Runaway Vampire by Lynsay Sands

Title: Runaway Vampire
Author: Lynsay Sands
Series: #23 in the Argeneau series
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Avon  (February 23, 2016)
Source: Purchased
Rating: ☕☕☕

Synopsis: Dante Notte has heard it said that love hurts. He just wasn't expecting it to run him over in an RV. Still, a punctured lung and broken ribs are nothing compared to the full-body shock he feels whenever he's near the vehicle's driver, Mary Winslow. He needs to keep her safe from their pursuers while he rescues his brother. Most challenging of all, he needs to claim this smart, stubborn woman as his life mate.

The naked, injured, insanely gorgeous younger man who clambered into her RV insists they belong together. If Mary wasn't feeling their incredible connection in every inch of her being, she wouldn't believe it. But now that the men who took Dante's twin are after her too, trusting her gut means risking her life for an immortal who's the very definition of a perfect stranger.

My Thoughts: A nice quick read that had some underlying issues I had a hard time moving on from.

The Good: I liked the back story of Dante and Tomasso's capture and Dante's escape. It added a bit of intrigue to the book that had me wanting more. This storyarch looks to be something that will take place in multiple books and I'm looking forward to reading more about it. I liked Dante's character as well but found the relationship between the H/h problematic.

The Bad: Mary. She is a recent widow who claims to have loved her husband so very much but the more we learn about their relationship the more I was convinced it was terrible. Mary was less of a woman in my eyes for putting up with her husband and to stay in a marriage and making all involved miserable as well, UGH! She also had hangups about her 60-ish self and the hot stud that was Dante. Everytime she would mention it (which was all the time) I was pulled out of the story and thought, well maybe she is right. Which is NOT who I really am but when you get beat over the head with it over and over and over again you start to think it as well. Because Mary had so many issues I had a hard time with their romance. I also hated there was no real ending to this book. The interesting backstory of Dante and Tomasso was left dangling and Dante and Mary's HEA felt lackluster.

In a Nutshell: Like I said, it was a quick read. It kept my interest but nothing I'd encourage someone else to read unless they are already fans of the series but I will continue to read The Argeneau series anyway.

The Vampire's Mail Order Bride by Kristen Painter

Title: The Vampire's Mail Order Bride
Author: Kristen Painter
Series: #1 in the Nocturne Falls series
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Sugar Skull Books  (June 1,2015)
Source: Purchased/ Kindle Freebie
Rating: ☕☕1/2

Synopsis: Welcome to Nocturne Falls, the town where Halloween is celebrated 365 days a year. The tourists think it's all a show: the vampires, the werewolves, the witches, the occasional gargoyle flying through the sky. But the supernaturals populating the town know better.

Living in Nocturne Falls means being yourself. Fangs, fur, and all.

After seeing her maybe-mobster boss murder a guy, Delaney James assumes a new identity and pretends to be a mail order bride. She finds her groom-to-be living in a town that celebrates Halloween every day. Weird. But not as weird as what she doesn’t know. Her groom-to-be is a 400-year-old vampire.

Hugh Ellingham has only agreed to the arranged set up to make his overbearing grandmother happy. In thirty days, whatever bridezilla shows up at his door will be escorted right back out. His past means love is no longer an option. Not if the woman’s going to have a future. Except he never counted on Delaney and falling in love for real.

Too bad both of them are keeping some mighty big secrets...

My Thoughts: What started out as a really cute book in the beginning turned a sharp corner to average right around the middle and went down from there.

The Good: The town of Nocturne Falls is so cool. It's totally like Halloweentown in the movie of the same name starring the late great Debbie Reynolds. Where all the "monsters" are real and the tourists think they are just part of the theme. Delaney started out nicely also where the more nervous she gets the more she quotes some fun random fact about sweets and chocolate. The Ellingham brothers are intriguing too and I'm actually looking forward to finding out more about them.

The Bad: So what started out really fun took an Instalove turn and a TSTL woman chaser. After a day Delaney admits she's starting to have feelings for Hugh and a day later they are both so much in love Delaney tells Hugh that she is more than willing to have him turn her into a vampire despite that fact that it might kill her. The plot falls flat as the thread relating to why Delaney was in Nocturne Falls to begin with was all wrapped up 2/3rds of the way into the book leaving over 30% of the book left to witness the pathetic back and forth wishy-washy ramblings of Hugh loving Delaney but not wanting to risk the life of another woman when trying to turn her.

In a Nutshell: I don't think this book was a waste of my time but it sure could have been better. I have high hopes for the remaining books in the series though. It's like Halloweentown folks!

Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh

Title: Archangel's Blade
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: #4 in the Guild Hunter series
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Berkley Sensation  (May 8, 2011)
Source: Library ebook
Rating: ☕☕☕☕1/2

Synopsis:The severed head marked by a distinctive tattoo on its cheek should have been a Guild case, but dark instincts honed over hundreds of years of life compel the vampire Dmitri to take control. There is something twisted about this death, something that whispers of centuries long past...but Dmitri's need to discover the truth is nothing to the vicious strength of his response to the hunter assigned to decipher the tattoo.

Savaged in a brutal attack that almost killed her, Honor is nowhere near ready to come face to face with the seductive vampire who is an archangel's right hand, and who wears his cruelty as boldly as his lethal sensuality...the same vampire who has been her secret obsession since the day she was old enough to understand the inexplicable, violent emotions he aroused in her.

As desire turns into a dangerous compulsion that might destroy them both, it becomes clear the past will not stay buried. Something is hunting...and it will not stop until it brings a blood-soaked nightmare to life once more...

My Thoughts: I was a tad disappointed that the 4th book in this series would not continue with Elena and Raphael's story but that disappointment was short lived. Dmitri's story was pretty amazing.

