Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong (‘Women of the Otherworld’ series Book #4)

Format: Mass Market Paperbound - Published: March 27, 2007 - 560 Pages - ISBN: 1400025281 - Published By: Seal Books

 

Industrial Magic

by Kelley Armstrong

‘Women of the Otherworld’ series Book #4

Meet the smart, sexy – supernatural – women of the otherworld. This is not your mother’s coven…

Kelley Armstrong returns with the eagerly awaited follow-up to Dime Store Magic. Paige Winterbourne, a headstrong young woman haunted by a dark legacy, is now put to the ultimate test as she fights to save innocents from the most insidious evil of all…

In the aftermath of her mother’s murder, Paige broke with the elite, ultraconservative American Coven of Witches. Now her goal is to start a new Coven for a new generation. But while Page pitches her vision to uptight thirty-something witches in business suits, a more urgent matter commands her attention.

Someone is murdering the teenage offspring of the underworld’s most influential Cabals – a circle of families that makes the mob look like amateurs. And none is more powerful than the Cortez Cabal, a faction Paige is intimately acquainted with. Lucas Cortez, the rebel son and unwilling heir, is none other than her boyfriend. But love isn’t blind, and Paige has her eyes wide open as she is drawn into a hunt for an unnatural-born killer. Pitted against shamans, demons, and goons, it’s a battle chilling enough to make a wild young woman grow up in a hurry. If she gets the chance.

Review: I thought this one was just as good as Paige’s first book, Dime Store Magic. Excellent clash of characters; some to love, others to hate.

Good plot, great twists, and I actually came to like Paige. A strong woman with her own mind, it seems like she knows how to handle everything, including her mind and heart, let alone any situation she finds herself in.

Can’t wait to ‘sink my teeth’ into the next book!

Rating: .5

Dead Beat by Jim Butcher (‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #7)

 Dead Beat by Jim Butcher

‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #7

Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages – Publisher: Roc (May 2, 2006) – Language: English – ISBN-10: 045146091X – ISBN-13: 978-0451460912

Back of the Book reads:

Paranormal investigations are Harry Dresden’s business, and Chicago is his beat as he tries to bring law and order to a world of wizards and monsters that exists alongside everyday life. And though most inhabitants of the Windy City don’t believe in magic, the Special Investigations department of the Chicago PD knows better.

Karrin Murphy is the head of SI and Harry’s good friend. So when a killer vampire threatens to destroy Murphy’s reputation unless Harry does her bidding, he has no choice. The vampire wants the Word of Kemmler (whatever that is) and all the power that comes with it. Now Harry is in a race against time – and six merciless necromancers – to find the Word before Chicago experiences a Halloween night to wake the dead…

Dead Beat at Amazon.com

Deat Beat at Chapters.ca

Dead Beat at Amazon.ca

---

15-Sep-08 to 17-Sep-08

Review: Fast-paced, action-packed and witty, a T-Rex of a ride!

First, it starts off with an uncomfortable moment between Harry and Murphy. She’s asked him to water her house plants during the weekend ~ while she’s in Hawaii with none other than Kincaid. While Karrin deserves a vacation, Harry wishes it wasn’t with Kincaid.

To make matters worse, he receives a note from Mavra, a vampire from the Black Court, the vampire that previously tried to kill him. She has pictures of Murphy doing things a cop isn’t supposed to be doing while helping Harry and Kincaid, and if Harry refuses to do Mavra’s bidding, she’ll send the pictures to the police. Harry can’t let that happen, and he has only three days to find what Mavra’s looking for – all without help.

However, Mavra isn’t the only one looking for the Word of Kemmler, a book written by Kemmler himself, a powerful necromancer, that had been taken out ages ago by the White Council. For necromancy is the worst kind of magic, and to use such magic is to break the laws binding all wizards.

Between saving Butters’s butt and and fighting off zombies, Harry has to find a way to stop the other six necromancers all wanting what Mavra wants – all of Kemmler’s powers. But Harry can’t do that job alone and finally calls in the White Council to help, only to find out what three-quarters of all the Wardens have been eliminated by the Red Court. How did the Red Court know where to hit? Is there a traitor among the Senior Council? And why are the necromancers looking for the Word of Kemmler now, of all times? Captain Luccio, the head of Wardens, desperately needs the help, and Harry becomes a Warden, something he never thought he’d accept. But will Harry find the answer and the power to stop what’s about to happen? One can only hope.

