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.

2006-01-01T19:23:00.000-05:00

"Bloodstone" is a jewel of a mystery

In Gwen Hunter's "Bloodstone" ($6.99, Mira), jewelry designer Tyler St. Claire is having a bad day. First, her "family gift" fails her, as usual, so she gets no warning before she's mugged at a rock-and-gem show. Then her hotel room is broken into and when nothing of great value is taken, the local top cop decides she's a suspicious character and brings out the drug sniffing dog.

Of course, there's nothing to find so Tyler heads home. And that night, just when she's starts to relax, she gets a phone call from the St. Tyler family matriarch, Aunt Matilda, warning her there's a "blood-aura on the moon tonight" and a policeman will be at her door momentarily.

Sure enough, Tyler has barely hung up the phone before her doorbell rings. It's Special Agent Evan Bartlock and he has bad news. The cops have video of Tyler's brother, Davie, being attacked in an alley and dragged off by two men.

Tyler's brother, a millionaire/computer genuis/environmentalist, has been kidnapped and on Tyler's answering machine is a message telling her she has something that belongs to the kidnappers, they want it back or Davie will die.

The only problem is Tyler has no clue as to what they're talking about.

What she does have is gift that lets her "scan" in on Davie just long enough to feel his pain as his kidnappers torture him, but not long enough to tell her where he is. She has a niece, Jane, who has just hit puberty and is coming into her own "family gifts" and since Tyler was never trained in how to use her own psychic abilities, she has no clue as to how to help Jane. And, it seems, she has at least one other faction who is after Davie and they're perfectly will to go through Tyler to get her niece.

I now have another favorite author and the best thing is, "Bloodstone" isn't Hunter's first book, so I can read her earlier works. However, I hope this isn't the one and only St. Claire book. It would be great to read about a grown-up Jane because she seemed to be developing some awesome powers in "Bloodstone."

2005-12-27T12:46:00.000-05:00

"My Favorite Witch" sparks with fun

Annette Blair's "My Favorite Witch" (Berkley Sensation, $6.99), reminds me of one of those old Katherine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy movies with the two leads constantly sniping at each other in the most amusing away.

Kira Fitzgerald is one peeved witch (really). The Massachusetts witch relocates to Rhode Island to get away from her (mostly) well-meaning family and a cheating ex-fiance. She has sworn off men, especially jocks like her ex who she caught red, er, handed WITH HER OWN SISTER.

Jason Pickering Goddard, playboy hockey star, comes home to heal after a car accident puts an end, temporarily he vows, to his stellar career. Jason's ex-girlfriend, who was behind the wheel of the vehicle at the time of the accident, walked away without a scratch (or a backward glance) after his hockey star status changes. He has sworn off of women.

Events coordinator Kira new job is director of special events for the Pickering Foundation, a nonprofit that runs St. Anthony's Home for Boys. The foundation is in financial trouble so Jason's grandmother convinces him to take over, just until his knee heals, of course.

The two meet and the sparks fly.

Light and frothy, "My Favorite Witch" is the second in Blair's series about witches from Salem, Mass. I enjoyed it and will definitely dive into my stacks and find the first in the series, "The Kitchen Witch," and read it. I know I saw it the other day, maybe in that stack over there ... .

2005-12-18T18:52:00.000-05:00

"Over Her Dead Body" full of secrets worth killing for

"Over Her Dead Body" ($5.99, Zebra) is my first E.C. Sheedy book. I'll have to backtrack and read her earlier books.

Mary Weaver has run Mayday House, a refuge for women in need, for more than 30 years. Over the years, she's helped thousands, but tonight she knows she is dying and before she goes she has to clear her conscience. With the last of her strength, Mary makes three phone calls to right an old wrong.

Keeley Farrell was born and raised at Mayday House. Officially, Mary is her godmother, but unofficially, Keeley thinks of Mary as her grandmother. When she gets a call on her voicemail telling her Mary is seriously ill, she hightails it home. She gets to Mayday House just in time to see Mary's dead body being removed from the premises.

