Review: The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires by Molly Harper

Format: Mass market paperback
Pub Date: August 2012
Publisher: Pocket
Length: 356 pages
POV: 1st person, past
FTC: Received for free at RT Booklovers Convention (provided by the publisher/author)

Having finished a meh book by Molly Harper, it makes perfect sense to immediately pick up another one, right? It does if you're me.

The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires is only peripherally related to the Half Moon Hollow series of the previous book I reviewed. It's also 80 pages longer, which I really think might be my issue with the last book. It was too shallow. The extra page count for this one allows for explanation. I did NOT get the same sense of backstory-itis I did with the last one. Everything felt fully explained.

 I really enjoyed this one. I enjoyed the byplay between Iris and Cal, but I also enjoyed the larger cast of characters, particularly Iris's younger sister Gigi. I think these types of humor-filled books work best when characters can play off each other. What was such a relief was the our main character is independent, smart, a businesswoman, and entirely capable of taking care of herself. Even in dangerous situations. In fact, she saves herself AND Cal on multiple occasions. So refreshing to have competence really highlighted and valued. We get a lot of that for heroes, but not for heroines.

Review: Blade of the Hunt (Goddess with a Blade Book 3)

Format: ebook
Pub Date: November 2014
Publisher: Carina Press
FTC: Purchased myself

After  I finished reading the first book in this series following RT this year, I read the 2nd one sometime over the summer. Finally, in the middle of my reading funk last month, I read this one. I think it's just what I needed, given that it's not a romance book. It's Urban Fantasy for sure. And it's definitely book number 3 in the series and makes no apologies for it. It's not burdened by a boatload of back story. This book assumes you've read books 1 and 2.

Although I did not like this one as much as I liked the previous two, probably due to the nagging reading funk, I did think it was a solid installment in the series. There's definitely far less noir in this one, which bummed me out a little. I like the almost gumshoe feel of the first book the best. Once we veer into European stuff, it becomes less original. Less edgy, to be honest.

There's far more romance, or at least more discussion of feelings, in this book. We get to see an expanded cast of characters. The action that is present is good, although there's far too little of it. Most of the book is planning and traveling, rather than actually doing anything. It's mired in political maneuvering and interpersonal issues. Which is fine, I guess, but I wanted more boots on the ground action and definitely more creep factor.

My Grade: B-

Review: Goddess with a Blade by Lauren Dane

Format: paperback, ebook
Pub Date: 2011
Publisher: Carina
Length: 296 pages
FTC: Free copy courtesy of the publisher at RT14

 I've read Lauren Dane's erotic romances before, but this is the first paranormal book I've read by her. It's an unusual concept: the title is quite literal. The protagonist is a Vampire Hunter skilled with a blade, but she's also a vessel for a goddess. Basically, the person who cleans up vampire messes (crimes) if the vampires can't take care of it themselves: usually by killing the offending vampire. 

I know lots of people are suffering paranormal fatigue, but I'm not there yet. I tend to lean more towards the Urban Fantasy side than the romance side which probably helps...and this book is definitely one where the romance is a smaller part of the novel. A subplot, even, despite the explicit scenes.

Every UF/Paranormal romance claims to be different. Goddess With a Blade isn't completely original, but it has enough new ideas to seem fresher than the majority of other offerings. The goddess angle is part of it, but this also has echoes of the old hardboiled detective stories...with a twist. It's set in Vegas and the surrounding desert, and instead of dames in trouble, the dame is the one doing the investigating. It has the glamor vs. seediness element you'd expect, but just as you get a handle on the type of book this is, Dane throws you another curveball.

TBR Challenge Review: Lover Reborn by JR Ward

Format: Hardcover (now available in mmpb and ebook)
Pub Date: 2012
Publisher: New American Library
Length: 590 pages
FTC: Purchased myself

There are a ton of reasons for a book to end up in my TBR pile. Sometimes I go on a book buying spree. Sometimes I pick up a book intending to read it, only to be distracted by a shinier title or by real life obligations. Sometimes the mood just isn't right. None of that happened here. This time, the book has languished because of Twitter spoilers. I made the mistake of going onto Twitter on release day before I had received my copy. By the time Amazon delivered my shiny hardcover, several major plot points were spoiled, and I was feeling meh about the book and the series. And Twitter, too.