The Good: I never really warmed up to Dmitri in the first 3 Guild Hunter books. He was cocky and came across as cruel and just a bully especially when he went toe to toe with Elena. Yet in this book Singh does an amazing job at keeping Dmitri true to who he was but rounding him out by creating such a tragic back story the reader can't help but fall in love with him. Honor is the perfect person to balance out Dmitri. With her backbone of steel and her refusal to wither away after experiencing an event that would make Superman himself check out of life, she turned into one of my very favorite female characters of all time. Together they make a near perfect couple. I loved every minute of them and their sizzling chemistry.

During the course of the book we experience 2 different plot lines inner-twinning. The mystery of the one who killed the young vampire and the mystery of the one who attacked Honor months earlier had equal time throughout the book where one didn't feel overshadowed by the other. Once again I have to sing Singh's praises on her ability as a writer. Not just anyone could accomplish two full story lines in one book while giving just as much attention to the building of a believable relationship between two broken people.

The Bad: The only thing I found to really be a negative in the book was the number of characters introduced. There are a whole slew of baddies we got to see while Honor and Dmitri investigated and I got a bit lost a couple times trying to figure out if I was supposed to already know who they were talking about. Plus there are characters mentioned who didn't make appearances at all to muddy it all up a bit in my mind. Other than that I got nothing but praise to say about this book!

In a Nutshell: This is a book I'll totally recommend to my friends. Oh, I'm sorry, you haven't read the first book (Archangel's Blood) yet? Why not!?!? Put this series on you're "I need to read this series STAT" list. Do it. Do it NOW!

Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

Title: Eternal Kiss of Darkness
Author: Jeaniene Frost (narrated by Tavia Gilbert)
Series: #2 in the Night Huntress World spin off series
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Blackstone Audio (August 23, 2010)
Source: Public Online Library
Rating: ☕☕☕1/2

Synopsis: Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she's only imagined in her worst nightmares.
At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he's seen it all. Then Kira appears - this fearless, beautiful....human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable.
But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose either the woman he craves, or embracing hte darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction. 

My Thoughts: I love Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress and her Night Prince books but I just wasn't wowed by this one.

The Good Stuff: I think getting more information on Mencheres' first wife's obsession of revenge and demise was such a good thing. Although it was touched on in the Night Huntress series the history wasn't as in depth as it could have been. The strength of Kira's character was nice also. She is no victim no matter what is stacked against her. Particularly the last 100 pages or so. She's kind of bad ass!

The Bad Stuff: It was nice to see more information on how vampires police themselves but it seems ridiculous that beings who are thousands of years old, all with various levels of power, could be taken in by one bad vampire "cop". Because he is in enforcer, Radje, appears to be judge and jury when it comes to accusing Mencheres of nefarious acts against the vampire community. Wouldn't Mencheres' past speak more for his character with the governing vampires? I mean he is over 4000 years old, if he was a bad seed it would have appeared way before now, right? Which leads me to Radje who really is a bad seed. That sure didn't happen over night. WTH vamp people! Have you been drinking Abby Normal blood or what?

I hate to add the entire romance between Mencheres and Kira into the Bad  Stuff but I had a hard time seeing their connection. Mencheres liked Kira because he'd never met anyone like her before. Really? In 4 millennia? No one? Kira seemed to like Mencheres because he was hot. It was not a lot to base an "I'd die for you" relationship especially since their actions felt more obsessive and stalkerish than loving.

The Even Worse Than Bad Stuff: What's worse than a whining 4500 year old vampire? One that is supposed to be the hero in my paranormal romance book, that's what. Ugh! I got really tired of Mencheres' woe is me attitude. He spends most of the book complaining that he is tired of life and his special ability to see the future is gone. Gone you say? Really, yet we are to believe that he can still see his future (which is nothing but darkness). I don't get it. So, he thinks he has no future as the darkness must mean death. Ok, so does he make the best of it? Nope he decides to kill himself first. WHAT???? I'm sorry but I like my heroes, um, heroic, not suicidal. But his visions are NEVER wrong and you can't change fate (according to him). Yet in the Night Huntress series he actively intervened between Cat and another vampire so her and Bones could be together. If his visions are never wrong he shouldn't have been able to intervene....oh, unless he saw himself intervening therefore fulfilling the original vision. Whatever. 

My Thoughts on the Audio: While I think Tavia Gilbert did a good job with the pacing and the different voices I was stunned by the horrible Cockney voice of Bones. I'm so glad I physically read all the books in the Night Huntress series and the Night Prince series. If I'd listened to them Bones would have never made it into my all male harem. Trust me, it's not a sexy voice. It's better if you go into it with James Marsters' Spike from Buffy/Angel in mind. True Story.

In a Nutshell: While I really wanted to love this book I just didn't. I feel as if I'm a bit of a lone ranger in my rating as most people love it. I thought it was just OK but was only able to come to that conclusion after I suspended my disbelief of everything other than the lovey dovey parts. Even knowing many of my bookie friends adored this book I wouldn't recommend it but to those who love Frost and have to read everything she wrote. However, I would absolutely encourage everyone to read the Night Prince books....Vlad is more worthy of your adoration than Mencheres. Seriously. 

A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter

Title: A Hidden Fire
Author: Elizabeth Hunter
Series: Elemental Mysteries #1
Genre: PNR
Publisher: E. Hunter; 2 edition (October 13, 2011)
Source: Purchased
Rating: ☕☕1/2

"No secret stays hidden forever."

A phone call from an old friend sets Dr. Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mystery he'd abandoned years before. He never expected a young librarian could hold the key to the search, nor could he have expected the danger she would attract. Now he and Beatrice De Novo will follow a twisted maze that leads from the archives of a university library, through the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation they never could have predicted.

My Thoughts: Oh where do I start? Did I love it. That's a big NO. Did I hate it. Not really. My feelings are right up the middle on whether I liked this book or not yet I found so much of the book annoying.

