason Drake can see her.

The last tale in "Dead and Loving It" is "A Fiend in Need" where fans finally find out George the Fiends. And Betsy, remember she's the vampire queen, and her friends discover that werewolves exist when werewolf seer Antonia comes to call.

"Dead and Loving It" is full of laughs, but a word of warning, if you like your romance book to leave some things to the imagination, this is not the book for you.

"A Hunger Like No Other" a satisfying read

2006-04-09T19:13:00.000-04:00

In Kresley Cole's "A Hunger Like No Other" ($6.99, Pocket Star Book), Lykae king Lachlain MacRieve has been searching for his mate, the one woman made for him alone, for a thousand years. For the last 150 years, however, Lachlain has been a prisoner of the Vampire Horde -- brutally tortured, but unable to find release in death because he's an immortal.

Only two things have kept the werewolf sane: Thoughts of the revenge he will wreak upon the vampires and knowing somewhere out there in the world, his mate waits for him to find her.

Terribly weakened by a century and a half of torture, Lachlain is imprisoned in the catacombs beneath the streets of Paris. Only one thing allows him to escape, though miles beneath the surface, Lachlain scents his mate. He knows he can accomplish anything to get to her and he does -- breaking free of the chains that have kept him tethered for more than a century.

Half Valkyrie/half vampire Emmaline Troy has never been so far from her home in New Orleans. Normally sheltered by her Valkyrie aunts, Emma insists on traveling to France where she hopes to learn more about the vampire father who sired her.

What Emma doesn't expect is to have a half-mad werewolf run her down and abduct her. And Lachlain is sure he must have gone around the bend, because surely his destined mate can't be a vampire, his most hated enemy.

Emma the timid would be the first to admit she's a coward. She wants to survive without drawing her aggressive, remember they're Valkyrie, aunts into her troubles so she agrees to get Lachlain to Scotland (after being imprisoned for 150 years, he's never even seen an automobile) in return for her freedom.

Lachlain knows Emma, the most un-vampirish vampire he's ever met, is his mate, but he doesn't have to like it. But he does have to get the unwilling Emma to Kinevane, his ancestral Scottish home, by any means necessary where he'll have a chance to heal from his injuries and protect his mate from the vampires who are hunting her.

Cole's " A Hunger Like No Other," introduces the reader to the world of the Lore -- supernatural creatures (werewolves, Valkyrie, vampires, ghouls, witches, etc.) who have managed to convince mankind that they are only figments of the human imagination. While the Lore creatures war against each other on a regular basis, they know better than to draw the attention of the prolific humans if they want to survive.

"A Hunger Like No Other" is Cole's first full-length paranormal romance, but not her last according to the preview for "No Rest for the Wicked" at the end Emma and Lachlain's tale.

"Dark Demon" sheds some light on Carpathian troubles

2006-04-02T23:20:00.000-04:00

Natalya Shonski is helpless to resist the compulsion that draws her to Carpathian Mountains in Christine Feehan's latest Carpathian novel, "Dark Demon" ($9.99, Jove Books).

However, Natalya isn't helpless about much else. With certain powers of her own, Natalya is a formidable foe of the vampires who have been stalking her. She also has a hate-on for Carpathians, those charged with stopping the vampires from preying on the innocent, believing that a Carpathian murdered her twin brother, Razvan.

Unfortunately for Natalya, Carpathian Vikirnoff Von Shrieder is on her trail, following her all the way from the states. Vikirnoff believes Natalya may be his lifemate and he's desperate to find her because he is too close to turning -- something all Carpathian males must fear unless they find their lifemate or seek the dawn in order to avoid turning into vampire.

Of course, Vikirnoff finds Natalya just as she's facing off with a duo of vampires who have set a trap for her. In the course of the fight, Vikirnoff is grieviously injured while trying to protect Natalya. Once the fight is over, Natalya feels duty-bound to help Vikirnoff, even though she thinks Carpathians are just as evil as vampires.

And that's before she finds out she is Vikirnoff's lifemate.

