DL's 2008 challenge

This year I think I'll aim for 150...

Book number one is Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Review:

First I wanted to mention that the edition which I'm reviewing is the HarperTeen movie tie-in edition. I don't know if this is any different than any other version, there is no indication of this on the book, but I wanted to mention it in case there is.

Eighteen year old Tristran Thorne is a little different than the rest of his family, although he is not aware of this. What he is aware of is the lovely Victoria Forrester whose heart he is determined to win no matter what the cost. When Victoria promises to grant him any wish, from marriage to a simple kiss, if he can bring back a fallen star, Tristran immediately sets out to do so. However, Tristran is in for a surprise for the star is not such a simple thing to find and carry. Not to mention the fact that he is not the only one with designs on obtaining the star for his own purposes.

I became interested in reading this story after seeing the movie preview. The book surprised me a little. The story was quite simple and there didn't really seem to be a lot of depth to the tale. Although I enjoyed the various characters, with Tristran as my favorite, none of them became "real" to me as they do in some stories. My favorite part came at the end although I do have to say that if the story had ended with the second to last chapter instead of going on, I would have liked it even better. All in all I thought this was an entertaining tale, but not a book I will be interested in reading again. I have the feeling that this may turn out to be one where I enjoy the movie version more.

Jen,

I felt the same way about Stardust. Especially after someone in my office told me I just HAD to read it, because it was so wonderful! She thought it was cool for so many elements that are present in most fantasy novels, apparently she doesn't read much. Not a bad edition to the teen fantasy genre, but nowadays the stories are becoming much more fleshed out and this one sort of falls short of that.

I did enjoy the movie a lot more. I think you will too. It was done pretty well special effects-wise and I like the embellishments. Charlie Cox was great as Tristan (they took that second "r" out) and Robert Deniro was great as the pirate! Also if you are watching it on DVD, pause at the beginning and zoom in to read the letter, it was funny...

P.S. Glad to hear you finally made your way to a proper bookstore ;-p And I really did enjoy the Ranger Apprentice books! Though they all end of a bit of a cliff hanger and the next one isn't out yet...I hate waiting!

Hope you had a great holiday season!!

Ilithyia - I tried all day Sunday and Monday to get my 7 y.o. to watch the movie with me, but he wouldn't do it. I had to give in since he had the flu and I felt really bad for him! What you said about the second "r" made me laugh! I read the whole book thinking "Tristan" and never even noticed the second "r" until I was writing the review and double checked the spelling of the name. This weekend I'll have to make a point of watching the movie for sure!!

So, I've finished book number 2 for 2008. This one is a contemporary romance called Coming Undone by Susan Andersen

Review -

When Jared was 17 he was falsely accused of murdering his father. Lost in the city and on the run he found an acceptance he had never experienced before in the form of streetwise 13 year old P.J. Morgan.

Now it is 15 years later and the girl Jared had been closer to than anyone for a brief fleeting moment in time was an up and coming country music star and he the security specialist hired by her music label to make sure she made it to her concerts on time.

When P.J. threw open her hotel room door to see the man who was once the teen she idolized it was like a dream come true. That is, until she found out he had been hired to baby sit her due to false accusations of unreliability being spewed by her money laundering, former manager mother.

Now P.J. and Jared are stuck together in close quarters with a mile of hurt between them. Will they be able to overcome the prejudices of their pasts to save P.J. from a delusional stalker and to claim a love just out of their reach?

I think of almost all the contemporary romances I've read "Coming Undone" is probably the one I've most enjoyed. I really liked the background between P.J. and Jared and thought it added a lot to the story. The attraction between the two main characters didn't overwhelm the plot of the story and I thought the stalker element added the right amount of danger to keep a reader interested. Both P.J. and Jared seemed like realistic characters in both their strengths and their flaws. I'd certainly have no trouble recommending this romance to anyone who enjoys action filled and suspenseful contemporary romances.

Number 3 for 2008 was Taming the Beast, Feline Breeds Book 1 by Lora Leigh

Number 4 for 2008 is Total Control by Pamela Britton

Review -

This one is by far the best Pamela Britton NASCAR romance I've read so far. When the bad boy of her last romance novel, Todd Peters, misses not one, but two visits set up by the Miracles foundation with Benjamin, a boy fighting leukemia Miracles worker, Indie Wilcox, takes matters into her own hands and hunts the irresponsible NASCAR star down. All Todd wanted to do was enjoy his last bit of freedom before his obligations for guest appearances, talk shows and fan signings takes up all his time again. But, when Indie informs him of his unknowingly missed visits he immediately decides to make time. It is a decision that would alter his life because soon he is immersed in the life of not only Indie, but her chronically ill charge, and is determined to do anything and everything it takes to create a miracle they all desperately need.

Although this is a romance, it is certainly a story of more depth as this previously self-centered driver realizes there are things much more important in life than winning. I really enjoyed it. As always with these NASCAR romances, the story is much more innocent than the majority of romances you will see in the book store, with all the raciness taking place during the race track race scenes. I guess what I was looking for was a sweet story with an emotional ending which this one certainly delivered.

Number 5 - Both Sides of Time by Caroline B. Cooney

Review -

Annie Lockwood wants to change her life, starting with, Sean, her unromantic boyfriend and ending with her dysfunctional parents. Determined to accomplish this she tracks down Sean at the old Stratton mansion and finds herself falling through a century of time. 100 years in the past Annie encounters Strat who is everything she expects of a boyfriend and they fall in love. But, when Annie fails in her apparent duty to discover a murderer and save a falsely accused serving girl Time sends her back home again. Will Annie ever find a way to return to the past and set things right? More importantly, will she ever see her beloved Strat again?

When I first began this book I really wasn't very sure I would finish. All of the characters seemed incredibly selfish, stuck in their own problems and unable to see anything beyond themselves, most especially the heroine, Annie. However, as with many stories, part of the journey is to see if the characters can change. I have noticed with many of the YA novels I've read written in the 1990s there seems to be a certain apartness to the writing, characters and plot, which never really allows you to fully immerse yourself in the story. Perhaps this was the required style for publication, but I'm generalizing and not really sure. Although the characters pretty much remained two-dimensional and never totally fleshed out there was a sufficient amount of maturing, most especially with Strat when he finally woke up and took charge at the end. Overall I enjoyed the story enough to move on to the second book of this series.

Number 6 & Number 7 Out of Time and Prisoner of Time by Caroline B. Cooney.

#8 - Seven Year Seduction by Heidi Betts, a very cute and fluffy little contemporary romance.

#9 - The Waterlord by Dawn Thompson

Review -

Lady Becca is on the run from a marriage that her father has arranged to settle a gambling debt. On a dark and stormy night her carriage overturns and she finds herself and her abigale rescued by a handsome, enigmatic man, exiled Swedish Count Klaus Lindegren. As Becca waits for her abigale to recover the Count tells her tales, myths and legends, weaving a spell around her about the Fossegrim, enchanted otherworldly water creatures in male form who haunt waterfalls and must seduce a mortal woman during the mating time, never to see her again afterwards. As Becca becomes more entranced by the Count and the dreams she has about him her alarm grows exponentially. Could there be more than simple fable to the Count's legends? Could he be one of the Fossegrim in some strange way trying to warn her away before she becomes his next conquest?

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this story, but some that became a bit tiresome. Much of the book Klaus spent chasing after and looking for Becca. Fortunately, the chases were interesting, just repetitive. The other thing is that I thought Klaus seemed a tad off for a hero. He seemed powerless to do anything although I believe we are supposed to perceive him as a powerful entity and almost every decision he made turned out to be wrong despite his seeming intelligence. Of course, the supporting characters of the story all marked it up to "Love Madness" so I guess that is the simple explanation. Despite these things the book kept me interested and I was never bored. It was very nice to explore a different sort of paranormal myth than what you usually find and the characters were likeable, even Klaus who I often felt rather sorry for. All in all a pretty decent novel, especially for those who enjoy their historicals and paranormals mixed together.

Book 10 - Lady of the Lakes by J.C. Hall

Review -

Outcast from his own people due to his odd colored eyes and their superstitious beliefs, Corryn had waited four seasons by the lake to pledge himself as a liegeman to the warrior he had once helped. Now the warrior returned as if from nowhere, locked in a deadly battle out on the lake. Afterward Corryn discovers something about his long awaited warrior he never expected.

Known as "The Lady of the Lakes" Jessarna has many tasks ahead of her. Not the least of which is the recovery of her infant cousin, entrusted to her care and lost to a wicked enemy. Although she has not the time nor inclination to take on a liegeman she acknowledges a debt to Corryn and agrees to allow him to accompany her so that she may teach him and absolve her duty for his assistance.

Together Corryn and the Lady undertake a quest to find both an infant and a deadly traitor, never expecting where the road ahead might lead them.

Although we are only into February, I think that this book might find a place among my favorites of the year. Certainly it is my favorite read so far this year. I really liked Corryn a lot. He certainly wasn't perfect, which I rather like, but he was earnest and brave, totally dedicated to his Lady. Jess seemed a lot like a hedgehog, all prickly on the surface, but pretty soft and warm underneath. They were both very sympathetic characters. The plot moved along nicely and although there is a rather large host of supporting characters, for the most part I was able to keep them all straight, which is an accomplishment for me LOL! The only point I can really say was a little off putting was a typesetting error, an underline that kept appearing throughout the text. But, it certainly wasn't enough to keep me from really enjoying this story. I think that those who like the quest style fantasy stories, without their being overly epic, will really enjoy this book.

Book 11 Gravitation: Voice of Temptation by Jun Lennon

Review -

I came across Gravitation originally checking out different anime. Gravitation really struck a chord with me for its strong, rather dysfunctional, personalities and I couldn't help but follow the story through to the end of the series. So, when I was a B&N this past weekend I had to take a look at the manga which had inspired the anime. I was amazed to discover this novelization based on the manga/anime and there was no way I was going to walk out the door without it!

Basically, Gravitation is the story of an up and coming rock star, Shuichi Shindou, who together with his guitarist/best friend have formed a band called Bad Luck. Shuichi's chance encounter with a rude romance novelist, Erie Yuki, has long lasting repercussions for the young musician as he finds himself obsessed with the man who blatantly insulted the lyrics of a song he was writing. Soon enough the wacky, over-excitable Shuichi and the dry, abrasive Yuki become one of the oddest couples imaginable.

This particular book takes up after Bad Luck’s popularity has brought them to the point of mad, stalker fans and starting off on a country-wide concert tour. Shuichi is having kittens because of his separation from Yuki, who of course, appears completely indifferent to Shuichi’s leaving. When Shuichi is unable to reach or find his dearly beloved it is up to his band mates, gun toting manager and spasmatic producer to try and keep him under control and singing which, for the most part, doesn’t really work out very well.

After having watched the anime it was easy enough to picture the odd scenes of chaos, crying and physical comedy described, although I imagine the descriptions would seem mighty weird to someone unfamiliar with what the action was supposed to be. It had its humorous moments and the story was basically interesting. What I didn’t like is that the author seemed to have a pre-disposition to really disliking Yuki. Granted, I haven’t read the manga and am unsure if he is as physically abusive to Shuichi there as this novelization depicted (I hope not) but my previous impression of Yuki’s personality from the anime is much different than what is shown here. I know that he is not the nicest guy in the world, but this was a bit much. Also, I just didn’t get the rationalization of what was going on at the end of the book, if there even was one. I don’t want to give any spoilers so I’ll just say I was very confused.

Although I think the book could have been much better, I wasn’t completely disappointed. There is some mature content and I would recommend it for older teen and adult fans of the anime and/or manga series.

Since I was on vacation this past week visiting relatives I had ample opportunity to do a bit of reading. Here are the novels I've read over the last week:

Book 12 - No Time to Lose (no touchstone) – Carrie Weaver

Mechanical engineer Jamie Tanner always loved to work on engines, particularly the race engines that her father made at his small, independent motor shop. Unfortunately, with a mother that would rather see her daughter model as the Poultry Princess Jamie found herself denied the family legacy and working on minivans until her father’s heart attack brought her home and her bother’s plea for help had her working, at least temporarily, in the shop position she desired.

Ryan Pearce is a new driver on the NASCAR Nextel circuit but isn’t having much luck. He knows how to drive, but there is something very wrong with the Tanner engine running his race car. One more loss could mean losing his all important sponsorship. However, when Jamie comes to check out the engine against all odds he discovers something he vowed never to look for…something he wants almost as much as a win.

This was another cute, very innocent, NASCAR romance, which really don’t resemble any other type of romance I’ve read. Really, outside of a few kisses, there is nothing going on between the two romantic leads. There is a good plot revolving around the potential of someone close to Ryan sabotaging his engine and around the trials and tribulations of a race team that is struggling which is interesting. If you like NASCAR racing along with a little mystery and don’t mind a bit romance thrown into your stories, this one would be a good one for you.

Book 13 - Pagan in Exile – Catherine Jinks

I really hadn’t intended to pick up any more novels until I’ve read some of my TBR pile, but what can I say? I was on vacation and checking out the local bookstore. I HAD to buy something! And, I certainly do not at all regret picking up this book, although I have to say if I had a larger selection I might have missed out on it. This particular tale is the middle book of an ongoing young adult, historical fiction series of a teenage squire during the time of the Crusades. Despite coming in at the middle, the story line was very easy to pick up. I didn’t feel as if I missed anything by not having read the first few books of the series. Pagan is the Arab/Christian squire to Templar Knight, Lord Roland. Born and raised in a monastery in Bethlehem, when his Lord’s quest takes him home to England to enlist his family’s assistance in the Crusade, Pagan feels himself dreadfully out of place. But, the reactions of the local peasants to his appearance are nothing compared to the horror that is Lord Roland’s family and when Roland reluctantly takes up the championship of the local heretic it may change their destiny forever.

When I first started reading I really wasn’t sure I’d like it. Personally, I always found the ideal behind the Crusades rather distasteful, being fully of the mindset that people should be allowed to think for themselves, both in their religion and in every other aspect of their life. However, even though the book is told from the POV of a squire dedicated to his Lord’s ideals, Pagan is a free enough thinker that I didn’t feel preached to at all. Also, I found the way the book was written to be wonderfully unique, written in the first person, but without excessive use of “I” (at least that I noticed). The story was more told by reading Pagan’s mind. Once I got used to it, I really enjoyed it a lot! Pagan himself is a delightful mix of wry humor, intelligence, naivety and complete loyalty to his Lord. I really loved this quote about hunting, which made me crack up entirely:

“How terrible to think that for all these years, I’ve missed out on the joys of hunting. The thrill of standing behind a bush for half a day. The breathless excitement of gnat bites. The gut-wrenching sound of dogs sniffing each other’s genitals. Now I can see what all the fuss is about.”