The Good, The Bad and the Other Stuff: Although this book is more than readable, the author's writing is not very polished. Granted this is her first book and some leeway should be given but in my opinion a book that fails to pull me in emotionally is not as good as one that does. The amazing part of  third person narrative is that we get to see our characters from the inside out. We read about their thoughts, their emotions and their actions which in turn lets us connect and identify with the heroine but often the hero too. Unfortunately the author didn't utilize this tool effectively. So much time is spent on the characters talking that we rarely saw the actual thought process behind it, making the emotional response of the character feeling disjointed and unnatural. The usage of an exclamation point doesn't come across as well as the description of a character's anger in many cases. In addition, I prefer to draw my own conclusion on how I feel about a character but many times I felt Hunter told me how I should view Beatrice. 

"She cocked her head to the side in an adorable gesture."

Adorable? To whom, exactly? If this were written as Gio thoughts it might have come across better to me. As it's written the reader is told that Beatrice (and her head cocking) is adorable. Personally, I find it adorable when a toddler cocks their head. I love when my dog does it. I'm not sure it's as adorable when a 22 year old does it.

Another issue I had was all the eye rolling, winking, and smirking going on in the book. Oh, the SMIRKING! Beatrice and Giovanni smirked. They smirked a lot. They smirked at each other. They smirked with others. They were the smirkiest smirkers to ever smirk. I only mention this because the repetition was extremely noticeable and brought my enjoyment level down even more.

Now before I go blowing a review into epic proportions I'm going to quickly mention these other things I found to be a negative within the book. The immaturity of the heroine. The mystery that really wasn't. The smarmy villain who apparently tortures people with boredom instead of scary vampiry things. The slllllooooooooowwwwww pace of the book that suddenly got interesting only to climax into nothing but another 40 pages of sllllllllllloooooooooowwwwwww boring stuff. A sudden declaration of Beatrice being a financial stock brokering genius 2/3 of the way through the book because the last chapter needed a financial stock brokering genius. A hero who treated the heroine like a child and said things like "Don't be naive." to the her on more than one occasion. No HEA or hot monkey sex. I could live without that last one if I felt the characters were more connected. Sure they had some hot kissing going on but where's the passion? Another example of the author telling us there is passion but not necessarily showing us. 

Now don't be fooled by all that. It wasn't a horrible book. The good stuff was actually really good. Despite me not connecting with Beatrice I did get a good sense of Giovanni. He wasn't immediately interested in claiming Beatrice for his mate or whatever she'd be because of her age which was such a good thing for me. Especially since I thought she wasn't a mature heroine to begin with. Elizabeth Hunter's vampires being tied to an element was a nice twist. Plus the secondary characters of Carwyn and Casper were really great. I actually found myself enjoying Carwyn more than the actual hero of the book. 

In a Nutshell: Even though I didn't enjoy this book as much as others did and rated it accordingly I think it's worth a read through and perhaps continuing on to book 2 also. With more experience I think Elizabeth Hunter could pen a phenomenal book so don't write her off just yet. I haven't.

 

Betrayed by PC and Kristin Cast

Title: Betrayed
Author: PC and Kristin Cast
Series: House of Night #2
Genre: YA
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (September 2009)
Source: Library
Rating: ☕☕

Zoey, High Priestess in training, has managed to settle in at the House of Night and come to terms with the vast powers the Vampyre Goddess Nyx has given her. Just as she finally feels she belongs, the unthinkable happens: human teenagers are being killed, and all evidence points to the House of Night. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey’s old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves.

My Thoughts: For the life of me I have no idea how a book that could annoy me so much could also make me want to read the next in the series.  

What I Didn't Like: My big issues with this book/series are.... The love quadrangle and Zoey our heroine is annoying. Somehow she is so incredibly beautiful that she not only has a boyfriend but an ex that loves her and wont leave her alone and now she has a teacher who seems to like her. That one is my big ICK issue. It's one of the reasons I stopped watching Pretty Little Liars. 

The lack of tying up loose ends happened again in this book as it did in the first one. I hate dangling bits that carry over from book to book to book. It feels like a marketing ploy to get us to keep reading. 

Also, two of Zoey's friends are known as the Twins. They are so close to each other they think alike, talk alike and finish each others sentences. My issue is that they refer to each other as Twin so every other sentence of dialogue says something along the lines of "You said it, Twin!" It got really repetitive.  

The Good(?) Stuff: The good stuff is minimal, unfortunately. I think the elemental affinities to Water, Earth, Fire, Air and Spirit are interesting and I'm glad Zoey is now not the only one with them that we've seen. I like the idea of Zoey's abilities and her special connection to the Goddess Nyx. I also like there are several characters with more depth than they appear. Enemies could become friends and some friends could prove to be down right evil.

In a Nutshell: How the series will resolve what is going on with the children who do not turn but die and the ultimate baddie who is responsible is actually intriguing so I'll move on to the 3rd book but I'm not looking forward to the potential student/teacher love-fest that was hinted at.  

Dying Bites by DD Barant

Title: Dying Bites
Author: DD Barant
Series: #1 in the Bloodhound Files series
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: St. Martin's (June 30, 2009)
Source: Library Audio
Rating: ☕☕

Synopsis: Jace is an FBI agent who is sucked out of our world and deposited into a parallel universe where gods, vampires and werewolves exist on the premise of helping the NSA to eliminate a global threat of terrorism targeting vamps and weres.

What I Thought: I wasn't sure what to expect with this book but someone somewhere recommended it to me. I didn't exactly hate it but it wasn't exactly good either. I listened to the audio and I think the narrator did a decent job but the heroine's attitude came across as a total B. She screams all the time. She is insubordinate. She has attitude on top of attitude. NOT a good thing. Since I didn't read the book I didn't know if it was more of the narrator's interpretation of Jace or if she really was written this way. I hated her.
I also had issues with why the parallel universe needed Jace. With an entire world of expertise full of races who are faster, stronger and longer lived than mere humans, why did they need her? This was, by far, my biggest issue with the book (even factoring in that I hated the heroine.) This point is not explained. It compromises the entire book/series's integrity, if you ask me.