In "Dark Demon," fans will discover some of the answers to the mysterious uniting of the vampires against Carpathians not to mention another pair of lifemates who have to work through some, er, issues. Lots of gore and guts, betrayal and honor, and humor and pathos make "Dark Demon" another stunning chapter in the tale of the Carpathian race's struggle for survival.

Run-of-the-mill case leads to unexpected danger in "Dead Heat"

2006-03-26T21:19:00.000-05:00

In "Dead Heat" by Jacey Ford ($7.99, Berkley Sensation Book), private investigator Daphne Donovan is drowning in a sea of guilt.

A former FBI agent, Daphne feels she could have prevented the Sept. 11 hijackings, or at least one of them, if she had just convinced her superiors to go after the terrorist she was tracking back in September, 2001. She was unable to do that and that terrorist turned out to be one of the hijackers.

Feeling responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent Americans and frustrated by the restrictions the FBI placed on her, Daphne quits. She's now a private investigator and her new case is working for bank president Keith Melman.

Melman, 42 and divorced from a cheating wife, is dating 24-year-old Nicole Solem. Keith has noticed a change in Nicole's behavior and burned once by his ex, he hires Daphne to find out if Nicole is stepping out on him.

Daphne's new case doesn't lead to a cheating girlfriend, but it does lead her to a red-hot affair with an ex-Navy SEAL and a plot for revenge that includes the murder of Daphne's client.

Figuring out why Keith was murdered and who did the deed is of the utmost importance, because if Daphne fails to find the answers, then the deaths that follow would make the events of Sept. 11, 2001, seem like a walk in the park.

If you like pulse-pounding suspense, "Dead Heat" should be your next pick at the bookstore.

Bad guys can't "Blackout" heroines toughness

2006-03-20T03:06:00.000-05:00

Book dealer Margo Scott's day isn't starting off on a happy note. In Annie Solomon’s "Blackout," Margo goes to bed one night with the trees still bare of leaves and wakes up the next day to flower-filled spring day.

Margo finds out that she's, supposedly, been in Spain for the past month on the trail of a rare book. Only she doesn't remember any of it. Then things really start going downhill.

The police question Margo about the murder of Deputy Director Frank Temple of the Terrorism Control Force. Margo, of course, doesn't know a Frank Temple -- at least none that she remembers. And since her memory is about as solid as a slice of Swiss cheese at the moment, that's not saying much.

Then there are the unremembered skills she discovers she has: She can take a grown man in a fight, knows her weapons and is an expert at handling knives -- and we aren't talking the kitchen variety here.

Margo needs to find answers, especially when evidence shows up linking her to Frank Temple's death and she becomes a target herself.

And then there's Jake Wise, is he friend or foe? All Margo knows is that he keeps showing up and he seems to want to the same thing Margo does: answers.

"Blackout" keeps the action coming at a fast and furious pace as Margo and Jake seek to discover if Margo is a murderer or ... or something worse.

"What Price Love?" answered in new Cynster novel

2006-03-13T02:39:00.000-05:00

Lady Priscilla Dalloway of County Kilkenny, Ireland, is on a mission to find her twin brother in "What Price Love?" by Stephanie Laurens ($22.95, HarperCollins). After a falling out with their father, the Earl of Kentland, Rus (his heir) left home.

Horse-mad Rus has always dreamed of training an Irish Derby champion, but the earl doesn't agree that that's an appropriate occupation for his heir. Rus leaves home to follow his dream, getting a job as an assistant stableman at Lord Cromarty's stables.

Priscilla finds out some disturbing information about Lord Cromarty's former assistant stableman -- he quit his job because, as he told his cronies there "was something going on that he didn't hold with." But Pris can't ask him what because Paddy O' Loughlin has disappeared and is presumed to be dead by his friends.

Priscilla wants to warn her brother, but before she can take steps to do so, she receives a letter from Rus, telling her that he's discovered what he thinks is plot by the head stableman at Cromarty's to run some kind of illicit racing scheme.

Rus doesn't know what the racket is exactly, just that it involves some kind of register so he's traveling to Newmarket with the Cromarty racing string to try and discover and expose the plot. Only Rus doesn't know about O'Loughlin's fate.