Gus Hammond has had an, let's just say, interesting life. He's a personal friend of the main patronness of Mayday House. He owes the woman a debt and she wants him repay it by visiting Mayday House to make sure that its doors are closed for good, now that Mary is dead.

Keeley has other ideas. She wants to keep the shelter going. But there are others beside Gus' friend who want to doors of Mayday House to close permanently. But first these others want to uncover the secrets that Mayday House holds, secrets that even Keeley are unaware of , but that could be deadly to her.

Gus and Keeley decide to work together to unveil the secrets of the past before those secrets kill.

"Over Her Dead Body" is full unusual characters who I enjoyed meeting.

2005-12-11T19:51:00.000-05:00

Two books from the stacks stack up well

What's the common link between Hannah Howell's historical romance "Highland Champion" ($6.50, Zebra Books) and Lucy Monroe's contemporary "Ready" ($14, Brava)?

Well, nothing really except that they're both darn good reads.

In "Highland Champion," Liam Cameron wakes up fit to be tied in a small cottage belonging to a monastery. Actually, healer Kiera Murray MacKail had no choice but to tie him to the bed. Liam had been beaten to within an inch of his life and had sustained, along with his various other injuries, a broken leg. With all the thrashing about he was doing when he was unconscious, Kiera thought it best to tie him down to keep him still so he wouldn't hurt himself.

Kiera, having sought sanctuary at the monastery to recover from injuries of her own, is happy to tend to Liam. She has made a full recovery, but she could still use some time to figure out how she will be able to deal with her enemy.

Kiera was recently widowed when invaders overran her husband's keep, Donncoill. Before his death, her husband Duncan made her swear she would free his people. How she is going to do that without involving her family, the Murrays, Kiera hasn't a clue.

However, Liam has some ideas about that. He happens to think Kiera needs a champion ...

Howell's latest is another winner in her Highland series. Having read Howell before I knew what to expect, but "Ready" was my first Lucy Monroe book. Thankfully, it seems to be the first in a series of three.

In "Ready," writer Lise Barton has left her home in Texas to move to Seattle. True, she can write anywhere, but the move wasn't because she wanted a change of scenery. Lise is being stalked and she wants the danger as from away from her family as she can move it since the local authorities see her complaint as just a publicity stunt.

Once in Seattle, however, Lise discovers that her unknown stalker has followed her to the big city. Her first clue: being shoved into traffic.

However, her family has no idea what is going on and her sister-in-law sends her brother, Joshua Watt, to Seattle to convince Lise it's time for a visit home.

After attempting to brain Joshua with a fire poker when he lets himself into her apartment, I say attempt because Joshua, a former Army Ranger, is a mercenary and poor Lise and the fire poker didn't stand a chance.

But Lise does stand a chance against Nemesis (her stalker), now that Joshua has gotten the story from her and decided to help.

2005-12-08T00:41:00.000-05:00

Old favorites start new series with "Sword of Orion"

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller , co-creators of the Liaden Universe, have another winner with "Sword of Orion: Book One of Beneath Strange Skies" ($14.95, Phobos Books).

Leaving the familiar Liaden Universe which fans have come to know and love, Lee and Miller introduce us to Jerel Telmon. The teen has never known her parents, leaders of an alliance that helped overthrow The Oligarchy, who died insuring the start of a free society.

Jerel has been raised by her Uncle Orned on the planet Arantha, where Jerel goes to school works at a part-time job and hangs out with best friend Kay. She feels happy and safe. All that is about to change.

Uncle Orned is an insurance man (a perfectly legal licensed killer). Because of that and because of who Jerel's parents were, Orned has preached five basic rules to Jerel her whole life:

Rule One: Always be alert. Rule Two: Take as few chances as possible. Rule Three: Be concerned about anomaly. Rule Four: Don't attract unnecessary attention. Rule Five: Stay in touch.