In a Nutshell: So, will I read book 2? I can't get it in audio from my library so I'd have to actually invest complete focus on it and I'm not sure it would be worth it.

This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene frost

Title: This Side of the Grave
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Series: Night Huntress
Published: 2011 by Avon
Source: Purchased Paperback
Rating: ☕☕☕☕

Danger waits on both sides of the grave.
Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they've triumphed over the latest battle, Cat's new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance . . .
With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous "ally"; the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war . . . to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

My Thoughts:While I love spending time with Cat and Bones I have to admit that I've lost a little bit of love for this series only because Vlad is so much hotter (literally) than Bones. There I said it. I'm superficial. I love Vlad. Luckily he was in this book a lot. As was Mencheres with special appearances by Spade. How could I not love love love this book? Well, I'm not sure, to be honest.

Cat continues to be intriguing and her ability to absorb powers from those she drinks from is interesting. I just wasn't absorbed into this story. The power play between the ghouls and vampires, although...dare I say interesting, failed to capture my undivided attention because it felt too political to me (which I hate in my reading). The big bad baddy failed to provide me with heart stopping nail biting suspense and the final battle crested to a disappointing conclusion. No head explosions or anything. Bummer.

Despite my complaints the rest of the book was solid. It was nice to see so many of my favorite characters again and the relationship between Cat and Bones continues to stride towards something most people can only dream about. Granted some of it was a bit sappy but thankfully Vlad was there to point out their lovey dovey ways were pukey.

 

Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

Synopsis: Under the rule of science, there are no witch burnings allowed, no water trials or public lynchings. In return, the average law-abiding, solid citizen has little to worry about from the things that go bump in the night. Sometimes I wish I was an average citizen...

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places-and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.

But this new vampire is hardly ordinary-and neither is the demon inside of him

My Thoughts:It's been a long time since I read the first book in the Mercy Thompson series and I was afraid I'd be lost. I was able to just pick up where I left off pretty easily except some of the secondary characters just didn't ring a bell with me.

What I liked :Mercy. Although she's preternatural, she was not super-human. She was quicker than a human but if someone punched her, it hurt her. Unlike some other paranormal characters, who could get beat within an inch of their lives and still walk to the local pub for a pint afterwards. I also liked some of the secondary characters. Stefan is such an interesting character and one I'd like to see more of. Adam and Samuel are also pluses but they didn't intrigue me as much as Stefan did.

What I didn't like: The love....um double triangle? We have Mercy and Samuel. Mercy and Adam. And the possibility of Mercy and Stefan (he cares for Mercy, in my eyes, more than just a friend.) I don't care for love triangles let alone something this complex. Another thing I'm not loving is all the dominance being thrown around with the werewolves. The all seem to want to dominate Mercy. I understand their need to protect but there is a lot of subservience going on that I have a hard time going a long with no matter how much Briggs explains it. Another negative was that I was surprised by all the new world building that happened in this book. By book 2 we've already established general rules and such but this book focused on vampires. There were a lot of vampire rules. At times I felt there was almost too much information coming my way and the term "info dump" kept sneaking into my brain while reading. Oh and what is up with the cover? Mercy has one tattoo. ONE. Why does she have tons on the cover?

In a Nutshell: Not quite as enjoyable as the first one especially with an unexpected info dump which usually doesn't happen in a second book. However, Briggs has created some really good characters. It will be fun to see where they go from there.

 

Deliver Me From Darkness by Tes Hilaire

Synopsis: Roland once was a Paladin, a warrior gifted with special powers to protect mankind in its earliest days. For hundreds of years he fought alongside his kinsmen against underworld fiends until the unthinkable happened: he was turned by a vampire. Forsaken by his brothers and fighting new violent instincts, Roland believes his soul lost. But then his best friend Logan delivers a young woman for protection. She turns out to be a Lost Paladin -- and the only female Paladin left alive. She’s also Roland’s bond-mate.

Karissa Donovan knows the difference between good and evil, and the sexy-as-hell vampire holding her prisoner is certainly not good. Sure, he might not have sucked her dry—yet, but that doesn’t mean she trusts him. But circumstances force Karissa to put her life in Roland’s hands. With each new danger they face, and each subsequent sacrifice he makes for her, she realizes that the question was never a matter of her trusting him, but of convincing him to trust in the integrity of a soul that he’d never truly lost.

My Thoughts:A different (read this as being good)take on the tired Vampire/demon/other paranormal sub-genre but one that could have been executed a bit better.

The Not So Good Stuff:....At the half way mark I was still a bit confused what a Paladin was and what they could do. It seems that each of them have unique gifts but why one would have the gift of vampire frying God's grace (aka: High voltage Holy Light) and another would have the ability to become shadowy mist is still beyond my comprehension.

In addition to my confusion the idea of a 24 year old virgin heroine grates on my nerves. Yes it is possible yet the reasoning behind it was never explained. No she wasn't F'ugly. No she didn't HeeHaw when she laughed. She wasn't Queen of the Looney Bin either. Yet in this day and age this attractive, single, intelligent woman was mysteriously still a virgin (which the hero could smell by the way....TANGENT UP AHEAD~~~~does anyone else find it a bit yucky that the hero could smell her hymen?~~TANGENT OVER). Karissa not only was a virgin but she went from hating and being scared of our hero, Roland (who spoke terms of endearments in French for no apparent reason other than all vampires should speak French...thank you for that BS Ann Rice), to the Newest Member of Slutsville in a millisecond (or less). Her remarkable attitude adjustment from hatred and fear to acceptance of Roland being her mate was jarring and left me wondering how in the world it happened.

Now for the good stuff....The last 1/3 of the book was pretty awesome. Epic battles between good and evil. Tough decisions were made by several people. The lines were blurred a bit between good and evil. Not to mention some characters separated themselves from the backdrop to become intriguing and totally piqued my interest to where I will totally go on to read books 2 and 3 even though the first 2/3s of the book could have been better.

