True Deception by Patricia Waddell

The Blurb:
A man who lives for revenge and a woman who clings to hope. Together they fight a common enemy . . . and discover a passion neither one dreamed could exist.

Aedon Rawn’s world died the day his wife and child were murdered by Conglomerate pirates. Now, his only reason for living is to avenge their deaths. The Directorate gives him that opportunity when he’s selected to become their first undercover agent. His mission: infiltrate and destroy the oppressive government of an outer region colony.

Kala Char’ari is a woman in need of a miracle. She’s dedicated her life to freeing her people, but they're on the edge of extinction. Risking everything, she dares to trust a dark stranger with the hardened heart of a warrior.

My thoughts:
The storyline of True Deception is pretty basic and one familiar to lovers of futuristic romance. The people of Hachyn are being oppressed and abused by the government and Kala is the second-in-command to (and being trained to be the next) the leader of the resistance. When her mentor is killed she has to put her trust in Korcian undercover agent, Aedon Rawn (although she doesn't KNOW he's an undercover agent). She's attracted to him and despite the fact that their first sexual encounter seems to be more of a result of her grief over the loss of her father-figure/mentor than true lust, she falls in love with the man that she knows is keeping secrets but cannot resist following her instincts and believing he means to help them fight the Conglomerate.

Aedon's wife and daughter were killed by the Conglomerate (the same gov't responsible for oppressing the people of Hachyn, and he wants revenge - his assignment is to assist the freedom fighters of Hachyn in overthrowing the conglomerate reps there and destroying factories that the Directorate (the good guys) believe may be producing weapons. When Aedon meets Kala he begins to feel emotions he thought he'd never feel again after the loss of his family

I really liked the first book in this series, True Blood. It was a wonderful futuristic romance - the perfect blend of romance, danger, and suspense.

This second book was a bit of a disappointment though. It was not bad, it was actually an OK read but I felt the story itself was kind of blah and the attraction between the H/h didn't feel very 'sparky' or real. I wasn't pulled into the story -probably because is was heavily detailed on the suspense side and not developed enough in the romance - I didn't really get to know enough about the main characters' "inner" selves enough to care or feel connected. But the part that took this book from a "Keeper" to a "Library" rating was that the ending felt somewhat incomplete and there were several random threads in the story that were never resolved, had no discernable purpose but seemed important at the time they were introduced, or were resolved too easily - that frustrates me because I have such a curiosity problem.

On the other hand, Ms. Waddell did an excellent job portraying Aedon's need for revenge and sorrow over the murder of his wife and child without it becoming an overblown conflict or letting it detract from the relationship between the H/h. While I don't highly recommend True Deception, it was a decent read - I have definitely NOT given up on this author or this series. I do highly recommend the first book True Blood though - it was a total keeper!




My rating for TRUE DECEPTION by Patricia Waddell:

New Rating System

So I've finalized a 'rating' system - & created corresponding graphics - for the books that I read and talk about here. Here are the 4 categories:

My VERY top rating: "Absolutely Amazing!" - these are the books that I ADORE and will highly recommend to EVERYONE. This will be used VERY RARELY. It would be for books like Nalini Singh's Psy/Changeling books, for example



"Keeper" is my rating for books that are.... you guessed it... going on my keeper shelf. These are books that I love - ones that I will re-read again and again. I think these books are worth buying and recommend them.



Rating a book as "Library" means that it was an OK book but not worth the money. These are the books that I wish I had gotten it (or am glad that I DID get it) from the library. They're not a recommended read but not a total stinker either.



Finally, this rating is for books that I "wish I'd passed on..." These are books that I REALLY didn't enjoy - basically, the books that I thought sucked.


What do you guys think... good system?

Caressed by Ice out TUESDAY!

Nalini Singh continues her amazing PSY/CHANGELING series with yet another AWESOME story.

