by: Rachel Caine

Number of pages: 320

Unknown (Outcast Season Book Two)
I love this book and love the series. My only “complaint” is the non-stop pace. I simply can’t catch my breath as I read these books.

A continuation or offshoot from the Weather Wardens series, the “un” books star ex-djinn, Cassiel, who was stripped of her almost god-like djinn powers to be a mere mortal. Well, that’s not completely correct. She has some powers, but they are dependent on the life energy gifted to her by a warden.

Not all wardens would be so gracious to give her power, but Luis Rocha does.

He also is helping her track down his missing niece, and uncovering the mysterious abductions of several children. All of these children are linked by one or both parents being a Weather Warden. The special powers they have from their parents’ is being used against the djinn, the humans, and the planet.

Non-stop mayhem, a slowly evolving mystery, a really complicated baddie, and potential romance makes this book a must read for weather warden-lovers.

Overall book rating: 8.75

by: Mario Acevedo

Number of pages: 368

This was another new author challenge book.

Usually modern vampire stories are written by women, but Acevedo brings a unique twist to the standard. Ex-Operation Freedom vet, now vampire, Felix Gomez has turned to “normal” life as a detective.

His vamp powers add a twist and provide an edge to the standard detective. He’s called to Rocky Flats, Colorado, by an old friend to investigate the cause of an outbreak of nymphomania.

Really, nymphomania… that’s a problem, right?

Before you think this is an erotic romance, think again…it is a detective story with an edge and a lovely one at that.

Gomez bumbles almost as badly as Columbo, but, like Columbo, has a method and it works.

What works better is Acevedo’s writing. It is brutally honest, direct, and poetic. Where else can you get a line like this:

No mistress of the dark, she looked more like a matron of the refrigerator.

I LOVED it! Thanks to Jackie from LE for turning me on to this author.

Overall book rating: 9.75

by Kat Richardson
pages: 352
(part of the Literary Escapism New Author/League challenge)

In overview, my introductory step into the Grey was engaging, and an act of will power since I kept getting pulled away to do the mundane normal world stuff like work and help with the grand-baby. By the time the big build-up climaxed, I was distracted and left standing on the outside looking in, rather than being immersed in the story.

On the back cover:

Harper Blaine was your average small-time PI until a two-bit perp’s savage assault left her dead—for two minutes, to be precise.

This simple incident leads to a series of increasingly bizarre encounters. At first, Harper blames it on the knock to the head she received, but as things get weirder, she fears (like most of us would) she is going crazy. On the dubious advice of a doctor, she seeks out Ben and Mara Danzinger who tell her what she is seeing is what they call “the Grey.” Or in other words, the world between this reality and the afterlife.

Harper’s world gets more bizarre after a routine missing person case she is working on unveils yet another connection to the Grey.

In classic Hammett-noir fashion, the cases Harper pursues, and the connection to the mysterious increase. The stakes get higher, and the characters get darker. The reader starts to doubt the motives along with the detective and the drama rises to a deadly level.

Wonderfully engaging, and the beginnings of a great series.

8.5 out of 10

by Lori Handeland

Elizabeth Phoenix used to be a police officer, but left because her “gift” of seeing things through touch caused the death of her partner. Now she is drawn into more intrigue as her foster mother is brutally murdered. And the main suspect is her ex-boyfriend and enigma, Jimmy Sanducci.

Drawn into an underworld of paranormal war, she must choose to follow her destiny and avenge her foster-mother’s death and pick up the mantle of leadership she left behind.

Grade: writing: 8.6

by Mary Janice Davidson

Latest Queen Betsy the vampire book, features shoes (in a limited capacity) and mayhem. By far the most pronounced change from prior Betsy books is the cover art, the forward by the author (which foreshadows changes and explains the cover art), and the last section of the book.

Betsy is growing up.  These former romantic tales are crossing over into Urban Fantasy.

Full Moon Rising (re-read), Kissing Sin (re-read), Tempting Evil, Dangerous Games, and The Darkest Kiss by Keri Arthur. The Riley Jenson series. (at least until the latest)

You see what I see?