Undead and Unsure by MaryJanice Davidson

Synopsis: It's no surprise to Betsy that her trip to Hell with her sister Laura landed them in hot water. Betsy isn't exactly sorry she killed the Devil but it's put Laura in a damnable position: assuming the role of Satan (she may not have the training but she looks great in red)—and in charge of billions of souls as she moves up in the world. Or is that down?
But Betsy herself is in an odd new position as well—that of being a responsible monarch suddenly in charge of all things more earth-bound: like her vampire husband Sinclair who has gone from relieved to ecstatic to downright reckless now that he can tolerate sunlight. And if Sinclair isn't enough to contend with, Betsy's best friend Jessica is in her sixth (and hopefully last) trimester. Considering she's been pregnant for eighteen months, she's become a veritable encyclopedia of what not to expect when you're expecting. Oh, the horror…
And speaking of growing pains, Betsy and Sinclair's adopted little BabyJon is finally starting to walk. And if the increasingly unpredictable toddler is anything like his extended family, precisely where he's headed is anyone's guess.


Disclaimer: Typically in one of my reviews you'll see sections highlighting the good things and also highlighting the bad. In this review, however, you'll only see the bad as that is my entire opinion of this book and I refuse to waste any more of my precious time on this book to even write a decent review. So without further ado....

What I Think: I  finally finished Undead and Unsure by MaryJanice Davidson after slogging through it for ages! Horrible horrible. Scattered vague plot....actually not really a plot but more of a day in the life of an idiot that is Queen Betsy. Add in an author's rant about backyard chicken raising and beekeeping, insulting the entire Mormon religion and flipping around at the end to include bible scriptures in a book that neeeeeeeever should have them and you've got one irritated Christina! Not to mention she took a brooding, part time douche-canoe named Sink-lair (who I actually kind of liked) and turned him into a flower frolicking Forest Gump! AAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNDDDDDD FIIIIIIIIINALLY we get to the part where we know what the plot is....in the last TWO FREAKING CHAPTERS! A waste of time. A waste of natural resources to print it. A waste of a series that was once fun and and fresh. UGH!

How To Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks

Synopsis: So what if he's a bit older and usually regards a human female as dinner, not a dinner date? Yes, Roman Draganesti is a vampire, but a vampire who lost one of his fangs sinking his teeth into something he shouldn't have. Now he has one night to find a dentist before his natural healing abilities close the wound, leaving him a lop–sided eater for all eternity.

Things aren't going well for Shanna Whelan either...After witnessing a gruesome murder by the Russian mafia, she's next on their hit list. And her career as a dentist appears to be on a downward spiral because she's afraid of blood. When Roman rescues her from an assassination attempt, she wonders if she's found the one man who can keep her alive. Though the attraction between them is immediate and hot, can Shanna conquer her fear of blood to fix Roman's fang? And if she does, what will prevent Roman from using his fangs on her...

My Thoughts: A nice piece of paranormal fluff. Not too taxing to read and chock full of humorous dialogue makes this book just plain fun.

What I Liked: The dialogue between the characters was highly amusing. Like this quote between Shanna and Roman about the sex doll in the trunk (Shanna doesn't realize it's a doll. She thinks it's a murder victim.)
Shanna: "I bet that poor girl in the trunk could say a lot about your special talents."
Roman: “She’s incapable of speech.”
Shanna:“Well, duh! Once you kill someone, they tend to be lousy conversationalists.”

and this one which is right after Shanna discovers that as coven master he has a harem full of vampire women, which is tradition.

Shanna: “Oh, poor baby! Trapped in an evil custom against your will. Wait a minute, I think my eyes are tearing up. Oh no. False alarm. Probably allergies.”
Roman: He scowled at her. “More likely indigestion from your acidic wit.”

The introduction of a whole lot of kilt wearing Highlanders was a thumbs up from me also in addition to the Malcontent (evil vampires) plot thread.

What I Didn't Like: I didn't care for Roman's harem. They were whiny, unable to make their own decisions and self centered ("but what about us? Whiiiiiiiiine" ARG!!!!) . Essentially almost everything I hate in a female character. I also thought the "special" vampire sex was weird. The whole idea of it is just preposterous and...well....weird. Pretty much it's mind manipulation where one partner projects the ideas of them having sex into the other persons mind without physical contact.

In a Nutshell: A great introduction to the series. Fun to read and also quick. There were a couple things that could have been done differently but overall a book I really enjoyed reading.

The Reluctant Vampire by Lynsay Sands

Synopsis: Has this immortal finally met her match?
Rogue hunter Drina Argenis (from the Spanish side of the Argeneau family) has been many things in her years as an immortal, but bodyguard/babysitter to a teenage vampire is something new. There's an incentive, however: the other vampsitter, Harper Stoyan, may be Drina's life mate.
Trouble is, having just lost a life mate, Harper is resigned to being alone. He's completely unprepared when sexy and unpredictable Drina bursts into his life to reignite his passions. Can Drina, with a little matchmaking help from their teen charge, tempt this reluctant vampire to take a chance?
Or will a dangerous, unseen renegade kill Drina and Harper's one chance at happiness?

My Thoughts: An average installment of a series that has gone on for a long time...maybe too long.

What Worked: The females....Drina is an amazingly strong and independent woman with a complicated and intriguing background. Her history was the best thing about this book. Granted the romance was not bad but Drina really was the bright spot in this installment. How could you not like a woman who has been a Pirate for Pete's Sake? In addition to Drina, the teenaged Stephanie was also a bright spot in the story even though she should have a lot more traumatized than she appeared. I'm looking forward to seeing where her character will go from here. An honorable mention goes to Beth, who, even though she wasn't in the book in person, her story told from Drina's point of view was enough to make me want to see more of her.

What Didn't Work: Harper.....Not that he didn't work but I don't think Harper was as well suited for Drina as I would have liked. Perhaps it was more of him not having as much back story as Drina. Even with his past complicated tale of life mate gone wrong there just didn't seem to be enough to balance what Drina brought to the story.

