Most Wicked of Sins by Kathryn Caskie

I love it when I rediscover an author. I've read and enjoyed Kathryn Caskie books before, but I had forgotten just how good she really is.

The Most Wicked of Sins is part of a series featuring seven siblings from Scotland nicknamed the Seven Deadly Sins.

Fans of early Julia Quinn or Victoria Alexander will love Kathryn Caskie. Her writing is so full of mirth that you find yourself chuckling along. And her characters are nothing short of fantastic. Flawed, believable, complex, and compelling.

The plot device in The Most Wicked of Sins is too silly for words. Very improbable, but it sets up the rest of the book so nicely that I gave it a pass. Essentially, our heroine, Ivy, has 1 month to recover the affections of her wayward suitor (now entranced by an Irish beauty) before her father arrives or risk losing his support, affection, approval etc. So she embarks on a madcapped scheme to win him back by hiring an actor to impersonate a peer--someone who would then both a) charm her rival away from her suitor and b) make her suitor jealous by dancing attendance on Ivy.

The "perfect" plan goes awry, however, when Ivy hires the wrong man to impersonate Lord Counterton. Instead of an actor, she hires...Lord Counterton himself. (Here's where the improbable comes in). Of all of the people to be hanging about the theater at the exact same time Ivy is, it just happens to be the very peer she's determined to have someone impersonate? I think my odds on winning the lotto are better, but as I stated, it DOES make for a fun bit of mischief.

I like that Ivy is flawed. I like that she is more than a little bit shallow. I also like that she's vulnerable to what her family (especially her father) thinks of her. She has that need for approval that many of us can relate to.

I also really like the hero and his cousin. I found his early recognition of his feelings refreshing. Most of the Regency heroes have to be dragged kicking and screaming into acknowledging their feelings. Some don't do so until years after the novel's time line (Devil from Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens for example). Here, our hero articulates what he feels before our heroine does.

I really enjoyed the skillful blend of romance and humor in this book. The dialogue is snappy when it needs to be, subtle when appropriate. The story at times frantic, hysterical, sexy, and even sweet. It's a terrific way to spend a few hours on a fall afternoon.

My grade: A-

Make Her Pay by Roxanne St. Claire

Make Her Pay is romantic suspense at its best: fascinating characters, intriguing locales, danger, steamy sex. Roxanne St. Claire just keeps getting better!

Part of what really works in this book is the hero: Constantine Xenakis. He had a supporting role in Hunt Her Down, but he's given his own story here despite his prior naughty antics.  He's not just a little bit naughty, either. He's a newly reformed, highly talented thief trying to work his way back into the good graces of the Bullet Catchers. He lies with impunity and has no compunctions about taking stuff from others. But what makes me adore Con's character is that he's aware of his personal failings. And he has certain codes, certain innate behaviors, that make him seem more like a good guy caught in the wrong century than a truly bad guy. He would likely have fit right in fighting bad guys in the wild west.

That is not to say that the heroine is a light weight. Lizzie couldn't be wimpy and survive any sort of relationship with Con. Although I liked Lizzie more than the heroine of St. Claire's last book, I still feel like the hero gets more depth than the heroine. I don't dislike her, and she is believable, but she doesn't have the same complexity.

I found the historical backstory very compelling. Treasure, insanity, pirates, exotic islands... It was very well done and obviously well researched. It didn't weigh the story down with details, and it was woven throughout the story seamlessly.

My Grade: B+

My Wicked Vampire by Nina Bangs

I have a soft spot for Nina Bangs's  Cosmic Troublemakers series. I adore Sparkle and Ganymede. I really do. They are incredibly annoying and have no character growth. And they are so dang funny.

My Wicked Vampire takes us back to the Castle of Dark Dreams with a new batch of otherwordly beings hanging around. A few demons, a few vampires, Holgarth--the annoying, and some seriously wacky plants.

Although the plot and characters are fine, I did have a difficult time getting through this one. The pacing is a bit off--which made an ordinarily quick read seem to take forever. Part of this I attribute to a dearth of dialogue. There's far less witty quips in this book than in previous installments in the series.

Another danger for readers is the huge amount of back story involved. Yes, the author does her best to explain the history without rehashing it, but it still crops up far too frequently for someone just starting the series. I know the back story, but a new reader may be completely lost OR completely bored by it.

Lastly, while I think Cinn, the heroine, is believable and fully realized, the hero, Dacian, seems a bit 2 dimensional at times.