I do think the story was probably written with teen boys in mind, but I (not being either a teen or a boy) also found it to be very enjoyable. I’d highly recommend it to all teens who enjoy adventure/fantasy and adventure/historical type tales and adults who enjoy the same.

Book 14- The Untamed One – Rhonda Thompson

Jackson Wulf is one of the cursed brothers, the Wild Wulfs of London. Determined to discover the witch he must destroy to break his family’s curse, Jackson is lead to the young Lucinda, who is in the midst of bearing a baby alone in the woods. Lucinda trusts no man, having been drugged and raped, then threatened with the death of her unborn child. However, when Jackson Wulf risks his life to help her, despite his initial proclamation of planning to kill her, Lucinda is startled to discover that perhaps there is one man worthy of her trust. And when Jackson agrees to protect her child on the condition that she find a way to break his curse, the time they spend together might lead to something even more compelling than a simple bargain.

I’ve really enjoyed the Wild Wulfs of London werewolf stories I’ve read so far, and this was no exception. It has everything one would look for in a paranormal romance and doesn’t feel at all awkward or as though she is trying to copy someone else’s writing style. Both Jackson and Luncinda were compelling characters that made you want to care about what happens to them. I’d highly recommend this, and the other Wulf stories, to anyone who enjoys the paranormal romance genre.

Book 15 Marked – P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

I have to say that I’ve enjoyed almost all the young adult/urban fantasy young adult books I’ve read over the last couple years and Marked was certainly a great addition to this genre. In this world, vampyres are known, although not really very accepted, by the general population of the world. In fact, ordinary teens might find themselves walking down the halls of a normal high school only to be suddenly “marked” as a vampyre and taken away from their family and their life to that point. This is what has happened to our young heroine, Zoey Redbird. However, even among the super special fledgling vamps Zoey is something else. She has been chosen by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx herself, for a destiny that is sure to require not only her special paranormal gifts, but her very human personality and perseverance against something dark and deadly in the school.

Set up to be the first book of a series, it was nice that Marked had a fairly decent ending that didn’t involve any cliffhangerishness (thank you!) I think this has the potential of being a pretty good set of stories. Although the characters are fairly set, there is enough ambiguousness around some of them to leave you wondering if they are good, bad or otherwise and I think this is the mystery that will draw me back. Certainly a must have for those looking for a vampire fix while waiting for Stephenie Meyer’s next book or for teen girls those who enjoy urban fantasies in general.

Book 16 For All Time – Caroline B. Cooney

Annie Lockwood has never forgotten Strat, the love of her life lost in time back in the 1800s. So, when she sees a newspaper article announcing the new Egyptian exhibit in New York City and feels her beloved through the news ink she knows she must do anything to get there and convince Time to once again reunite her with him. However, as Annie has learned in the past, Time is not always so cooperative and when Annie finds herself in Ancient Egypt instead of the 1800s she discovers she may not only have lost her love forever, but her very life in the bargain.

Strat has been living as a photographer in Egypt for some time, using his small allowance from photographing tourists to assist Katie, who was working as a nurse in a lepers hospital in Spain. Through everything Strat continued to think of his lost love, Annie, and pray that wherever or whenever she was, that she was safe.

After reading the first three books of this set, I really felt I would enjoy reading the conclusion as well. I’m very glad I did, since I actually liked this book much more than the first three. Since the narrative was pretty much equally split between Annie and Strat, not to mention the new addition of an Egyptian Princess and deceitful private investigator, I found the stories much more interesting this time around. Annie wasn’t as much the main character which is something that I kind of liked. The ending scene in Egypt was very exciting and really made it all worthwhile. The very, very ending was a little unclear to me in the how and why department, although certainly of a finite nature and not begging of another story. All in all I thought this was a pretty interesting series of young adult, historical fiction.

(Psst--I notice that in your previous post you marked two books as #13.)

>12 Medellia: Thanks! I'll have to fix that!

I guess that makes this book #17 -

Master of Wolves by Angela Knight -

Review -

Jim London has been raised as a werewolf with full knowledge of his duty to protect mankind should the mage vampires set in place by Merlin go mad from their own power. When his childhood friend is brutally slaughtered he goes on a quest to find the answer. His cover is to infiltrate the Clarkston Police Department as Rambo, drug dog extrodinaire. What he didn't expect was to fall in love with his beautiful handler, the distrustful Officer Faith Weston.

Although I found this book a fairly interesting addition to Angela Knight's mageverse series, the characters didn't seem to have the same spark to me as others in the past. I can't really put my finger on why. The story did serve to move ahead her series as a whole and it was nice to see more of a connection beween Arthur and Gwen, I had always thought they didn't really like eachother very much. I think if you're a big fan of werewolf romances, this one would be a pretty good choice even if you're not familiar with Knight's other works.

#18 Pagan's Crusade by Catherine Jinks

Review -

I loved the second book of this series so much I had to go back and read the first!

Pagan Kidrouk is a teen desperate for a bit of protection from the nastiest of the nasty denizens of the Holy City. So, he does the only thing he can think of, volunteer as to work for the Templar Knights. There Pagan becomes squire to the Holiest of the Holy, Lord Roland, the pride of the Templar Knights. However, Jerusalem is a city in peril and when the infidels invade it is up to Pagan to protect his new found Lord with every bit of the cunning, wit and street smarts he has a this disposal.

After having picked up the second volume of this series on a whim, I wasn't sure I could possibly like going back and reading the first anywhere near as much. However, this book is quite almost as enjoyable as its sequel. It is odd considering these young adult, historical novels have nothing of what I usually look for in a book, romance or fantasy. I think it just has to be the unique way the stories are written. Pagan is such an amazing character (not to mention pretty funny to boot) that I can't help but want to read more about him. I certainly would have no problem recommending this book to middle school and high school students, as well as adults.

#19 Pagan's Vows by Catherine Jinks

Review -

Another compelling look into Pagan's world after he and Lord Roland enter a monastery. While Lord Roland looks for salvation Pagan discovers a plot to steal alms from the poor and becomes determined to reveal the conspiracy behind it.

It took me only one evening to read this book as I found it impossible to put down. There is just something about seeing the world through Pagan's eyes and mind that I find very appealing. It was so very easy to sympathize with Pagan's anger over the injustices in the abbey and his dissolving relationship with Lord Roland.

Although I know that the last book of this series is actually not told from Pagan's POV, I'm still looking forward to reading the resolution of this series.

#20 Discoveries by F.M. McPherson

Review -

Dave's life has fallen apart. He can no longer go home, his abusive father has burned their home down. He now lives with the family of his best friend, but Mike is no longer the person he used to be...quite literally. Mike has transformed into something else, something not human. Will Dave be able to get past both his tortured past and learn to cope with the fact that the only person he can trust now seems more animal than man?

Although I've said repeatedly that I dislike reading books online, I had to make an exception in this case because I liked "Secrets" so very much when I read it. In this sequel, the story continues told from the point of view of Dave, Mike's best friend. The book primarily deals with Dave trying to work through the horrors of his abuse at the hands of his father while simultaneously attempting to help keep together the family Mike's father's secret past is threatening to pull apart. Throughout the story Mike and Dave's relationship changes drastically from friends to true family, a transition that scares Dave even more because of his own past. The story is very emotional and interesting. Dave is an incredibly sympathetic character and I really felt drawn in by his pain and fears for his future.

This ebook is available for free on the author's website, www.fmmcpherson.com, where you can also learn more about "Secrets". I'm not sure how much sense this book would make as a stand alone and would strongly suggest reading "Secrets" first. I think this story is best suited for older teens to adults.

#21 The Dream Thief by Shana Abe

Review -

Amalia (Lia) Langford is the ungifted daughter of the drakon clan's talented leaders, or so everyone thought. Since she was a child Lia has known of her frightening gift, precognition. In her dreams she hears the song of the diamond, Draumr, and also knows that it is her heart and her love for a man which brings the diamond and great tragedy to her land and family. Despite her awareness of the future Lia is unable to stay away from Zane, master thief and the only human to know of the drakon's secrets. However, Lia will not give up on the future and is determined to do everything in her power to find the Draumr and destroy it before her love has a chance to destroy everything she holds dear.

This was an interesting story of a woman ostracized from her people and determined to save them all the same. The writing, characters and plotline were well developed. The parts depicting Lia's precognitive episodes added depth and a feeling of desperation to the story as you really want to hope that the visions she has won't be how Zane actually turns out to be. Although this is the second book of a series I’m not sure you would necessarily be lost without having read the first one. Personally I did read the first but remembered very little of it and was still able to follow the story. This is an engrossing tale which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to lovers of fantasy and/or romance.

#22 Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Review -

The night young Meggie saw the dark shadow of a man outside her window it filled her with a feeling of trepidation. When it became apparent that her father knew him and made plans to meet him the following day she thought it was a mistake. What Meggie didn't know was that her father held a secret. A dark secret that had stolen her mother and had brought an evil into their world that they could no longer hide from. And, in all of the enchanted worlds Meggie had cherished in books, she was now to discover that there was one book whose world had spilled into ours.

At its core the tale of "Inkheart" is a fairy tale with all the creatures, adventures and darkness you would typically find in one. However, at 59 chapters it is a bit of a longer fairy tale than most. Although I did find the story interesting with some exciting parts, unfortunately I have to say the majority of the time I felt as though the story did drag a bit. I can't really put my finger on why. I do have to say that even feeling the pace being a bit slow I did primarily enjoy the book. It was different to read a book which really plays homage to books and book lovers everywhere. It is apparent throughout the story that the author has and undying devotion to the art of "book loving". I also was very drawn to the character of Fenoglio and can very well imagine why he was so thrilled with his circumstances in the story. My favorite character by far was probably Farid and should I decide to pick up the sequel "Inkspell" it will be due to my curiosity about his fate.

All in all this was a pleasant book which allows the reader to come and go as they please without the necessity of feeling that you have to sit and finish the entire book in one sitting. Recommended to voracious fantasy lovers everywhere.

#23 Pagan's Scribe by Catherine Jinks

Review -

All Isidore wants is to be allowed to read. However, the backwater village has no books and he believes he is doomed to misery. That is, until chance brings a very unusual Archdeacon and his sick scribe to his village. When Archdeacon Pagan Kidrouk discovers the intelligent young Isidore he is more than happy to press the serious young man into service as his scribe. However, serving Father Kidrouk is harder than Isidore could ever imagine. And Isidore has a secret, a devil inside that could jeopardize his new position and cause the Archdeacon to return him to where he started, which is the last place Isidore ever wants to be again.

Although I immensely enjoyed the first three books of Pagan's adventures, unfortunately Isidore's narrative wasn't quite as compelling. Where Pagan's inner voice was delightfully sarcastic and quick-witted, Isidore's is more pious and unforgiving. Also, it seemed as though the author allowed Pagan more opportunity to grow and learn through his experiences. Although I liked Isidore as a character, it was primarily his observations of Pagan that I enjoyed the most about this story, and not he himself. In that, I really enjoyed watching Pagan and his relationships with other familiar characters through a stranger's eyes. I also felt that the ending of the story seemed very abrupt, almost as though it had been chopped off and bandaged with the addition of an epilogue.

Generally I thought the story was very good, perhaps only suffering by comparison to what I felt were three exceptional predecessors in the series. I was very absorbed in it and I had no problems sticking with the reading (which lately is something I've had a lot of difficulty with). However, inasmuch as I do plan to go back and read the first three books at some point, I’m not sure I would do the same with this one.

You have some wonderful reviews written here. I have been taking notes to see what I can find at my local library from your recommendations.

>19 Caspettee: So glad you've been enjoying them!! And thanks a ton for letting me know :-)

#24 Betrayed: A House of Night Novel by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Review -

Zoey Redbird has taken on quite a bit since her induction into the vampyre world, not the least of which is her new duties as the head of the Dark Sons and Daughters. However, when the deaths of human teenagers cast the House of Night under suspicion will Zoey be able to find out where the threat is really coming from?

This is another story that starts off slow and then gets much, much better the closer to the end you get. I had a very hard time getting through the first part of the book. Much of it had to do with the repetition of particular lines and Zoey's internal rehashing of the events as they happen. However, when the story picked up nearer to the end, it got very interesting and moved along quickly. I'm now certain I will be reading the next book, which is surprising because near the start I wasn't really sure I wanted to finish reading this one.

# 25 Gravitation: The Novel by Maki Murakami

Review -

At first I didn't pick up this book because it had an identical description to the "Gravitation: Voice of Temptation" novelization and I thought it was the same story with a different cover. However, as it turns out the publisher must have made a mistake and stuck the wrong summary on the back of this, because it is a completely different story! In this story Bad Luck is poised on the brink of success and if only NG would stop sticking them on game shows, they know they could make people fall in love with their music. However, Shuichi has a mysterious enemy determined to bring down Bad Luck no matter what it takes.

As a whole my feelings on Gravitation fluctuate almost as much as Shuichi's moods do, going from one extreme to another. I thought that this particular story was really very well done and enjoyed it much more than "Voice of Temptation". It had some lovely serious moments as Shuichi does inner soul searching not only about Yuki, but about Hiro, music and life in general. I loved that we got to see a little of the inner Yuki's POV (and that he wasn't as vindictively mean as he sometimes can be) and that both Hiro and Ryuichi got a decent amount of page time. I especially enjoyed how Shuichi wound up making his stage appearance at the end which was a wonderful LOL moment!

I have to say that outside of the Gravitation Vocal Collection CD (that I've been listening to incessantly); this is probably one of my favorite Gravitation tie-ins yet.

#26 - Out of Control by Shannon McKenna

Review -

Margot is on the run from a homicidal stalker who killed her ex-boyfriend and set her up to take the rap for it. Despite this and with the help of a new identity and a new dog she is trying to work some semblance of normality into her life. But, when it becomes apparent her stalker is back she turns to the charismatic karate instructor and former Private Investigator, Davy McCloud. Despite his determination not to get involved with his new gym neighbor/aerobics instructor he can't resist Margot's plea for help. Davy quickly finds himself unable to turn her away, even when his decision to help endangers those he holds dear and threatens to thaw the icy casing he keeps around his own heart.

Once again I've found myself unknowingly picking up the middle book of an ongoing series. Despite this, I enjoyed the story and since this is a series which involves different main characters in each installment I really didn't feel lost at all. This story was interesting and suspenseful without having the element of mystery as all the characters motives and actions are laid out right from the start. The bedroom scenes were explicit but not nasty. I liked both the hero and heroine although the perfection of their beauty was a little annoying at times, but that is just a personal pet peeve, not being perfect myself LOL Overall an enjoyable romance that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to those who like contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels.