This month's theme is More Than One (meaning more than one book by this author in the TBR), and yes, despite feeling uninspired by the series and the book, I bought the next book in the series anyway. It's a sickness. 

Ward's books are problematic for me. On one hand, I have to admire her over-the-top writing style. It's ridiculous, really, but still oddly addictive. It's highly consistent, with weird brand name dropping, verb-creation, and improbable dialogue. It's also problematic thanks to the not-so-subtle cultural appropriation, violence and misogyny.

Review: Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

Format: Hardcover
Pub Date: March 5, 2013
Publisher: Ace
Length: 352 pages
Series: Mercy Thompson, Book 7
FTC: Purchased myself

I've been quite vocal about my feelings regarding the last Mercy Thompson book.  It just wasn't anywhere near as good as the previous books for a variety of reasons ranging from plot problems, atmosphere, character isolation... It's a misstep that's only so noticeable because Patricia Briggs is such a solidly good writer. Despite my lackluster feelings about River Marked, I picked up Frost Burned the day it came out.  I did enjoy Fair Game, the Alpha and Omega book set between River Marked and Frost Burned, so I was hopeful I hadn't just thrown away the price of a hardcover book.

I can say with great relief that Patricia Briggs is back in top form! I read this book in a single day after suffering through a months-long reading slump. It was the first book in a long time for me that was addictive, compelling, and just plain good. The biggest issue from River Marked that is "fixed" in this book is that the whole gang is here. RM suffered from the artificial isolation that Mercy and Adam had for most of the book. This book has the familiar cast of characters back with a vengeance. The interplay, the dialogue, the relationships are one of the reasons I read this series, and this book did not disappoint on that front.

TBR Challenge Review: Lover Unleashed

Format: Hardcover (available as a mass market paperback, ebook
Pub Date: March 2011
Publisher: NAL
Length: 489 pages
FTC: Borrowed from Mom

I've had Mom's copy of this book sitting in my TBR for nearly a year now. Which, in terms of TBR Guilt, is a pretty long time. I don't think she's read it yet, either. There's a new Black Dagger Brotherhood book coming out this month, and this month's TBR Challenge theme was series catch up. Coincidence? Maybe. But it worked to make me get off my duff and read this book.

Part of my reluctance about reading this book was the hero's name: Manuel Manello. DUMBEST. NAME. EVER.  Sorry, was I shouting? But seriously, in a world where superfluous Hs dominate and everyone's name sounds angry, this name takes the prize as the worst name ever. And that's not even counting that a diminutive of Manuel is Manolo...which makes his name Manolo Manello. *snicker*

These books are silly. There's no getting around that. Ward's writing style is so over-the-top that I find myself guffawing over the word usage, product placement, or WTF dialog. But they are also angsty and addictive. And every so often Ward writes a paragraph or three that really hits me in the gut with its simplicity and power. When you strip away the trappings of the BDB world, Ward can write emotion so well you feel like sobbing ugly, heaving sobs. (Not that I can find any quotes right now, because my kids removed my bookmarks. *growl*)

The saving grace of this book is that it really isn't about Manello or Payne, our supposedly kick-ass but really quite passive heroine. It's V's book, part II. And I'm fine with that. He got screwed in his own book, so I'm fine with him getting another one. There's some interesting relationship stuff with Butch and V, too, and we get a few emo scenes of the Qhuinn, Blay drama.

I'd say this was the worst of the series, but that honor will always belong to Phury's book (Lover Enshrined) thanks to the whining. As long as you ignore that this book was supposed to be about Manello and Payne, it does just fine. The gaping absence of the other Brothers seems a bit weird, especially when they pop in midway through the book all beat up, only to disappear again. Lover Unleashed is just not as good as the first few in the series, and I'm deducting points for the wimpy ass heroine even if that is a Ward tradition.