And true to his word, Harry does.

Action-packed and fast-paced, this novel is a joyride. For three days, there is fight after fight, question after question, all with very little results until closer to the final battle. And just when you think it’s hopeless, Harry uses the necromancer’s magic against them, with a T-Rex of all things (and I swear, it was the best part of the book!) to fight the good fight.

And just to make matters more difficult, Harry has his own inner battles to fight as well, along with wanting to tell Lasciel (a Denarian from a previous novel) to take a hike and not being able to. Yes, he needs her help, but the cost would be astronomical, and it’s a cost he doesn’t want to pay. But without any kind of help from her, he knows, deep down, that he won’t be able to get the job done.

Along with his witty comebacks and remarks making this reader bark out with laughter, it’s darn near impossible to put down any of the Dresden Files novels and not think about them. An excellent read for sure, it has everything that I crave in a good book: mystery, action, suspense, magic, feelings, wit and inner turmoil, all wrapped up together. This is definitely a series for the paranormal/supernatural/sci-fi/fantasy lovers out there who love a good book. High recommendation!

Rating:

Darkness Everlasting by Alexandra Ivy (‘Guardians of Eternity’ series Book #3)

 Darkness Everlasting by Alexandra Ivy

‘Guardians of Eternity’ series Book #3

Paperback: 416 pages – Publisher: Zebra (May 1, 2008 ) – Language: English – ISBN-10: 0821779397 – ISBN-13: 978-0821779392

Back of the Book reads:

TWO MEN…

Darcy Smith always sensed she was different from everyone else – if only she knew how different. Possessing a secret strong enough to end an entire race of demons, Darcy unwittingly becomes a pawn in an epic battle between the vampires and the weres as she discovers a new world filled with ecstacy – and dark passions…

ONE DESIRES HER LOVE…

Consumed with lust for Darcy, Styx – the Anasso of vampires – will do everything in his power to keep her out of the lair of Salvatore Giuliani, the deadly leader of the weres. But protecting the woman he loves could cost Styx the ultimate price…

THE OTHER … HER LIFE.

Salvatore Giuliani knows time is running out for the weres. Pushed to the brink of extinction, he will stop at nothing to make Darcy his ultimate conquest and queen – for she alone holds the key to his survival. But which of these men can Darcy truly trust? For all it takes is one bite to plunger her into a lifetime of servitude – or a lifetime of pleasure…

Darkness Everlasting at Amazon.com

Darkness Everlasting at Chapters.ca

Darkness Everlasting at Amazon.ca

---

13-Sep-08 to 14-Sep-08

Review: Can’t ask for better!

Darcy Smith is a bartender among several other jobs. She does these just to stay afloat; having not finished high school, good jobs are hard to come by. She does what she needs to, to survive. Having been in foster care since a baby, she’d been moved less than every two years, coming to believe herself a freak. finally running away as an early teen. She isn’t like normal people. When she gets hurt, she heals two quickly to be human. She’s stronger and faster than a normal human. At age eighteen, she stopped aging. She believes she’s a freak. And for that reason, doesn’t let anyone close to her – no meaningful friendships, no meaningful relationships. She’s alone – and until she can figure out why she is the way she is, prefers it that way.

Styx has a problem. Seems the prince of weres is in Chicago, where he isn’t supposed to be. He’s outside his hunting territory, and Styx wants to know why. News travels, and Styx finds out he’s after a girl – Darcy Smith. He plans to get to her first and use her as a hostage, and as a bargaining chip with Salvatore. What he didn’t plan on was wanting Darcy for himself. And just when Salvatore almost has his hands on her, Styx beats him to it.

Salvatore Guiliani is desparate. Turns out, Darcy is one of four missing sisters, all who had gone missing shortly after birth and believed to have been sold on the black market. Their DNA had been ‘toyed’ with, which surpresses the wanting/needing to shift. The weres need Darcy and her sisters because of it. Having been forced by the vampires to boundaries is slowly killing their race. Purebloods are almost non-existint, as are curs, and if they have Darcy and her sisters, who’s shifting has been surpressed, they’d be able to carry children full term, replenishing their race.