DL, I'm really obsessed with reading a series in order. Whenever I'm browsing and considering buying, I always make sure there isn't a book before it (it probably helps that I work in a bookstore and can easily access that kind of info). Or if I do happen to buy something in the middle of a series, I won't read it until I've read the first books. Or if I can't remember the previous books, I've been known to reread an entire series when a new one comes out. I think I'm a little OCD like that. But then again if you can be obsessive-compulsive about your books, what can you be OCD about?!

Anyway, here's a great website that will tell you everything an author has written and if there is a series, it tells you what order it's in. It's like my bible!

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/

#23 Ilithyia

Isn't that site great? I'm always afraid whenever someone gives me a book that there may be previous volumes - I'm very grateful that site exists: it makes my "reading life" so much easier!!!

>23 Ilithyia: Thanks a ton for the link! I'll certainly be checking it out. Most of the time I don't realize a book is part of a series until I've already started it and then I usually hate to put them back down again. Actually, this just happened again with the book I just finished *sigh* This one is a shorter YA novel than I usually count here, but I'm putting it up on the challenge because it has taken me a few days to get through it and I thought it was pretty interesting.

#27 The Demon in the Teahouse by Dorothy Hoobler

Review -

Fourteen year old Seikei is the adopted son of the famous Judge Ooka who is training him to become a samurai. When the Judge is called upon to discover who is setting fires in the city of Edo, they also unearth another facet of the crime involving the deaths of beautiful geisha women on "the floating world" of Yoshiwara. There Seikei goes undercover to look for clues to help Judge Ooka solve the deadly mystery.

I don't often read mysteries, but once in a while one will catch my eye. This one I picked up mainly because I liked the title. Since I've been reading so much manga the idea of a story set in historical Japan appealed to me very much as well. It was also interesting to learn that Judge Ooka was, in fact, a real person and advisor of the Shogun who ruled Japan in the 1700s, known as the "Sherlock Holmes" of Japan. Seikei is a fictional character, but does well at drawing the reader in with his observations and dedication to sleuthing out the answer to the mystery. All in all I did enjoy this story, although as usual, it appears it is the second book of a series after I started it. I imagine the first story must have been about the adventure which led Seikei to be adopted by the Judge. Another story I might have to check out in the future.

I think this would be a great story for kids 5th grade and up who enjoy mysteries and/or historical novels.

#28 - Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling

Just a pre-review note, one really nice thing about this is that on the cover, in very clear letters it states "Book One of the Nightrunner Series" which gets a thumbs up all its own :-)

Review -

When 16 year old Alec of Kerry is imprisoned and tortured for being a spy the innocent huntsman's son finds help from a most unexpected source. He soon discovers his savior, Seregil, is a man of many faces and talents. In short order Alec is caught up in Seregil's world, a world of hidden dangers, powerful magic and deadly betrayals. With a war brewing Alec has to make a monumental decision, to return to his simple life or accept Seregil's offer of apprenticeship to experience an adventure he could have never even dreamed of.

As a short aside about how I wound up with this book; earlier last week or the week before I wrote down the name of an author I was interested in and set off in search of an interesting sounding book, with no luck. On Friday I visited a convention where Lynn Llewelling was speaking, the name wasn't familiar to me until I went to the dealer's room and lo and behold there sat the book I had been looking for earlier that week. The fact that I had written down the name of the author and had no inkling of recognition upon hearing at the convention it is a bit disturbing. However, I was very happy to have found this book!

I thought "Luck in the Shadows" was a pretty solid fantasy book with lots of adventure, magic and quests. My only qualm is one that I have with much of the Tolkenisque type fantasy where you don't really get an idea of what the characters are "feeling". You get flashes here and there, but it is primarily glossed over in favor of plot and setting description. But, the small glimpses of the inner characters along with the intriguing story were certainly plenty enough to keep me glued to the book for the last two days. I really did like all of the characters, particularly Alec and Seregil, more than enough to have already ordered the next two books of this series. I particularly enjoyed the fact that Alec, even though he is young and pretty naive, isn't made out to be a "country bumpkin" sort and brings many talents of his own to his apprenticeship/partnership with Seregil. Another interesting thing is that the author snuck in the actual pronunciation of Seregil "Ser-ah-gill" right at the beginning and it stuck with me through the rest of the book (I'm truly very horrible at pronouncing words I'm not familiar with, particularly fantasy names).

Overall I found this to be an engrossing and interesting fantasy/quest type story that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to other fans of the genre. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book!

#29 - Stalking Darkness (Nightrunner, Vol. 2) by Lynn Flewelling

Review -

Taking place immediately at the heels of the end of "Luck in the Shadows", this fantasy is one of darker import dealing heavily in the good vs. evil mythology originally built up in the first book. Although the plot is pretty straight forward, with Seregil and Alec tracking down objects of power to stop a traitorous lord and his evil minions, the story is very strong with undercurrents of friendship, trust, loyalty and sacrifice. Some of the more violent scenes nearer the ending were kind of disturbing, but not so much I wanted to stop reading. I read this story in one night and it kept me up and interested until I finished about 4:30 a.m., which is something that rarely ever happens. Frankly, not even the last Harry Potter managed to engross me so totally and make me so anxious to finish it.

In this tale Alec is already very much Seregil's partner instead of being his protégé although he continues to maintain a very appealing innocence throughout the story. I love the give and take between them. The side characters of Nysander, Thero and Becca, their backgrounds and actions, are all intriguing as well. Much has been made of the "romance" between the two main characters, and yes, parts of the story do deal with the developing relationship between the two, but really it is basically a very well told fantasy involving death and destiny and I would certainly not categorize it as a romance at all. Frankly, I’ve read so much romance lately it was a bit of a relief to find something that I was able to stick with, that deals with more complexity than carnal attraction.

I'd highly recommend both this story and its predecessor to anyone who enjoys fantasy/adventure tales.

#30 - Traitor's Moon (Nightrunner, Vol. 3) by Lynn Flewelling

Review -

With the evil threat and tragedies which were the central plot of the first two Nightrunner books resolved, this story starts off two years later as Seregil is called out of his exile to accompany an envoy to his homeland of Aurenen, home of the 'faie to beg assistance for the failing Skala. Facing his past, even with Alec at his side, is something Seregil isn't sure he is prepared for, but with his adopted home in peril it is a summons he cannot deny.

The tone and execution of this story is much different than the conflicts of the first two books of the series. "Traitor's Moon" deals much more with intrigue, mystery and court politics, which typically, aren't my favorite plot lines, even in fantasies. However, in this book it is the characters themselves that kept me interested, even more so than in the other two books. I guess because of the feeling of personal investment I have with Seregil and Alec, I'd be willing to read just about any sort of story with them in it. This is still a fantasy, but the fantasy aspects take more of a back seat to the mystery of who the traitor in their midst is. Also, the back story of Seregil's exile and his attempts to resolve his own feelings about his original crime is an interesting one.

After reading these three books I certainly now understand Patricia Briggs' excitement at the ConBust panel where I saw both authors, at learning there is another Nightrunner story coming out in June. I'm certainly am very happy to learn of another one on the horizon!

31st book Words of Silk by Sandra Brown

Review -

Laney McLeod thought she was just visiting friends in New York when a sudden blackout in an elevator brought her face to face with destiny. Deke Sargent is an attorney with confidence. Used to going after what he wants, he's a ready and willing knight in shining armour to the frightened young lady trapped in the elevator with him. Letting down her defenses for once in her life, Laney allows Deke to comfort her and when she sneaks out the next morning she is sure she will never see him again. However, some mistakes have the greatest consequences as Laney discovers.

This book was a pretty simple, contemporary romance about two people who meet in an odd way, but gradually come to understand each other. I thought Deke was a bit of an overbearing cad, and this impression grew during the time I read the book, so I cant' say that I really liked him. The attitudes portrayed are a little bit dated, but that's understandable as this is an older story. Over all I thought it was an okay book.

32nd book - Demon Moon by Meljean Brook

Review -

Although there is a lot of writing to this book I'd be hard pressed to say what really happened in it. It wasn't that the story was slow or ponderous, it did read at a fairly good pace without being boring, it is just that a lot of what happened seemed to happen more than once.

The story starts rather in the middle with the two characters already having a rather traumatic past together. Since I read the first two stories of the series quite a while ago, references to their shared past made me feel a bit lost. In this tale Colin is a centuries old nosferatu born vampire, and unique in his own world, with a inherited connection to the realm of chaos which exists below Hell. He is also arguably the most beautiful being on the planet. Savitri is a human who accidentally stumbled upon her association to the realm of the paranormal through former guardian (i.e. angel), Hugh Castleford, and his demonic girlfriend. When an airplane Savitri is on is threatened by a nosferatu terrorist, her actions save the plane, but changes her existence. She is then placed in the care of Colin who is sworn to protect her, but is concerned he might not be able to protect her from himself.

I did enjoy the story, despite the fact there were some confusing parts and parts where the action seems to get a little out of hand. I certainly wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone who enjoys paranormal romances and vampire stories in general.

33rd book - Awaken Me Darkly by Gena Showalter

Review -

Mia Snow is a kick butt, leather clad alien huntress with a disposition colder than her name. She has fought for her position in a male dominated profession and will not compromise in her morals. However, when Mia and her partner, Dallas, begin investigating a serial killer with a fondness for young men Mia finds she'll need all her brains and all her skills to discover who is responsible. Not the least of her problems is the fact that one of their prime suspects is a heart-stoppingly handsome alien named Kyrin who she is developing an almost otherworldly attraction for. When her partner is receives a deadly injury it is Kyrin who holds the key to Dallas’ life, but the alien’s price for the saving may be higher than Mia is willing to pay.

I'm not a real big fan of the uber-tough, killer chick heroine types which, unfortunately, is exactly what the main character here is. Fortunately, the story itself was enjoyable and interesting enough that I was able to get around that. This particular novel is the predecessor to two young adult books by Ms. Showalter, also set in this world, in which Mia is a side character. It was rather interesting to see how the whole story began, even though I rather liked the YA books a bit better than this one. Although this book did have a respectable conclusion, the entire mystery has not yet been solved and in that respect it is a bit of a cliffhanger. I'm certainly interested enough in this series to keep an eye out for the next book.

34th book - Desert Sons by Mark Kendrick

Review -

Scott is fairly happy with his life. He works in his family's restaurant, has a creative outlet working the sound panel for a local band and is looking forward to his senior year of high school. His only problematic issues are that his father is forcing him into a business degree when he graduates and leaving his track team to put all his efforts into his music. The fact that he is gay and has actually "come out" to a few select members of his family doesn't really bother him, except for the fact that he knows of no one else that leans in that direction. When Ryan, the nephew of the local business man, comes to live in his home town Scott isn't quite sure what to make of him. He's very cute, but Scott instinctively knows that what Ryan appears to be is a complete facade. When Scott is forced to take Ryan under his wing, he's torn between like and dislike of Ryan's attitude and troublesome ways.

When Ryan arrived in the sunny, arid Yucca Valley he's not sure what to make of it. After being kicked out of his grandmother's house to live with his uncle due to his troublesome attitude, the last thing Ryan ever expected was to find someone like Scott. But, will Scott still be his friend when he finds out what secrets Ryan is hiding about his past?

Although this story seems to be a pretty realistic contemporary portrayal of how teens, particularly gay teens in a relationship, would act, I wouldn't really recommend it as a young adult book due to the amount of graphically described intimacies. Outside of that, I personally did find the book to be a very interesting coming of age type story. It is impossible not to feel sympathetic towards Ryan and his issues, most especially the abuse suffered at the hands of a man he trusted and the death of his parents. Scott's much lighter disposition is a perfect foil for Ryan's dark attitude and his confusion in the face of Ryan's increasing personal epiphanies is understandable. I thought the story was an insightful and believable exploration into issues not frequently addressed in contemporary literature.

35th book Who Are You People? by Shari Caudron

Review -

Back when I first discovered the world of the online book community on myspace (pre-LibraryThing) I read an interesting post by an author advertising her new book. Of course, this was before everyone got up in arms and started criticizing authors for promoting themselves and it became a Bad Thing. The book, all about how people immersed themselves in their various fanaticisms, sounded very interesting. This was unusual for me, since I really don't read very much non-fiction. The author was responsive to my inquiring post and I happily ordered the book off of Amazon. I have to admit when it arrived my first impression was of a bit of disappointment. I fully expected that a book about diverse and colorful sounding passions would contain pictures. Now, almost two years later and having finally read the book I still think pictures would have been nice, but certainly were not a necessity for enjoying this travelog/social observation diary/personal journal.

Shari Caudron, the travel guide and author of this interesting composition, approached this project in a way that many people might, considering the subject was one of fanatical passion; with a bit of a superiority complex and the innate feeling that these people may just be plain weird. However, throughout her journey meeting the Barbie collectors, Grobanites, Pigeon Flyers, Lego collectors and more, it is clear that things didn't exactly play out they way her pre-conceived notions made her think they might. This fact is really part of the charm of the book. The author has provided an open minded and predominantly humorous look in to all the different passions presented. As she traveled she also peppered her accounts with her own personal revelations and how this journalistic quest changed her own perceptions about people. Although I can clearly see that maybe some of her interviewees might not be entirely thrilled with her observations, she was still honest to a fault and clearly thankful for everyone she had the opportunity to interact with. Generally, this book was very interesting and insightful, I loved reading about how people were so devoted to such odd things and comparing them to my own odd collections and passions. I would certainly, highly recommend this book.

There was one line (one of quite a few actually) that made me laugh out loud and earned me a dirty look from my husband for doing so:

In fact, if I had a riding crop, I fear I'd be crawling onto Roger's back and slapping his fanny in an effort to get him to giddyup even faster. And I don't mean this in any sort of weird sexual way. - Observation during twister chasing.

36th book - Stargazer by Colby Hodge

Review -

Although this story rather unapologetically emulates Star Wars, really I didn't feel as though this was a bad thing. It was actually a bit fun. Shaun is a little bit Han Solo, a little bit Luke Skywalker and has been convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Lilly is very Leah-like in her commitment to her home world and her duty. While sneaking away to the Senate to beg for assistance for her besieged planet, Lilly senses the presence of Shaun in the cryo-pod across from hers. Despite the fact that she is told that the man is a murderer, she is drawn to his sleeping consciousness and inadvertently awakens a power in him he himself wasn't even aware of.

Political intrigue, evil witches, bloody fights and a wise-cracking smuggler round out this entertaining tale of good vs. evil. If you don't mind the Star Warsian background I would certainly suggest this sci-fi adventure story.

37th book - Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Review -

All Eragon has ever known in his uncomplicated life is working his uncle's farm, hunting and the simplicity of the country. However, when a strange rock crash lands and ruins his hunt he will discover a destiny and a friendship he could have never imagined in his wildest dreams.

