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Review: Coveted by Shawntelle Madison

Format: Mass market paperback
Pub Date: May 2012
Publisher: Ballantine/Random House
Length: 291 pages
FTC: Received for free at an RT Convention

My friend, Sandy, urged me to read this book when I first picked up my copy at an RT Convention (I honestly can't remember which one!) I promised her I would...and of course it's been at least 1 year, but maybe 3 since I've had the book and haven't read it. Well..I'm digging out print books from my TBR and it was this book's time.

I admit, if I'd known this was about an OCD hoarding werewolf, I might have tried it earlier. Because honestly? That's unusual, even in the land of strange. 

Review: How to Run with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

Format: mass market, ebook
Pub Date: December 31, 2013
Publisher: Pocket
Length: 352 pages
FTC: e-ARC courtesy of the publisher

"I was the ass-backward Red Riding Hood."

As much as I like Molly Harper's writing style, I have to admit that her books aren't super memorable. I remember reading both of the previous installments in this series, but I can't tell you anything about them except that they were funny. Which, sometimes, is all you need.

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: Under Her Skin by Jeaniene Frost, Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook

Format: ebook
Pub Date: October 2010
Publisher: Stories originally published by Running Press in the Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance.
Length: 101 pages
FTC: Purchased myself during a sale of some kind

This month's TBR Challenge theme is paranormal or romantic suspense. And, since I spaced the challenge again until exactly two days ago, I decided to scope out my digital TBR for a quick read. I picked this up during a promotional sale some time ago, and promptly forgot about it. Basically, here are three short stories, repackaged from another book. I normally love all three authors, but two out of three of these stories were decidedly underwhelming.

Review: Changeling Dream by Dani Harper

Format: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Kensington Brava
Pub Date: June 28, 2011  (different version prev. pubbed as Heart of the Winter Wolf)
Length: 376 pages
FTC: Review copy courtesy of the publisher
(Spoilers!)

This one surprised me by how much I liked it. It's sort of like a Rip Van Winkle werewolf story, which is unusual by itself. But it's also set in Canada, which I found a bit refreshing, too.

Dani Harper has a strong voice, something I always appreciate. There's nothing worse than picking up a book that reads just like every other book out there, but thankfully that wasn't the case here.

Review: Never Cry Wolf by Cynthia Eden

Format: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Kensington Brava
Pub Date: July 2011
FTC: Review copy courtesy of the publisher


I've been meaning to read Cynthia Eden's books for quite some time.  Her romantic suspense books come very highly recommended, but I haven't heard much about her paranormal series. I've been on a bit of a shifter binge lately, so Never Cry Wolf fit right in.

I have no idea why, but the pack came off a bit like a biker gang. It's likely the absence of women shifters in this story, but there doesn't seem to be any community here. And that's what I like about shifter books: the way packs have both an animal hierarchy and a human support system. It felt weird not to find that here.

Review: The Alpha and the Omega by Patricia Briggs

Format: ebook; available in print as part of an anthology
Pub Date: Oct 2008
Publisher: Berkley
Length: 160 kb, 86 pages (accord. to Goodreads)
FTC: Purchased myself

Having just finished up the Mercy Thompson series on audio, I had a craving for more Patricia Briggs books. And since the next Mercy book isn't scheduled for publication until 2013, I debated trying the Alpha and Omega series. After getting used to Mercy's first person narrative, I wasn't sure if the 3rd person POV would work for me. Thankfully, it did.

I'm very glad I listened to advice I received on Twitter to read this story BEFORE reading the official first novel, Cry Wolf. Because this story contains the entire set up for the book. I think I would have been left feeling like I got dumped in media res if I didn't have the story to fill in the blanks. And that would have been annoying.

Quickie Audiobook review: River Marked by Patricia Briggs

Format: Audio download
Length: 8 hrs 54 minutes
Narrator: Lorelei King
Pub Date: March 2011
FTC: Purchased myself

I've listened to the entire Mercy series in the last few months. I haven't reviewed them (bad Amber) except for the first one, but I have been flying through them as much as the format would allow. Although I loved the previous installments in the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, I just didn't enjoy River Marked. At least until the last 1.5 hrs of it.

Maybe it's because Briggs played with her formula, but due to certain developments, there is no romantic tension in this book. None. And that was part of what I loved about Mercy.

There was also a huge emphasis on Native American religion and mythology. Something that quite frankly bores me to tears. I liked the fey, the vampires, the werewolves etc. I have zero interest in characters from the Native American creation myths come to life. It's just not my cup of tea.

Another irritant was the limited number of characters in this book. Because Mercy and Adam are on their own, we see the rest of the larger cast of characters only at the beginning and the very end. Or through an occasional phone call.  Taking these two out of their circle of family and friends did not work for me at all.  Those relationships are what keep the series afloat and provide much of the charm.

The last part of the book was much, much better. Probably because we get some action. There's a huge  battle, filled with terror, loss, angst, and lots of emotion.

The narration, as always, was terrific. The characters sound unique without being grating, and Ms. King manages to convey character emotions and attitude.

I found myself really disappointed in this book, even though the ending did bring up the grade quite a bit. The pace, the lack of romantic tension, the vague sense of stagnation where nothing really happens all made this a meh listening experience for me.