Judd is the ultimate weapon, a Psy so deadly that the existence of his kind has been reduced to myth & legends. He left his life and his position as an elite soldier for the Psy Council and brought his family to the SnowDancer den to protect them from the Council's order for their rehabilitation - a life worse than death as a living zombie. Although his other psy family members have found a place for themselves in the pack Judd, the most dangerous, is still looked upon with suspicion by most. However, only Brenna is a threat. Judd needs the emotionless existence of Silence in his mind to prevent himself from losing control of his talent and causing the death of the innocents around him and the sensual wolf-changeling woman is a danger to his control.
Brenna is recovering from the torment of being at the mercy of a twisted serial-killer Psy. The experience of having her mind raped by a sadistic monster has left her with shattered-looking eyes and powers no changeling should possess. The attraction and safety Brenna feels with the coldly-beautiful psy male seems inconceivable but the pull is strong and she turns to Judd when her life and sanity is threatened again.

The body of a packmember, whose death Brenna saw in a ‘dream’, is discovered with marks similar to the ones left by the serial-killer Psy who brutalized Brenna. That mad Psy is dead so who is this new killer… and how is it connected to Brenna?

I absolutely ADORED Caressed by Ice! This is the best book I’ve read since… well, since Visions of Heat was released earlier this year.

I was the tiniest bit afraid that Brenna would be a helpless-victim type of heroine but in reality she is beautifully strong and capable. And Judd is an amazing alpha hero. Ms. Singh did a wonderful job showing us the truth of the man beyond the Psy training, buried under the layers of Silence. I never felt that Judd was truly cold or emotionless and despite the fact that he was an assassin and had done bad things in the past, I saw him as a strong, and noble man doing what he believed was best to protect others.

The progression of the relationship between the characters was captivating, as was the change in Judd. Even as he struggled to maintain Silence for the safety of others, his emotions and connection with Brenna are a painful/pleasure that he can’t refuse. And the love scenes were steamy… who knew that a man from a race of emotionless, sexless people could be that HOT?!? Can you tell that I totally fell in love with him? LOL!

The storyline flowed really well with a great balance of romance & suspense. Ms. Singh included more secondary character scenes (which I ended up skimming the second and third time I read it) than in the previous books but they add necessary background information.

***SPOILER ALERT***
I loved that Brenna kicked ass in the climax of the suspense plot. After being victimized previously, it was awesome that she defended herself and didn’t totally have to be ‘rescued’ again. It was very well-done and reinforced the strength of character and determination of Brenna while still allowing Judd to do the ‘hero’ thing too.
***END SPOILER***

I didn’t want this story to ever end! Nalini Singh has created an extraordinary world & vivid characters for her PSY/CHANGELING series. This is the third book and it’s as fabulous as the first! I seem to fall in love with the first book of a series and then subsequent books are never quite as good as the first to me but so far I am loving every book – it would be too hard to pick a favorite.

Rating: DEFINITELY A KEEPER!!!

Visit Nalini Singh’s website: www.nalinisingh.com
Behind the scenes info about the PSY/CHANGELING series
Buy Caressed by Ice

If you haven’t read them be sure to check out
Slave to Sensation and Visions of Heat

My Immortal by Erin McCarthy

The BLURB:
In the late eighteenth century, plantation owner Damien du Bourg struck an unholy bargain with a fallen angel: an eternity of inspiring lust in others for the gift of immortality. But when Marley Turner stumbles upon Damien's plantation searching for her missing sister, for the first time in two hundred years it's Damien who can't resist the lure of a woman. But his past sins aren't so easily forgotten-or forgiven.

My Thoughts:
This book starts off on a sour note for me. The hero is a selfish bastard and I hated him.... in the beginning. For all of you who have picked up this book and abandoned it after reading the first little bit that focuses on Damien (I have a friend who did this) then pick it back up and keep slogging through the crap.... it does get better. It took me about 15 minutes and revealing a TON of spoilers to convince my friend of this fact but it REALLY does get better.

The storyline is pretty simple, and one that we romance-readers have seen about a hundred thousand times but rarely get tired of:

Older sister (aka THE MARTYR) rushes to the aid of younger sister (aka THE IRRESPONSIBLE SELFISH BRAT) because she feels it's her responsibility to 'rescue' said younger sister. Of course, the rescue doesn't go as planned because younger sister has taken off to party somewhere else but big sister doesn't know where and is horribly worried so she goes to the 'last known' location and tries to track her down.