Styx treats her wonderfully, never making her feel like a hostage or a bargaining chip. He cares for her a great deal – Darcy feels a kinship with him, can feel his loneliness. When Darcy finds out that Salvatore wants nothing more than a breeder, the thought sickens her stomach. And she won’t be pushed, for she’s fallen in love with Styx, and no one, not even the mother she never knew she had, can change her mind or heart, regardless if she is a were…

Oh, did I like this one. I adore the series and can’t wait to get my hands on the next novel. While is seems that most men have that caveman attitude, Styx learns quickly that Darcy will not be pushed around. She isn’t one to be told what to do. Believing she is human, he thinks her fragile and vulnerable, until Darcy shows him otherwise.

She doesn’t back down from an argument, and gives as good as she gets. Styx isn’t used to that. He’d lived the life of a monk for so long, celibacy and all, and is finding the stirrings of desire in him fresh and new. Darcy surprises him more and more, and what surprise could be the biggest … when they end up mated.

I loved watching Darcy and Styx fall for each other. It was the sweetest thing. Action scenes where well written and spaced, love scenes erotic enough to make any reader hot under the collar and breathless. The author has a way with her descriptions of sucking (no pun intended) you into the story and you’ll have a hard time letting go. I think the best part was when Darcy managed to convince both Styx and Salvatore that everything can work out if they compromised, teaching them both a lesson. This novel sets up the next few novels in the story really well. Truly a series in the paranormal romance genre you don’t want to miss.

Rating:

Blood Rites by Jim Butcher (‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #6)

 Blood Rites by Jim Butcher

‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #6

Paperback: 372 pages – Publisher: Roc; 1st edition (August 3, 2004) – Language: English – ISBN-10: 0451459873 – ISBN-13: 978-0451459879

Back of the Book reads:

HARRY DRESDEN – WIZARD

Lost items found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

For Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, there have been worse assignments than going undercover on the set of an adult film. Dodging flaming monkey poo, for instance. Or going toe-to-leaf with a walking plant monster. Still, there’s something more troubling than usual about his newest case. The film’s producer believes he’s the target of a sinister entropy curse, but it’s the women around him who are dying, in increasinly spectacular ways.

Harry’s doubly frustrated because he got involved with this bizarre mystery only as a favor to Thomas, his flirtations, self-absorbed vampires acquaintance of dubious integrity. Thomas has a personal stake in the case Harry can’t quite figure out, until his investigation leads him straight to Tomas’s oversexed vampire family. Harry’s about to discover that Thomas’s family tree has been hiding a shocking secret: a revelation that will change Harry’s life forever.

Blood Rites on Amazon.com

Blood Rites on Chapters.ca

Blood Rites on Amazon.ca

---

31 Aug-08 to 2-Sep-08

Review: And Harry thought he was alone

Harry’s friend, Thomas, a vampire from the White Court, asks Harry for a favor: His friend, Arturo Genosa, an adult film producer, believes than an entropy curse has been laid upon him. The women in his films are meeting untimely and intriguingly spectacular deaths, and Arturo doesn’t know why. As Harry investigates, he wonders if the studio Arturo left behind could be behind it all. But as his investigation continues, new information comes to light and it becomes more than that.

Meanwhile, Mavra, a vampire from the Black Court is back – and is after Harry. He hires Kincaid to help him get rid of her and recruits his cop friend, Murphy, and his mentor and teacher, Ebenezar McCoy, knowing that he and Kincaid can’t do it alone.

Thomas’s family becomes involved in Harry’s investigation of the entropy curse, leaving Harry confused and wondering if Thomas set him up. However, a soulgaze with Thomas brings forth something that Harry had never known: Harry’s mother had been one of Lord Raith’s women – the head of the White Court vampires and Thomas’s brother. Thomas is Harry’s half-brother.

And just when Harry is left wondering if there are any more surprises… Harry learns that Kincaid isn’t exactly human. He also learns that Ebenezar is also known as Blackstaff McCoy – the one who takes care of the ‘ugly’ matters that the White Council won’t take care of themselves.  Ebenezar has done things he’s not proud of, including lying to Harry. It was Thomas’s father, Lord Raith, who had found Harry’s mother, Margaret LeFay, and killed her shortly after Harry was born. Now, more than ever, Harry is determined to get rid of Lord Raith.