Priscilla is determined to help Rus, so she, her Aunt Eugenia and her aunt's goddaughter, Adelaide, set off for England. But once in England, Priscilla discovers that Rus too is missing and that Harkness, the Cromarty's head stableman has offered a reward to anyone sighting Rus.

Now Priscilla has to find out what this register is and how it figures into the scheme her brother is investigating in order to figure out some way to find and help him. But she hadn't counted on Dillon Caxton, protege of Demon Cynster, and Keeper of the Register of all racing horses in England.

Introducing herself to Dillon as "Miss Priscilla Dalling," Pris bats her eyes and asks to get a look at the Register. Immediately suspicious, there have been several attempts at the Jockey Club of break ins to steal said register, Dillon refuses.

Now comes the battle of wits between a woman desperate to save her brother and a man entrusted with sacred trust he won't break.

Fans of Cynster novels can rejoice as Laurens' has penned another winner.

"Wolf At The Door" takes you to the Others world

2006-03-05T22:10:00.000-05:00

Werekin, shapeshifters, vampires, witches, demons, oh my -- you'll find them all in Christine Warren’s "Wolf At The Door" ($6.99, St. Martin's Paperbacks).

They've been living among us before man first stepped out of the caves, but once humans proved to be such a prolific race, the Others decided it was wiser to blend in and pass for humans. That's all about to change.

Here's the deal: The European Council of these mystical creatures have decided it's time for the great Unveiling. You know, time to let humans know that they exist and aren't just a figment of fairytales or horror stories. The reason they've come to this conclusion is that they've learned that the Light of Truth, a fanatical religious sect whose mission is to out the Others so that humanity can exterminate them, are going to move against them soon.

Werewolf Sullivan Quinn and Others of like-mind worked to convinced the the European Council that the only way to counter the Light of Truth is to beat them to the punch and out themselves. Quinn and his delegation are in New York to convince the American Council that by outing themselves, they'll take away the Light's greatest weapon. Cause sure as shooting the Lighters would present the Others as monsters who must be destroyed.

Of course the American Council isn't too thrilled with the idea, so they decide to ask Foxwoman Cassidy Poe, a cultural anthropologist, for help. They want her to ascertain just how much of a threat the sect is. Cassidy already thinks the Unveiling is a very bad idea since humans do have a tendency to destroy what they fear, but she'll do what the council asks.

However, if the Others can't stop the chain of events that the Lighters have set in motion, there won't be a choice to make.

"Wolf AT The Door" is a fun read and I can't wait to read more about the Others.

Santa Claus is coming to town in "The Saint"

2006-02-26T20:37:00.001-05:00

Santa Claus is coming to town in "The Saint"

Christmas has been hijacked by the goblins. In Melanie Jackson's "The Saint," ($6.99, Dorchester Publishing Co. Inc.) we learn the truth about one of our most revered holidays. Just when humankind in America "had embraced the idea of a season of generosity and joyousness of spirit," the disaster, or rather, the goblins struck.

Kris Kringle had been sent by Gaia -- God, Goddess, Allfather, Allmother -- to bring a message of peace and love to mankind. And for the last 10,000 years, Kris has done just that. At least he had until a 160 years ago when became a victim of the goblins.

It seems Kris was doing too good a job turning man from death and destruction. So the goblins and the Unseelie queen plotted to put an end to his message of peace and love.

However, they couldn't risk killing Kris, Gaia would just reincarnate him, so they kidnapped him, fed him a drug that scrambled his brain so completely he had total amnesia and dumped him, get this, in the North Pole.

And while Santa was out of commission, the goblins turned Christmas into a commercial nightmare and Santa into a jolly, fat old elf. Kris' message was lost.

And, for better than a century, so did Kris. Wandering among the polar bears, Kris hears thousands of voices in his head as people, mostly children, pray to him for help. He just has no idea why or how to help them.

But now Kris' nephew, Jack Frost, has found him and Santa is coming back to town. Kris' memory, however, is still somewhat sketchy and that could be a problem. You see, Gaia didn't just pick any old fey to carry her message to humans. She picked the most powerful death fey that ever was.