Orned is very upset when Jerel fails to observe rules One, Two, Three and Five.

It seems one of Jerel's co-workers, a teen who fits Jerel's description, goes missing and Jerel doesn't mention it to Orned. She gets a lecture and orders to come straight home from work the next day.

But the next day, after Jerel learns her missing co-worker has turned up dead and after Jerel leaves her job under upsetting conditions, she is kidnapped. She manages to escape, but her adventures are only beginning.

Jerel has become a target of the remnants of the old regime. The rebels of the old alliance are also very interested in Jerel. Now, Jerel , her uncle and an old student of Jerel's mother must go on the run after Jerel is blamed for the murder of her co-worker.

Jerel and her companions manage to stay just a jump ahead of her pursuers and the police. On the run and dodging attempts on their lives, they have to figure out just what the Oligarchy wants with Jerel.

"Sword of Orion" is an excellent start to the new Lee and Miller series. Write fast guys, I can't wait to find out happens next.

2005-11-27T04:32:00.000-05:00

It takes effort to finish “The Midnight Work”

I’ll say right off the bat that I didn’t much like Kassandra Sims’ “The Midnight Work” ($6.99, Tor Books). I found the main character to be unsympathetic, to say the least.

After a day of grading papers, PH.D. candidate and teaching assistant Sophie Aubrey is looking forward meeting up with her Internet chat group, who “Truth be told … were a whole helluva lot more than just chat. People. (Aubrey) didn’t just IM with them, but ran joint websites, monitored bulletin boards, organized conferences, the entire gambit of Net life pertaining to pre-high middle ages heresy and philosophy were covered by them.”

Actually, Aubrey’s chat group isn’t as dull as they sound because among them is Olivier. Olivier and Aubrey have been carrying on a mild online flirtation, so she’s excited about finally meeting him face to face.

They do meet and let’s just say the meeting ends up getting personal.

Aubrey awakens the next day in her pajamas at her apartment. But she doesn’t remember how she got there. On the way to her class, she’s distracted with memories of Olivier so she’s relieved when she gets to the classroom and finds out that class has been canceled. She’s not so relieved when she leaves the building to see Olivier waiting for her.

Aubrey panics and in trying to get away from Olivier she falls, breaking her neck.

Well, it’s not as fatal as it sounds because Olivier just happens to be a vampire and he turns Aubrey in order to save her life, so to speak.

After this the story is all downhill for me. Olivier lets a panicked Aubrey leave his apartment when she “wakes up” after her fall. I mean, no Vampire 101 lessons at all. On the way, home Aubrey realizes she’s hungry so she savagely kills a taxi driver, drinking her fill.

Sorry, right there Sims lost me. I mean, a main character without flaws is dull and boring true. But a main character who has no trouble going on a killing spree and isn’t the least bit bothered with feelings of guilt is not a character I even want to relate to. Even a visit to the Fairylands isn't enough to save the story for me.

So unless you like a heroine who is totally blasé about clearing those clotty blood clots from her throat after a fresh kill, you’ll avoid “The Midnight Work.”

2005-11-20T08:55:00.000-05:00

“The Bait” has to be just right to catch a serial killer

In Karen Robards' “The Bait” ($7.99, Signet), the FBI is looking for killer. A killer who has been taunting them for weeks by playing a particularly vicious game. He gives the feds clues to his targets’ identities, then gives them seven days to get to his would-be victims before he does.

At the beginning of “The Bait,” the feds are so close to catching up to their quarry that the blood of the victims soaking the carpet is still warm when they arrive on the scene.

Sam McCabe, the agent who is the recipient of the serial killer’s calls, and his team are taking the losses personally. They’re always just one step behind the killer, close but not close enough. So far in the game serial killer 5, feds 0.

Then the killer makes a mistake: one Madeline Fitzgerald.

McCabe and his partner arrive at the Holiday Inn Express in New Orleans a week later, just as the coroner is wheeling out the body of pharmaceutical saleswoman Madeline Fitzgerald. They’re just leaving the autopsy of the aforementioned victim when they learn that ANOTHER Madeline Fitzgerald was attacked at that same hotel on the same night.

