Paranormal Romance Review: The Vampire's Quest by Vivi Anna

The Vampire's Quest

Valorian Chronicles Book 4

by Vivi Anna

Silhouette Nocturne

http://www.vivianna.net

ISBN: 9780373618088

Release Date: April 2009

from the author's site: 

After escaping from the Otherworld Crime Unit, Kellen Falcon came to Nouveau Monde to crack a rare blood disease. But the European hotbed of temptation yielded sport no vampire could resist—criminologist Sophie St. Clair. And with only days to live, Kellen sought sweet release from her to escape a savage past.

The lycan beauty wasn't one to stray from her pact. But an investigation into a downtown bombing now tied the two together. And it wasn't long before Kellen's smoldering eyes and Sophie's fierce desire for this vampire put her loyalties to the test.

my thoughts: 

 The Valorian Chronicles is another great Nocturne series that I've read from the beginning and have loved. Think a paranormal CSI. Vivi Anna includes Romance, Mystery, and all of my favorite Paranormal elements: vampires, witches, and werewolves. 

The Vampire's Quest is a great tale of star-crossed lovers with plenty of action to glue you to the pages. I absolutely loved it and I can't wait to get started on The Vampire's Kiss.  

Paranormal Romance Review: Immortal Bride by Lisa Childs

Immortal Bride

by Lisa Childs

Silhouette Nocturne

http://www.lisachilds.com

ISBN: 9780373618064

Release Date: March 2009

from the author's site: 

For generations, local residents have whispered about an evil menace lurking near the shore of the Lake of Tears. The recent murder of landowner Damien Gray's bride, Olivia, confirms the worst. Now, confused and heartbroken, Olivia's spirit survives death and seeks vengeance upon the man she desired more than life itself, the man she now suspects was her killer—Damien.

But an angry shaman has his own vicious agenda, one that will bring Damien to understand his Native ancestry. Steamy passion and ancient vendettas will draw them ever deeper into a drama of a family's legacy, murder and a love so strong it can withstand even death. 

my thoughts: 

I flew through Immortal Bride in one night. Lisa Childs penned a different kind of Romance. I was so absorbed into Olivia and Damien's story that I couldn't put the book down until I was done. 

Immortal Bride is a unique tale of reunion and forgiveness.Olivia and Damien are destined for each other and not even death is going to keep them apart.  I've loved everything else I've read by Lisa Childs and I'm sure I'll continue to do so. I can't wait for her next book.

Urban Fantasy Review: Embraced by Darkness by Keri Arthur

Embraced by Darkness

Riley Jensen, Guardian Book 5

by Keri Arthur

Dell Spectrum

http://www.keriarthur.com

ISBN: 9780553589610

Release Date: July 31, 2007

from the author's site: 

Part vamp, part werewolf, Riley Jenson plays by her own rules, whether it’s her stormy love life or her job as a guardian. But when her family’s alpha male demands that she solve the mystery of a vanished girl, Riley can feel a trap closing in around her. Because the job comes with a catch: if Riley fails, her own mother will die.

Now the stakes are raised, the hunt is on…and when more women vanish, Riley is caught between a lover who demands that she give up her work, a serial killer who knows no boundaries, and a club where humans and supernaturals mix—at their own peril. Thrust into a realm of seduction and violence unlike any she could have imagined, Riley has to battle to save everything she holds dear. But the ultimate hunt has only just begun….

my thoughts: 

Yet again Keri Arthur has written a great page-turner. In Embraced by Darkness, Riley has some decisions to make and none of them will be easy. She also finds herself working two equally puzzling cases, both of which find her in harms way. All of which equals one suspenseful read. Come on, you know you want to read it. :) And I highly recommend you do.