Enter the big, bad, immortal (aka THE misunderstood BAD BOY). Immortal demon meets older sister and is wholly fascinated and entranced by her beauty and goodness as well as the fact that she is the ONLY woman who can resist him. Demon tries to stonewall older sister so that she will go away "for her own good" because he is BAD and dangerous but demon realizes that he wants her too much to let her go. Demon then says that he'll help older sister because he wants to get into her pants. Then he gets into her pants and finds love there (*snicker* - I couldn't resist) and revelations are made that help us readers (and later big sister) understand that demon isn't as bad as he seems. Of course, about this time irresponsible little sister shows up, is a vicious brat to older sister, then toddles off to 'play' again without regard for anyone else. Older sister's trip was a useless endeavor but she can't be THAT upset because she met the immortal demon. Oh, Yeah.... but she doesn't KNOW that he's a demon.... yet.

And last, but certainly not least, add in a big helping of "EVIL PLOT" which only older sister can save bad-boy demon from, with a dash of "EVIL DEMON LORD-type" character, and a smidge of "SEMI-EVIL DAUGHTER OF EVIL DEMON LORD-type" and you get.....

TA DA!

My Immortal by Erin McCarthy

OK... so I'm in a silly mood. I think the brain is fried from studying. LOL!

Seriously now, while this book wasn't a fabulous read it was decent enough despite the rocky start with the hero. The plot flowed well and was enjoyable, if overly familiar, as were the characters. I had heard that it was supposed to be a new 'darker' direction for for her books but I REALLY don't think it was a dark book. Actually, in that respect I thought it was more equal to Katie Macallister's paranormal books. The writing style isn't the same and McCarthy's books don't have the humor that is normally an element of McAllister's writing, but I would recommend My Immortal to people who enjoy Katie MacAllister.

RATING: Library (I'm starting a new 'rating system' so I'll post next about what this means).

I've read all of McCarthy's books but my favorite continues to be Mouth to Mouth which is being re-released with a nice new cover in November.

Here's the cover of my copy:

Here's the NEW cover:

I like the new cover better but if I remember correctly the woman's hair color is wrong.... hmmmmmmm.... I think I need to re-read it but I thought she was blond-ish.

What do you all thing. Is the new cover hotter or is the more plain, first one better? Is it irritating when pubishers re-issue with a different cover? I've heard (and voiced) many a complaint about being foold by a new cover into thinking that it's a new book and buying it before realizing that it's a re-issue. Doesn't happen so much since I began keeping a database but every once in a while I get caught that way.

Touch of Darkness by Christina Dodd

TOUCH OF DARKNESS
Book #2 in the Darkness Chosen series
Christina Dodd

The BLURB:
Handsome, powerful Rurik Wilder holds the power to transform himself into a fierce bird of prey-a gift that's caused death and destruction.
At last he's offered the chance to redeem himself. Only one woman stands in his way-a beautiful writer determined to wreak revenge on the assassins who murdered her family. Assassins, it's been rumored, who have powers no human should ever possess...

My Thoughts:
Yes, I know I said I wasn't going to do it. I wasn't going to purchase this second book in the series that got off to such a crappy start IMO. I just couldn't resist when I saw it on the shelf though and I caved and bought it.

MUCH better characterization, world building, and plot for this second instalment in Dodd's new series!

Rurik is an archeologist (of course) and Tasya is a photographer endorsed by the college/foundation (I can't remember which) that is funding the archeological dig. Both of them have their own personal reasons for wanting to be involved with the dig and those reasons relate to the Varinski's and the curse but Rurik seeks redemption for the Varinskis (at least his branch) and Tasya wants to bring Varinski secrets out into the public to destroy the clan. When the 'evil' Varinski's come onto the scene the H/h have to work together to stay alive and find the relic - although only Rurik knows that they're at somewhat cross-purposes.

The other side of the Varinski family tree as a threat is still a little weak but the search for the relic keeps the story going. The heroine's history with the bad Varinski's as a secret obstacle between Tasya and Rurik adds a good element of conflict as well. I did cry for a little while towards the end - which in some people's minds is a compliment about the author's ability to stimulate emotions in their readers but really.... I don't like the tear-jerkers unless I'm in the mood. But it didn't last long so all is well. LOL!

Overall, I was satisfied with this read. It's about half-way between a 'library' and a 'buy' type of read for me.