My Grade: C

Waiting on Wednesday: One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted over at Breaking the Spine. It highlights books we just can't wait to get our greedy, book-lovin' hands on.

One Grave at a Time
Pub Date: August 30, 2011
Length: 384 pages
Blurb: Goodreads description (may have spoilers in it!)

I still haven't read book #5 in this series (although it's in the TBR), but I love this series a lot. In fact, I have them on audio also, and my husband loves them too.

Quickie Review: Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian

Format: mass market
Publisher: Dell (Bantam/Random House)
Pub Date: 2007
FTC: Personal copy from the TBR

I've been hearing from several people (including my mom) how great the Breed series is by Lara Adrian. After reading the first book in the series, Kiss of Midnight, I'm not sure what everyone's raving about. I thought it a mediocre book that doesn't really add anything to the vampire romance subgenre. Sure, there are aliens, but other than that? Eh.

Plus the last 30 pages or so nearly strained my poor little eyeballs because I just couldn't stop rolling them. Sappy dialogue, a TSTL heroine, and an jerk for a hero. I thought the characters were well done other than the last minute (and completely unbelievable) attitude adjustment for Lucan. I just don't see this as anything other than a passable but not wow-worthy vampire book. Maybe the newer books in the series are better?

The Blurb:

INSATIABLE DESIRE. ENDLESS SEDUCTION. ONE TOUCH IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

He watches her from across the crowded dance club, a sensual black-haired stranger who stirs Gabrielle's deepest fantasies. But nothing about this night--or this man--is what it seems. For when Gabrielle witnesses a murder outside the club, reality shifts into something dark and deadly. In that shattering instant she is thrust into a realm she never knew existed--a realm where vampires stalk the shadows and a blood war is set to ignite.

Lucan Thorne despises the violence carried out by his lawless brethren. A vampire himself, Lucan is a Breed warrior, sworn to protect his kind--and the unwitting humans existing alongside them--from the mounting threat of the Rogues. Lucan cannot risk binding himself to a mortal woman, but when Gabrielle is targeted by his enemies, he has no choice but to bring her into the dark underworld he commands.

Here, in the arms of the Breed's formidable leader, Gabrielle will confront an extraordinary destiny of danger, seduction, and the darkest pleasures of all . . . .


My Grade: C

Quickie Review: Born to Bite by Lynsay Sands

I would call this one Vampire Gone Country. It has all of the Argeneau trappings we normally see, except this one is set in the farmland of southern Canada.

I keep hoping for the old Lynsay Sands. The one who wrote laugh-out-loud books for Dorchester. Not the slightly amusing romantic suspense books with vampires in them she seems to write for Avon.

Given the recent problems with Dorchester, it seems Sands made a good move to leave them...but did she have to give up her signature style as well? I don't know if it was pressure from the publisher or a different editor, but every single book since she joined Avon has been...meh. I used to love the Argeneau series. Single White Vampire is probably the funniest paranormal romance ever published. The books since Sands's move to Avon are far too serious to be funny and not gritty enough to be good Urban Fantasy.

There are too many characters in this book and too much backstory (If you haven't read the previous books, don't start with this one!) There's nothing here at all that is surprising or engaging. It was a decent read, but the romance doesn't develop so much as appear and the whodunnit aspect is very predictable. Fans of the series will probably like this one, but Sands has written far better books than this one.

My Grade: C-

Review: Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

Publisher: Avon/Harper Collins
Pub Date: July 27, 2010
Pages: 361
ISBN: 9780061783166

Color me surprised, but I didn't expect to like this one. Mencheres has always seemed--well--old every time he appeared in the Cat and Bones series. But since we've only seen him described from Cat's point of view, it stands to reason that there might be more to him than meets the eye.

And he is ancient. No doubt about that. Scary, too.