Maddie Fitzgerald, the owner of Creative Partners, is in New Orleans to give a presentation to a potential client with a $10 million dollar a year budget. If she lands this account,, she can keep her newly purchased company from going under. What Maddie doesn’t count on is being attacked in her hotel room the night before her big presentation.

She fights off her attacker using a tool of her trade, barely escaping with her life.

McCabe and his team don’t know what to think. Two Madeline Fitzgeralds at the same hotel, attacked the same night, one dead and one alive.

It’s obvious that the killer has finally made a mistake, but which Madeline was he after? The one he killed or the one who escaped him.

One thing is for sure, they aren’t going to let Maddie out of their sights. Either she was the intended target and the killer will be back to finish the job or she was a mistake who is now a potential witness and the killer will be back to finish the job. She’s getting protection whether she wants it or not.

Maddie definitely does NOT want it. She doesn’t trust the FBI and she’s has secrets that she wants to stay hidden. But as “The Bait,” she] isn’t given much of a choice.

Robards' “The Bait” is a real not-to-be-put-down-until-you’ve-reached-the-end page turner. This one is going on my keeper list for sure.

2005-11-13T21:56:00.000-05:00

Cartoonist draws some fire in "Now You Die"

“Now You Die” by Christiane Heggan
($6.99, Mira Books)

Cartoonist Zoe Foster sees dead people.

Nah, not really, but in “Now You Die,” Zoe does stumble across the body of a woman in an alley after leaving an office Christmas party. The only problem is, by the time Zoe races back to the Herald building, alerts her boss, calls the cops and gets back to the scene, the body is gone.

With no body, the police think Zoe just had a little too much Christmas cheer and don’t take her seriously. But Zoe knows what she saw, so she gets her boss’ permission to run a sketch she draws of the dead woman in the newspaper, hoping someone will be able to identify her.

The next day the sketch is identified as nightclub singer Lola Malone by her agent. Zoe also discovers that Lola had a gig at the Blue Moon -- “one of those snooty nightclubs that charge an arm and a leg to get in.” It’s a nightclub that Zoe is very familiar with because it’s owned by her Rick Vaughn, her ex-husband.

Then Zoe learns that shortly before her “disappearance” that Lola had tried to get in touch with her several times. That makes Zoe more determined than ever to prove that Lola is dead so that the cops will investigate and find out who killed her.

Zoe decides to use her “Kitty Floyd, P.I.” comic strip to help her do that by giving Kitty a case similar to the disappearance of Lola Malone. Zoe hopes that by working on the story every day will help her focus on what she might have missed in her own investigation of Lola Malone.

Well, Zoe doesn’t miss much between interviewing her ex-husband, dodging snipers and discovering some things about her own life that were kept from her. She’s an engaging character even though the results from some of her actions seem a bit far-fetched. However, there are some interesting twists and turns in “Now You Die” so, if you enjoy a mystery where you don’t figure out who the killer is halfway through the book, you’ll enjoy “Now You Die.”

2005-11-08T02:21:00.000-05:00

"Mortal Danger"
By Eileen Wilks
($6.99, Berkley Sensation)

In Wilks' version of reality,Sept. 11 2001, and all the ensuing changes to the world still happened. But they happened in a world that, in addition to the everyday happenings of OUR reality, is populated by werewolves, gnomes, demons and magic.

Former homicide cop Lily Yu is now with the FBI's Magical Crime Unit and she's been Chosen by the Lady to be mate to werewolf prince Rule Turner.

Of course, that's in addition to being a bridesmaid at her sister's wedding and having to wear a "puke-green bridemaid's dress," catching sight of a dead woman at said wedding and following her to restroom where she's attacked by a demon.

Of course, Lily's last case had her besting a goddess who was no Lady. Said goddess wants her revenge so Lily's definitely in mortal danger.
Great follow-up to "Tempting Danger."