Holy crow, did a lot of things come to light in this book. Harry’s friendship with Murphy grows deeper, and Murphy learns she has more courage than she thought she had. He wonders if Mavra is gone for good and how he’s going to get the funds to pay Kincaid before Kincaid’s ‘deadline’. Thomas is his brother, who has been banned from the Raith House and is now staying with Harry for the moment. Arturo’s entropy curse has been put to rest. He is unsure if he’ll ever forgive Ebenezar.

As with all the Dresden novels, the magic and action are pumped up, raising this reader’s adrenaline. I love how Harry manages to figure out everything, fitting all the pieces together. The mix of friends and enemies are always at the forefront, and Harry’s sarcasm comes out more and more. I love his quirkiness, his relationship with Murphy as well as Bob. The author manages to give the reader explanations to rituals and rules, both Black Court and White Court vampires alike; their differences in powers and formalities. But he doesn’t go overboard, avoids creating anything formal as to limiting his story line for future novels. Butcher’s blend of paranormal/supernatural, occult beliefs and magic creates a world unlike any other – something distinct that you can’t compare to other series’ in this genre. Bravo, Mr. Butcher! 

You can’t get better than Harry Dresden. This series is highly recommended to those who like paranormal and sci-fi novels.

Rating:

Death Masks by Jim Butcher (‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #5)

 Death Masks by Jim Butcher

‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #5

Mass Market Paperback: 378 pages – Publisher: Roc (August 5, 2003) – Language: English – ISBN-10: 0451459407 – ISBN-13: 978-0451459404

Back of the Book reads:

HARRY DRESDEN – WIZARD

Lost items found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only practicing professional wizard, should be happy that business is pretty good for a change. But now he’s getting more than he bargained for:

A duel with the Red Court of Vampires’ champion, who must kill Harry to end the war between vampires and wizards…

Professional hit men using Harry for target practice…

The missing Shroud of Turin…

A handless and headless corpse the Chicago police need identified…

Not to mention the return of Harry’s ex-girlfriend Susan, who’s still struggling with her semivampiric nature. And who seems to have a new man in her life.

Some days, it just doesn’t pay to get out of bed. No matter how much you’re charging.

Death Masks at Amazon.com

Death Masks at Chapters.ca

Death Masks at Amazon.ca

---

30-Aug-08

Review: ‘Unputdownable!’

The war still rages between the Red Court of Vampires and the wizards. Only now, the stakes (no pun intended) have been risen (again, no pun intended); Ortega, a duke of the Red Court, has come to Chicago with a purpose. A duel between himself a Harry – a way of drawing the war to a close. However, there’s another purpose to that – one that Harry manages to figure out.

Father Vincent, a priest from the Vatican approaches Harry, looking to hire him to find a holy relic stolen from the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy. The Shroud of Turin, to be exact, believed to be the burial cloth used by Joseph of Aramithea to wrap the body of Christ after the Crucifixtion. The thieves, known as the Churchmice, are selling to the highest bidder. And who do you suppose that is? The Shroud needs to be found before the exchange can be complete, and before someone or something ‘evil’ gest their hands on it first.

Susan returns, supposedly to get some of her things and say good-bye.

Murphy calls, needing Harry’s help. Seems a handless, headless corpse has been found, but there are stranger things connected to it.

All in less than 24 hours. Now Harry has to fight a duel to the death, find a missing Shroud, somehow say goodbye to Susan forever, and fight something even more sinister than he’s ever faced before. Yep, sometimes it really just doesn’t pay to get out of bed.

I can’t help myself or stop myself returning to this series, book after book. Butcher sure knows how to write them. Harry is a character all his own. He doesn’t believe he’s courageous, and yet he stands up for what he believes in; That woman shouldn’t be used or violated, that weaker beings deserve to be defended, and that evil doesn’t deserve the light of day (no pun intended). Harry is determined, whether scared spitless or not, he’s chivalrous, has his own code of ethics and morality, no matter what is against him. But it’s the way that he reverts to sarcasm and smart-ass jokes when he’s tense or threatened that have me laughing. The things that he says is pure Harry – there is no way to describe it. You have to read it yourself.

Harry is clever, his mind figures out things even when it’s at the last possible second, and I love to seem him persevere against all odds.