But Frost was able to not only counter my preconceived notions of how he would act and what he would do--she made me love him more than just a little bit.

As with the previous book in the "Night Huntress World," this one is told in the 3rd person--instead of the 1st person narration found in the Cat and Bones stories.

What made this one work a bit better for me than the Spade's book (although I enjoyed that one, too) was the fact that this is not a damsel in distress story. Not really. This book is about Mencheres. His past, present, and future. And about his realization that even after thousands of years, life can still surprise him.

We get a few cameos from other characters, but they remain firmly on the sidelines of the story. And I adored the heroine, Kira. She's just an incredibly solid person who had some bad things happen to her both personally and professionally. But she doesn't whine about it. She learns from it and moves on.  Even her borderline TSTL moves that endangers her life  make moral sense for her. She just doesn't have the information she needs to avoid getting into trouble.

My Grade: A-

You can pick up your copy at Amazon , Bn.com, Borders.com, Book Depository, Books a Million

Review: Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse #1) by Charlaine Harris [Audiobook]

Format: Download via Audible
Pub Date: 2001
Audio Pub Date: 2007
Narrator: Johanna Parker
Run Time: 9 hrs 27 minutes
Publisher: Recorded Books

Sookie Stackhouse is small town bar maid living in the rural Louisiana town of Bon Temps. And she has a disability: she can read people's minds, hear their thoughts in her head.

Vampires have recently come "out of the coffin" to the general public, but Sookie has yet to see one. Until Bill, the Vampire, walks into Merlott's Bar. She's fascinated by him. And especially happy to learn that unlike regular humans, Bill's mind is a closed door.
Sookie's burgeoning romance with Bill the Vampire isn't the only thing on her mind, however, when a group of grisly murders occurs in Bon Temps--and her brother is accused of the crime.

Lover Mine by JR Ward

 This is going to be a short, sweet review because I don't want to try to write a detailed review that avoids spoilers. I'm just too lazy.

This is absolutely not a book to read as a stand-alone. Too much back story is needed to explain what happened to Xhex as well as the current state of multiple relationships. So, if you have not read the rest of the series, do not start with this one.

Ward has always been big on the melodrama. She has an almost cinematic style of writing, where actions often speak louder than words. And, given John Matthew is mute, that writing style is even more apparent here. In fact, the lack of extensive dialogue adds to the charm.

John Matthew definitely feels years older in this book. Which is both weird and necessary. We first meet John Matthew as a skinny pretrans in Lover Eternal (#2 in the series). We watch him develop from a lonely, but almost adolescent, vampire to one who has experienced trauma, seen violence, and been forced to grow up emotionally way too early. Who is still incredibly lonely.

I could have done without all of the subplots and story archs. It just felt like too much. And, although they do tie with the main plot at the end, I didn't feel like they added any real depth, except for the Qhuinn and Blay scenes. Midway through, I began skimming those side stories.

Without those scenes, this would probably have been one of my favorite Black Dagger Brotherhood books. I was amazed by how Ward was able to show Xhex as both strong and vulnerable. And the interactions between John and Xhex, their conversations, are probably the most romantic I've read in a long, long time. Bordering on the sappy, perhaps, but while you're reading them, they seriously tug the heart strings.

My Grade: B+

Review: The Vampire and the Virgin by Kerrelyn Sparks

Kerrelyn Sparks is usually a go-to author for quirky, sometimes hilarious vampire novels. They always have substance and serious issues, too, but the books are usually so filled with charm that they end up feeling lighter than they really are. I'm not quite sure what happened with this book, but it is clearly NOT light, not funny, and ultimately not as good as the rest of the series.

The book opens with Robby MacKay, a character from several previous novels in the series, intent on revenge for the torture he endured at the hands of the Malcontents (bad vampires). Also a vampire, Robby is just now recovering from his wounds and, due to lingering anger issues, is sent by his boss (and great, great grandfather) Angus to a remote Greek island for four months of physical rehabilitation and mental healing. While there, he meets Olivia Sotiris, an FBI agent with a paranormal ability of her own, who is also recovering from emotional trauma on the island.