Did I mention the dragons ...?

2005-11-06T18:37:00.000-05:00

"Night Game" is right game for great read

The third in Christine Feehan's Ghostwalker series, "Night Game"($9.99, Jove Books),is a must-read for fans. It's a paperback, I know you're noticing that $9.99 price, but "Night Game" is one of the new "specially designed for comfortable reading" larger(more costly)paperbacks that we all knew was coming.

However, I must tell you, "Night Game" is certainly worth the price!

Iris "Flame" Johnson is one of the dozens of girls acquired by scientist Peter Whitney to illegally experiment on some twenty years ago. All the children were orphans bought from overseas.

Iris was one of the two children that Whitney disliked the most, so she was the recipent of the some of his cruelest experiments. Their purpose: to expand the girls' natural and various psychic abilities.

Whitney also genetically enhanced Iris, deliberately giving her cancer as a means both to deliver the modifications and as a way to ensure that she would come back to him if she ever escaped.

She did. Now, Iris is looking for the other girls that were experimented on so she can help them. And there is no way she is ever going to let herself be captured again by Whitney.

The world (but not Iris) believes Peter Whitney is dead. But he didnt die before he expanded his experiments to include volunteers with the military. These men, called Ghostwalkers, were rescued from Whitney's lab by his daughter Lily. She is trying to atone for her father's sins and to do that she needs to find Iris because, from her father's notes, she's sure Iris' cancer is going to come back. A cancer designed specifically by her father that can't be treated by conventional means.

Lily sends one of the Ghostwalkers, Special Forces soldier Gator Fontenot, after Iris. Let's just say when the two meet,Flame erupts. There's no way Iris is trusting anyone with the last name Whitney or anyone sent by that person.

Gator is determined to bring Iris in for her own good. Iris is determined to convince Gator that Peter Whitney isn't dead, he's just in the shadows pulling all their strings.

2005-10-30T19:35:00.000-05:00

All Hallow's Eve perfect time to "Darkyn" your door

"If Angels Burn" by Lynn Viehl ($6.99, Signet Eclipse)
"Private Demon" by Lynn Viehl ($6.99, Signet Eclipse

In "If Angels Burn," Chicago's most talented, and keep in mind the fastest, reconstructive surgeon Dr. Alexander Keller has a problem.
It's not so much her very busy practice. She feels a calling to work on her patients, which include a four-year-old foster kid with a cleft palate. She finally, finally got permission from the Department of Children and Families to fix the cleft palate -- she's fixing his other scarring for free.
Neither is it Luisa Lopez, an uncooperative 16-year-old who was brutalized by multiple assailants then burned over forty-five percent of her body -- the trauma of which caused Luisa, now blind and disfigured, to lose the baby she was carrying.
No, Alex's problem is one Michael Cyprien.
Cyprien is an apparent multimillionaire who wants Alex to drop everything and come to him in New Orleans to perform some unspecified reconstructive surgery on him. Alex says no -- several times.
Wrong answer.
Knocked over the head and drugged while leaving the hospital, the good doctor wakes up in New Orleans at La Fontaine -- the residence of one Michael Cyprien.
She also finds out why Cyprien is convinced she's the only one who can help him.
Viciously beaten over and over, then immersed into a corrosive substance, Cyprien is a man with no face.
Of course, no mere human could have survived his injuries, but Cyprien isn't human -- he's Darkyn.
Existing on a liquid diet of human blood, the Darkyn have the ability to spontaneously heal and Cyprien's damaged faced heal alright -- into a mass of scar tissue.
The only hope he has is to find a surgeon who's fast enough to reconstruct his face before the incisions scar over.
All this must be kept secret of course, not only is the world not ready for the Darkyn, but the Darkyn is being hunted by a secret sect of Catholic priests called the Brethren. The Brethrens are the ones responsible for Cyprien's injuries.
Oh yeah, did I mention Alex's brother is a priest?
I enjoyed Viehl's first foray into the world of the Darkyn, so much so that I couldn't wait for the the second book in the series, "Private Demon," to come out.
I have to say, I was disappointed in "Private Demon." The hero, Thierry Durand, is another Darkyn, also a victim of the Mad Monks. Durand himself was driven mad, both by the torture of the Brethren and also by having to listen to his family being tortured.
Cyprien and Alex try to help Durand in the first book, but it ends with Durand escaping and where does he head? Chicago -- Alex's hometown.
Durand has decided he will hunt down Luisa Lopez's attackers who were still at large at the end of "If Angels Burn."
The heroine in "Private Demon," Jema Shaw, seems kind of weak to me and she and Durand meet only in her dreams for much of the book. I would recommend this book only because we see a little more of Alex and Cyprien and we learn more about the Brethren.
Jema has been sick her whole life, taken care of by her mother (that woman is seriously lacking in maternal instincts) and a doctor her mother hired when Jema was an infant. Jema is now in her 30s. Come on, I cannot believe a grown woman who is rich and has TWO jobs, just calmly accepts her "fatal" illness without seeing another doctor in more than 30 years.
Still, I'm anxiously awaiting the third book in the Darkyn series, hoping it will be better.

