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 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 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

Or…The quickie reviewer reads quickly.

Holidays are Hell

by Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Marjorie M. Liu, and Vicki Pettersson

What a novel idea, pick a bunch of paranormal shorts (or commission a bunch of paranormal shorts with one thread, holidays. We’ve got Christmas (Winter Solstice actually) with Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel - EXCELLENT story which is actually a prequel to her Clint Eastwood inspired titles about Rachel Morgan, Thanksgiving (The Harvest) weakest story of the book by Pettersson (what’s up with all the extra letters in her name?), Actual Christmas (Run Run Rudolph) Funny entry by Sands, and Chinese New Year (Six) A most unique entry by Liu. You’ve got witches, shape changers (in a sci-fi sort of way), Vampires (the really scary and gross kind), and other…I don’t know what to classify Pettersson’s zodiac people as.

Overall: 8.1 Throw out the Pettersson work.

My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon

by Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong, PN Elrod, Katie MacAlister, Marjorie M Liu, Rachel Caine, Caitlin Kittredge, Lilith Saintcrow, and Ronda Thompson

So many authors, so little time…Let’s go down the line, shall we?

Stalked by Kelly Armstrong

OMG Werewolf honeymoon. What does a wolf really want to do for a honeymoon? I can tell you it isn’t hole up in a five star hotel and … well there’s that too but frankly it’s boring to werewolf Clay Danvers who’s big idea of fun would be hunting down the idiot stalking his wife. (Must read for humor and mayhem)

Heorot by Jim Butcher

Grab your Cliff Notes on Beowulf. Got em? Now get a dark beer if you like that sort of thing. Now read…Done yet?

OK, savor the beer AND the story. That good!

Roman Holiday or SPQ-arrrrr by Rachel Caine

Skip. I’ve had enough of supernatural pirates.

Her Mother’s Daughter by PN Elrod
This was a Huh? read up until the end. Don’t get me wrong, I like vampires, gumshoes, and roaring twenties…but the action was just slow. It ended well though. Not the best story, but worthy.

Newlydeads by Caitlin Kittredge

This story would have been SOOOoooo much better if I’d read the back story first. If you’re a fan of her other works (which I haven’t read) then by all means read about Jack Winter and Pete Caldecott (girl Pete, no mano a mano stuff here).

Where the Heart Lives by Marjorie M. Liu
This prequel to the Dirk & Steele series reads more like Hansel and Gretl meets Amish frontier tales than a paranormal. There’s no actual honeymoon unless you focus on the back story. All in all, eh.

Cat Got Your Tongue? by Katie MacAlister

*snicker* That’s not all the cat got. Ok, playing nice. This little romp through haunted Fyfe Castle has Raphael St. John and his new bride solving a mystery centuries old. There’s ghosts, curses and mayhem. Fun read, but odd.

Half of Being Married by Lilith Saintcrow

New bride Kat finds out her husband is a wolf in human clothing, but I guess that’s ok because she has some secrets of her own. Communication is key here. Good read.

A Wulf in Groom’s Clothing by Ronda Thompson
Men and their hunting cabins. Why do they insist on disappearing every full moon? Laura finds out why… cute but not great.

Overall: 6.8, not the greatest anthology

Wild Thing

with Maggie Shayne, Marjorie M. Liu, Alyssa Day, and Meljean Brook

Well, I didn’t read the whole thing. What does that say?

Maggie Shayne’s story wasn’t bad until the ending. OMG NO ONE gets over things that quickly!

Overall: 5 Printable, not readable.