The Covenant by Evangeline Anderson

Kaitlyn Richards is a witch with powers beyond the norm. Her unique abilities make her one of the few people in the state of Florida qualified to be an S.E., or Supernatural Enforcer. As part of her duties she uses her home as a magical holding cell for creatures too strong to be contained in normal human jails.

Holden Sumner is a three-hundred-year-old vampire on a mission—he’s been stalking a serial-killing demon for centuries and he needs Kaitlyn’s help to kill it. The problem is, she won’t give him the time of night. But Sumner is determined to get under her skin.

Though Kaitlyn is reluctant to get involved with a vampire, she agrees to help Sumner search for the killer. But in order to drive the demon back to hell and stop the slaughter of innocents, she will have to bind herself more tightly than she ever thought possible to a man she doesn’t want to love.

She and Sumner must form a blood covenant…or die trying.

~~

OMG an ebook! I feel like I haven't read any of these in forever - or at least, not  a new one anyway. I picked this up to be a quick read on my bus ride to NY and for the most part I feel like it performed its role quite admirably.

The story starts with Sumner getting Kaitlyn's attention by killing what appears to be a normal homeless man - on camera. When he looked up and winked, knowingly doing more to get Katilyn's goat, I figured that this was going to be a good banter book. And it is - they go back and forth, negotiating not only their feelings for each other but what Kaitlyn is willing to do to banish an evil that's attacking her coven. Still, what makes me give this a lower grade is a couple things: first I thought the HEA was rushed, because so much time had been spent on bad guy buildup and sexy times (not that the sexy times weren't well done, they were). Suddenly we're into her admitting her love for Sumner when she's spent 90% of the book saying she has 'feelings' but that's it. Second the bad guy was totally obvious. I don't want to spoil anything, but I would probably have preferred a random than the person who was eventually revealed - just too obvious for me. 

All in all it's a fine addition to the paranormal romance genre, and Anderson is one of my regulars for ebooks - her heroes tend to be the kind of humorous alpha males I enjoy.

Overall Feeling - B-

Series - None

Teaser Tuesdays (7/10)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


"Holy sweet baby Jesus on a skateboard. How on earth was she supposed to answer him when he said stuff like that?"

-pg 5, To Do List by Lauren Dane

Samurai Game by Christine Feehan

In a world so dark and seductive, expect nothing less than a triple-cross in the explosive all-new Ghostwalker novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan...

In an underground club, a high-ranking public official spends his secret nights indulging in fantasies as exciting as they are depraved. For a seductive employee of the Dungeon, it’s her job to fulfill them. But she’s playing a far more dangerous game -- one of blackmail, politics, and murder that reaches into the shadow world of the Ghostwalkers, and the creation of a spectacular, one-of-a-kind new weapon of defense.

But when a dictator makes his own catastrophic moves, the Ghostwalkers have no choice but to bring in two major players -- a man and woman both driven by passion and revenge. Both expendable. Both with nothing left to lose.

~~

First let me assure you that the blurb you see up above has pretty much nothing to do with the main couple in this story. Second, let me also tell you that the alpha male of this story, Sam, is not an asshole (ala Dark Predator). Feehan's Ghostwalker series has quietly become my favorite of hers because of the combination of alpha-but-still-loving men and fierce women. There's always a lot of action with plenty of sexy times and even when you think the plotline with Whitney (the big bad guy) is becoming stale, Feehan manages to come up with something new to keep things interesting.

While this book isn't the end of the series by a long shot, I would have to say that about 3/4 of the way through I wouldn't have been upset if it had been. I liked Sam and Azami quite a bit; she was scarred from her childhood with Whitney, Sam by his time in the military combined with his neglected to adopted backstory. But both of them are warriors. I mean Azami kicks ass before we even see the rest of the gang! She researched the hell out of the Ghostwalker compound and the motives of the people living there, ready to take whatever steps necessary to end Whitney's reign. Combined it all results in a great book with fast-paced, entertaining action scenes and a satisfying HEA.

P.S. - There is a lot of military jargon and weapons discussion in this book (more so than usual I feel) but it since it made sense to the characters I'm not going to quibble and say that it had no place in the overall story.

P.P.S. - Azami, while being Asian and raised Japanese, did not feel to me like a stereotype. Some more obvious qualities were picked to be shown in detail (ie, tea making) but any sense of subservience was quickly balanced by Sam, who wanted to serve her and be of use to her just as much as she did.

Overall Feeling - B+

Series - ... 8) Street Game 9) Ruthless Game 10) Samurai Game

June in Review

Happy (belated) July 4th Celebration! I had a blast bopping around DC yesterday, avoiding crowds and eating as much as my body could possibly handle. One of my new found joys is how easy it is to go to the National Mall just by walking - no tourist filled public transportation for me!  Here's my one typical Instagram pic of the fireworks, but you can see a full jumble of my day over at Good Red Herring.

(I guess I should say there was also another kind of dramatic episode where I almost passed out/vomited waiting in line for dim sum in the heat, but luckily I managed to tough it out. KEEP HYDRATED FOLKS! The world is not playing around.)

Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh

Just for Kicks by Susan Andersen

That Thing Called Love by Susan Andersen (review coming soon!)