2005-10-28T01:50:00.000-04:00

From the Stacks: "Blue Smoke" is well-worth the read

I'll be sharing with whoever cares to read them my opinions on books
From the Stacks of .. ta dum... S.D. McMillar. And when I say from the stacks, I mean from the stacks. I have books stacked on my bed, stacked on my dresser, my computer desk hutch, stacked on the floor of my bedroom and stacked in the bins that are stacked in my bedroom.
I am really stacked, er, full of books I mean, and the reason you might like to read my reviews are that hey, we all know that books aren't getting any cheaper. So, if I can steer you toward a book that's worth the dough you'll be shelling out for it or away from a book that's a dud, then I'm glad to do it.
Why?
Well, let's just say it'll make ME feel better about all the dough I'm spending on books.
First up: "Blue Smoke" by Nora Roberts ($25.95, 437 pages). The novel starts with an 11-year-old Reena Hale who in the summer of 1985 became fascinated with fire.
A life-changing tummy ache had Reena sitting on the front porch in the early morning hours. From there she could see the neighborhood pizzeria which her family owned. Seeing the pretty lights in the restaurant, Reena soon realizes the family business is on fire.
She gives the alarm and is later questioned by an arson investigator Reena decides that's what she's going to be when she grows up.
As she goes from child to teen to adult, Reena's life is touched more than once by fire and tragedy, but that doesn't stop her from attaining her goal of joining th e arson unit of the Baltimore Police Department.
By the time Reena realizes that someone has, for years, been using fire as an instrument to punish her, she'll need all her years of experience on the force to discover her stalker's identity.
"Blue Smoke" is trademark Nora Roberts Â— a skillful blend of mystery, romance and danger all melded into winning mix.
Also, from the stacks is Mary Janice Davidson's "Undead and
Unreturnable" ($21.95, 250 pages). This is Davidson's fourth outing (and the second in hardback) featuring the shoe-mad, sarcastic and very (reluctantly) dead vampire queen, Betsy Taylor.
In "Undead and Unreturnable," it's almost Christmas and Betsy has loads to do: Christmas shopping with her daughter-of-the-devil (really, she's is the daughter of the devil) half-sister, babysitting her newborn half-brother, planning her wedding to her vampire-consort, writing an online advice column for the newly turned and, oh yeah, hunting down a serial killer who stalking the women of Minneapolis.
"Undead and Unreturnable" kept me laughing out loud just like the
previous books in this series. But you might want to start with the
first two (both paperback and considerably cheaper than "Undead and Unreturnable" which isn't even a full-size hardback).
Great book and probably worth the price AFTER you've become a rabid Betsy Taylor fan once you've read the previous books.
Time for me to sign off until I dig another book out of the stacks..