RATING: C+

Something Wicked by Catherine Mulvany

SOMETHING WICKED
Catherine Mulvany

The BLURB:
Investigative reporter Regan Cluny is in hot pursuit of a reclusive philanthropist who is financing a mysterious archaeological dig in the California desert. Attempting to convince Charles Cunningham Nash to grant her an interview has proven impossible long distance, so Regan sets off uninvited for his dig to woo him in person. Instead, she meets with deadly trouble; a biker gang corners her at a remote rest stop, sabotages her car, and leaves her for dead on a country road. Miraculously, Regan survives with only one strange memory of her attack...and the man who comes to her aid is Nash himself.

Strongly attracted to her handsome protector, Regan can't know that Nash is a vampire tied to her attackers by a vicious blood feud that dates back to the Civil War - or that he has hungered for the life and soul of a mortal for nearly two centuries. With the local sheriff determined to nail Nash for the violence perpetrated by his dire enemy, Regan must decide whether the dark secrets of a lover she can't live without are something wonderful...or something wicked.

My Thoughts:
I have never read Catherine Mulvany but I saw the cover for this book a couple of months ago and put it on my 'to be considered list'. KICK ASS cover!!! Plus a 'kudos' from Christine Feehan on it!

Something Wicked was a decent paranormal romance. There was nothing wrong with the book and it's actually well developed and written. It was just a bit... well, dull-ish. Sort-of. I know this is SO unhelpful in helping others make a decision to purchase the book so I'll just say I wasn't bored but neither was I wow'd by either the characters or the plot. This would be more of a 'library' choice to me. Good to read but not run-out-and-get-it-now worthy. Actually, people just getting into reading the paranormal-romance sub-genre would probably enjoy this one. It's about 65% on the darkness scale. It's not a dark book but neither is it middle of the road either. Plus, it doesn't have a convoluted world or a system of paranormal beings that can make new readers long for a glossary so that they can figure out what's happening.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS!!!! BEWARE!!!!
This would REALLY be full of spoilers if I went indepth but here are a few issues I had with the book: 1) The whole 'reincarnation of past lover' thing.... doesn't really do it for me. It can be done well or it can be done VERY badly so I always worry when books have that element. Mulvany actually did pretty good - it didn't take over the story or cause any awkwardness in the heroine's internalization of her feelings for the hero. But still not my favorite. 2) The relationship between the hero's 'past love', the villian, and the reason for the animosity between the hero & villian has a bit of an ick factor for me. 3) How Nash was made a vampire - although that's kind of related to #2. Also, this didn't really bother me but some people will be irritated by the ending - the solution to how a vampire and mortal end up together. To me, the way it came about was a little too 'pat' but I know some people who won't enjoy it for other reasons - which I can't tell because that would be WAY spoiling.

Overall, it's worth reading but I wouldn't put it at the top of the TBR list. I'll be watching for her next one though and check it out at the library!

RATING: B-

Catch a Mate by Gena Showalter

CATCH A MATE
Gena Showalter

The BLURB:
Jillian Greene is always getting caught in the act—it's her job! Working at Catch A Mate, Jillian gets paid by suspicious wives to smile, flirt and prove that no man can be trusted around the opposite sex. Her only ground rule? She never gets physical. Until a heart-stoppingly gorgeous male walks in… Marcus Brody has just been hired as bait to test female fidelity. But the last thing Jillian needs is a partner…especially an infuriating, irresistible man who's got her fantasizing about tearing off his clothes.
Can a savvy modern woman find happiness with the most tempting man she's ever known? Is there such a thing as a totally monogamous male?


My Thoughts:
I really liked this book. I was just in the mood for a book like this when I read it - it's so quirky and spunky and made a great break from the darker paranormal and romantic-suspense books that I've been reading lately. It's a light read - what some call a great 'beach book' because really, there isn't a whole lot of depth to the plot but the interaction between the two characters was entertaining and IMO made up for any lack or problems with the storyline.

Basically the hero/heroine are Male/Female versions of each other. They both have MAJOR trust issues with the opposite sex due to life experiences and working as 'bait' to catch cheating spouses but really their perfect for each other and the sparks fly whenever they're together. In a way it reminds me of some Lori Foster's light-hearted books but her H/h's aren't ususally this cynical.