Though Kris renounced his abilities as a death fey, he still has them, so hopefully he will remember Gaia's command of "Thou shalt not kill" and his feelings of peace and goodwill. Because if Kris ever calls up Death, well let's just say, he has 10,000 years of uncollected deaths due from Kris Kringle.

Kris has a plan to reclaim Christmas. But first he needs biographer Adora Navarra on board to tell his life story. He admires her work and, if she can suspend her disbelief long enough, he thinks she's the best one to tell his story.

As for Adora, let's just say while Kris has had a bad century and a half, Adora's life hasn't exactly been a picnic. But she needs this job and there's just something about Kris ...

But don't forget the goblins. They've been under the yoke of man long enough and they're just itching for a fight.

I highly recommend "The Saint." It my first Wildside Romance by Melanie Jackson, but it won't be my last.

Danger lurks under a "Crescent Moon" in Lori Handeland's latest

2006-02-19T20:05:00.000-05:00

Danger lurks under a "Crescent Moon" in Lori Handeland's latest

Though, she's never believed in magic, cryptozoologist Diana Malone's husband, Simon, did. So Diana made her dying husband a promise: To prove that mythical creatures, any mythical creature, exists.

In Lori Handeland's "Crescent Moon" ($6.99, St. Martin's Paperbacks), Diana might get her chance to do just that.

Unemployed again, not many universities want to hire cryptozoologists who look for mythical creatures, Diana jumps at the chance to work for Frank Tallient. Tallient wants Diana to travel to Louisiana and investigate wolf sightings and several deaths in the swamps.

Tallient tells Diana there have been sightings in and around New Orleans for the past two hundred years. But the disturbances only seem to occur around a particular phase of the moon: the crescent. Tallient wants Diana to trap what he suspects is a loup-garou, or werewolf, then give him a call.

Werewolves were Simon's speciality.

Once in Louisiana, Diana makes her base camp an old mansion at the edge of the swamp where the recent killings occurred. The mansion is owned by one Adam Ruelle who supposedly disappeared years ago. However, Diana has no trouble meeting the man.

Rumor has it that the Ruelle family was cursed years ago. Even though, she and Ruelle become quite, er, close,Diana has a feeling that Adam knows more about the killings and the wolf sightings than he's saying.

"Crescent Moon" is Handeland's fourth Nightcreature novel. My favorite is still her first one, "Dark Moon," where we're introduced to the Jager-Suchers, an organization who hunts down supernatural creatures. "Crescent Moon" starts off strong, but kind of bogs down in the middle before picking back up in the end, so while it's not the best Nightcreature novel, it's still worth a read.

2006-02-13T01:12:00.000-05:00

"Jude's Law" not up to Lori Foster's usual standard

Former bad-boy actor Jude Jamison finds himself disenchanted with Hollywood and making a home for himself in way in Stillbrook, Ohio, in "Jude's Law" by Lori Foster ($6.99, Zebra Books).

However, he still has his money and fame and offers pouring in from Hollywood, but for the moment Jude's only got one interest and that's gallery owner May Price.

Jude's crazy about May, but she just doesn't seem to get the message. Even when Jude spells it out for her, May thinks he's kidding around. Besides, she has other things on her mind.

Like her family from hell: a supercritical mother who likes to self-medicate, a father who's so busy chasing other women that he could care less what goes on at home and her drunken sot of a brother who's just involved May in a murderous plot.

Well, it's not murder yet. Tim Price has been "persuaded" by a couple of goons that if he wants their boss to forget the huge gambling debt he owes, he'll do the boss a favor and kill Jude Jamison. Of course, Tim goes running to May and because Tim is insistent that she not go to the police, May goes to Jude to warn him that someone wants him dead.

The plot of "Jude's Law" is kind of shaky and seems forced. Of course, even a "bad" Lori Foster novel is better than most, but it was definitely lacking her usual sparkle. The subplot involving May's best friend Ashley is more interesting than the main story.

If you haven't read a Foster book, I'd suggest starting with "Say No to Joe?," an excellent example of her storytelling skills.