Charmed by His Love by Janet Chapman (B/B-)

Hidden Crimes by Emma Holly (A+)

The Witness by Nora Roberts

The Shadowing by Joan Overfield (B+)

At Last by Jill Shalvis (B+/A-)

Bear Meets Girl by Shelly Laurenston

A Hundred Words for Hate by Thomas E. Sniegoski (A-)

Here Kitty, Kitty by Shelly Laurenston

Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett (C-)

Beneath the Skin by Lauren Dane

Karakuri Odette by Julietta Suzuki (B)

Date Night by Emma Holly

Look for a new review on Friday - a day off gave me the chance to speed through Samurai Game!)

P.S. - I can't believe no one told me my May in Review posted as JUNE in Review! Not fair peeps, letting my epic fail go unnoticed - sometimes my brain needs a helping hand, lol.

Yeah, I went there

So I know there are things I should be doing. Writing reviews, reading books I haven't already reviewed, doing my monthly summary post. You know....things. But I just can't. The heavens have granted me a reprieve and I'm leaving work at 3:30pm. And after some shopping I probably shouldn't be doing I'll be starting on this bad boy:

Which after a B&N memberships and a 15% off coupon (print yours here!) I bought for a very respectable $6. 48. I hope you guys are having a wonderful Tuesday and a great almost 4th of July celebration!

The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett

Of the three Lockwell sisters—romantic Lily, prophetic Rose, and studious Ivy—all agree that it’s the eldest, the book-loving Ivy, who has held the family together ever since their father’s retreat into his silent vigil in the library upstairs. Everyone blames Mr. Lockwell’s malady on his magickal studies, but Ivy alone still believes—both in magic and in its power to bring her father back.

But there are others in the world who believe in magick as well. Over the years, Ivy has glimpsed them—the strangers in black topcoats and hats who appear at the door, strangers of whom their mother will never speak. Ivy once thought them secret benefactors, but now she’s not so certain.

After tragedy strikes, Ivy takes a job with the reclusive Mr. Quent in a desperate effort to preserve her family. It’s only then that she discovers the fate she shares with a jaded young nobleman named Dashton Rafferdy, his ambitious friend Eldyn Garritt, and a secret society of highwaymen, revolutionaries, illusionists, and spies who populate the island nation of Altania.

For there is far more to Altania than meets the eye and more to magick than mere fashion. And in the act of saving her father, Ivy will determine whether the world faces a new dawn—or an everlasting night. . .

~~

Ok I will admit that Gothic Romance is perhaps not my genre (or subgenre). This book was painful for me to finish because at some point I just gave up on ever really liking all of the characters or where the story was going. Plus, in a authorial decision that completely turned me off, this book is in three parts that go from third person to FIRST PERSON back to third person. No thank you.

As a reader I felt like I was presented with a bunch of characters that required a ton of back story that still didn't result in me caring very much. It felt plodding I guess, with my left questioning who the heck Mr. Quent was for 2/3 of the book - which for me is way way too long. I think if you had patience and thought the foreboding overtones and hints of forgotten romance were just dandy than this is a book for you. I can admire the skill it took to weave together so many disparate elements, especially since with some Googling I've discovered this is the first in a trilogy, but it was not my cup of tea.

Overall Feeling - C-

Series - 1) The Magicians and Mrs. Quent 2) The House on Durrow Street 3) The Master of Heathercrest Hall

A Hundred Words for Hate by Thomas E. Sniegoski

As an angel, Remy possess powers and skill he puts to good use in his chosen profession - but only if the situation calls for it. And the sudden reappearance of the Garden of Eden is definitely one such situation.

He's approached by the seemingly benevolent Sons of Adam to find the Key to the Gates of Eden. But there are those who want the Gates to stay shut. For there is something terrible and dangerous buried in the Garden- and they'll do anything to see that it is not unearthed.

Now, caught between warring factions of immortals, Remy must decide how to proceed: Find the Key, or not? Desperate for help, he turns to a very old acquaintance: a fallen angel who is sometimes a friend, sometimes a foe- and always deadly.

~~

I have to give high marks to a series that's a fantastic read even when you start with book four. I found myself liking Remy from the beginning, the former Angel who's lost his feel for humanity. His wife had kept him grounded and connected to the world of men and when she died of cancer (which I don't consider a spoiler since it's revealed first thing) everything changed for Remy. When a former associate contacts him to find the key to the Gates of Eden it gives him the opportunity to feel excited once again about his job and humanity.

Initially I picked this up because it felt similar to Simon R. Green and his Nightside series but after finishing this book there are some very distinct differences. First the overall tone is not as 'horror-ful' as Green's world. Yes there is some pretty gruesome action, but pain and torture for the sake of pain and torture don't appear nearly as much. And of course one can't overlook the Christian mythology. Remy is an Angel, full stop, with the typical God created Angels then created Man back story. Any sort of Christian mythos that shows up in Nightside is a footnote (for the most part) to what else is going on - there are lots of  gods and goddesses to consider.

Either way I ended this book with excitement - I've found a new author :). I really like Sniegoski's style, his characters, and the way he mixes mystery and the paranormal. I definitely want to read the rest.

Overall Feeling - A-

Series - 1) A Kiss Before the Apocalypse 2) Dancing on the Head of a Pin 3) Where Angels Fear to Tread 4) A Hundred Words for Hate 5) In the House of the Wicked

P.S. - What the f*ck? I bought this used for half price and the SERIES IS 60% OFF ON AMAZON ($5.60). I'm a little bitter.