I missed one. Yep, I couldn’t get my hands on Embraced by Darkness. I liked this series a lot (for a bunch of paranormal/urban fantasy novels) but really need to find that one. It leaves a big hole in the series, IMO. That proves that although the stories do sort of stand alone, there is back story in each book that builds toward future books.

I’ve a bone to pick with this series. There have been complaints that Laurell K. Hamilton’s heroine Anita Blake acquires men and superpowers like flowers and candy…well… one could say that of Riley Jenson too. While not as “Mary Jane” as Anita (as in, she kicks butt and has a lot of sex with different men…oh wait…huh.)

I’ll stop there.

by Kelley Armstrong

This is the first of the “Women of the underworld” books by Kelley Armstrong I have read. The set up goes like this: Half demon tabloid reporter Hope Adams is dragged to Miami to investigate a gang of supernaturals who are causing trouble for the Cortez Cabal. Far from being a cheesy knock off of a paranormal “Godfather” this engaging book flows craftily through a urban fantasy world that has been well-constructed and is rich with intrigue.

Hope’s mission is complicated by the arrival of her estranged “boyfriend” the werewolf, Karl Marsten. Karl’s mission? To make sure Hope doesn’t end up dead. The stakes are high and the action and adventure are higher.

Overall: Extremely good read, recommended. 9.3

by Rachel Cain

Book Six of the Weather Warden series and I’m still not finding a bad book in the bunch. This step out of the “chase the Weather Warden while she tries to figure things out” realm was like a breather in the middle of a particularly bad storm. Warden Joanne Baldwin is still being chased, but she has no prior memories to conflict with the story, no backstory to interject, etc. Which makes this book stand out. The other books have a tendency to jump around in timelines while in this book you are forewarned in advance that you are going into someone’s memories. Thank you author!

Joanne has been stripped of her memories and left for dead. That’s where sexy Warden Lewis and even sexier Djinn David find her. Just as things start to go right, they go wrong and Joanne is forced from everything she has just re-learned to run from the demons that chase her.

This amazing series firmly places Aladdin as a kiddie tale and this one as the “Dracula” of djinn stories. It is a must read for urban fantasy fans.

Overall: 9.5

by Rachel Caine

The weather warden series never fails to raise my eyebrows. Just when I think that finally (finally) Joanne the weather warden/not weather warden/warden again might have a moment of breathing room it gets gobbled up by the big bad.

This book’s big bad isn’t creepy teens with mother problems, or demon-possessed bosses, or even genie buying cartels. No. It sneaks up on you like a summer storm and relentlessly wears away at the reader until I had to go, “how much more?”

Don’t get me wrong, I love the series. I love the problems. But just one time I’d like to see a real happy ending. But…I love these books.

Overall: 8.75 The plot twists and deep characterizations make up for first person issues.

by Meljean Brook

Huh. I’m flabbergasted by the world building, awed by the machinations in the background and amazed at the complexity of this novel. At times it was almost too much and I had to re-read whole paragraphs so I wouldn’t be lost. Was that a good thing? I’m not sure. It wasn’t verbally meaty like Christopher Moore or other authors with distinct word play aptitude, but it was certainly a step above average romance fare. So….it rates a breakdown:

Writing: World building and style warrant at least a 10, but there were confusing passages where the information seemingly dumped on top of you with no real foreshadowing. Also, the literary voice was middle of the road. Final score in this category, 8.7

Characters: Extraordinarily complex characters. On one hand we have almost saint-like knight/guardian Hugh and on the other hand we have demon temptress Lilith. Wow! what opposites and what a long romantic ride to fruition. Amazingly well done. 10

Plot: Complex but almost cliche. Luckily the freshness of the setting creates a good vehicle for this paranormal world. There simply wasn’t enough room for the backstory and subplots. But then again, the entire book covered over 800 years so…? 7.8 (lost points for trying to cover too much)

Ending: Shines. I don’t really know what else to say. It doesn’t go beyond the “rules” of credibility and satisfies many of the “but…” questions you could have had with this book. AND it didn’t rely on any Deux en machina to “fix” things. Well, maybe not… There’s one little quibble I had with weapons and blood transfusions and cellular markings that could be a bit contrived… 9

Overall rating: 8.9, recommended read!