The Mystery/suspense aspect of this story also didn't work. Although there is an underlying story-arc happening over the past few books involving a really bad Immortal which allowed Drina, Harper, Stephanie and a whole lot of other Immortals to come together, this book failed to bring closure to that storyline. As a matter of fact this book not only failed to bring closure, it failed to propel that storyline forward even an inch. While the threat of the big bad Immortal hung over their heads the seemingly kick butt Rogue Hunters forgot all their training while most of them hooked up with their life mates for some sexy time. Oh, and lets not forget life mates faint after having monkey sex together. Nothing like naked, incapacitated Immortals who are supposed to be guarding one little teenager while someone is actively trying to kill them all. Really?

In a Nut Shell: Although I didn't care for the mystery aspect and thought Harper was a bit to vanilla for Drina the book balance out to be an average read for me. With some really good female characters that I'd like to see more of in the future the book was not a waste of time but it could have been oh-so better.

Oh and by the way, this book brings in a second branch of the Argeneau family, called the Argenis family from Spain. Drina also mentions a 3rd branch but I can't remember the name she gave them (Argen-something). The only purpose of this, in my eyes, is for Sands to be able to continue this series indefinitely. Personally I think she should have stopped the after Vampire Interrupted but maybe that's just me.

Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur

Synopsis: A rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, Riley Jenson and her twin brother, Rhoan, work for Melbourne’s Directorate of Other Races, an organization created to police the supernatural races–and protect humans from their depredations.
While Rhoan is an exalted guardian, a.k.a. assassin, Riley is merely an office worker–until her brother goes missing on one of his missions.
..The timing couldn’t be worse.
More werewolf than vampire, Riley is vulnerable to the moon heat, the week long period before the full moon, when her need to mate becomes all-consuming.… Luckily Riley has two willing partners to satisfy her every need.
But she will have to control her urges if she’s going to find her brother….
Easier said than done as the city pulses with frenzied desire, and Riley is confronted with a very powerful–and delectably naked–vamp who raises her temperature like never before.
In matters carnal, Riley has met her match.
But in matters criminal, she must follow her instincts not only to find her brother but to stop an unholy harvest.
For someone is doing some shifty cloning in an attempt to produce the ultimate warrior–by tapping into the genome of nonhumans like Rhoan.
Now Riley knows just how dangerous the world is for her kind–and just how much it needs her.

My Thoughts: Despite a major downfall (I'll discuss this issue later) this was a very good Urban Fantasy with an interesting female lead.

What Worked: Arthur did a great job of introducing us to the Riley Jenson world. I was never confused by the rules in play which follow some basic known "facts" about creatures like vampires and werewolves but there was enough originality to keep this Urban Fantasy fresh and not tired.

Riley is such a strong force to be reckoned with that I couldn't help but admire her strength and intelligence. Despite her ending up in dire circumstances (multiple times) I never thought she fell into the dreaded TSTL category.

What Didn't Work: The sex. In Keri Arthur's world, werewolves are sensual creatures that do not adhere to the standard morals and values ideal. Therefore they tend to have sex....a lot. AND that isn't even counting the "Full Moon" cycle when they absolutely have to have sex or go ape shit crazy. Like rabid-werewolf-killing-everything-in-sight crazy. They also only become monogamous when they find their soul mate so they often have multiple sexual partners that they use on a regular basis until they find their "forever" mate. So, I get it. Keri decided her werewolves were going to be free loving hippie children. Unfortunately she felt the need to have Riley explain this repeatedly to one of her sex partners who had a problem with all the free lovin' going on. He thinks werewolves are nothing more than whores. A little harsh but maybe not completely out of line. Riley has to tell him that werewolves are not human and should not be boxed into human ideals of sex and morality. My problem with this is that Keri somehow forgot that her readers ARE human and just might have a bit of an issue with a woman who has sex with several different men all in the same night.

In addition to the amount of sex (and sexual partners) that happen within the book it also has to be noted that there was a complete lack of romance surrounding the sex that it made it, well, unsexy. There was so much unsexy sex going on that when Riley did get with someone that she might have more of a connection to the reader is beyond caring and the scene ends up happening with no real fanfare.

In a Nutshell: Despite the HUGE issue surrounding all the unsexy sex and whatnot Riley, truly is a compelling heroine with an interesting background and a budding future as a Guardian in the Directorate.

Dancing With the Devil by Keri Arthur

Synopsis: Private Investigator Nikki James grew up on the tough streets of Lyndhurst and believes there's nothing left to surprise her. All that changes the night she follows teenager Monica Trevgard into the shadows-and becomes a pawn caught in a war between two very different men. One fills her mind with his madness, the other pushes his way into her life-and her heart. Nikki knows how dangerous love can be, but if she wants to survive, she must place her trust in a man who could easily destroy her. Michael Kelly has come to Lyndhurst determined to end the war between himself and another brother of the night. For 300 years he has existed in life's shadows, gradually learning to control the life from death cravings of a vampire. Nikki not only breaches his formidable barriers with her psychic abilities, but makes Michael believe he may finally have found a woman strong enough to walk by his side and ease the loneliness in his heart. But will his love be enough to protect her from a madman hell-bent on revenge? Or will it drive her into his enemy's deadly trap? Only together can they overcome the evil threatening to destroy them both. But the secrets they keep from each other might prove to be the greatest threat of all.

My Thoughts: While the concept of this book was actually to my liking, a psychically gifted PI being caught in the sights of an evil vampire and a vampire hero comes to her rescue, I found the execution was a bit off. Finding the positives to point out has been difficult for me because every instance had both pro and con to it.

What Worked: Our heroine, Nikki, is both determined and strong....yet flawed. This will allow for future character development....and believe me, this character needs some because although I've listed Nikki as a plus she was also the biggest disappointment I had in this book. (more on that later)

In addition to the character of Nikki, her boss, Jake, although completely human with no special abilities is actually the glue that holds Nikki together and essentially the book itself. He lent a calmness and logic to the story that it truly needed it as Nikki seemed to go off half cocked most of the time.