Fiction Review: Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Garden Spells

by Sarah Addison Allen

Bantam Dell

http://www.sarahaddisonallen.com

ISBN: 9780553805482 (hardcover)

Release Date: August 28, 2007 (hardcover)

from the author's site: 

Welcome to Bascom, North Carolina, where everyone has a story to tell about the Waverleys. There's the house that’s been in the family for generations, the walled garden that mysteriously blooms year round, and the wild rumors of dangerous loves and tragic passions. Claire has always clung to the Waverleys’ roots, tending the enchanted soil in the family garden from which she makes her sought-after delicacies. She has everything she thinks she needs, until one day she wakes to find a stranger has moved in next door and a vine of ivy has crept into her garden... and Claire’s carefully tended life is about to run gloriously out of control.

my thoughts: 

Sarah Addison Allen has such a magical way about her writing. Unusual and extraordinary things happen to her characters and yet in their world, it's completely normal. I just loved sitting down with Garden Spells and immersing myself in Claire's and Sydney's stories. 

Garden Spells was such a fabulous tale. Sarah Addison Allen has quickly turned into an auto-buy, auto-read author for me.

Urban Fantasy Review: Dangerous Games by Keri Arthur

Dangerous Games
Riley Jensen, Guardian Book 4

by Keri Arthur

Dell Spectra

http://www.keriarthur.com

ISBN: 9780553589597

Release Date: March 27, 2007

from the author's site: 

In Melbourne’s urban underworld, there’s a nightclub for every fantasy and desire. But for Riley Jenson, one such club has become an obsession. Riley, a rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, hasn’t come in pursuit of pleasure but of an unknown killer who’s been using the steamy nightspot as his hunting grounds.

Leave it to Riley to find the only ticket into the heavily guarded club: Jin, a deliciously hot-bodied bartender who might just provide the key to unmasking a killer unlike any other in the Directorate’s experience. Taunted by a former colleague turned rogue, distracted by an ex-lover’s attentions, Riley follows Jin into a realm of pleasure she could never have imagined. And as danger and passion ignite, a shocking mystery begins to unravel—one where Riley herself becomes the ultimate object of desire….

my thoughts: 

I've been hooked on the Riley Jensen books from the very first one. Every single book in this series has been such a quick read for me. I can't put 'em down; I've got to know what happens next. Riley's life is full of never-ending drama and suspense, not to mention all that romance. 

Dangerous Games is the perfect title for this book in so many ways. Riley is playing a dangerous game in her effort to find a killer. Keri Arthur just keeps ramping it up and I'm loving it. This series is a total auto-by series for me and I hope they keep coming for a while yet.  

Paranormal Romance: Fury Calls by Caridad Pineiro

Fury Calls

by Caridad Pineiro

Silhouette Nocturne

http://www.caridadpineiro.com

ISBN: 9780373618071

Release Date: March 2009

from the author's site: 

Four years ago, overcome by hunger, Blake Richards took too much from a young woman, and turned her to save her life. Now Meghan Thomas is like him, a vampire…and their initial attraction has turned to anger and distrust. She hates what he has made her, but when a vicious killer threatens Manhattan’s vampire community, Meghan has no choice but to turn to him—her sire. 
 

Blake is reckless and brash. Meghan is young and untried. Alone, they are no match for the killer. But with the fates of humans and vampires alike depending on them, their only hope is to trust in their blood bond.

my thoughts: 

 Fury Calls was just as great a read as the other books in Caridad Pineiro's The Calling series. Though it was definitely darker than most of the Nocturnes that I've read. Reading about Blake and Meghan, you got the sense that they were always going to be together, Meghan just wasn't ready to admit it yet. 

There was plenty of action and romance to keep the story moving, and a bad guy so bad you're itching to see him defeated. I really enjoyed Fury Calls, just as I've enjoyed all of Caridad Pineiro's other Nocturne titles. I'm anxious to try her single title Romances also. Caridad Pineiro is an author I'm going to keep coming back for.

Romantic Suspense Review: True Vision by Joyce Lamb

True Vision

by Joyce Lamb

Berkley Sensation

http://www.joycewrites.com

ISBN: 9780425235850

Release Date: June 1, 2010

from the author's site: 

Newspaper reporter Charlie Trudeau is living an ordinary life, until witnessing a fatal hit-and-run accident gives her an intense psychic power she has no clue how to handle—and brings a Chicago police detective to her doorstep...