Coming into reading this book I had heard all the opinions (how could I have missed them?) both criticizing and adoring. Personally, I really did like this story. I suppose you could read parallels to other famous works (i.e. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, etc.) into it, but I'm not entirely sure if I hadn't heard it all before that I would have noticed the similarities. I felt it was an enjoyable, original story that was easy to follow and didn't make me feel intimidated or lost. On the other hand, up until the last few chapters I felt as though I was reading a very long prologue and that at the ending, the story was really just starting.

As a little, personal aside, I bought this book for my son years ago, before it became very popular and since that time he has been telling me I should read it, so I feel very happy to have finally done so :-) With this edition, and I'm not sure if this was corrected in following editions, I was kind of thrown off by a typesetting error which switched sentences that were supposed to be italicized with those that were not, but thankfully that part didn't last long. I never realized that it would be so offsetting. I guess I usually just take text for granted.

Overall I think that this is a very good fantasy for tweens, teens and adults with the exceptional part, of course, being that the author was so young when he first wrote it. I'd certainly suggest it for those who like epic fantasy without it being overwhelmingly complex.

edited to add a book I missed. I realized it after totalling my books read for the month

38th book - Captain's Surrender by Alex Beecroft

Review -

Josh is the oldest midshipman on the Nimrod, a British Navel vessel under the command of a paranoid and vindictive captain. When the Nimrod plays host to a family and one First Lieutenant Peter Kenyon bound for Bermuda Josh's reserve and fears are put to the test for Kenyon is the most beautiful officer he has ever set eyes on. But with the captain watching his every move, a mutinous crew and knowledge of his own blasphemous nature against God and country for his desires Josh knows it is only a matter of time before go very wrong.

Peter had always done everything by the book, rising through the naval ranks to a pending captaincy upon his arrival in Bermuda. However, the Nimrod held some viperous surprises and holding together the crew, guaranteeing the safety of the woman he hoped to marry and arriving in one piece might prove harder than he imagined. The most shocking event of them all is his midshipman bunkmate, Joshua, and the forbidden feelings growing between them.

This book was recommended to me when I mentioned how much I enjoyed Lee Rowan's Ransom. Although I did like this story I wasn't quite as smitten with these characters. I just didn't feel the strong connection here as I did there. But, it has to be kept in mind that I really adored Ransom and the comparison comes from the similar genres. The story was exciting and did justice to its multiple points of view without jarring transition between them all. It did get a little graphic in parts, but not to the point where I wanted to stop reading. Josh's dilemma in the end was surprising and I really wasn't sure what decision he would make. That ambiguity made it interesting. I certainly think that if you have a preference toward this genre, that this would be a good book to read.

39th book - My Demon's Kiss by Lucy Blue

Review -

Simon, sworn Knight of Lyan, is returning home along with his liege lord and adopted father. However, a celebration meant to be the wedding of the duke and the lovely gypsy, Roxanna, turns into a blood bath and Simon finds himself the victim of a horrific curse. With the faint hope of a singular cure Simon embarks on a decade long quest never expecting to discover that the guardian of the secret to his salvation is an innocent lady bound by her own oaths to protect her castle and her people.

In a desperate plight Lady Isabel of the Castle Charmot prays to all spirits who may be listening to send her a champion, her true Black Knight, with the strength to turn away all those determined to claim her land. What she gets is a reclusive cousin in monk's garbs who claims to be cursed and in search of the wisdom that may be lying in the ancient catacombs beneath her home. But unknown to her an ancient evil is stalking her supposed cousin. Will the man she has welcomed as a protector turn out to be the deadliest enemy of all?

Although vampire romances have always been among my favorites of the paranormal genre for some reason I haven't been very impressed with them lately. Happily I think this story has managed to break that trend. Although the vampires here are definitely more cliché, it was actually a refreshing change from the increasingly different and varied mythos being spun about these staples of our wild imagination. From his serious sunlight allergy, to his aversion to holy artifacts, to his unapologetic diet of human blood, Simon is the epitome of the legendary vampire, except that he is the romantic hero. I really very much enjoyed him and the way he is described. I also found Isabel's strength and tenacity, without the abrasive attitude and demeanor you see in many paranormal romance heroines lately quite appealing.

If you're in the mood for a light vampire romance that plays homage to the more traditional vampire role this story would be perfect. I liked it enough to have already ordered the next book of this series.

Up to the big 40!

Candide by Voltaire

Review -

Young Candide's story begins when a slight interlude with his lordship's daughter is witnessed from behind a screen leading to his butt quite literally being kicked from the household. From such an ignoble beginning we follow Candide through his journey of highs and lows, pains and pleasures, dark ironies and surreal coincidences. Through all of his journeys Candide endeavors to hold true to the highly held belief of his favorite and beloved philosopher, Pangloss: "Everything is good and everything is for the best."

Starting off I was very worried that I would find this book impossible to understand and would be made to give up after only a couple chapters. To my great surprise I found this story to be really very engaging. Voltaire's writing is very caustic, sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek. In fact, in some parts it is downright risqué. Dark humor abounds and while I might not have laughed out loud, I certainly did my share of smirking, especially at parts that under normal circumstances I would not usually have found remotely funny. I would never have imagined such a colorful and irreverent piece of work to be considered a classic. Unfortunately being a more literal minded person myself, I am sure much of the subtle inferences and veiled jabs probably went right over my head, but even with that knowledge I still enjoyed it.

This book has a plethora of wonderful quotes. One of my favorites was uttered by a man totally discontent with his life, despite all his riches: Fools have a habit of believing that everything written by a famous author is admirable. For my part, I read only to please myself, and like only what suits my taste.

41st book Fairyville by Emma Holly

Still falling behind in my goal, but am slowly working on it.

42nd book - Immortals: The Calling by Jennifer Ashley

Review -

Immortal warriors, demons, vampires, werewolves and witches abound in this mystery/urban fantasy/paranormal romance. When Amber's beloved sister is murdered she is determined to find the demon who did it. However, things don't go as planned and instead of discovering the murderer, she almost becomes his next victim. Her savior is the immortal Adrian who is on his own quest to locate his missing brother. A shared desire for retribution soon becomes more as Amber and Adrian are forced to consider how much their individual quests really mean to them in the face of an evil that could destroy the world.

I've read a great deal of paranormal romance series over the last few years and I would say that this particular title is a very good representative of the genre. With a wide variety of supernatural creatures to fit every taste and an interesting yet non-complex storyline I think it definitely has an appeal for those fans of urban fantasy looking for something with a little "more" in the relationshippy/bedroom scene department without getting in to the more erotic writing that seems to have a love/hate following. The characters were well developed (although maybe a little cliché for those of us who have read a lot of books in this genre) and the side characters made for nice interludes in the action/romance. Certainly a title I'd recommend, particularly for newbies who might want to try out this type of tale.

43rd book Wyvernhail by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Review -

In this fifth and last book of Ms. Atwater-Rhodes Kiesha'ra series we are treated to the viewpoint of the precognitive and slightly mad Hai, the half cobra/half falcon, who was rescued from the dark void of the Ecl by the royal falcon, Nicias. The funny thing about reading this story is that although I found it difficult to keep up with the back-story which was almost as important as the immediate ongoings of the book, and I tended to lose track of which character was whose descendant, I still felt it impossible to put this book down. The author has an amazing way of writing that just kept me stuck to the book so that I had to read it in one sitting.

Since her introduction Hai has been a very hard character to feel for because of her tendency towards insanity and frequent loss of control of her magic. However, in this story as we get to see how she tries to deal with her visions and get a better understanding of the relationship between her, Nicias and the heirs of the Wyvern Court, she becomes a much more sympathetic and stronger character than one might have thought. Although I did not feel as emotionally attached to these characters as I did in the original Hawksong, they certainly were interesting. With this being the last of the Kiesha'ra stories I did feel that the ending was left rather open-ended with some loose strings remaining. However, I don't feel slighted or discontent with having continued with the series through its conclusion.

44th book The Devil's Knight by Lucy Blue

Review -

Tristan DuMaine was determined to make a home of the land granted to him by King Henry for himself, his daughter and the peasants he had come to rule. This dream was shattered when a self-righteous brigand and his beautiful sister, Siobhan, turn his people against him, force him to wed against his will and then leave him for dead. However, Tristan is hard to kill and when fate causes his path to cross with the vampire Duke, Simon of Lyan, he is granted with the power to destroy his enemies.

Since witnessing the brutal murders of her parents at the hand of the Norman invaders Siobhan vowed to destroy them all. Killing the Lord DuMaine was only meant to be part of her plan for revenge, but once in the arms of her sworn enemy and unwilling husband she discovers a passion that she fears could cause her to betray her brother and all she holds dear.

In this sequel to Blue's "My Demon's Kiss" Blue has done another fine job of developing an intriguing story, strong characters and compelling adventure. I really enjoyed the way she wove the characters from her previous story into this one, and no simply as extras, but with intricate parts in the tale. Once again she has held true to the well worn vampire mythology which I enjoy. In addition, she has managed to move along her overall plotline in a way that makes you very eager to read the next tale in the series. This is certainly a vampire romance series I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

45th book - Beastly by Alex Flinn

Review -

I think it is possible to say that most everyone has a passing familiarity with the tale of Beauty and the Beast, whether it be the original story or the Disney version. "Beastly" takes a different approach than the norm as it not only modernizes setting and characters, but it also comes from the Beast's point of view.

I have to say that I very much enjoyed this updated version. In the first half of the book we learn about Kyle Kingsbury, a handsome, popular and quite nasty 16 year old private high school student who lives with his self-absorbed and famous newscaster father. However, Kyle is soon to learn the meaning of comeuppance when his path crosses with a goth girl he decides to humiliate and thus the beast is born. It isn't until mid-way through that we pick up the more familiar thread, but the history was quite interesting and not at all a burden to read.

I enjoyed all of the characters, especially the chatroom participants. Froggie in particular cracked me up. Also, I really felt that the author here was spot on with Kyle's personality and reactions. At first I had issues with his language quirks in the last quarter of the book, but after giving it some thought I can see why he started speaking as he did.

Overall I think Beastly was a very engrossing tale and does a wonderful job of putting a new twist on a classic tale.

46th book Holy Smokes by Katie MacAlister

Review -

Aisling gives new meaning to the saying "try and try again" as she and Drake attempt to get it together long enough to swap their marriage vows. Another very cute installment in the urban fantasy/paranormal romance series.

Now....on to the part where I speak of spoilers! Reader Beware!!

There were a couple things I just had to bring forward about my reading. One is, what the heck was up with the dream Aisling had about rescuing Drake? With Drake vehemently denying he sent it to her himself one would have thought this was a mystery to be solved. However, this little plot point trailed off without answer. I hate it when stories do that.

Also had to mention my favorite LOL part when Jim regained his second shape as a small Scottish Terrier. A big difference from the Newfie form he was used to! It was just so cute to picture. "Fires of Abaddon, Ash! I wasn't done picking a form! I was just looking at this one! Oh, man, I'm a midget!" :-)

47th book - For the Go Review that Book! group I read and reviewed Other Lives The Story of Reincarnation by I.G. Edmonds

Review -

This book takes a simplistic and slightly dated look at the origins and theories behind reincarnation. Written for young adults the author here takes pains to keep the writing straightforward and easy to understand, which is why I sometimes prefer YA texts on interesting subjects. Although I wasn't very impressed with his personal anecdotes and didn't feel that they added much overall I did find the discussion of reincarnation in various religions, how reincarnation works into the choosing of the next Dalai Lama and the theory of the Akashic Records interesting. Also, there were a few case studies that were investigated, such as Bridey Murphy and Imrad Elawar that sounded pretty intriguing.

I don't really think this book would hold much interest for anyone who has any more than a very passing knowledge of reincarnation (such as knowing the definition of the word) but I did like that it was straightforward, easy to understand and did a pretty good overview of the subject as a whole.

48th book - Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine

Review -

In the land of scary vampires the scariest of them all has come to town for unknown reasons to unite with a most unexpected relative and threatening all those that Claire loves.

With the fourth book of any series it is very hard to talk about it without completely spoiling it. So, if you don't want to know what happens I'd suggest avoiding the back blurb.

I very much enjoyed this installment into the Morganville Vampires series. Rachel Caine has managed to keep her story fresh, exciting and constantly evolving. Once again there is the matter of the cliffhanger endings the books in this series leave off on, but at least it wasn't in the very middle of an action or dramatic scene which was slightly more tolerable. Michael is still my favorite character by far and has a simply awesome scene near the middle of the book which would have made the whole reading worthwhile for me even if I hadn't liked the rest of the story as much as I did.

I'd certainly suggest this book for those teens (and adults if they don't mind teen stories) looking for a vampire series while waiting on Meyers' next story. That is, if you don't mind cliffhangers!

49th book Strangers by Taichi Yamada

Review -

What first struck me about this book was that it was told from a man's first person point of view. Although I've read plenty of first person female point of view (and it is always a little bit jarring), the first person male is something I've never tried before. However, as the story progressed and the deeper involved I got, the less I noticed this at all. Frankly, by a quarter of the way through, I was so carried along by what was happening in this instance the first person voice didn't seem awkward at all.

In this story 47 year old, recently divorced, screen writer Harada moves into an apartment building which predominantly houses offices in Tokyo. In fact, he soon discovers that with the exception of one lady living on the floor beneath him, he is the only person there in the evening hours. This perpetuates the lonely sort of a feeling at the beginning. However, when Harada takes a trip to where he had lived with his parents before their tragic death when he was 12 years old, things are no longer so lonely for him. Instead he begins to fear for his sanity when he comes face to face with what could very well be the ghosts of his parents.

Although this is a ghost story with a suspenseful, mysterious plot, it is not a horror novel. I really enjoyed Harada, even though you could see his faults (most of which he dwells on himself) and I thought he was an intriguing character and I enjoyed riding along with him and learning the fantastic realities of what was happening as he did.

There were a couple small publication type errors at the beginning of the book where it seemed like a sentence was skipped when turning the page. This was kind of distracting, but only happened a couple times. Other than that, I found the translation to be very understandable and clear. This would definitely be a great book for those who enjoy supernatural tales without the necessity of being scared to death at the same time.

50th book Sabriel by Garth Nix

Review -

Young Sabriel is ready to leave school, her options open and the future waiting. Until she is visited by a sending from her father who hovers in the gates of death. Now, instead of the future she had thought she wanted Sabriel finds herself returning to her home in the Old Kingdom, a land of magic and fantasy, to find her father's body and into death to return his soul. Armed with her magical training and her father's bells and sword Sabriel soon discovers that there may be no future for her other than that which has been passed down to her and a legacy of walking the line between life and death.

This is definitely one of those books that starts of really slow and picks up speed. Although interesting, the book didn't really start for me until about page 75. But then it got really good, certainly making up for the beginning pace and it just kept getting better until the last third where I just didn't want to put the book down.