Lots of action, magica or not. a romance that breaks your heart, several mysteries, pure suspense and plenty of activity to keep a reader glued to each page. This reader is truly a big fan or Harry Dresden.

Rating:

Shards of Crimson by Liz Maverick, Carolyn Jewel, Patti O’Shea, Jade Lee (‘Crimson City’ series Book #7)

 Shards of Crimson by Liz Maverick, Carolyn Jewel, Patti O’Shea, Jade Lee

‘Crimson City’ series Book #7 – Anthology

Mass Market Paperback: 370 pages – Publisher: Love Spell (January 2, 2007) – Language: English – ISBN-10: 0505527103 – ISBN-13: 978-0505527103

Back of the Book reads:

It’s been said there’s no such thing as quiet here. Ever since the metropolis first became home to paranormals, discord was named queen. But who will be her king – vampires, werewolves, demons or men? Pacts have come and gone, all in secret. But one thing remains sure: From the soaring vampire high-rises to the werewolves’ labyrinth, and even on the infernal plane of Orcus, this land is a battleground and conflict is eternal.

Yet there are those who join together – strangers, enemies, lovers. Here, one silken caress can be deadlier than a bullet, but some still know joy. For darkness can become light, and in one sharp instant pain can become ecstasy, and hatred, love.

Welcome back to Crimson City.

Shards of Crimson on Amazon.com

Shards of Crimson on Chapters.ca

Shards of Crimson on Amazon.ca

---

6-Aug-08 to 7-Aug-08

Review: I want more!

I thought all four stories were pretty good. Each one had characters that were secondary characters in the other novels in the series. Each one different, but all had action, inner turmoils and excellent, erotic love scenes.

A Time to Howl by Liz Maverick: I thought this was great. Even when it started out almost as ‘poor little rich girl’, Tajo and Gia overcome their differences and learn about one another. What started out as a spur of the moment kidnapping turns into an excellent love story. I was disappointed, though, but not because of the story. I want Jill and Marius! Please, oh please, Ms. Maverick. I need Jill and Marius. By ending their torment you’ll be ending mine. Right at the beginning, the page just before the title page, Liz wrote: “To the fans waiting for Jill and Marius … we’ll get there.” Oh, I hope it’s soon. This novel had been published in January 2007. Please! The suspense is killing me here! Rating:

DX by Carolyn Jewel: Pretty good action and plot, but I found DX/Jaden to be a little overbearing. While I felt the characters were attracted to each other, I didn’t find the basis as to why Hell would become Jaden’s mate, just because. I didn’t feel the connection strong enough. While I know that there was a reason for it, I didn’t feel it was enough. Not bad, but not the greatest. Rating:

School Bites by Jade Lee: This one was delightful! I really liked how Toni and John fumbled with each other, turned to each other, trusted each other, helped one another. Each one strong in their beliefs, even when they change. I thought the story was a great change to the usual fighting and will to survive. The had a point to push across and I loved how that played out in the story. Even though fiction, we can learn from this one, and it was a pleasant surprise. Rating:

Dark Awakening by Patti O’Shea: Oh, I really enjoyed this one. I truly love how Kimi and Nic come together and win against the odds, just the two of them. I felt the connection between them, and I understood Kimi’s hesitancy. Nic doesn’t push, and Kimi, bold yet wary, learns something new every hour she spends with Nic. Their love blossoms, and the reader can feel it. I love how they team up to beat the bad guy, and no matter how scared she was, she did what she had to, to keep Nic alive. For a woman of only twenty years of age, she did something that most can’t, and it was incredible to watch. Rating:

And yet, I can’t help reiterate once more: Please, Liz! I need Jill and Marius!

Average Rating:  .5

Crimson Rogue by Liz Maverick (‘Crimson City’ series Book #6)

 Crimson Rogue by Liz Maverick

‘Crimson City’ series Book #6

Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages – Publisher: Love Spell (April 4, 2006) – Language: English – ISBN-10: 0505526255 – ISBN-13: 978-0505526250

Back of the Book reads:

From the four strata of Crimson City come rogues: vampire, werewolf, human, demon. These rebels, rakes and unsung heroes have turned their backs on the extravagant vampire skyway, the gritty werewolf underground, the iron-fisted human stronghold and the fiery power of the demon underworld. Walking a thin line between their own destinies. Ironically, they will be the ones to determine if the City flourishes or fails.