Review: Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Unlike early fans of the series, I'm a late arrival. Which means I didn't have to wait for each book to be released and read #2-4 back to back. Which might have influenced my reviews just a little bit.

I can honestly say that this is my least favorite of the Night Huntress books so far. I really didn't enjoy it as much. It's not terrible by any means, but it did come across as melodramatic and repetitive.

Cat and Bones are settling into their lives as husband and wife: vampire style. That is until a vampire named Gregor interrupts their honeymoon in Paris by invading Cat's dreams and insisting she is married to him and not Bones. And that Mencheres stole those memories from her. Added to that is the fact that Gregor is capable of abducting people while they are dreaming and it causes Cat to have some serious doubts about who she really is and what she wants.

Review: One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Okay, I admit it. I should have read these books earlier. I can't believe I passed them by. I finally caved to the blogosphere and twitter pressure and picked up the only Night Huntress novel at the closest Borders. It happened to be book #2, One Foot in the Grave.

One Foot in the Grave takes place 4 years after the first in the series. Catherine "Cat" Crawfield has moved on, as best as she is able, after leaving Bones. She now heads an elite black ops style government operation dedicated to taking down the bad vamps.  The irony, of course, is that Cat is still in love with Bones (a vamp) and is half vamp herself.

While I liked Bones, I didn't feel the same slave-like devotion for him that so many Twitter devotees seem to have. I did find Cat to be incredibly compelling, though. She felt 100% real. Which is kind of unusual for paranormal romances.  I don't think I've read a more emotionally genuine character recently. She's kick ass without being cold. She's vulnerable without being wimpy. Loved, loved, loved her.

Review: Nice Girls Don't Live Forever by Molly Harper

Yes, it’s yet another paranormal romance vampire book. The trend that just won’t die. But I’m one of those readers who really doesn’t want it to. I like my vampire romances. As long as they’re done well. And they have great characters. And you can’t go wrong with a snarky, southern librarian turned antiquarian book selling vampire named Jane.

This is definitely one of the funniest books I’ve read so far this year. Nice Girls Don't Live Forever is the 3rd in the series, and I haven’t read the previous two. I’m of the firm opinion that each book should stand on its own merits, and this one definitely does. I wasn’t lost at all, despite some pretty extensive backstory. What did confuse me, though, was that this book, the conclusion of a trilogy, had very little hero in it. He shows up abruptly for about 3 or 4 scenes (a fight or a sex scene), then disappears just as abruptly.

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.

Be Still My Vampire Heart by Kerrelyn Sparks

Kerrelyn Sparks is quickly becoming a favorite paranormal romance author. Her series is a wonderful blend of romance, fantasy and humor similar to Lynsay Sands. Her characters in the Love at Stake series are always wonderfully believable and very unique. Each one with his or her own quirks, dreams, weaknesses, and motivations. Be Still My Vampire Heart is no exception.

Because I started the series in the middle (and there is a chronology of sorts), reading backlist titles by Sparks means that I already know who hooks up with whom. I'm not sure if that helps or hurts the book's plot for me. But with Be Still My Vampire Heart, it means that two important characters who appear throughout the series have to have a strong story of their own. And they do.

Angus is one of my favorite characters. A little old-fashioned. Even a little curmudgeon-ish.
Emma is a perfect match for his "antiquated" notions of honor because she follows her own code--one that does not always mesh with modern mores. And she can appreciate Angus's character traits that are often politically incorrect--without taking offense. Because while Angus is protective, overbearing, dictatorial and gruff, he never treats Emma as somehow less than he is. He respects her. And that is a crucial element.

Sparks's story is not frivolous. There are some serious issues being dealt with. But her characterization and dialogue is so funny, that you find yourself smiling along. Particularly when Angus checks under his kilt to make sure his important bits arrived safe and sound during vampire transit.