I felt the fantasy aspect of the curtain between life and death and of those whose sole purpose is to make sure that the souls of the dead get to where they're supposed to be was an intriguing one. I really liked the characters of Mogget who I felt was very unusual and unpredictable and of Touchstone who also had a bit of a scary inner thing going on (Don't make him angry, you won't like him when he's angry!) Overall, I felt this was a very readable, non-complex story that picked up nicely with an understandable and unique mythos. I think this would be a great story for those who are missing the Harry Potter books or are anxiously waiting for the next Paolini dragon story.

51st book At Swim, Two Boys by Jamie O'Neill

Review -

If ever there were a book completely unlike anything that I would usually enjoy reading, this would probably be it. That being said I am remarkably surprised that I can't say that I hated the story. Primarily this is a book about an Irish uprising against the British rule at the beginning of WWI (from what I gather, I may have gathered incorrectly). The story is told from the points of view of a number of different people from an Irish shopkeeper who supports the English regency, to an older woman who supports the revolution. In particular the story centers on two 16 year old boys from different classes and backgrounds who form an extraordinary friendship based on love and trust. One of the boys, Jim Mack, is the son of a shopkeeper, a scholarship student and prone to flights of fancy, easily carried outside himself by the words and actions of others. The second boy, Doyler is a citizens soldier in the making, dedicated to the freedom of the working class and self-appointed socialist. Together they make a pact to swim to the Muglins on Easter, a risky proposition which becomes the crux of their dedication to each other.

I picked up this story based on the description which basically indicated this is a coming of age type story of two boys (as I guess I have also, because this is the part of the book which touched me the most). However, there is much more to it. It is a story of politics and beliefs during wartime and of people trying to find a place for themselves and someone to care for them.

I found the book very hard to read, part of this is because I don't enjoy conflict and am not fond of war stories. However, it was the Irish dialect and slang itself that made the reading of the book so confusing to me, especially in the beginning. Not only were the characters words confusing, but the narrative and setting descriptions themselves were all written in this manner. It was hard work to get through, but certainly worth the effort. I came to care about the story and very much for the characters of Jim, Doyle, and especially MacMurrough. Despite his rocky and necessarily confused introduction into the tale, it was he I empathized with the most for his relationship with Jim and Doyle and for his own personal demons and tragedies.

Knowing for truth now what this book is I can honestly say had I understood what the book was about I would never have picked it up, but even still I cannot say at all that I regret having read it. It is one that will stay on my mind for some time to come, if not only for the sweet quote, "pal o' me heart" which will always remind me.

52nd book Shadows Return by Lynn Flewelling

Review -

I've been waiting quite anxiously for this book to come out so I guess it is no surprise that when I got home and saw my Amazon box that I would have to sit down and have the entire thing read in one evening. Of course, I could only have ever done this if the book was good enough to keep me interested and this Nightrunner story certainly was more than enough to do that!

In this adventure we find Seregil and Alec having returned to Rhiminee, resurrecting their lives as best than can. However, Seregil has a rather large issue. He's bored and tired of risking his (and more importantly, Alec's) life on increasingly meaningless ventures. When a queen's order sets them once again on the road to Aurenen, they are happy to take the assignment. But, things go quite badly and soon Seregil and Alec are separated, with Alec facing a nightmare at the hands of a man determined to use his blood for his own nefarious purposes.

This story, even more than the first three Nightrunners, was written even smoother and with more action. In this one we don't get a lot of other viewpoints outside of the Alec and Seregil (although we do get into the minds of some of our favorite side characters) but I'm not complaining as the two main heros are a couple of my absolute characters of all time. At 522 pages I would hesitate to say this is the shortest novel of the series, however, the font of the text is a bit larger than in the past, which I found to be a huge relief on the eyes, so I do believe this may be the shortest story. Although not a cliffhanger there has been a pretty wide area left of a sequel, which I will look forward to quite happily.

53rd book of the year Shifter, an anthology by Angela Knight, Lora Leigh, Alyssa Day and Virginia Kantra

Review-

This anthology of four paranormal romances showcasing shapeshifters of all kinds serves as a decent introduction to authors known for their ongoing series in the paranormal world. In particular, Angela Knight and Lora Leigh are each known for the steamily erotic scenes and these shorts hold little back from their usual writing.

In the first story Knight provides us with a glimpse into a sci-fi universe where genetically enhanced demi-werewolves are bred for war and protection. Leigh continues on in the vein of her "Breeds" series with the story of a were-jaguar named Saban who discovers his mate in a teacher he is sent to offer a job to. Day also continues on with her Atlantis mythology when a temple priestess meets up with a were-panther protecting his own in the Florida everglades. Kantra's is a selkie tale of another teacher bound to have her hands full of not only not-completely human students, but one very bullish acting Warden.

I think this anthology would be a good introductory pack to anyone who thinks they'd like to try out these authors. However, as in the case of most short story anthologies, the stories feel a bit rushed to the more seasoned paranormal romance reader and may prove to be a little frustrating to those hoping for substantial entries into their favorite series.

54th entry - Dark Angel by Lucy Blue

Review -

Roxanna the vampire has existed bottled in vapor form and protected by the dwarf, Orlando, since the massacre at her home in the Eastern countries. Accidentally released during a battle Roxanna wants nothing more than peace. However, this peace will not be hers until she avenges herself against Lucan Kivar and along the way saves the life of, Gareth, a half English knight wounded on the way to his own destiny.

In this final entry into Lucy Blue's Bound in Darkness trilogy she brings together all the characters from her first two novels to take on the quest to find the chalice and destroy Kivar. It is really a pretty simple, but very enjoyable, story. I liked both the main characters and thought their relationship was well developed. It was nice that Roxanna was no blushing maiden and that neither character felt the overwhelming need to deny their feelings for each other, which is the usual plot line in many of these kind of romances. Gareth was a sweet character and it was nice to find a main hero who could actually smile and didn’t take himself quite so seriously. It almost seemed as though even with this being the end of the tale, there is a potential for additional stories in the future.

I felt this trilogy is an interesting and easily read addition to the vampire/paranormal romance genre and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

55th - Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips

56th - If You Dare by Kresley Cole

57th - Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale

58th book The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

Review -

When Harry Crewe's parents die and she is sent to Damar to live in the care of her older brother, Robert, she never expects that a chance encounter with a Hill King will be enough to change her destiny.

Corlath, the Hill King, had dedicated his life to his people and to the kelar, a magical force that directs the destiny of those few chosen to bear it. When Corlath's kelar directs him to bring the Outlander known as Harry to her destiny, he discovers a hope he had not thought existed, a hope to turn back the evil tide threatening his land.

Robin McKinley certainly has her own descriptive and evocative style of writing. While this appeals to many people I oftentimes feel lost while reading it and find myself having to re-read passages as my attention wanders. Despite this I did like this fantasy tale of a girl who grows up to fulfill a destiny. There were certainly a lot of interesting characters in addition to Harry, Corlath and Jack (I had to mention Jack!) and I liked them all, especially the animal ones, Narknon, Sungold, who despite their non-speaking roles were very important to the book. Luthe is a character that stuck out to me because his physical and personality description reminded me a lot of Fai, a very favorite manga character of mine.

The majority of the story itself seemed to be a lot of build-up to an almost anti-climactic conclusion, but since this slow development was intriguing in itself it wasn't too much of a cheat. Overall I liked this colorful fantasy but can't say it is one I would read again.

59th book Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts

Review -

When three 10 year old boys take a blood brother oath at the Pagan Stone, they unleash a force that terrorizes their hometown. 21 years later Cal, Fox and Gage discover that their fates are irrevocably intertwined with three women all drawn by a mysterious destiny to save Hawkins Hollow, or die trying.

This is the first Nora Roberts book that I've had the occasion to read and I have to admit I was quite curious to read something by her. I thought the story itself was good, interesting in kind of a light weight Stephen King sort of way. The romances and the characters were all very contemporary and struck me as a bit too blasé about the situation they were in. Cal and Quinn, the two main characters in this first third, were also a bit too contemporary and perfect for my taste, but likeable nonetheless.

This story didn't overwhelm me or make me want to run out and read everything by this author, although I do plan to finish off reading this series just to see how everything turns out.

60th book Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey

Review -

When I first read the description for Skin Hunger, it sounded intriguing. Now, having finished the book, I can definitely say intriguing is only the tip of the iceberg. This was a very unusual fantasy set in a world of wizards much crueler and warped than anything Harry Potter could have dreamed of. In actuality this is really two separate stories in one, paradox intertwined by common characters in a way not completely revealed, at least not in this first volume.

In the first part we are introduced to Sadima, saved and raised by her brother who loves her but cannot believe in her gifts. The second story is of a businessman's youngest son, Hahp, who is sent to a strange and horrifying academy to learn wizardry, or die trying. I would hate to give anything more than this away as I believe the story is best read with blinders on going in.

I will say that it is a very dark, well written, young adult fantasy. It is descriptive but not overwhelmingly complex. The author feeds you clues, bits and pieces as the story goes along, that reveal how tightly woven the two stories are. Although this seems like it would be frustrating, the result is actually quite engrossing. There is a little bit of romance in here, although I would not, by any stretch of the imagination, say this is a girly tale, and it actually feels a bit fatalistic. You're left highly questioning the possibility of a happy ending which is unusual, and a little disconcerting, but adds to the overall tone of the book. After reading one of this author's earlier works and not being totally impressed, I have to say that I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the storytelling here. Although this is another series starter which leaves off on a cliffhanger ending, I didn't find it as objectionable as I have with other series in the past.

I'd highly recommend this story to teens and adults, both guys and girls, who enjoy dark fantasy stories with a cerebral edge and don't overly mind being left to wonder what will happen next.

61st novel - One Wish by Linda Lael Miller

Review -

Luke Shardlow grew up being the son of the town drunk and whose only claim to fame was his rescue of the pretty little poppet, Charity Barnham, from an icy river she had waded in to looking for magical frogs. Although the then 8 year old Charity offered 11 year old Luke a kiss, it wasn't something he was interested in and instead Charity granted him one wish. However, Luke never saw her again and when his father murdered his mother when he was 15 he knew he could no longer live in the small town of Jubilee.

At 22 years old Charity could be considered a spinster by some, but that did not mean she would capitulate to a marriage arranged by her father to his neighbor's son. And when she accidentally runs into the now adult Luke Shardlow Charity realizes that her ever elusive fairy tale prince is actually a gunslinger and a rouge. However, Luke's true purpose in returning to Jubilee is one he's not willing to reveal, one that could threaten Charity's very life.

Overall I thought this was a pretty good historical romance which I believe was set in Texas, but I can't truly say for sure that it was. It just seemed like it. As is more usual than not with romances the side players didn't get as much character building as the main ones, although Dr. Molly really struck me because she reminded me a lot of Dr. Quinn from the television show. I really enjoyed that. Although the book was pretty predictable, it easily held my interest and it was rather enjoyable. The only thing that brought the whole story down for me was the ending. It totally didn't play true to the personalities of the heroine and hero that had been so set in stone throughout the book. I won't say much else about it because I do think it is a good book for people who enjoy historicals with an action/adventure edge and do not want to ruin it.

62nd book The Hollow by Nora Roberts

Review -

Fox is a small town lawyer who loves what he does and loves his town. The only problem is that he and two friends unleashed a demon on his beloved town when they were ten and have been fighting the evil every seven years since. Now three women have arrived in Hawkins Hollow to help in the battle and Fox has discovered an all new reason to fight in the frightened yet determined Layla.

I do have to say that I did like this second story of the Pagan Stone demon much better than the first. Fox turned out to be a much better character than I expected. He's got a great personality combining compassion, protectiveness and level headedness. So much of the time attorneys (at least the ones I've read about in romances) are depicted as hard-assed over-achievers or worse, which bugs the heck out of me. On the other hand I often found myself comparing his laid back single-attorney office to the one I work in and there is a world of difference. I'd love to work for that guy! Anyway, the paranormal bits were a little creepier in this one and there were a couple really great scenes which show how connected the six friends now are to one another. I thought Layla was a decent enough character, but mostly it was Fox who carried the story for me. I'll certainly be on the lookout for book three in December!

63rd book Scent of Darkness by Christina Dodd

Review -

Ann Smith was raised in a convent and grew to be a serious, straight-laced woman. However, when it comes to her boss and winery owner Jasha Wilder, Ann tends to get a little wild. Determined to make Jasha see her as more than just an ace administrative assistant Ann follows him to his wilderness home and gets more than she bargained for when she discovers her boss' secret, one almost as terrifying as her own.

This is certainly a book meant for the beginning of the series. I never really got the feeling I was reading anything more in depth than a series set-up and when the characters finally got on the same page (so to speak) at the end it almost felt a bit rushed. The writing was well executed and I didn't have any problems with that, it was more all the set up. The mythology built here wasn't a traditional werewolf tale so it didn't feel stale or redundant. I think part of my problem was that for some reason I didn't really connect with the characters here.

I can certainly see why the story would appeal to lovers of supernatural thriller type romances and certainly think that if you like the genre, this would be a worthwhile read.

64th book - If you Desire by Kresley Cole

Review -

Jane Weyland and Hugh MacCarrick had secretly pined for each other, even after a decade apart. So when Jane's father sent a mysterious missive to his top assassin that his daughter's life was in danger nothing could stop the determined highlander from returning to Jane's side.

Ah, another tortured highlander soul...it's so romantic :-) I really am enjoying Ms. Cole's highlanders. As what seems to be an increasingly usual practice, I enjoyed the hero of this second story even more than the first. I liked both Hugh and Jane although I do wish we could have seen more of the secondary characters once they reached Beinn a'Chaorainn. I especially enjoyed the housekeeping competition between Jane and Morag. It is nice to occasionally see how the main characters interact with other characters, it gives them more "character".

I'd certainly continue to suggest these books to anyone looking for more highlander tales.

edited to correct horrible run-on sentence

65th book - Motherhood, The Second Oldest Profession by Erma Bombeck

Review -

When I was much younger, like in elementary school, I remember reading "Life is a Bowl of Cherries" and thinking it was the funniest thing and have always had fond thoughts of Erma Bombeck’s writing ever since. So, when I found a couple of her books at a library sale it was mostly nostalgia that had me picking them up.

In this particular tome, which seems to be one of the ones from later in her career, she takes a more serious and slightly depressing look at the interaction between children and their parents. There were certainly some parts that made me laugh, but generally it seemed as though she had perhaps taken stories sent by other frustrated mothers to her and adlibbed them into different sections for her book. In particular the part entitled, "The First Day of School for "The Baby"" will stick out to me for being so true and so sad. Although this particular didn't really have much of the lighter humor I had been hoping for it was a quick and interesting read, if slightly out-dated by the times. Not one I'll hold on to and read again, but certainly not something that will put me off of reading more of her books in the future.