What Didn't Work: The World Building. The addition of the Damask Circle was woefully under-explained. If not for Michael mentioning a few times that he worked for them I'd never know it existed. This was just one example of the lack of world building. Arthur has also failed to provide rules to her world. Nikki has telekinesis but apparently also has psychometry and precognitive skills too. I've never read a book where one person had so many different types of psychic skills. Usually a person is only gifted with one. In addition it is mentioned so many times that while battling vampires or the zombies Nikki had depleted her psychic gift yet a moment later she is pooling more energy to attack or defend again. It is not explained where her reserve is coming from two, sometimes three times after it's mentioned she's essentially empty of her gifts. In addition to this it appears Arthur's vampires have even greater psychic gifts than Nikki as they have telepathy and can control anyone with their minds in addition to having telekinesis. They also can raise the dead and become invisible by blending into the shadows. And can someone tell me how a vampire 1/3 of the age of our hero could be continually best our hero? In every vampire romance I've read, the older the vampire the greater the strength and the speed and the everything....not so much in Dancing With the Devil.

The romance between Nikki and Michael didn't work either as it rang false by basing itself on a psychic connection that readers had to believe in without any actual romantic gestures from either character. When all was said and done I was still wondering how the characters fancied themselves in love.

The biggest flaw of the book would have to be Nikki herself. She came across angry with the world and self sacrificing to the point I really was rooting for the bad guy to kill her and get it over with. I have a hard time liking a character who completely ignores all of her own instincts, runs headlong into danger every other page knowing it was probably not a good idea and practically gift wraps herself for the bad guy to kidnap her (after already having been kidnapped by him once.) She was BTSTL (Beyond Too Stupid to Live!)

In a Nutshell: Despite the numerous negatives I did give this book 3 stars because it has potential and room to grow. Jake was a very interesting secondary character and I'm interested in seeing what the Damask Circle is all about.

The Remarkable Miss Frankenstein by Minda Webber

Synopsis (aka Back Blurb): The problem, Clair realizes, is that she’s a Frankenstein. Everyone in the family is a success, while all she’s managed is a humiliating misadventure with pigs. But her spirits are rising. The Journal of Scientific Discovery promises to publish a paper on the Discovery of the Decade, and she has a doozy. She simply has to prove Baron Huntsley—man of distinction—is a vampire. With his midnight-black hair, soul-piercing eyes and shiny white teeth, what else could he be? Oh yes, the Baron wants a bite of her or she’s no scientist. Pretty soon she’ll expose him, and on everybody’s lips will be… THE REMARKABLE MISS FRANKENSTEIN

My Thoughts: I really wanted to like this book. I truly did. How could I not like it? It's paranormal. It's historical. It's funny. I like all of those things. So, what could possibly be the problem? A heroine who is truly an idiot and humor that is so in your face on every page within the book that by page 60 pages the reader is so tired of the puns we are no longer finding the book funny.

What Worked: The set up is actually quite entertaining and early on (while we readers are still oblivious to the depth at which the author will go to make a pun) our heroine appears quite clever and refreshing. In addition to the beginning there were a few references that I completely adored. How could I not love a shout out to Young Frankenstein?

"Victor Frankenstein was brilliant, but he was also a card-carrying lunatic. He was most famous for his forays into animating dead flesh--queer work which had created widespread controversy, not to mention chaos when his creation escaped and roamed the countryside, eating up blind men's food and setting fire to the Ritz after a particularly bohemian display of dancing."

Another thing that I believe belongs in the plus column is that some of the sexual encounters are actually not bad (when compared to the rest of the book.)

What Didn't Work: Clair. Clair. Clair. Minda Webber told us repeatedly that Clair is an intelligent, inquisitive scientist yet her actions prove otherwise. She draws conclusions from hearsay and gossip without any shred of proof. Her idea of proving her theories (which she boldly calls her hypothesis...because she's a brilliant scientist and all) is to break into people's homes to witness their paranormal debauchery. She broke into no less than 3 homes and almost as many men's bedchambers trying to catch a vampire or werewolf in the act of being not human based solely on the fact people told her that they were not human. Except for Asher, the Earl of Wolverton. She used her brain on that one and decided that he was a werewolf because he was the Earl of WOLVErton and his coat of arms is the image of a wolf.

Just a couple more things to point out and I'll be done: Although this book appears to be set in regency England the author does not attach a time frame on the book so the timeline seems to be quite ambiguous. The balls, the dress and the coaches all seem period in appearance yet the dialogue and writing are so clearly modernized. If the author had left those markers out I would have argued this was actually a contemporary romance and not historical.

"...she would set her cap for him in a London minute." 

"Ian wanted to worship at the shrine of those magnificent breasts."  

Also, when making a joke by introducing characters named Dr Durlock Homes and Professor Whutson, who are known for their crime solving abilities, it is important to make sure the names Holmes and Watson do not accidentally make their way into the story by accident. Oh, and Artie Doyle? By the time his name was dropped into the story I had already decided this book was to the literary world what Scary Movie is to the Oscars (only worse.)

In a Nutshell: I disliked this book more than I liked it. I knew I was only supposed to take it with a grain of salt and just have fun but there was so much that just got on my nerves I wasn't able to get over that hump. I found I could only read this book 20-30 pages at a time before I wanted to throw the book against the wall and knowing what I know now I'm really regretting purchasing Minda Webber's other book (The Reluctant Miss Van Helsing) at the same time I bought this one.

