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: Angie Fox
Number of pages: 308

The wild and wacky life of Lizzie the Demon Slayer wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Las Vegas to keep her Fairy God Uncle from marrying a succubus.

Intrigued? You should be. This paranormal universe is unlike any other on the market. The character is more Kindergarten teacher (her former profession) than Vampire Slayer, and the loony trail of Biker Witches that help her are unlike any other leather-clad sidekick. But the true side-kick award goes to little Pirate, who’s plucky-dog-sense gets him a bit of demon pant leg and a whole lotta trouble.

But before you despair completely, there is a shiny-bad-boy griffin (he looks like a greek yum yum model so it’s bonus time!) who rides along side Lizzie, giving her the support and lovin’ every Demon Slayer needs.

Overall book rating: 8

Other books this week: Razor Girl(another Shomi title) by Marianne Mancusi…with all the hype on this list over Shaun of the Dead and zombie books, this one is a MUST read. It’s zombie camp with attitude wrapped up in a nice little thriller / zombie / apocalypse / romance. Weird combo, huh? It scores at least an 8 out of 10 on the Amy meter (hard grader, no curve, no mercy…I’m one of _those_ “critics”)

Also read and recommend: I read “Because Your Vampire Said So” by Michelle Bardsley. A VERY cute installment of the single mom vampires of Broken Heart, Oklahoma. One thing I forgot/didn’t remember about this series, is that each book deals with a different single parent. So I got confused. Is that a bad thing? Not really. This little romp has demons, ancient vampires, teenage boys smoking pot…you know… the usual mess we clean up, right?

LOL! Sometimes I wish hot, hunky, were creatures would pop into my backyard for me, JUST ME…! At least a 6.5-7.5 because it was entertaining. But don’t expect substance.

by Liz Maverick

I am reading/have read this week: Just finished the latest Shomi byLiz Maverick, Irreversible.

OMG!!! almost as good as the first in the series/book line (Wired, which scored almost a perfect 10) While not quite a ten (there was a repeated paragraph at 3/4 through the book that the editors/typesetters missed, and less of the space/time distortion of the first that made it brilliant, it was still a very satisfying time-travel/romance. Read if you are: science fiction geek,romance junkie, Maverick/rebels of romance fan, or all of the above.

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 Linda Wisdom

What happens when “Sex in the City” meets the modern flash and trash paranormal craze? You get bumbling hex removers like Jasmine Tremaine and a token vampire hunk, Nikolai Gregorivich. While not totally clueless, this novel is vampire camp. Picture the rambling story lines the likes of latter season “Charmed” and the marketing appeal of “Angel”…got the image in your head yet? There it is, that’s it…that’s all. This story is all build up with no real conflict. A long string of cliche’ genre fastballs with no strikes.

Overall: 4.7 (didn’t finish it.)

with Julie Kenner, Jade Lee and Marianne Mancusi

And they’re gonna stomp all over you….

Hiheelia.com is at it again. Selling shoes to unsuspecting heroines just in time to land the superhero of their fantasies. This is the second book I’ve read now with the outrageous boots and funny pink cover and I’m not disappointed.

Julie Kenner’s quirky twist on the Silver Surfer tale is wonderfully cute. Like flip flops with Sponge Bob, her leading lady mingles in the high-tech, high-crime world on the other side. Her hero is a thinker, but also a doer. 7.9

Jade Lee’s short was a bit odd when placed in the perspective of the other stories in the series. We meet up with the lead AFTER she buys the shoes. The explanation isn’t that the lead is looking for something more out of her life, but the shoes go right ahead and help her anyway. Nicely done even if it resonates differently. If I hadn’t already read another of Ms. Lee’s stories about a school teacher I would have given it more points for originality. 6.4

The sparkling gem of the book is Marianne Mancusi’s short, Karma Kitty goes to Comic Con. What can I say but…brilliant! Not only is Marianne injecting her work with reality (who hasn’t heard of the exploits of the Rebels of Romance?) but it is so over the top it is simply irresitable. 9!

Overall: 7.8

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 Rachel Caine

On the recommendation of the Paranormal Romance Lovers Yahoo group (thank you!) I picked up the first of the Weather Warden series and I was not disappointed. The leading lady is tough as nails and doesn’t spend the book wasting over a man, instead she is trying to stay one step ahead of other Weather Wardens who want to bring her in because of a eensy weensy problem. What is that problem? She killed her boss. Oooops!

Aided by Djinn (not the wise-cracking blue kind although a certain yellow one is rather snarky) she travels one step ahead of the real and warden influenced storms that threaten to stop her from finding the one person who can help her.

While an intriguing read, it was a bit difficult to follow because of non-linear scene sequencing. (AKA flashbacks) The ending made up for it though. 7.3

by Eileen Wilks

I really think I read this book’s prequel, but for the life of me cannot be certain because the writing style/voice is so unique that I should have recognized it.

Wilks spins such a hefty web of world building and paranormal camp plot that the novel cannot be put down easily. That’s a good thing, right? I’m not sold. The non-geeky part of me was simply overwhelmed by the shear size of Night Season’s universe. Much like a newbie Tolkein fan I simply could not grasp much outside the Shire.

Overall: Masterful writing, complex storyline, compelling concept but not affiable characters. 7.5