66th book - Fallen by Erin McCarthy

Review -

Fallen angel turned demon, Gabriel St. John, had spent the last 150 years paying penance for his weakness in falling prey to the vice of gluttony, becoming an absinthe addict and possibly even a murderer. When Gabriel discovers another murder almost identical to the one he may have committed, he requests the aide of the victim’s daughter, forensic analyst Sara Michaels. But when Sara comes to assist in his investigation he finds himself falling for her, and for an already fallen angel, nothing could be more painful than falling once again.

Having only read one other contemporary romance by this author, I wasn't entirely sure how well she would do in the paranormal genre. However, "Fallen" was quite the pleasant surprise for me. This book actually touched on quite a few things I've always found interesting; from the fallen angel/demon mythos to absinth addictions. I even enjoyed Sara's request for a rendition of Kiss' Beth performed on the piano as opposed to Gabriel's classical piano playing. I liked both of the characters in this novel and found the slow progression of their physical relationship more romantic the increasingly usual, "they meet and immediately fall into bed" storyline. Gabriel certainly isn't one of those overbearing manly men types being more artistic and Sara wasn't a complete hard-ass, kick-butt type lady which was a pleasant a departure from what seems to be the norm nowadays. This difference in personality from so many of the paranormals I've been reading was something I kind of enjoyed.

Although this book is part of a series, it certainly stands exceedingly well as a stand alone story. There are no lead ins plotwise or secondary characters you would expect to find in the next novel and it seemed very self-contained. I wouldn't have expected that it was part of a series if I hadn't known otherwise. I certainly wouldn't hesitate recommending this book for paranormal romance readers looking for something outside the vampire realm.

67th book - Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Review -

To tell the honest truth, I had planned on avoiding this book indefinitely. Although everyone that knows me knows that I adored Twilight and enjoyed New Moon and Eclipse, all the overwhelming popularity had kind of skewed my feelings on the series as a whole. I do admit that it is a bit of a foolish reason to give up a series, but we are who we are. That and I'm not wild about love triangles, they're messy, painful and unpleasant. However, in spite of all that the minute I walked into Borders and saw the books on display I immediately picked it up and said (out loud I might add), "you are mine!" So much for resentful feelings on popularity issues.

In an effort not to give spoilers, and considering that just about everyone who reads this will have at least an inkling of the back story behind this vampire/human love story, I will just attempt to impart some of my feelings on the book as a whole. I thought it was great, second only to Twilight in the series. It is a long book, with what some might see as too much time given to mundane and non-meaningful activity. I do not see it in that fashion; to me this is fan-service of the highest possible order. She knows her readers, their wants, desires and wishes and sought to fulfill them, knowing how much the majority of them want to be in Bella's shoes. Never once did I get bored reading this story. It is just amazingly easy to submerse yourself into these characters and go with the flow, feel what they feel and live their lives vicariously. Having not had any real expectations going in, I was easily surprised with the plot twists she gave to us. It was truly wonderful to have no clue what to expect, right up until the ending of the book. I did notice that Ms. Meyer tended to like to sneak in bits of trivia and words that I suspect she intended to have drive her readers to look beyond her story, either to the dictionary or to the library in search of more classical literature. I felt that was perhaps a little heavy handed, but not really all that offensive or disruptive to the story.

One last thing about the book which I feel compelled to mention and hopefully won't be considered too much of a spoiler. There are three parts to this book, with the middle part coming from a point of view other than Bella's. In this portion I would urge close attention to the chapter titles. I often found them quite amusing!

I am so truly glad I forced myself to "get over it" with respect to my reservations for reading this book. As always, I would highly recommend these stories as a whole to anyone, teen or adult, who wishes for something more than what we see on the surface of everyday life.

68th book Fireflies by Ally Blue
69th book Unleash the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon (re-read)
70th book Into this World We're Thrown by Mark Kendrick

71st book Shadow Force by Linda Conrad

Review -

Reagan Wilson is a NASA scientist and genius determined to find her missing father. On the Navajo reservation her father was rumored to have traveled to she is saved from a killer bee attack by FBI agent Kody Long. Little does she know how much danger she is in, for an ancient evil has targeted her along with her father for their nefarious plan. It is up to Special Agent Long to protect and teach Reagan without falling prey to the overpowering attraction they have to each other.

This has a little bit of a lot of different things that I like in a story with the suspense side, the paranormal side and the FBI (in my mind synonymous with The X-Files) side of it. However, like series romances sometimes tend to feel, it still didn't totally engage me. Part of it might have been the fall back on shadowy "middle eastern terrorists" as being the bad guys without entirely fleshing out that part of the story. It is too easy a scapegoat plot point that edges the book more towards a political angle I'm never comfortable with. Outside of that the Navajo customs that were a large part of the story were interesting. It appears the author did quite a bit of research into it. The Skinwalkers were a bit weak seeming, but since this story only concentrated on two individuals perhaps the others of this series will serve to further flesh them out as an entity. Despite being a rather predictable story, it was entertaining and I will be reading the other two of the series.

72nd book Spirited Away by Cindy Miles

Review -

This story of a centuries old ghost lord and his knights cursed by a deranged and vengeful man and who are discovered by an archeologist is probably one of the sweetest romances I've read in a while. My only complaint is that the author did such a good job of making Tristan and his main likeable it was hard to believe that they could have ever been hardened warriors who had killed hundreds of enemies in battle. Well, that and a couple of the secondary characters were interesting enough to make one very curious as to what may have happened to them also, but it is something we'll never discover.

I even liked the heroine, archeologist Andrea Monroe, which was a pleasant surprise. She was spunky without being overbearing or overly self-conscious. A nice blend for a perky part. Tristan seemed very innocent for who he was supposed to be but I think that was part of his appeal.

This is certainly not one for lovers of the more risqué romances, but a great one for those who enjoy cute, romantic stories of falling in love against impossible odds. I'd certainly recommend it!

73rd book Heroes Unwrapped A Linden Bay Anthology

Review -

Although not one of the best romance anthologies, this one is probably one of the most eclectic collections I've encountered.

With four contemporary military tales, two historical romances (one gay, one straight) and one science fiction there is certainly a variety to read. Unfortunately I just really didn't like the contemporary ones as they all were of the "love at first sight" variety which was presented in an even more unrealistic manner than usual. The first contemporary involved a Navy Seal turned pin-up for the purpose of sexily enticing young men to enlist (?) and his older "handler". The second involves a Marine dragged to the home of his best friend for Christmas where he meets and weathers a winter storm with his best friend's sister. The third was probably my least favorite with a hero who was not only a womanizer but whose come-on line was, "Nope, I seldom forget women like you. Long legs, big tits, strawberry-blonde hair. My kinda girl." Gag!! The last contemporary was probably the one I liked the most (at least I sort of liked it) about a wounded soldier who discovers his mother hired a house sitter for him during his deployment that he runs into unexpectedly when he returns from duty.

The futuristic tale by Denny S. Bryce was an interesting short about bio-engineered soldiers fighting to protect humanity and how one discovers a hidden and deadly secret about them all.

The historical by Philippa Grey-Gerou, set post Cold War, about a soldier returning from France to wed his best friend’s younger sister was sweet and slightly amusing but not overly intriguing. The historical by Lee Rowan is the only gay romance of the anthology and involves the characters of Davy and Will from her full length novel, "Ransom", which is the sole reason I picked up this anthology. Personally I enjoyed this short vignette (it really wasn't long enough to even enter the "short story" realm) but I doubt that anyone not familiar with the characters would understand the basis for the interlude. Not to mention that it might be a bit of a surprise for anyone who might not be expecting this type of romance considering all the other stories are “straight” couples.

In my opinion it is rather an uneven collection overall with the appeal of the type of stories spread so far over the landscape I’m not entirely sure who I’d recommend it to. I suppose it would be good if you are interested in one particular author and would like to read it for just that one (as the Lee Rowan one is for me in this case.)

74th book After Dark by Jayne Castle

Review -

After Dark is a solid sci-fi/supernatural mystery/thriller which rather downplayed the romance for the plot. Not that this is a bad thing, I thought it made the few bedroom scenes more interesting rather than redundant, as they can sometimes get.

In this story Lydia, a psy-rez tangler (you'll have to read the book for a full definition!) has discovered her quasi friend/rival murdered in the curio museum she works at. What is worse is that she is not only considered a suspect, but that she is being questioned in front of the first client she'd had want to hire her for her para-archeology experience. Said client, businessman Emmet London has an agenda of his own. Never expecting to get caught up with Lydia, her pet dust bunny or her teen next-door neighbor, he finds himself irrevocably wrapped up in a mystery that could lead both him and Lydia to the greatest find in para-archeological history.

I really enjoyed the interaction between Lydia and Emmet, although I rather enjoyed Emmet's personality a bit more than Lydia's. She tended to seem a little pious and biased about issues in the story (particularly about Emmet's background.) I do understand that this was intentional on the part of the author, but it didn't make me feel any kinder toward her. I absolutely loved Fuzz, he is one of the best pet/sidekick creatures I've read about. Certainly a unique little guy! The made-up science of the plot line was very cool as well. Reading about Lydia and Emmet and how they do what they do sort of reminded me of the bio-feedback techniques I learned about in psychology class, just with a more physical application.

I'd certainly recommend this one to people who enjoy sci-fi/mystery stories with a bit of romance, which seems like it is a relatively small genre. I've certainly not read many that fit into that description.

I'm pretty certain there is a sequel to this story involving these same characters and I am absolutely going to have to find and read it.

Jen,

Cindy Miles wrote another ghostish romance, sort of a sequel to Spirited Away or at least the characters are reoccurring...Into Thin Air. I believe I might have reviewed it on this year's thread. Check it out, it's just as adorable!

75th book Prophecy of the Flame: Love's Dawning by Lynn Hardy

Review -

The first thing that struck me when I began reading this novel was the "voice". First person, present tense, it totally blew my mind and I wasn't sure if I would like it. However, after the first few paragraphs the strangeness lapsed into a kind of steady sailing through the story and it flowed much better than I ever thought it could. Instead of making the reading difficult it really turned out to be a rather refreshing change from the norm.

If you have ever watched the '80s cartoon, “Dungeons and Dragons”, the concept for this story is a bit like that. We start off with a group of strangers at a role-playing convention who are ready to embark on their "quest". Suddenly they find themselves whisked into another world via a wizard’s spell which is a call for help against the demons invading their world. Fortunately for our intrepid gamers, instead of arriving simply as displaced humans each of the group manifests not only the powers of the characters they created, they take on their resemblance as well. The main character and teller of our tale is ArchMage Reba, former housewife turned Master Spellcaster. Reba quickly takes over command of her little band, dubbed "Crusaders of the Light" and discovers her arrival may be the crux of a long held prophesy by the people of the land. Basically this novel takes us from preparation through battle and leaves off begging for a sequel. Looking back, although the story was interesting and not boring at all, it is mostly a tale of preparation. I enjoyed Reba's interaction with the people of the land she finds herself in and although I found her to be a bit self-important in attitude, for the most part I really did like her. I guess you could say she has a good heart which makes me want to excuse her more arrogant personality traits. Easily my favorite character of the book was Prince Szames and I would read a sequel just to find out what happens to him.

Although I think the characterization for the main roles was very well done, some of the side characters seemed to get a little lost in the shuffle. In particular I would have thought to see more of the group who actually traveled from our world with Reba. During the course of the story it did feel as though things went awfully smoothly for Reba. She was perfect at just about everything she tried, everyone loved her and nothing really seemed to be much of a challenge. Although I still found the story to be intriguing, some might enjoy a few more twists and turns in their reading. It is my understanding that this book has been optioned for publication by one of the larger houses and a bit of re-vamping will be done to the story. I believe that Reba might be in for a few more challenges in the revised version, which will be interesting to read.

Also, in view of the revised edition being on the horizon, I'm reluctant to linger on the few other issues with this edition, although in all fairness I did want to make note. In particular, there were a few editing snafus that I expect will be taken care of. The other thing that was slightly jarring were a couple instances where we departed from Reba's first person to make observations she had no part of. It has always been my opinion that once you have picked a POV, you have to stick with it and if there is something else you want to have noted, you have to work it into the story using the formula you start with.

Overall the substance, plot and story make this a very good fantasy read with the unusual "voice" being a definite plus. I am certainly looking forward to reading more about Reba and her companions in the future. To leave off I also wanted to make note of my favorite quote from the book regarding destiny, which has always been a concept I take issue with:

"...I have always considered 'Destiny' the King Trickster and 'Fate' his Court Jester...I choose the path I take, and I don't need fate or destiny to blame for my actions."

76th book - Havemercy by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett

Review -

If I were to be allowed only one sentence (and one redundant word) for this book I would have to say, "Very, very, very good and exactly what I've been looking for." Luckily, for me anyway, I don't have to keep things confined to one sentence!

Havemercy struck me first when the cover came up in my Amazon recommendations. I've always had a thing for dragons. However, if you're looking for a story "specifically" about dragons, this might not be it. That is not to say there aren't any dragons, because there are, and for the small amount of page space she gets, Havemercy (said dragon) totally makes her vibrant personality known. The only thing is we unfortunately don't get to see much of her, although she is never far from our thoughts through the thoughts of the characters. However, on the total upside of all this, the rest of the human cast of characters are each very intriguing and I loved reading about each of their trials and tribulations. First we have Margrave Royston, a royal wizard with an amazing talent, both magically and for getting into trouble. His most recent transgression; an all too public affair with the crown prince of his country's newest ally. Hal is a simple country boy with a yearning for both a little affection and a lot of intellectual stimulation, neither of which is available at the home of his cousin, until the appearance of an exiled wizard changes everything for him. Rook is an arrogant dragon rider who cares for nothing other than flying his precious Havemercy and Thom is the unfortunate 'versity student assigned the impossible task of teaching the elite Dragon Corps the ways of manners and refinement.

This story, told in alternating parts, really focuses most on the innermost challenges facing each of them. We get to see how they think, feel, act and react to each other and when they are all brought together, the results are quite gratifying. There is both action (the story taking place during an ongoing war between neighboring countries) and romance (heads up for the said romance being of the gay variety for those that care) mixed along with more personal discoveries for each of the characters which made this an above average read for me and something I'm very happy to have found. It was exactly the kind of engrossing fantasy I've been looking for since finishing Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner books. Highly recommended!

77th book Ninth Key by Meg Cabot (Mediator series book 2)

Actually, I'm in the middle of reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, but it is just such a LONG story, that I decided to take a break and I've really been wanting to re-read The Mediator books to see if they're as good as I remember.