RATING: B

In the Midnight Hour by Patti O'Shea

The Blurb:
Ryne is a magical troubleshooter, sworn to protect the innocent from being harmed by magic—and she's been chasing Anise, her former mentor, for six years.
Deke is a private investigator who knows something key to defeating Anise. But Anise cast a dark spell over him, and even though Ryne has managed to temporarily lift the curse, Deke can't remember what it is that he knows.
Ryne has sworn to never get involved with a human, but Deke is sexy, charming, brave and irresistible—and as Ryne and Deke are pulled further into Anise's evil schemes, it's harder and harder for Ryne to resist the attraction.
But dark magic has its own attraction, and in order to defeat Anise and lift Deke's curse permanently, Ryne will have to risk following in Anise's footsteps and succumbing to the lure of the darkness...

My thoughts:
I have been in AGONY waiting for this book to come out. I love Patti O’Shea’s futuristic books as well as her contributions the Crimson City and 2176 series' so I snatched this book up as soon as it hit the stores. It is very good.

Although some elements of the book require the reader to suspend logic completely (like the fact that Deke is a man trapped in a cartoon-like TV show by a spell), the heroine and the hero were surprisingly realistic. witty, and charming. Their relationship was also fairly unique in terms of power and strength because Ryne is the one with the knowledge and strength of magic - she 'takes care' of Deke a lot in the first part of the book when his memories are gone.

My only problem with this book was that I had a real sense of deja-vu while reading it. I CANNOT figure out why - I've certainly never read it before. But as I was reading it I was seriously getting that "I've been here before" feeling. I can't recall a particular book that this is similar to or anything but it felt WAY weird because I even knew how the ending was going to be. It's driving me nuts because I can't figure it out. Has anyone else experienced the same with this book or am I going insane?

Anyway, this book is about mid-range on the light/dark scale. It's not a dark paranormal but it isn't a fluffy read either. I'd recommend this to people who like books such as Cheyenne McCray's magic series (although this is a little lighter than that) and other magic or witch-type paranormals.

RATING: B+

Ms. O'Shea's next book, In Twilight’s Shadow, is due out next summer and is about Ryne's sister Maia. I'm pumped for that one too! Maia is a VERY interesting character and I can't wait to learn more about her.

Immortals: The Awakening by Joy Nash

Book 3 in the Immortals Series is by Joy Nash (the previous were by Jennifer Ashley and Robin T. Popp).

The BLURB:
She comes to him in a dream: her creamy skin delectably cool, silky raven hair smelling of the sea and ocean-blue eyes reflecting the depths of her passion. She is everything Kalen has been desperate to capture in his art -- and in his bed. In reality, when Christine finds his remote Scottish castle, it is to persuade the Immortal warrior to help repel the darkness spreading around the world. But Kalen has a vindictive Sidhe trying to steal his powers and a dark secret of his own to battle before he and Christine can give in to --The Awakening.

My Thoughts:
This was yet another disappointment for me from the Immortal series. So far the only one I've really enjoyed was the very first one so I have to bid adieu to the fourth one as an 'auto buy' on my list - I'll be waiting for the library to get it.

My main problems with this book (and the one by Popp) stem from personal preferences. I don't like it when the hero has sex or is in a relationship with anyone else but the heroine in a book. Unfortunately, in the beginning of the book I really didn't like Kalen. He was a man-whore and just an all-around loser IMO. In that first quarter of the story, he is with (and having sex with) his lover whom he plans on getting pregnant (just because she asked him to and he kinda shrugs and is like 'sure'). And, of course, the heroine watches the couple having sex at one time. THEN later he leaves this public orgy thing, after which he was supposed to do the actual impregnanting of his lover, to whisk the heroine away to his castle where he then decides to have sex with HER within a few minutes of arriving not because of any soul-mate type thing but for selfish ulterior motives (which I can't disclose because it could be a spoiler!). All of this just gives me an icky feeling in my stomach... I don't like these type of things in a story but for readers with no such 'hang-ups' this book might not be so bad.

It does get better around page 120 and the plot picks up and gets more interesting, the characters become more real and likeable and I stopped disliking Kalen. However, I still never really felt like he loved Christine for herself. The whole thing (the plot, characters, and the relationship) was just... weak.