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Synopsis: You will kill. The only question is when.
In the dark days since the insidious Red Lung virus decimated the human population, vampires have risen to rule the crumbling cities and suburbs. Uncontested Princes hold sway over diminished ranks of humans: their "pets." In exchange for their labor, loyalty and of course, their blood, these pets are registered, given food and shelter, permitted to survive.
Unregistered humans cling to fringes, scavenging for survival. Allison Sekemoto and her fellow Unregistereds are hunted, not only by vampires, but by rabids, the unholy result of Red Lung-infected vampires feeding on unwary humans. One night, Allie is attacked by a pack of rabids, saved by an unlikely hero...and turned vampire.
Uncomfortable in her undead skin, Allie falls in with a ragtag crew of humans seeking a cure, or cures: for Rabidism and for Vampirism. She's passing for human...for now. But the hunger is growing and will not be denied. Not for friendship—not even for love.

My Thoughts:
Dystopian theme--check
Vampires--check
Rabid pseudo zombies--check
Potential Star Crossed Lovers theme--check
One Immortal Kick Butt Teenage Girl--check

With all those things how could this not be a great book???

For the most part this was a great read...once it got going. Honestly its biggest downfall is the slow as molasses pacing. Once Allie is turned into a vampire one would expect the story to take off but it doesn't. We readers endure pages and pages of her walking through trees and fields and highways with little to absolutely nothing happening except for her internal fight on to drink blood or not to drink blood.

The beginning was interesting as we learned how Fringers survived and once she is turned, Allie's training was also interesting. What isn't interesting, however is Allie herself (she's rather annoying) or pretty much any of the other characters in this book. Allie is set up to be a survivalist but continues to do ignorant things that make me wonder how she survived being an "unregistered" at all.

The only interesting character is her vampire sire who, unfortunately, is only in a small part of this book. I'm hoping he is in the next book more than he was in this one.

Despite the pacing and the unlikable characters, Julie Kagawa does have a way of making me want to find out what happens next. Did the group find Eden? Who is this mysterious Jackal who claims to be the Vampire King? Where did Kanin, Allie's sire, go? Kagawa gave me just enough information in this book to be satisfied with the ending but left out just enough for me to want to continue on with the series. In addition the world building is good, her writing flows well (even when the story's pace is staggeringly slow) and it's easy to read which overall made me happy.

A word of warning to younger readers: there are some gory scenes, quite a few fighting scenes and many deaths. Please keep this in mind if you decide to read this book.

Bite Me, Your Grace by Brooklyn Ann

Synopsis: England's "vampire craze" causes much vexation for the Lord Vampire of London, Ian Ashton. To save his reputation, Ian enlists aspiring authoress Angelica Winthrop without realizing she has hidden plans of her own.

Angelica Winthrop's life goal is to ruin her reputation, avoid marriage, and become a gothic authoress like her idol, Mary Shelley. To find inspiration for her new story, she breaks into the home of Ian Ashton, Duke of Burnrath, not knowing she will be coming up against the Lord Vampire of London. Romance sparks and reputations are at stake. But who knows the real difference between fact and fiction?

My Thoughts: I love me some historical romances. I love me some vampires. Put them together and I am in 7th Heaven. With Bite Me, Your Grace, Brooklyn Ann brought my two loves together in a way that wasn't awe inspiring but an OK read none the less.

Angelica Winthrop is an interesting character that unfortunately does quite a bit of flip flopping throughout the book. In the beginning she is intelligent, strong willed and witty but towards the middle she ends up becoming a bit, well, awful and no one I'd be interested in knowing. She does come back around but I was no longer in awe of her and moved my attention towards Ian and his second in command.

As far as Ian goes, he too managed to disappoint me in the end. I expected much more from the Master of the City than what he gave me upon rescuing his bride from the evil clutches of...well, it doesn't really matter who he rescued her from because technically he didn't really rescue her. But whatever.

From a plot perspective there was almost way too much going on because the author spent too much time focusing on the secondary plot threads giving too many pages away to them instead of focusing on building a believable romance between our hero and heroine.

On the positive side Brooklyn Ann's vampires are really interesting, her characters have much potential and Ian's second in command is so intriguing that he is more than enough to make me want to read more by Ann to see where she takes his character.

Blood on Silk by Marie Treanor

Synopsis: The debut of a seductive new contemporary series of vampires, lust, and revenge. While in Romania researching historical superstitions, Scottish academic Elizabeth Silk comes upon the folk tale of Saloman, a seductive prince staked centuries ago, legend's most powerful vampire. Now, in the ruins of a castle crypt, Elizabeth discovers supernatural legends that have come alive. Her blood has awakened him. Her innocence has aroused him. But Elizabeth unleashes more than Saloman's hunger, and it's going to unite them in ways neither could have imagined.


My Thoughts: I seriously had trouble getting into this book. I started reading it in October 2011 and continually set it aside for something that looked better. I can't fault the writing or the plot though. They were solid and well done.

Saloman is an ancient vampire recently awakened after being betrayed 300 years ago and imprisoned (entombed) for all those years. He is not a warm fuzzy vampire (read this to mean completely different from Lynsay Sands' and Kerrilyn Sparks' silly vamps). He is judge, jury and executioner. He needs Elizabeth's blood to get stronger. He needs to kill her to return to his full power.

Elizabeth is a scholar. She sees things in black and white so she really has problems with Saloman who exists in those gray areas. She struggles with the new knowledge of vampires and her part in 'bringing' back a potential threat to humankind. But mostly she struggles with her attraction to Saloman. She doesn't want to want him but she does. Unfortunately she also wants to live. She knows when Saloman is done toying with her he will kill her.

I didn't have any issue with who the characters were. What I had issues with was the romance. It really is more of an Urban Fantasy and could have been better without any I Love Yous. Aside from some serious lustful chemistry and some mind blowing sex I am not sure how they fell in love. Clear up to the end Elizabeth was saying I Hate You. Matter of fact she said I hate you I hate you I love you practically all in one breath. I'm not a fan of "I hate you.... Please don't Leave me" romances. Matter of fact that is the title of a book on Boarderline Personality Disorder. Drawing any connections there?

I am fairly alone in my average rating of this book by the way. Several others have found it to be stunning and a favorite. I just wasn't blown away by it. I will try the second book in the series though. I firmly believe in giving a fair chance to every author.