by Ellen Byerrum

This fun …wait…FUN romp through the life and times of an investigative DC FASHION reporter is a unexpected diamond. The work is enjoyable and easy. The tension cute and unpretentious. The leading lady not a diva, and not angsty. The perfect blend of reality and mayhem.

Writing: 8, characters: 9.5; plot: 8.1; conclusion: 8.5 Please read… a 8.5!

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.

(When I get an author I like, I devour their stuff…) Here are some of the novels I picked up and read this month by Mario Puzo:

The Last Don (Part of the Godfather “trilogy” The story of a mafia Don’s attempt to legitimatize his family.) Great plotting, twisted sub-plots, and a humdinger of an ending. As good (in my opinion) as the Godfather.

The Family (Historical, about the Borgia Pope and his family. A bit “squicky” and a whole lot of eye-opening story telling about turn of the century “Italy” - 1480-1520, I believe)

The Dark Arena (ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT literature…on the level of Hemingway.) Story of a WWII American soldier’s post-war struggles as he returns to Germany to recover the love he lost. That veiled one-line synopsis doesn’t truly reveal the depth of character study Puzo goes into developing an unlikeable protagonist. It reminds me of “A Farewell to Arms” in some ways because the lead character has so much “deadness” to his emotion, yet in some ways, that is an emotion. Puzo captures it brilliantly. There is something about that syndrome that I have seen in Hemingway’s, O’Brien’s, and now Puzo’s writing; that resonates with me. Maybe because I’m feeling that way a bit myself. I’m not in love with anyone right now, love my life, but not to the point of distraction, love my children, but not in a sense where I really “feel” it. Does that make sense?

The Sicillian - Read this one.
Part two of the “Godfather trilogy” centered around Michael Coreleone’s mission in Sicily to bring bandit, Salvatore “Turi” Guiliano from his hideout in the mountains near Montelepre to America. Mostly, the book centers around Turi and his antagonist, Don Croce Malo, who originally wanted Turi to be his heir to the leadership of the Friends of the friends (aka Mafia of Sicily)

Turi, the Sicilian version of Robin Hood wants nothing to do with the corruption of the Friends and makes enemies of practically everyone in power, but befriends the poor peasants. The main “greatness” of this book is the machinations of the leading characters of the book, the foreshadowing worthy of a legendary tale, and the mingling of good and evil. The language is a bit stilted, and the format “antiquated” compared to modern (post Steven King) stories. But if you can read Tolkien, you should be able to read this book.

Omertá - This final “mafia” book by Puzo centers around the aftermath of the death of Don Aprile. Despite the Don’s retirement from the Mafia, someone targets him for assassination. Was it the FBI agent who brought down the mob, and singled out Don Aprile because he couldn’t catch him? Was it the rival boss who wanted control of Aprile’s legitimate banks so he could launder drug money? Or was it someone else? The Don’s children are all legitimate members of society and don’t have the desire to seek out the truth, but the adopted nephew of the Don, Astorre Viola, a macaroni importer, picks up the pieces of the Don’s organization and seeks revenge for the Don’s family.

While this book had its moments, it lacks the brilliant maneuvering that the Sicilian, The Godfather, and The Last Don had. It was fairly straightforward detective work, a bit of string pulling and too many side characters to make the story more than just a clever piece of work. That said, it still is about twenty-five steps up the literature ladder from most of my reads.

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 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.)