My Grade: C

Waiting on Wednesday: Cipher by Moira Rogers

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 loving hands on.

I'm a huge fan of Moira Rogers's Southern Arcana series. It has great characters, scorching chemistry, and plenty of heart. I just finished up Deadlock (book #3 in the series) and now cannot wait for Cipher which doesn't come out until SEPTEMBER! That's a long, long time to wait. But since it's Kat's story, I'm sure it will be wonderful.

Format: ebook
Pub Date: September 2011
Publisher: Samhain

The Blurb:

Fourteen months ago, Kat Gabriel's life changed forever when she used her empathy as a weapon. Now she can't escape the weight of those deaths--or the loss of the easy friendship she and Andrew once shared. Obsessed with her mother's violent past, Kat is determined to learn the truth of her inner-darkness by understanding her legacy.

Since the attack that turned him into a wolf, Andrew Callaghan has done everything possible to make himself stronger. More capable of protecting Kat--both from the supernatural world that forced her to kill, and from their own volatile connection. Pushing her away hurt them both, but he's finally made himself into the protector she needs.

As Kat's quest leads her into the darkest underbelly of the psychic world, Andrew is determined to be at her side. But every step forward reopens old emotional wounds and shakes their control. For a dangerous alpha and a deadly psychic, distraction could be fatal--especially when the greatest threat they pose is to each other.

Review: Cry Sanctuary by Moira Rogers

Format: ebook

Once again, late to the party. Sigh.

I've followed Moira Rogers (well, half of her*) on Twitter for quite some time. I've heard great things about the Red Rock Pass series, but it wasn't until Amazon offered Cry Sanctuary for free in the Kindle store that I gave it a try.

Well...strategic marketing strikes again because I am hooked. My Ipod Touch is likely still steaming from the heat this book had. I could slap myself for not caving to peer pressure sooner. This book rocked.

The Blurb:

He is tired of fighting. She has nowhere to run.

Keith Winston is tired of fighting. The war between werewolves and wizards rages on in Europe, but he's come home to Red Rock, Montana in hopes of finding a bit of peace. Instead he finds more strife as he struggles against the pack's dictates that he resume his place as the alpha's right-hand man.
When he rescues a new wolf on the run, he knows his instant attraction to her could cause trouble. What he doesn't expect is to find himself embroiled in another battle that goes against all his instincts-and his heart.

Abigail Adler learned about the existence of werewolves only when she became one. With her life threatened by a corrupt alpha, she flees to the only sanctuary she knows: Red Rock. While she's grateful for the pack's protection, she chafes under its unbreakable rules of conduct-except when it comes to submitting to the passion Keith stirs in her.

Then her tormentor kidnaps her sister in an attempt to lure her out of hiding. To save her, Abby and Keith must be willing to do the very thing that could get them all killed-break all of the rules.

I'm kind of apathetic about werewolf romances in general. I don't hate them, but they aren't my favorite type of paranormal romance.  But I really enjoyed both the set up of this novel and the way that the werewolf part of the story focused more on the politics and social dynamics than on the paranormal aspect.

What surprised me was the way the characters in this novel jumped out at me. As many of you know, I'm a character reader first. And I don't mind if it takes a bit to develop characters in a book enough so that I am invested in them. But I didn't have to wait with this one. The main characters (Abby and Keith) and virtually every single secondary character connected with me immediately. I'm going to have to reread this one just to see how the authors pulled it off, but considering the somewhat shorter length of the book, they packed a lot of characterization in--without skimping on the relationships, the setting, the action, or the world building.

The only thing that bugged me was the nearly instant attraction trope between the two main leads. I know it's a common thing in werewolf romances, but I like my characters to spend some time getting to know each other first before hopping into a physical relationship. Especially if we're supposed to believe that relationship deepens into love.

*Moira Rogers is a two person writing team, Bree and Donna.

My Grade: A-

Review: Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole

Garreth MacRieve is the Prince of the Lykae--reluctantly leading the werewolves since the disappearance of his brother over a century ago. He stumbles upon his fated mate, Lucia, during an immortal rugby match and is determined to protect and claim her. Not any easy task given who the fates have chosen.

Our Valkyrie heroine, Lucia, is unwilling to be mated to anyone, even though she is attracted to Garreth. And she does have a few good reasons for her resistance. Known as The Archer in the Lore, she is bound by a vow of chastity made to the goddess Skathi. If she breaks her vow, her extraordinary archery skills will be rescinded. And it's not only her vow that keeps her from accepting Garreth. Darker secrets she's sworn to take to her grave are an even bigger obstacle to their happily ever after.

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.

You're So Vein by Christine Warren

Finding a new author to try in the paranormal subgenre can be difficult. New releases are often part of a larger series--which can be confusing for those who haven't read the previous novels. Fortunately, this wasn't the case for Warren's newest, You're So Vein. Although obviously the newest in a series about the "Others," Warren manages to strike a good balance between important backstory/explanations and skimping on the main story line.

I really liked ALL of the characters--even the extremely witchy heroine that no one else seemed to be able to stand.

Although not as unique in voice as J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, the characters and feistiness found in Warren's Other series makes it well worth the effort of tracking down the previous installments.