2006-02-06T00:39:00.000-05:00

Paranormal thriller "Shadow Touch" spellbinding

What would you do if you had the ability to heal, the mind and the body, with just a touch? Elena Baxter can do just that. Raised by her grandfather who taught her to keep her abilities secret, Elena volunteers at the Milwaukee Children's Hospital. There, she uses her gifts to heal.

What would you do if, by mere touch, you could "read" the memories of, not just people, but the very walls and floors that surround you? Russian emigre Artur Loginov can. Artur uses his abilities in the employ of Dirk & Steele, an organization dedicated to helping others by using the secret abilities of their unusually gifted employees.

But someone knows the secrets of both Elena and Artur. Someone who uses the services of a serial killer. Elena is abducted right from the hospital; Artur is taken from his home.

Meeting for the first time at the facility where they have been taken to be studied and experimented upon, Elena and Artur form an instant connection. Somehow, they must survive their captivity and escape, taking with them the other prisoners at the facility.

"Shadow Touch by Marjorie M. Liu ($6.99, Dorchester Publishing Co. Inc.) is the second book in the Dirk & Steele series. A fitting follow to "Tiger Eye," it's a must-read for fans of paranormal fiction.

2006-01-30T01:50:00.000-05:00

At last, latest In Death book is finally released

J.D. Robb's "Memory in Death ($24.95, G.P. Putnam's Sons), opens just a few days before Christmas in the year 2059. Lt. Eve Dallas and her partner, Detective Delia Peabody, of the New York City Police and Security Department catch the case of a sidewalk-splattered Santa who took out an innocent pedestrian before he hit finally hit pavement.

Just business as usual. It's after returning to Cop Central that Eve's world falls apart.

Eve survived a horrible childhood before rescuing herself and going into the system at age 8. But she also blocked out most of the memories from those days. So when she enters her office and finds a woman waiting for her, she doesn't know her at first. But it doesn't take long before she recognizes Trudy Lombard and remembers what a hellish foster mother she was. Eve kicks the woman, who claims she just came to the city to visit her dear Eve, out of her office.

But the encounter leaves her shaken, so shaken, in fact, that she doesn't realize Trudy will be going after her billionaire husband Roarke to shake him down with threats of revealing the details of Eve's childhood to the media.

By the time the dime drops, Trudy has already make her blackmail attempt and been thrown out of Roarke's office. Eve insists on seeing Trudy one last time to tell her off. But by the time she and Roarke go to see Trudy, the woman is dead. Murdered.

Luckily, Eve and Roarke have an airtight alibi for the time of Trudy's death. But still, Eve feels she must take the case and solve it to put Trudy and her childhood behind her one and for all.

Solving the case won't be easy, as Eve wasn't the only foster child the detestable Trudy mistreated.

"Memory in Death" is the 22nd winner in the In Death series. While "Memory" isn't as action packed -- I missed the usual kick-butt fight or three Eve usually has, but the trade off is that more of her tortured childhood is revealed.

I pity the fool who hasn't read any of J.D. Robb's (aka Nora Roberts) Eve Dallas series and urge you to rectify the situation immediately. As for those who are already fans, I know I don't have to tell you to get this book, you already have. Now, we can start waiting for the next In Death book to come out in another six months.

2006-01-22T23:40:00.000-05:00

"Don't Look Down" is hard to look up from once you start reading

Samantha Jellicoe might seem like she has it all. In "Don't Look Down" by Suzanne Enoch ($6.99, Avon) she has an automatic in into West Palm Beach high society thanks to being the girlfriend of British billionaire Richard Addison, she's about to start her own security firm and she has her first client.

However, the former (highly successful) cat-burglar had to give up her former vocation, thanks to a promise she made to Rick ("Flirting With Danger," 2005). Her new business is becoming a major point of contention between her and her significant other -- he keeps wanting to give her the benefit of his vast experience while Samantha wants to do things on her own. Rick's ex-wife is back in town and she obviously wants him back. And, oh yeah, her first client plastics manufacturer Charles Kunz is murdered before Samantha can even start on the job.