Noah Lassiter wants nothing more than to find the driver who killed his good friend. But his only lead is the beautiful Charlie Trudeau, who gets prickly when he starts nosing around town. Charlie’s clearly hiding something, but Noah needs her help unraveling the mystery of his friend’s death—even if the electricity between them complicates things.

But the more Noah and Charlie uncover, the more they realize they’re looking for a desperate killer—and the more danger they’re in. And if Charlie can’t gain control over her psychic powers, they may not survive long enough to explore the full sizzling potential of their desire…

my thoughts: 

True Vision is the second book I've read from Joyce Lamb, but it's far from the last. True Vision is the first book in a new trilogy and January, and the release of True Colors can't come fast enough. 

Joyce Lamb included all of the elements that I love in a good story: Romance, Suspense, the Paranormal, and plenty of spice. 

Charlie and Noah are so great together even if individually they are less than perfect. I loved reading their story and I'm beyond ready for more. 

Paranormal Romance Review: Dragon's Lair by Denise Lynn

Dragon's Lair

by Denise Lynn

Silhouette Nocturne

http://www.denise-lynn.blogspot.com

ISBN: 9780373618057

Release Date: February 1, 2009

from the author's site: 

 

DRUID SPELLS, DANGEROUS INTRUDERS, AND A MYSTERIOUS ESTRANGED HUSBAND...WAS HE FIEND OR SAVIOR?

When his family's nemesis tried to find a book of Druidic-elder spells. Druid Braeden Drake and his estranged wife, Alexia, must unite to prevent the evil force from unleashing a supreme reign of terror. But having Alexia return to Dragon's Lair brings along another set of troubles. For not only does she make him senseless with desire, she's also being followed by the enemy.

Though tragedy once drove them apart, Alexia didn't count on her return igniting so many powerful emotions. But as each dark night descends, revisiting the marriage bed is a temptation she finds more and more difficult to resist. All too soon Alexia realizes her heart is as much at risk as her life...

my thoughts: 

Gotta love a good dragon tale and Dragon's Lair is definitely a good dragon tale. It's also a great tale of reunited lovers, though in a twist from the traditional, this pair is already married. It's clear from the first time Alexia and Braeden are in the same room together that they're still attracted to each other and not quite ready to let go. However it's equally clear that there's a lot of history between them that needs to be settled first.  

Watching their love return as they search for answers to family secrets is one of the great elements that kept me turning the pages. Having a nasty bad guy adding suspense to the plot sure didn't hurt either. 

Since Braeden has 2 brothers and Denise Lynn hinted that there are more secrets to be uncovered, I'm really anxious for more and I will definitely be keeping my eye on this author.  

Mystery Review: Prime Time by Hank Phillipi Ryan

Prime Time

by Hank Phillipi Ryan

Mira

http://www.hankphillipiryan.com

ISBN: 9780778327172

Release Date: July 1, 2009

from the author's site: 

Deadlines. Desire. Deception. 

Could the scoop of her career be hiding in her email? Top notch TV reporter Charlotte McNally suspects some of that annoying spam clogging her email is more than just cyber junk. In fact, she thinks some of it might be carrying secret big-money messages to big-time insiders who have the key to decode it. Problem is, the last outsider to decipher the code wound up in the local morgue.

my thoughts: 

I'm writing this one up as a Mystery review because despite that my bookstore shelves this in the Romance department, the overall tone of the novel felt much more like a Mystery. 

Prime Time is the first novel in the Charlotte McNally series, and it's an excellent debut. The suspense kept me glued to the pages, while the red herrings and surprise twists kept me guessing about what was going on and who was behind it all. 

Charlotte is an interesting character and I'm curious to see what other trouble she gets up to. Hank Phillipi Ryan has definitely captured my interest and I look forward to reading her other books.