Overall I think it was good but not great: well worth the time to revist a favorite group of characters and see what havoc they've been causing.

Dark Slayer by Christine Feehan

I'd given up reading anything new in Christine Feehan's Carpathian series because they were getting so repetitive. The same ritual words. The same characters. The same plots. It was almost as if they were written on autopilot. Fortunately, Dark Slayer takes a significant step towards changing the tenor of the series, as well as providing a welcome respite from super Alpha males and their binding words.

Ms. Feehan surprised the heck out of me with this one. Not only was the main character far, far (FAR) different from her predecessors, she was someone who was strong without being bitchy. And that takes some serious skill to pull off in this type of book.

I'd like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book. But truthfully, I only enjoyed about  3/4 of it. The last 1/4 honestly seemed as if the author was struggling to get her page count. She rehashed the same emotions, reactions, mental wanderings so often I had a combined case of whiplash and deja vu. I'm sitting there with a book I was enjoying-- yelling at it. "I get it! Enough already!"  Bad sign for a happy reader. While this book didn't repeat the themes, characters, dialogue, settings etc etc of the rest of the series, it began to seriously repeat ITSELF.

I don't want to go into too much detail, because much of the charm of the book lies in the differences between this book and the rest in the series. Her fans should love this. It's worth reading just to gain the plot points for the next installment, but it could have been so much better.

The Renegade Hunter by Lynsay Sands

I normally adore Lynsay Sands's Argeneau series. They're usually very well done in a genre that is, well, overexposed. The characters are more normal--more human--than characters in most other paranormals. But most of all, they're usually funny.

I have to say I'm horribly disappointed by this book. The hero, Nicholas, was quite intriguing. A definite break from the standard Argeneau guy, although he was a bit too emotionally wimpy for my tastes. But it was the heroine in the novel that irritated me.

She seemed completely clueless with no basic self-preservation instincts. While she was extremely with it in the emotional and critical thinking arenas surrounding Nicholas's crimes, she was otherwise too stupid to be believable. The death knell to her believability was a single paragraph in the novel. One where Nicholas --who is VERY old in typical vampire fashion--references I Love Lucy. And our heroine has no idea what he's talking about.

Now, I understand the point the author was trying to convey. What I object to is two-fold: it had the subtlety of a cast iron skillet to the head AND was wildly improbable. Perhaps Ms. Sands credits the under 30 generation with no pop culture lexicon, but Lucille Ball was NOT just a TV star from the 1950s. She was an icon ala Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and others. She spanned generations. And who has not caught at least a glimpse of her while flipping past Nick at Nite? I understand the dilemma here: you need a reference your reader will get while the heroine does not. But Lucy? C'mon.

It could very well be that the reference sprang from a real world occurrence where a "young" person didn't know who Lucy was. But that person would be in the minority of the population. In any rate, it tossed me completely out of the narrative and soured the entire character for me.

What finished the disappointment was the complete lack of humor in this novel. I buy a Lynsay Sands book expecting to be smiling while reading a portion of it. I didn't find anything funny about this book. Not one thing. Which means Ms. Sands just got dumped off of my auto-buy list.

Hunt Her Down by Roxanne St. Claire

I love romantic suspense. There's something about the blend of mystery, danger, and romance that just does it for me. The exact ratio seems to be what determines whether something gets shelved in the fiction, mystery or romance sections, but any book with that combination is welcome on my TBR pile. And I must say the cover of Ms. St. Claire's novel helped put it on the tippy top of said pile.

Hunt Her Down is typical beach-read romantic suspense. Tropical location, sex scenes, danger. I sometimes felt like I was reading an episode from CSI: Miami.

I found it difficult to connect with the heroine of the story. Her life experience should have resulted in a corresponding depth of character, but I found her rather shallow. The same could not be said of the hero, who I thought was intriguing, mysterious, and just a bit of a jerk.  The best character in the entire novel was the heroine's son, Quinn. The author captured the angst of being a teenager with some serious identity problems quite believably.

The suspense was top-notch, too. I figured out the plot well ahead of time, but the peril faced by the characters in the story was extremely well done and the plot moved at a frantic clip.

While the characters could have used just a bit more depth, this was well worth reading. Compelling enough to have me searching the shelves for backlist titles in the Bullet Catcher series.

Storm of Shadows by Christina Dodd

Christina Dodd's second paranormal romance series is perhaps more intriguing than her first. It is a lovely combination of archaeological mystery (a particular favorite of mine) and romance. With a little paranormal Good vs. Evil battle going on as well.