Plus, it also doesn't really further the overall plot-line of the series. Other than getting another Immortal to answer the 'call'. We'll see in the next one though, maybe there were important elements in this book that will tie into the next one. It wasn't HORRIBLE but I didn't think it was that good either. Had I know what this (and the last one) were going to be like, I would have gotten them from the library.

RATING: C-

The Devil's Possession by Heather Waters

The BLURB:

She was a woman called to lead
Ordinarily, women do not become Highland chieftains. But Faith Maitland is no ordinary woman-until a violent encounter in the forest crushes her courage and leaves her pregnant. And now, because no clan will accept a sullied woman, she must find a sire for her bastard...
He was a man they called a witch
When Faith names Draven the Devil as the father of her child, she thinks she is blaming a dead man. Instead, her accusation halts his execution for witchery. When he is released from the stake to the Maitlands' custody, Faith realizes that she has affianced herself to a silent man with frightening powers...
Theirs was a devil's bargain
Draven has no reason to relish his escape, having long since wearied of the fear and hate that has been his lot. Yet he finds himself unable to renounce Faith and expose her to the same shame. Fascinated by her beauty and strength, Draven is drawn to Faith even as she is warmed by his tenderness. But their growing trust will be tested by the threat of true evil...


My thoughts:
I actually picked this one up to read the blurb because I thought the cover was so bad. I was intrigued enough to buy it despite the fact that I'm not really into historicals recently. Now that I've read the book, I realize that the title sucks too. It just doesn't fit IMO. And to be honest... the blurb isn't really a good (or completly accurate) representation of the story either. This poor author should really ask the publisher NOT to assign the same cover/PR team to her next book!
However, that is the extent of my negativity regarding this book. Well, OK... the author could have spent a LITTLE more time world & character-building but while it lacked some of the vividness of paranormal romance masters such as Kenyon, Singh, and Feehan, it did not disappoint!

I started this book while eating lunch after leaving the bookstore and I was engrossed enough by the story that I sat in my car reading until I finished the book - yes, I realize what a sad statement that is about my self-discipline but I couldn't help it! The beginning of the story was just FASCINATING and I couldn't tear myself away!

I liked Faith (the heroine) but I ADORED Draven. What an intriguing hero!! In many ways he was your 'typical' tortured hero but there was just something about him that captured my attention and my heart.

RATING: B (it wasn't the best thing I've ever read but it was SO DAMN GOOD for a new author!!)

Heather Waters' next book Destiny's Warrior is due out in December and has been added to my buy list. I'm excited to read more from this bright new author.

Up Close and Dangerous by Linda Howard

Up Close and Dangerous by Linda Howard

I was VERY wary of LH's newest release because her writing has gone downhill IMO since the Blair Mallory books and Cover of Night was so bad it was almost a joke but I was pleasantly surprised by Up Close and Dangerous. It's pretty good - still not quite the quality of some of her earlier books but a solid read that has made it to my 'keeper' shelf. The characters and the basic plot are interesting but it could have been better.

Here are my main issues with the book: first, it WAY too 'detailed' in the things that they do for survival - readers do not need that much information on exactly how everything is done and what everything that survived the crash is used for in minute detail. On the upside, if I ever survive a plane crash in the mountains where it's cold and I've over-packed because I'm obsessive and on my way to a rafting trip - I'll know EXACTLY what to do! LOL!

A slight problem with the book is the development of the relationship between the H/h. I have no problem with a quick forming relationship - especially under these circumstances - but there is absolutely NO indication that the two are even attracted to each other before the crash. They really appear to dislike each other so Cam deciding that Bailey is going to be his so abruptly is weird.

Finally, the time after their rescue should be have been WAY more developed. It was the most interesting part of the book! She could have taken out a good 1/2 of the time they spent 'surviving' (which was a bit boring in the detailed monotony anyway) and put it after they get off the mountain and the book would have been much better.

Another review (on Amazon, I think) mentioned that the title and the cover don't fit the book and, although I didn't notice it before it was mentioned, she is right. The cover and the title don't fit at all - it doesn't bother me but I thought it was interesting and true.

Overall, I am keeping this book and was fairly satisfied with it, despite the obvious problems. Though that may be because the quality of the last few have been so poor that I've lowered my expectations of LH books.