Review -

Suze Simon has a major problem. The problem isn't that she can talk to ghosts or that a super-cute ghost is living in her room or even that she is being made to live across the country from her native New York along with THREE stepbrothers. Her biggest problem is that she is sweet 16 and never been kissed, nor ever even had a boy interested in her. It's not that she's ugly (she's not), or stupid (Suze is quite witty if she does say so herself.) It's that no one can quite get passed the fact that Suze seems as likely to smack you around as give you a hug. Maybe she should consider a change in 'tude? Then again, considering her mediator duties and all the ghost-busting she's had to do since arriving in California, it could be that the attitude is all that stands between staying alive or joining her unwelcome charges.

It has been a while since I first read Meg Cabot's Mediator books and I've been curious if they would stand the re-reading test and be as good now as I remember. I can certainly say I still love it! Suze's sarcastic, if slightly self-important, views on life made me giggle all the way through the story. This particular volume has a couple of my favorite scenes to grace the whole series, most specifically we get to see Suze's first kiss (LOL!) and the climactic scene at the end, despite all the fried fish. Also, I have to mention Jesse, who is the number one choice for my favorite hero in any book series, young adult, adult or otherwise.

Now that I've given into the temptation of re-reading this one, I guess I'll have to continue on and do the whole series over. They're just that good!

78, 79 & 80 -

Mediator books 3, 4, 5 by Meg Cabot

Reunion
Darkest Hour
Haunted

Number 81 Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Review -

Claire and Frank had spent more time apart than they had together since their marriage due to WWII where they had both played active roles, Claire as a British triage nurse patching together wounded soldiers under less than ideal conditions. Deciding to take a trip to the highlands where they had originally married seemed like a wonderful idea and Frank was very interested in the genealogy of his ancestors who had lived and fought over generations in the same area. However, when Claire is mysteriously taken back in time to the 1700s and meets her husband's esteemed ancestor, known as Captain Black Jack Randall, Claire finds herself in a horrible predicament and accused as a spy. Rescued (in an out of the frying pain, into the fire sort of way) by Highlanders and unable to return to the stones to try and find a way home Claire finds herself adapting to her new circumstances. Trapped within layers of betrayal, Claire discovers one person she can trust, a Scotsman named Jamie, who is destined to change the course of her life forever.

This book was different in many ways than I expected. It was more violent than I had anticipated and certain parts, such as vivid accounts of child birth in detail, setting of mutilated hands, rape, etc., made me downright queasy. There were also a couple (just a couple, though) of supernatural references, outside of the time travel, which I enjoyed, but hadn't expected. It was very detailed historically as I had both heard about and expected. Although I was never bored with it, the story seemed very long due to the painstaking relation of the history and due to many scenes and character introductions that didn't seem overly intended to progress the plot. I think this kind of thing is all a matter of taste and in this respect I'm just a lazy reader LOL!

While reading the story some of the spoilers I had encountered before through conversation and reviews were constantly in my mind. I found it funny that the parts that really irked some people, didn't bug me much, but other parts not brought up did. I will say that the ending was completely unlike what I had thought I had heard it would be and it was a surprise that made me happy that I obviously didn't pay all that much attention to them. It was nice to have that unexpected resolution. I will say that when all was said and done I felt there are some strings that are left out there to be tugged at in the many sequels to this book, but I felt that this ending didn't leave me wanting to run out and read more (i.e. not a cliffhanger) which was nice.

I have the next two books in the series which I may or may not read. This story was a pretty heavy read and although I liked the book and I liked the characters (especially Claire and Jamie) I'm not entirely sure about re-visiting right now although I suspect I may feel inclined to do so in the more distant future.

Book 82 The Assignment by Evangeline Anderson

Book 83 - If You Deceive by Kresley Cole

Review -

As they say, "third times a charm" and that couldn't be more true than in this case. Although I enjoyed both of Kresley Cole's preceding highlander romances this was by far the best.

In this story the seemingly irredeemable Ethan MacCarrick, meets his match in the daughter of the family he once ruined for revenge. Madeleine van Rowen is one of the best romance heroines I've read in some time. She was spunky, innocent, smart and funny; and a whole lot more fun to read than many heroines I've encountered. Despite having really not liked Ethan's character in the previous novels of this trilogy, he was remarkably likeable in this story. I'm still troubled by the fact that all three brothers' were rather unrepentant killers in their professions but in this book it wasn't quite as stressed as it had been in the past books. The chemistry between the leads was very good and for reasons even I don't get, I felt very much more emotionally invested here than in the other stories. Maybe because they didn't spend as much time disliking each other as they did learning how to love one another.

Of course, there was the "big secret" between them, not so much the family's curse which was really barely touched upon this time around, but more so how Ethan's past actions so severely affected Maddy's childhood. I do think this story would hold up very well if read alone, the first two books give us much more of a feeling for Ethan and allow us to fully appreciate how much he changes for the love of his life.

All in all I'd highly recommend this trilogy as a whole to any lover of highlander romances and those lovers of romances and general!

Book 84 - Second story of my Robin McKinley Collection, The Hero and the Crown

Review -

In this prequel to The Blue Sword we learn the story of Harry's predecessor, Aerin the Dragon Slayer. This book is all about the action. Aerin is a king’s daughter, although not at all spoiled as she is distrusted and disliked by most of her father’s people for being a “witchwoman’s” daughter. Oddly, despite the fact that the royal family is known for their magical gifts, part of what holds Aerin apart is her lack of talent despite her heritage. So, for people to dislike her for being a witch because she has no powers seems like a bit of an oxymoron. As we follow Aerin through her trials she learns to bring life back into her father’s wounded warhorse, learns the secrets of a special potion to deflect fire and ultimately learns to slay dragons and face an evil set on destroying her home. I’ve occasionally seen notes from people looking for “young adult fantasies with strong female characters” and this story would most certainly qualify.

Although at first the timeline bothered me, starting at one point and then leaping back, moving forward and passing on, once I was halfway through that certainly didn’t matter anymore. In really enjoyed the non-human characters and the re-appearance (or pre-appearance, I guess) of Luthe in this story as he even more strongly reminded me of Fai here*. Although I understand the division of Aerin’s affections I was troubled by the last paragraph, especially since I don’t remember there being any indication of what happened here in The Blue Sword. Although I’ve never always agreed with the picks for Newberry Awards, they generally hit it with the fantasy they choose and in choosing this book I whole heartedly agree it deserved the honor.

*For my own personal enjoyment I have decided to do a more in depth Luthe/Fai comparison in my comments section along with some notes about Luthe and Aerin that I did not feel belonged in the review but welcome anyone not concerned with spoilers to take a look at.

Book 85 - Just a Geek by Wil Wheaton

Review -

I've never really thought too much about Wesley Crusher to tell the truth. Yes, enjoyed the heck out of Star Trek TNG (if you watch my home movies of when my son was small in the '90s always in the background is either STTNG or NASCAR, depending if my husband was home or not), but I was never a Trekkie inspired to dress up and go to conventions or pay more than passing interest in the fact that this character moved on to other things. However, from reading this book I guess Wesley's desertion of the Enterprise was a much bigger event, world changing even, to those who loved and/or hated the character respectively and particularly to Wil Wheaton, who has been emotionally reeling from his decision for all these many years. I never knew!

Although the title claims Unflinching honest tales of the search for life, love and fulfillment beyond the Starship Enterprise this is primarily a story of how Wil Wheaton has come to terms with the effect Star Trek has had on his life and really doesn't move very far past that. His blog, also featured here, is a large part of how Mr. Wheaton is accomplishing this. But, this is just fine with me because if it hadn't been for the Star Trek aspect I would have never picked this book up considering the thing I remember him for most other than the big 2 (STTNG and Stand by Me) is his appearance on The Weakest Link where he acted like the world's biggest a**hole. Frankly, in the part that touched upon his Weakest Link appearance I was shocked that he made no mention of this and I read through the rest of the book thinking, "if he doesn't realize how much of a jerk he was then, I can't really take this book at face value." Thankfully, in one of the Appendixes he addresses a question about the appearance, and said he was "acting" the part since the studio just wanted to make the host look good anyway *big sigh of relief* I was very happy about this considering how much I enjoyed the book.

I absolutely do not pity Mr. Wheaton for the decision he made that so irrevocably changed his life, he manages to do this quite well all on his own without my assistance. He does do a lot of bellyaching about being haunted by the ghosts of his consciousness, "Prove to Everyone That Quitting Star Trek Wasn't A Mistake" and "Self Doubt". Actually, considering the amount of complaining, you would think this memoir would be a miserable read. It Is Not. No, I didn't find it exceedingly hilarious (except for the part about Jonathan Frakes running into the door during a scene), but it was interesting. Mr. Wheaton managed to keep me hooked, the writing was smooth and entertaining and I loved his honest declarations of his feelings towards his fellow actors and the acting industry. In fact, I can totally empathize with a lot of what he's feeling. The pettyish overreactions to slights (real or imagined, will we ever know?) by ST producer Rick Berman rather mirror my own reactions in comparable situations and the resentfulness towards those who criticize you or worse, ignore you. I could totally feel for him.

Overall I thought this book was really "cool" :-) I read every last word right through the appendixes and into the acknowledgements, which I would usually never do with a biography. Although I probably won't be an avid daily reader of his blog as I found the other parts of this book more interesting than those entries, I wouldn't completely discount the possibility of a little look-see. I am now curious to see how things are going with this conflicted man, he is an interesting character in and of himself, even without a script.

#86 - My very first Early Reviewer book!! - Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland

Review -

Liz Phoenix had grown up without parents, bounced from foster home to foster home until she found a real home with a woman named Ruthie. But the legacy Ruthie is bound to leave her is just more than the only real home she had ever known. Now Ruthie is dead and what she has bequeathed to Liz is enough to help her save the world...or at least get her killed.

As far as what seems to be the increasingly new breed of urban fantasies go, this one follows right along with the mold...maybe a little too closely. Although I did enjoy the story it just seemed very similar to others I have read, i.e. Kelly Armstrong, C.E. Murphy, Gena Showalter, Patricia Briggs and such. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, as I have read and liked them all, just a bit redundant. We have your kick-butt heroine who has an easier time using her fists than her feelings, a plethora of fantastical creatures (primarily vamps and shifters here) with the story roots sunk deeply in some type of mythology (in this case The Bible) and the conflicted heroes who are alpha in nature and whose only weakness seems to be their feelings for the heroine. Also, this is the urban fantasy type that walks the line of paranormal romance, except in this book the heroine has more than one hero in tow.

I think I would have enjoyed this book much more if it had been the first of its kind for me. Unfortunately I guess I'm just a bit burnt out with this kind of storyline. I will say that taken on its own the book is a quick paced tale, I started this yesterday and finished up this morning. I didn't find any part of the book ponderous or overly taxing and it was an entertaining get away from the everyday world, which is all I really look for in a fantasy. Liz's Alphas, Jimmy and Sawyer, were both enticing characters, if you like that kind of man (in fiction I do, in reality, not so much!) I will say that I did like the story enough to keep an eye out for the sequel when it comes out and am more than willing to read a bit more about how Liz is destined to save the world.

#87 - Spindle's End by Robin McKinley

I'm so proud to have finished this book. Back in June A Robin McKinley Collection had been assigned to me on the Go Review That Book! thread and finishing this means finishing that assignment as well.

Review -

In this re-structuring of the Sleeping Beauty tale we get a tale virtually un-recognizable from its predecessor, which isn’t really a bad thing. In this story the baby princess cursed to prick her finger on a spinning wheel who grows up under the protection of fairies and various forest friends becomes more full-bodied and descriptive with a strong heroine who isn’t content to simply “wait for her prince to come.”

We begin our tale with a King and Queen who, for many years, are unable to conceive children. When the queen finally does become pregnant she decides to forego what would be constant scrutiny by the Court and People and no one is told until after the birth. To make up for this citizens from every corner of the kingdom are invited, including Katriona of Foggy Bottom. At 15 Katriona has barely come in to her fairy powers herself but is still able to prove her bravery when the baby princess is threatened by the irate evil fairy, Pernicia. Katriona smuggles the poor cursed bundle home with her, vowing to keep her secret and raise her in safety. Years later we find big boned, straight talking Rosie whose gift for speaking with the animals lands her an apprenticeship with the local smithy, never knowing the destiny in store for her until it is almost too late.

I have always found McKinley’s writing to be a bit over-descriptive. This story was not much different, but maybe I’m growing used to it because it didn’t bother me quite as much. What I didn’t like is that I feel like I missed out on many key points to the story wading through volume of other, not-as-important parts. There were a multitude of animals which was nice (McKinley’s works seem to always have the most interesting animal characters), but I had trouble keeping track of them. The world building was very in depth and we learn a lot of the kingdom and Foggy Bottom. However, outside of Katriona and Rosie I didn’t feel as though we really got to know the other characters as well as we might have. On the other hand, I think that any more development, character or otherwise, might have tipped the story over in to the realm of ponderous, so maybe it is just as well done as it is. This is certainly an elaborate, well-crafted tale that I think young lovers of fantasy will enjoy.

Book #88 - Enemy Mind by Maggie Shayne

Review -

First of all I have to say that if you read the back blurb on the book it actually gives more background on the overall arching plot than what you learn from this book. Never once are genetically altered humans, secret agents from a MEDUSA project or actual use of hypnotism mentioned during the course of the book as indicated. Despite this I still thought the story was interesting. I liked the mild mannered economics professor Zach Ingram and the psychiatrist, Maisy Dalton. I would definitely call it more of a suspense novel than anything else with a kidnapped Zach trying to convince the unsuspecting Dr. Dalton that he wasn't who his "family" claimed he was and that they are both in danger. This growing realization of their peril along with couple harrowing escapes thrown gave this story a nice level of tension that made you want to keep reading. I also enjoyed the relationship between Zach and his brother, Jake, although it really didn't take up much of the story at all.

Taken on its own and not as part of a sci-fi themed series I think this one would be great for lovers of fast moving suspense romances that don't lean heavily into the "bedroom scene" department (or "cave scene" in this case). I enjoyed it and wouldn't mind reading more of this series should I happen upon them.

#89 Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Review -

Don't Stare...Don't Speak...Don't Run...Never, Ever do anything to attract their attention. These are the lessons Aislinn's grandmother had preached to her about the invisible fairies that only they could see for all of her life. But suddenly things are different and despite her efforts Aislinn has attracted the attention of one of the most compelling and terrifying fairies, the Summer King himself, and if the stories are true no mortal who has ever attracted this fey has ever returned.

This was a wicked good, well rounded urban fantasy fairy tale. I found all of the characters, Aislinn, Kennan, Donia and especially Seth to have wonderful depth and quality. Although it falls on the well worn Fey mythos of the Summer and Winter Courts it takes the tale to unique and intriguing places. Although it is very dark throughout with suggestions of violence and sensuality it is a young adult novel and I found nothing objectionable. I know Ms. Marr has another book out which I believe to be related to this one so I'll be searching out that one to read as well.