Although I *wish* Ms. Dodd would have strayed a little further from stereotype (must the unworldly, dowdy librarian be a woman?) I concede that it's easier and more marketable to cast the characters in their expected roles.

This is the second in the series, and I have not read the first installment. It's easy to see I would have gotten a bit more from the story by reading the first novel, but it wasn't necessary. This book stands on its own.

While the main characters are well crafted, the secondary characters are not always so vibrant. Some are memorable, others not so much. Presumably we've either already read about them or will read about them, but the other Chosen Ones are often more sketchily drawn than incidental characters who appear throughout the novel.

The story takes some intriguing twists and turns, with multiple changes in pace and plot. I did find myself thrown out of my reading stride, however, by some choice phrases that I sincerely hope the author meant to be humorous.

an erection so big, King Kong could have climbed it holding Fay Wray in his palm.  Aaron could almost see an atomic blue glow coming from his balls.

That was not the only laugh-out-loud line in the book, but it was by far the strangest.

Overall, it was a fun read.  It's definitely a nice change of pace from the many werewolf, demon, vampire books dominating the paranormal genre these days. This is far more spiritual and magical. More elemental. And for that alone, it's worth a read.

Surrender of a Siren by Tessa Dare

It's rare that I enjoy the first book by a new-to-me author. I don't like change, and I like knowing what to expect. What tone, what kinds of characters, the level of angst. Predictable and safe.

Two words that definitely do not apply to Tessa Dare's novel, Surrender of a Siren.

With this book, I am charting new territory. I read it based solely on recommendations from fellow Tweeters. It's a book (and an author) I discovered on Twitter.com . What makes that unusual is that it wasn't discovered on a blog or printed review. It wasn't discovered propped up on the new release shelves or as a loan from my fellow romance readers. A few mentions scattered in those 140 character bursts convinced me to give it a try despite the extremely unlovely cover.

In a word, it was glorious.

I'm a stickler for well developed characters. I loathe action-heavy books with wimpy two-dimensional characters. No danger of this book letting me down there. Every single character jumps off of the page with emotional intensity. Every single one. Even those you only see for a paragraph or two. It's amazing. And a little exhausting.

Even more amazing is that the tension levels in this book are off the chart. The reader experiences the excruciating hyper awareness between the two main characters in what feels like real time.

And Ms. Dare knows her stuff. Sophia, our heroine, is an artist. And having known more than my fair share of artists, I can honestly say she nailed the compulsive need to express oneself that most artists have.

This is the second book in a series, but I haven't read the preceding novel. Surrender stands alone wonderfully.

I highly recommend this book for anyone sick of cookie cutter characters and plots. This is by far the best historical romance I've read this year!

**edited Oct 1 to correct this as 2nd in series, not 3rd.

The Laird Who Loved Me by Karen Hawkins

The finale for the MacLean series has arrived, and it does not disappoint. Of all of the books, this one was perhaps the most serious. It was definitely less light-hearted than Hawkins's normal style. But given the long history between the two main characters and the serious nature of the oldest MacLean, that's to be expected.

Aside from the extremely yummy cover (<---), what makes this book intriguing for me is the tiny touch of paranormal that is included in the overall plot. The ability to create storms through loss of emotional control or temper is a wonderful plot device--and helps add depth to the heroes throughout this series. I particularly liked how Hawkins manages to make two characters who were unappealing to me in previous stories seem so compelling in this one without changing their overall personalities or providing excuses for their obvious character flaws. Taking place in both England and Scotland, this book also ties the series up in a nice, neat bow. I thoroughly enjoyed the glimpse of Honoria and Marcus from Lady in Red. Although it could be read as a stand-alone novel, it would be best served by--at the very least--reading the novel preceding it in the series: Sleepless in Scotland.

Bad Moon Rising by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Bad Moon Rising by Kenyon was so disappointing. The biggest flaw for me was the lack of continuity in the narrative and the immense amount of back story that wasn't explained.

Anyone new to the series would be completely lost. As it was, I struggled to remember what happened to which character when. And given that this book takes place concurrently with several other books in the series, it gets quite confusing.

Things I enjoyed:

I was very happy to see another were-hunter book. I'm not a fan of her Dream Hunter books, so this was a welcome change.

I was happy that a secondary character in so many other books was finally granted his own story.