RATING: C when compared with romantic suspense genre books
B+ when compared with the last few LH books

Hidden Agendas by Lora Leigh

Hidden Agendas by Lora Leigh

I was actually going to pass on this book because I was unimpressed with Dangerous Games (the book before this one in the series) but then my friend said it was good.

It was awesome! I loved the characters and the story was great. There were minor things, of course, that I thought could have been improved but it's now one of my favorite Lora Leigh books (outside the Breed series, which I LOVE)and it will definitely be going on the keeper shelf! After reading it my curiosity about two other Seals - Nathan and Ian - is severely piqued and I can't wait for their books.

The next book in the series, Killer Secrets, about Deke Santiago is on my 'buy' list for January.

RATING: A

White Heat by Cherry Adair

White Heat by Cherry Adair

This book grabbed my attention right away with an action-packed beginning. In general, I don't really like books with a 'lovers reunited' theme but I found both characters entertaining and well developed. The plot was good, although there were some elements that were just too coincidental to be believable.

The only real problem with it for me was that the climax of the suspense and the conclusion weren't great. There was a lot of build-up and I liked the rest of the book but then the conclusion just felt slightly contrived - not awful, just off.

Overall, the majority of the book was great with an interesting plot and characters I could get into. If you like romantic suspense, you'll probably enjoy this one.

RATING: B-

Hunter's Salvation by Shiloh Walker

Hunter’s Salvation by Shiloh Walker

Shiloh Walker is a hit-n-miss author for me. Meaning sometimes I like her stuff, sometimes I actually dislike it. My main problem with her books stem from her heroes who are usually too OVERLY reluctant to 'commit' for my taste. This book was no different in that way. In addition, the hero is too into the 'I'm a bad, bad man and it's all my fault' guilt trip about EVERYTHING and I wanted to pull out the mini-violins. He also does the yo-yo thing in regards to his relationship with the heroine. What I mean by this is that he kept pushing her away and pulling her back even right up to the end. The conclusion was unsatifying (one of the worst parts of the book) because he changes from pushing her away because he doesn't 'deserve' her to being fully committed to their relationship and their future within less than a paragraph and the change is awkward. That said, however, it was a pretty good read and I was pulled into the action right away and didn't want to put it down. I'm glad I checked it out from the library though.

RATING: C-

Night Hunter by Cathy McDavid

Here's an interesting new paranormal romance that I found (as I was hunting desperately for something new to read) called Night Hunter by Cathy McDavid.

Unfortunately, I don't have time right now to do my usual run-down summary and 'review' of this book but I wanted to give it a quick mention. It's good - not the best I've ever read - it had some minor plot issues - but the character development was well done and it was certainly good enough that I'll be watching for future paranormal romances (potentially a series???).

Here's the 'blurb' from the author site (but it's not a good representation):
Every twenty-five years the cycle begins anew — alegendary creature reawakens and preys upon the innocent. The police refuse to believe such a monster exists. But Gillian knows it's real. When she was seven, she watched in horror as it killed her mother. Now the beast is back ... for her.
As the chosen Hunter, Nick is the only one who can destroy the creature. Yet a gorgeous psychology professor keeps pushing her way into his investigation — and into his most intimate fantasies. For her own protection, Nick's determined to stay by Gillian's side, every day and each delicious night. And meanwhile, the monster bides its time ...

She's no scaredy-cat!

Meet Jaci Burton.

Jaci is a brave author.

She is sending me an ARC.

Despite my nothing-held-back blog-review of Safe Harbor.

You can't help but admire that kind of courage in an author!

I received an e-mail today from Jaci Burton regarding her Hunting the Demon ARC contest. I had forgotten that part of the rules of the contest for the ARC was to have a 'verifiable' blog - not that it would have changed anything posted if I had remembered! When I received her e-mail, I was once again excited to be receiving the ARC and as I was reading it, I realized that she probably visited my blog to verify it today.

Why is this a blog-worthy event you might ask? Because if she read ANYTHING of my blog she knows that I try to be honest in my reviews and that I'm not afraid to say that I didn't like a book and why - especially with my opinion of Safe Harbor now posted. And yet, she is STILL sending me an ARC, which I am free to review any way I desire (after the specified time, of course!). She COULD have made some excuse not to send me an ARC, out of fear that I may say something negative about it but instead she sent an e-mail confirming that an ARC will be heading my way and also included a statment saying she wants an honest reaction and that she respects others opinions.