#90 Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas

Review -

Cam had lived as a gypsy until he was 10 and his grandmother sent him off to live as a gadjo among the English. Despite his roots and his desire to remain true to his gypsy nature it turned out that Cam had the curse of good luck which has brought him more wealth than he knows what to do with. Now Cam is the manager of a prestigious and notorious London gambling club for gentlemen, but longs to return to his wild gypsy ways. Then one faithful night he meets a woman who sooths his soul and makes him question his desires.

Amelia Hathaway is the second oldest sibling of five (and one adopted gypsy) and acts as overseer and mother of her odd brood. Her older brother, Leo, has inherited a Lordship but is lost in a fugue of liquor, gambling and woman. Determined to save them all Amelia moves the family from London to the Ramsay House where the derelict house turns out to be more a problem than a haven. However, at the nearby Westcliff Manor Cam Rohan is staying as a guest and is determined to assist Amelia in any way he can, until he is finally faced with the decision of whether his destiny lies with the gypsies of his past or the unusual Hathaway family of his present.

At the beginning of this tale I couldn't help feeling that the story wasn't quite measuring up to its loosely related predecessors, the Wallflower Quartet. However, as nice as it was to revisit some of my favorite characters from those past books, this book's appeal really lies with Cam, Amelia and the rest of the Hathaways. I found that once they took central stage without interference of the past characters the story went much smoother. I enjoyed Cam's courtship of Amelia which certainly got quite steamy along the way. There was only one part I didn't care for where Cam's jealously seemed to get the better of him, I've never cared for the whole "kissing the heroine into submission" routine, but that was just one small scene. Overall I totally enjoyed this story, it moved along well and easily held my interest. I've already picked up the next book with Win and Kev, and am really looking forward to reading more about this eccentric Hathaway Clan.

#91 Seduce Me At Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas

Review -

Kev owed his life to the Hathaways who discovered him bloodied, broken and left for dead by his gypsy clan. However, it wasn't gratitude for his life that kept him tied to the eccentric family, but his feelings for the fair Win who captivated his soul and stole his heart. Knowing that he was never meant for anything more than violence and death Kev was determined to remain as Win's protector and vowed never to reveal his love.

From the moment Win first set eyes on the half-wild gypsy boy brought home by her father she had known he would be her destiny. A twist of fate stole Win's health and her chance to ever be with the brooding gypsy man Kev had become. Set on a course to reclaim her vitality Win travels to France, believing that once she returns as a whole woman Kev would admit to the passion she sees burning within him. She couldn't have been more wrong. Instead of claiming her Kev is determined to push her away and into the arms of another man.

I was so enamored of Kev and Win by the end of "Mine Till Midnight" I absolutely had to read this book immediately after. They certainly didn't disappoint me. Kev is a much darker character than Cam which made for interesting reading and Win was a much stronger character than had been intimated which was very nice. There were also two parts that made me giggle and I don't remember that ever having happened reading a historical romance before. The other characters also got a bit of play. In this story Leo is a much changed man and a much more engaging character. I'm really looking forward to his story. I loved Beatrix and her menagerie of animals as well. We also got to re-visit Cam and Amelia which was nice and I really enjoyed the subplot between Cam and Kev. There were only a few things I found annoying such as Kev's back and forth feelings for Win which got a bit tiresome (for both me and Win!) and Kleypas' general formula "bedroom scenes" which I remember from her past books. They are steamy but always take the same course from book to book. This might have been more pronounced to me having read one book right after another, but I'd love to see her break free from her rhetoric and at least try to mix things up a bit. However, Kleypas is really more about the characters and story, which are always unique, than the sex so I find it pretty easy to overlook the redundancy.

I still believe Kleypas to be the absolute best historical romance author I've read yet and if you're curious to try this genre I'd certainly recommend her.

#92 Stop In the Name of Pants by Louise Rennison

Review -

Georgia is back replete with raunchy humor and British slang by the ton. This volume takes up right where the last left off, smack dab in the middle of the voleish camping trip and Georgia's once again "accidental" snogging.

Although much of the book is tongue in cheek, parts seemed quite painful, such as the break down of Georgia's parents and their glaringly obvious ignorance of their children. In the previous volumes this all really seemed much more harmless than in this one. In to the middle of the book I really wasn't so sure I wanted to keep on reading, and then the horrible thing happened. Lets just say I was sitting there with tears streaming down my face to the point I alarmed my teen son who thought something really bad had actually happened (of course he had a good laugh when I told him it was the book I was reading.) After that I was totally in to the book and even had more giggly parts later on.

As a whole I really do have to say I enjoyed the story. Georgia is probably one of the most self-enamored characters I've ever read, but for some reason I still like her. I'm also pretty fond of Dave the Laugh and would like to see things move in that direction (hint, hint, Ms. Rennison.) This one left off on a bit of a cliffhanger and I'm looking forward to seeing what scandals Georgia will be getting herself in to next!

#93 Atlantis Awakening by Alyssa Day

Review -

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... At least that is a lot like what this ongoing series of a hidden sect of Atlanteans out to destroy the not quite as hidden horde of vampire kind before they all suck us dry (hold on a moment, the author did mention vamps in positions of power...that would explain a lot about the economy getting sucked dry in real life. Maybe she knows something we don't! LOL...sorry, bad joke, couldn't resist.) Unfortunately for the Atlanteans things aren't going so well. The vamps are organizing and recruiting werewolves, turning humans left and right and worst of worst the crowned prince's pregnant beloved is dying along with the child inside her. Enter SUPER VEN a.k.a. King's Vengeance who discovers instant rapture with a witch/legendary gem singer whom he is supposed to negotiate battle plans with. Along the way they end up doing more of the funky tango than world saving but at least they had fun (of course, you knew that would happen. After all this is a romance novel *sigh*)

There were things I really enjoyed about this book, namely the last three or four chapters up to the climax (the story climax...not the characters'. They had plenty of that ahead of time.) What I didn't really care for was the vulgarity of language during the other climactic scenes. Maybe I'm just a prude but it bugged me. Also, it was pretty predictable, if you've read any other paranormal romance series about supernatural beings battling other supernatural beings to save the world (there sure are enough to choose from out there) you'll have a pretty good idea of exactly how the story will go. I did enjoy the supporting characters of Justice, Jack, Quinn and the vampire boiling Alaric enough to make the book way more interesting than if it had simply focused on the leads. Not that I didn't like the leads, they were okay, just very route...and supremely beautiful, which always kind of bugs me.

Generally I think this is an interesting enough paranormal romance series that I personally intend to keep on with and would really appeal to those who can't get enough of Ward's BDB books, just with fish boys instead of vampires (well, good vampires anyway.)

#94 Steve and Me by Terri Irwin

Review -

Steve was a very lucky bloke. In addition to living life as he wanted dedicated to the wildlife (particularly crocodiles) he was given the unique opportunity to become an icon to environmentalists around the world. He also found the perfect person to stand at his side through it all. I have to admire Terri Irwin. There are not many of us who would sacrifice everything; a thriving business, an important role in saving animals in her own community, a home, family and a country. Neither could I picture allowing my husband to totally take over my life the way Terri appears to have done. Although from the way this book has been written to Terri it didn't seem to be too much of a sacrifice.

I knew going in to this story that parts would be sad. Not just because I already knew how Steve died, but because whenever you tell true stories of animals and conservation, they're always sad. The good thing here, which I was most grateful for, is that Mrs. Irwin concentrated mostly on the good parts of her time with Steve. The adventures she experienced with Steve certainly aren't anything I would ever, ever do myself however interesting reading about them would be. Despite the fact that there were some sad parts, overall I would say this is a happy book until the last few chapters. Outside of Steve's death it was troubling to learn about the "Baby Bob" incident and the criticism of Steve's foray to the Antarctic along with the agony the family went through as a result of the media frenzy accompanying these events. You can feel how hard all of these things were for Terri. Although their family beliefs about being "Wildlife Warriors" seem a bit outrageous and overwhelming (to me) I've always believed in the live and let live adage whether it be in religion or, in this case, the cause of conservation environmentalism.

This book wasn't perfectly written, having some redundancy of sentences and events which could have been edited better. This didn't surprise me. Terri wasn't born to be a writer, although I still think she did an admirable job here, she was born to be a dedicated environmentalist and the perfect partner to her beloved husband.

More than simply the "mad Aussie bloke" I've always considered Steve Irwin to have been it was nice to discover that he was also a loving family man, a spiritualist (finding life's answers while fire gazing has to be an indication of spiritualism in my book) and a truly caring friend. My favorite story was when Terri related Steve's concern that their movie publicist didn't have a girlfriend and offered to "take him out and pull in chicks for him". Steve didn't even miss a step once Terri told him that the man in question was gay and re-offered to pull in blokes instead (this part being much funnier in the book than in my abbreviated rendition!)

This book was obviously written from the heart and I can honestly say I feel for this woman who has lost her soul mate, but has decided to carry on in his name for the good of the animals they loved and the ideals they held.

#95 Staying Dead by Laura Anne Gilman

Review -

Wren is a Retriever whose adept use of current to locate stolen items has earned her and her partner in business, Sergei, a comfortable enough living for the past decade. Suddenly Wren's comfortable life seems to be changing rapidly and in ways she's not very happy about. A group of fatae hunters have moved into her little corner of the city, the Counsel seems to have a hand in her most recent work assignment gone inexplicably wrong and her feelings for her partner are getting out of hand - just in time to find out he's been hiding secrets from her. And just when she thinks things are as bad as they can get...well, you know that they'll just get worse.

It took a lot of perseverance for me to get through about the first half of this book. I'm not a huge fan of detailed minutiae about mundane day to day life, or even minutiae about investigating mysteries and this book has lots of it. I guess that would be good for those who enjoy the research aspect of these type of stories, but I tend to look for something more exciting in my urban fantasy. However, I was determined to get through this book and am happy it did eventually pick up the pace, even if it was a long time in coming. The characters reminded me a bit of a cross between the couple from Moonlighting mixed with Mulder and Scully. I really think this story might have come across much better on screen than in text (and it is very rare I would ever say something like that). I enjoyed the interaction between Wren and Sergei and that they each appreciate the rare talents each other hold. Although there is a hint of a budding affection beyond a business partnership between them, this is not a romance and those who go into the story thinking that it is one will be sorely disappointed. I think this would best be a story for urban fantasy/mystery lovers who might wish for a slower, less violent and maybe a bit more cerebral storyline than the Harry Dresden books. By the end of the story it had finally intrigued me enough to put the next of the series on my wishlist as well as inspiring me to pull out my copy of "Murder by Magic" and read the Retrievers short in there. Overall not my personal favorite, but I liked it all the same.

96th book - Faefever by Karen Marie Moning

Review -

After the last few urban fantasies I read, I had come to the conclusion I've completely burnt myself out on them. Surprisingly, I didn't even feel a flicker of "burnt outedness" while reading this story.

In this third book of the Fever series we pick up Mac where we left her off, hot on the trail of the most wanted book, Sinsar Dubh. It becomes quickly apparent that not only is the book not exactly what it appears to be, neither is anyone or anything else. Although Mac's primary focus is still vengeance for her sister's death these revelations about those around her quickly bring home the dire revelation that there is much more at stake than her personal vendetta.

Interestingly, my favorite character of this story is actually Mac, which is unusual as I’m not a big fan of female leads. Maybe because my past favorite, Barrons, had a much smaller part. To counter this V’lane was given a much larger part and I did enjoy the partnership between him and Mac, but Mac was the real attraction to the story. She has really grown into her own as a character. This is one book I wish I had waited a bit longer to read. Although I've enjoyed the books in progressive order, each more than the last, this one has left me really wanting to read more and knowing I'll now have to wait...and wait...and wait some more to find out what happens next. This has been a very good urban fantasy series so far and I'm quite relieved to know that I haven't lost my taste for them!

97th book Kitten by Mychael Black, 98th book Damned Strong Love by Lutz Van Dijk and 99th book Dark Curse by Christine Feehan.

I've finally made 100!!! Magic's Pawn by Mercedes Lackey. Somehow I don't think I'll make another 50 by the end of December but I'm not too upset about it.

#101 - Vintage: A Ghost Story by Steve Berman

#102 - A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas

#103-Magic's Promise by Mercedes Lackey

#104-Click A novel by 10 authors.

92/104 - How did you find Click? I heard a bunch of the authors interviewed on NPR and was interested, but find myself putting it back down every time I pick it up at the library or bookstore.

I picked it up at the library after it was suggested on a challenge thread on the Read YA Lit group. The challenge was for people to name ten unusual YA books that they enjoyed and to choose five to read themselves. This is the first one I chose, mostly because I thought it sounded interesting (really, you don't often hear of a book with one plot line written by a bunch of different authors) and it happened to be on the shelf when I looked. It's probably not a book I'll read again but it was pretty good for the once around and very original.

My 105th book was a little more run-of-the-mill, a contemporary romance called Catch of the Day by Kristan Higgins.

106th book The Book of Names by D. Barkley Briggs.

107th book - Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole.

108th book - I was a Teenage Fairy by Francesca Lia Block

109th book - Shifting Love by Constance O'Day Flannery

110th book Fire by Sebastian Junger

Of note this book marks my 500th review on LT which is a rather neat milestone.

111th book Magic's Price by Mercedes Lackey.

112th book Walking After Midnight by Karen Robards

113th book Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite

114th book The Note by Kay Bognar

115th book There's a Porcupine in my Outhouse by Michael Tougias

The review can be found here:

http://www.librarything.com/work/6804416/reviews/21374560

116th book - AnotherHolic by Nisioisin and Clamp

117th book - Under the Mistletoe by Mary Balogh

118th book - Saints of Augustine by P.E. Ryan.

119th book - Amber in the Over World by Jonathan Fesmire.

120th book - Nick All Night by Cheryl St. John

121st book Ritual of Proof by Dara Joy

122nd book Gale Force by Rachel Caine

Moving right along, although it is remains an impossibility for me to get to my 150 goal, I have managed to read two books in the last two days :-)

123rd book Princess Nevermore by Dian Curtis Regan.

Just a note about this book, it is one I picked up directly as a result of seeing the author come up under the LT featured daily authors.

124th book - One Dark Night by Jaid Black

Well, that's it for me for 2008. Although I didn't quite make 150 I did have a lot of fun trying. I've reduced my goal for 2009 to 125 and it looks doable.

If anyone peeks at this post, I wish you a Happy New Year filled with many wonderful books!!

can someone ttell me if you can actually read any of the books on here? and if you can, how? i am new and have no idea.

Hi, Jasmin. I did leave a note on your profile but will also do so here. You cannot read books on this site, it is a site for cataloging and discussion. I know that on some other threads there have been websites you can read books on discussed, but I'm not sure what they were. Sorry.