I liked the inclusion of another level of hunting: Thorn, specifically.

The physical relationship between Aimee and Fang was terrific. They don't truly hook up until the very end--something that's unusual these days for most romances.

Things I hated:

The time jumps without any clue on the chapter pages that time was passing

The deep back story that was needed to understand the plot.

I didn't find Aimee's sudden penchant for Daimon hunting to be believable. Nor was the fact that no one seemed to notice?

Overall, it was tolerable (barely), but I couldn't help feeling that this one could have benefited from another hundred pages. It felt too choppy and too pared down.

Mastered by Love by Stephanie Laurens

At long last, Stephanie Laurens has released the conclusion to her popular Bastion Club series. Mastered by Love is the story of Dalziel, aka Royce Varisey. The head spymaster who directed the Bastion club members from Whitehall during the conflict with Napoleon.

For such an aggressive man, I found the story surprisingly passive. Aggressive emotionally--and sexually-- perhaps but passive in terms of the action that normally infuses the Bastion Club novels. The suspense and danger was thrown in at the very end, but the focus was on Royce's struggles to adjust to being a duke--and to convince his bride of choice to accept him.

I have a weakness for finale books and must have the obligatory glimpse of characters from previous installments to make a series feel complete. Laurens delivers that with glimpses not only of Bastion club members but also a few main Cynsters.

Although I really loved Minerva, I found the other characters a little too shallow compared to Laurens's normal characterization. That, combined with the lack of suspense and intrigue normally found in the series, adds to a twinge of disappointment . The romance, though, I considered a bit better--more compelling--than some of the previous installments.

Readers who enjoy the Bastion Club series primarily because of the action will likely be disappointed. But for fans of the series, it's worth reading just to see Royce as himself--and to watch someone normally so supremely confident have to work his way through uncertainty and emotional vulnerability.

What Happens in London by Julia Quinn

Finally! A Julia Quinn novel worth cheering about. What Happens in London is a return to her earlier roots with enough word play, wit and charm to keep you smiling from beginning to end.

There's something magical about Julia Quinn's writing. It's bubbly like champagne without being trite or without substance. It's as if she's smiling the entire time she writes.

There is very little angst in WHIL, but there are some wonderful characters.

Hidden Currents by Christine Feehan

Although initially it seemed as though Ms. Feehan had mistakenly packaged a Ghostwalker book as a Drake sisters novel, Hidden Currents redeemed itself as a terrific finale for a unique series by the queen of paranormal romance.

Followers of the series have been able to watch Elle and Jackson dance around the issue of their relationship--or lack of one--for 4 full length novels and 2 novellas prior to the release of their story, Hidden Currents. So it's no real surprise that the traditional 'learning to love' phase is completely missing from this book. They already know and love each other. It is their struggle to find some common ground and build a real relationship--one that exists outside their heads--that forms the emotional center of the novel.

I'm a little (well a lot) uncomfortable with what happens to Elle in this book. It brings back some of the worst stereotypes of the genre--although admittedly not in the same way. The first 1/4 of the book is ugly and uncomfortable to read. It is far more violent than most of the other Drake series--which is why it seemed more like a Ghostwalker book than a Drake book.

Jackson is one of my favorite characters in the Drake series, and I think Christine Feehan did him justice. And while it may seem rushed to some, I really enjoyed the way she shows the marriages of the sisters. We also see brief appearances by just about every important secondary character as well--which I love for finale books.

So while the violence was a bit off-putting, this was a solid book with great characters, plenty of suspense, plenty of romance, and a compelling read.

Burning Wild by Christine Feehan

Christine Feehan is one of the top paranormal romance authors--period. Her Carpathian series may have catapulted her to super stardom, but it is her other series that have--in the past--held my interest.

Burning Wild, a new installment in the leopard series, started out strongly--very intense, very disturbing. But, sadly, there was a distance in her writing that isn't usually there. A kind of wall between her characters and the readers. I suspect it was a result of her attempts to portray the main character, Jake Bannaconni's, fear of emotion and the lack of control it brings. But in doing that, she somehow cut off the emotional impact of the rest of her characters.

The plot was very interesting, but the characters just weren't compelling.

The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick

Amanda Quick aka Jayne Ann Krentz's Arcane Society series is unique. She switches from Victorian to Contemporary settings depending upon which name she uses, but the underlying themes and premises remain the same. Two very different styles dealing with the psychic powers and filled with suspense.