That's why I say you've got to admire her. She's not just sending the ARC's to people she knows have a history of all good reviews. She is obviously willing to send one to people like me who don't always give positive reviews and that's brave, fair, and AWESOME!

For those of you who don't know who I'm talking about and want to find out more about her hot new Demon series: http://www.jaciburton.com/demons.html

Safe Harbor *disappointed sigh*

I just finished reading Christine Feehan's latest book Safe Harbor and it makes me so sad to say that I was really disappointed. I will probably be in the minority in this opinion - I've already heard that it was really good from several different people but I just have to disagree.

This book does not live up to expectations created by the other books in the series, nor does it do justice to two very interesting characters whose antics livened up many-a-scene in the sisters' books. The portrayal of the Jonas and Hannah didn't feel right when compared with what we've learned/seen in past books and I didn't like them in Safe Harbor. The action between Joley and her SO-obviously intended 'mate' was way more interesting than anything going on between Jonas and Hannah.

I found Safe Harbor to be fairly trite and semi-boring. The plot felt like it stalled several times, especially the suspense. This book had WAY less action but not only that, there wasn't enough going on between the main characters to carry the story forward without dragging. In addition, several of the elements and scenes almost appear to be copy/paste jobs (with a few sentences added) from other books, most noticeably the Ghostwalker series.

Has anyone else noticed that recently Feehan's male characters have become less "powerful alpha male" and more "borderline-scary and controlling"? I have absolutely NO problem with a possessive alpha hero. They're my favorite kind of hero but the heroes in all three of her series' have been getting weirder since Conspiracy Game. Actually, I started noticing it in Dark Secret but it was more obvious in future books. In Safe Harbor, Jonas has several violent outbursts which result in him throwing a fit and destroying entire rooms in the sisters' home, including furniture. That's just kinda disturbing, in my opinion.

Now please, don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad book. It was more.... mediocre and therefore, was a disappointment to me and I can't help but focus on the negative. There were some scenes that many will find touching, if a bit overdone, and the interaction between Joley and her highly mysterious intended 'mate' are intriguing and made me wish for their book ASAP!

Do I recommend this book? Not really. If I had it to do all over again I would have waited for it to be at the used bookstore or even the library.

Is it worth reading? Yeah, I'd say so. If only because it builds on the series, wraps up the whole Hannah/Jonas clash and gives, what I believe to be, broad hints about the futures of the two remaining sisters.

Now I'm off to read Mind Game to remind myself of why Christine Feehan is the queen of paranormal romance and that there is hope for future books.

Where are all the honest reviews?

Obviously, my blog is so new that those little rubber pointy things are still on the tires. So I've been working on it a little today, mainly adding some links to romance review and news sites.

I'm not big into using 'reviews' to decide what to buy. I count on my own experience, friends recommendations, and excerpts because I don't generally trust the big-name review sites to be honest.

On most of the popular review sites, I find that their taste is either quite opposite of mine - which IS possible since no two people read a book and come away with the exact same reaction - or that positive reviews are being given out pretty much across the board. I just hate that. Why do they even bother? It's so not helpful to readers!

I LOVE reviews that tell me what is great about a book and also what is bad (in the reviewer's opinion, of course). If it's great but has a few issues that bothered you - say so. And if a book is total shit, why lie? BE HONEST! It's only one person's opinion. Other people can take it or leave it. Sites that offer positive reviews all-around benefits the author, the publishers, and the booksellers. NOT the reader that purchases a book based on a glowing recommendation.

As an avid reader, I'd much rather go into a book knowing that there is an element that I might not like but that the rest of the book is basically good. When I'm caught by surprise with something I don't like in the middle of the book it can skew my whole reading experience, it throws me off my stride, but if I'm somewhat prepared then it is easier to overlook the 'problem' and enjoy the rest of the story. My brain notices and dismisses it instead of zeroing in on it.

The real point of this post is that I'm having a horrible time finding review sites that post reviews that I somewhat agree with (because it's my blog and I get to choose. LOL!) or even just sites that I think are being fair and honest in their reviews. From what I've seen... there just aren't that many that are willing to point out the bad too. Most of them read like PR sites for the books.

I'd really love some recommendations for sites with honest info & reviews!