Of course, Sam feels she owes it to her erstwhile client to find out who killed him and why.

In the meantime, Samantha has to keep her promise, sort of, to Rick to stop with the breaking and entering. Deal with the jealous ex-wife. And save her former fence and surrogate father, Walter "Stoney' Barstone, from going to the slammer for jewelry theft and the murder of Kunz.

He's being framed by the same person or persons unknown who did the deed. Sam just hope Rick will understand if she has to break a few rules to get to the truth.

Sam's walking a tightrope and she doesn't dare look down or she just might lose her balance and fall off.

If possible "Don't Look Down" is even better than the first Samantha Jellicoe novel, "Flirting With Danger." Enoch usually pens historicals, but she's done a fine job with the Jellicoe contemporary suspense books. I hope there's a third one in the offing.

2006-01-15T19:17:00.000-05:00

"On the Run" doesn't disappoint

"On The Run" by Iris Johansen ($26, Bantam Books)

Grace Archer always knew her past would rear up to bite her in the backside one day. Living and working on a horse farm with her eight-year-old daughter, Frankie, Grace always knew she'd have to run one day.

Betrayed by the man she loved when a CIA operation went bad eight years ago, Grace knew the criminal kingpin they'd failed to stop would never forget what he perceived as their betrayal.

So Grace settled in the back-of-beyond Tallanville, Ala., working her magic with the horses (Frankie insists she's a horse whisperer) and raising her daughter to be a survivor.

Now, time has run out.

Marvot has finally found her and he's sent in his men to kidnap Grace -- he has use for her particular talents -- and to kill her daughter who Marvot is sure would distract Grace from accomplishing the job he has for her.

Narrowly escaping Marvot's first attempt to take her, Grace has no choice but to team up with Jake Kilmer -- her CIA trainer and the man she believes betrayed her eight years ago. She has a better chance of keeping Frankie safe with Kilmer's help. And Frankie is all that matters.

From Alabama to Colorado to Morocco, the chase is on.

"On the Run" is another stellar Johansen production. Don't hold your breath waiting for the suspense to abate or you'll probably pass out.

2006-01-08T19:22:00.000-05:00

New year brings a great new suspense novel from a favorite author

In Jayne Ann Krentz's "All Night Long" ($24.95, G.P. Putnam's Sons), Irene Stenson returns to her hometown after a 17-year absence at the request of former best friend Pamela Webb.

Best friends for one long-ago summer, Irene's friendship with Pamela was an odd match. Pamela was the wild, spoiled daughter of the richest family in town, while shy, good-girl Irene was the daughter of the town police chief. The girls' friendship ended the same night Irene returns from an outing with Pamela to find her parents dead from an apparent murder-suicide.

Despite the rumors that her mother was having an affair, Irene never believed her father killed her mother, then himself. Fifteen years old at the time of her parents deaths, Irene left Dunsley and went to live with a great-aunt.

Her parents deaths left a mark on Irene but after a years of therapy, she's come up with ways to cope and is living her life as a reporter with a small-town newspaper. She never thought she'd return to Dunsley, but that was before she receives an e-mail from Pamela, who she hasn't heard from in the past 17 years. In the e-mail Pamela uses the code the two girls came up with that long ago summer to indicate when something was really important and had to be kept a total secret.

Irene wonders if Pamela has some information about her parents' deaths.

So, Irene returns to Dunsley and when Pamela doesn't contact her at the prearranged time, she goes looking for her best friend -- only to discover her body.

Pamela's senator father (who looking at a run for the White House) wants his daughter's death to make as small an impact as possible on his career aspirations. The authorities rule the death a suicide, but Irene's not buying. This is the third body she's discovered in the town of Dunsley.

It's just too much of a coincidence, so with the help of ex-Marine Luke Danner, Irene starts looking for answers -- for Pamela's death and for the deaths of her parents 17 years ago.

"All Night Long" is vintage Krentz: Witty repartee between a clever, likable heroine and the alpha-male hero, family issues and a tightly plotted storyline. The only bad thing about the book is that it had to end.