The last Quick installment left me a bit bored. The characters seemed overwhelmed by the themes of psychic power, murder and mayhem. And without strong characters, the plot really doesn't matter. This one brings Quick back to the strong heroes and heroines that made me pick up her books in the first place. Even her earliest historicals had suspenseful plot lines, but over time the heroines had succumbed to a high degree of wimpiness.

So, while not perfect--the suspense was not very suspenseful this time--the Perfect Poison is a vast improvement over previous Quick installments in the Arcane Society series.

If you like your Regency or Victorian historicals without the paranormal or psychic aspects, though, you should avoid this one.

Vision in White by Nora Roberts

I took a 2 year break from reading anything Nora Roberts. The books were increasingly disappointing and the characters irritating. I decided it was time to give Vision in White--strangely published in trade format--a chance.

Well...it was a good story. The characters were believable. The romance was actually on the sweet rather than steamy side--something I found refreshing. The plot wasn't all that compelling,but I enjoyed the book. I don't think, however, that it was one deserving of the fancy trade format or the fancy trade price.

And, for those with Nora fatigue, this may not be the best book to start with because it does echo several older Silhouette titles. She doesn't rehash the exact same characters and plots, but there are enough similarities to have you wondering if you have, in fact, read this before. She's written about female photographers before. And the bookish Carter Maguire seems to borrow heavily from MacAlister Booke from Heaven and Earth.

It was a nice change of pace, though, and I really did enjoy Carter Maguire--a nice guy who breaks that dangerous bad boy stereotype and gets his girl.

Don't Bargain with the Devil by Sabrina Jeffries

I adore Jeffries's School for Heiresses Series. They are all a little different, but Don't Bargain with the Devil is of a distinctly different mold than others in the series. I adore the hero--Diego, the magician. Not only was he sexy as hell, he was honorable in his way. And appreciative of Lucinda, our heroine, from the very first.

The shifting locales gave this book a different flavor, and the supporting cast of characters were--as usual--well developed and interesting. I found Lucinda to be unusually immature compared to how I imagined someone used to army camps would act. She seemed a bit too naive for me to fully believe in, but I enjoyed her impulsiveness. At least she wasn't simpering and weak.

Overall, this was a fun, quick read with a few less familiar plot twists and themes. It also sets up the finale quite well. I hope Mrs. Harris's story manages to meet or exceed expectations. We'll all find out next month!

Under Her Skin by Susan Mallery

There are some authors who are dependable. You KNOW that any book you pick up with their name on the cover is going to be terrific. There are others who are less dependable. Susan Mallery is one of the latter.

While I enjoyed her Marcelli sisters series, her Buchanan series was hit and miss. The latest release, Under Her Skin, was both hit and miss. Some parts were REALLY good, other parts were so trite and unconvincing that I almost put the book down. Even the characters weren't uniform in their depth. Some were memorable and believable, others were ho-hum and easily dismissed.

This was the first in a new series, but I doubt I'll be bothered to pick up the installments to follow.

Always a Scoundrel by Suzanne Enoch

The Notorious Gentleman series continues with Always a Scoundrel. Unfortunately for me, I can't remember the previous two installments. It's been too long between books or the characters just weren't that memorable. Probably a little of both. I do remember the back to back release of #1 and #2--which begs the question of why the long wait for #3?

Apparently, Avon's marketing department also forgot this was part of a series since the cover of this one bears little resemblance to the almost modern photo look of the other two.

Having read everything Ms. Enoch has written--including that very rare Black Duke's Prize--I have to rank this one as about mediocre. I miss her wit! The characters are still fine (with the villain in this one being particularly evil) but the interplay between the two main characters just doesn't shine as brightly as --say--Georgiana and Dare in the Rake.

It's still an entertaining read, but I wish Enoch would return to the writing style that endeared her to me in the first place.

Tempted at Midnight by Jacquie D'Alessandro

It's a little disconcerting to see Jacquie D's books without the Avon logo, but Berkley did a fine job with the cover. Tempted at Midnight is part of the Ladies Literary Society series and features one of my favorite D'Alessandro characters: Logan Jennsen.

The sparks practically fly off of the page between the two main characters--with D'Alessandro's trademark witty dialogue providing much of the interest.

The only disappointment for me was that her fun, plays on words were missing this time. They always make me smile and inject the story with an oft-needed levity.

D'Alessandro is underrated in my opinion--I find her stories far more fun than Julia Quinn or others of her sales caliber.