Cydney Brighton knows them well, for she too is now rogue. Having escaped hell, she’s discovered that the City is not what it once was – and neither is she. Only one man understands her, understands what it means to be someone or something beyond control. He’s ready to come out of the darkness, and part-man, part-machine, he’s willing to sacrifice almost anything to make himself whole.

The future is theirs.

Crimson Rogue

Crimson Rogue at Amazon.com

Crimson Rogue at Chapters.ca

Crimson Rogue at Amazon.ca

---

4-Aug-08 to 5-Aug-08

Review: Action-packed, but excellent conclusion?

Terrific, excellent, worthy once again of the Crimson City series! I think Liz Maverick knows how to create an alternate reality really well. But she left me stumped, which I will get to in a minute.

If you read the first book in the series, you’ll understand why this seemed like a complete turnaround for Cyd Brighton. In the first novel, we’re told of what she did before joining B-Ops, things she’d seen and wanted to forget. It had to horrible enough for her to live the way she lived, including the drugs. Her disappearance was a great mystery, and I was left feeling slightly unfulfilled with not having an explanation.

In this novel, we get the explanation, and it’s enough to get the shivers. Incredible as it was, she escapes Orcus and the demon who pulled her in. But she refuses to go back to B-Ops and becomes a rogue. She wants nothing to do with her old life, finding that, while gone ‘missing’ for three months, a lot has changed. Determined to persevere, she goes to the only place where she believes she can make a fresh start: Bosco’s; a seedy bar where it seems the rogues like to hang.

And that’s where Finn is. He is the mech in the first book, the one who murdered Fleur’s brothers, under orders. He went Rogue from there, learning to live day to day in his surroundings, wanting and trying to rip the metal from his flesh. More human than machine, he wants to live and will do anything not to be brought back to his ‘non-existance’.

Cyd and Finn are attracted to each other almost right from the first. Finn pushes Cyd to report in to B-Ops, not wanting her killed. Claiming she has no clue where she’s been while missing, they ship her right back to where it all began, where she’d first been spotted by Griff-Vai, the demon who took her to Orcus with one thing on his mind: Cyd replacing the vishtau mate he’d lost.

But Cyd and Finn team up, and their inner battles rival the action-packed ones, which I really, really liked. But when it all becomes too much, with Griff constantly in her head, the threat of being brought back to Orcus, believing the medallion she’d taken when Xiao Fei and Patrick closed the portal between both worlds (Seduced by Crimson) was the link and returning to Patrick being hopeless, Cyd falls into despair and ends up back the way she was before her kidnapping. However, she is no longer exactly the same: now part human and part demon, she is scared beyond belief and while a man’s prophecy seems disjointed to her, she comes to believe it. Forming an alliance with the rogues, Cyd, with Finn’s help, fights back.

Lots of action, lessons learned, and love found. While they seem an odd pair, they fit together beautifully.

And this is where I come to the comment I made in the first paragraph: How can this be the end? No way! The epilogue raised more questions, the promise of another story. Oh, Ms. Maverick, please, pretty please tell me this isn’t the end? I so badly want Jill and Marius to be happy. Please!

Rating:

The Darkest Pleasure by Gena Showalter (‘Lords of the Underworld’ series Book #3)

 The Darkest Pleasure by Gena Showalter

‘Lords of the Underworld’ series Book #3

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages – Publisher: HQN Books (July 1, 2008 ) – Language: English – ISBN-10: 0373773102 – ISBN-13: 978-0373773107

Back of the Book reads:

HE CAN BEAR ANY PAIN BUT THE THOUGHT OF LOSING HER…

Reyes is a man possessed. Bound by the demon of Pain, he is forbidded to know pleasure. Yet he craves a mortal woman, Danika Ford, more than breath and will do anything to claim her – even defy the gods.

Danika is on the run. For months she’s eluded the Lords of the Underworld, immortal warriors who won’t rest until she and her family have been destroyed. But her dreams are haunted by Reyes, the warrior whose searing touch she can’t forget. Yet a future together could mean death to all they both hold dear…

---

30-Jul-08 to 1-Aug-08

Review: Book #3 – the best so far!

Oh, how I loved this one! The story of Danika and Reyes is a whirlwind of emotions and self-doubts (although Sabin’s demon doesn’t help here either). Inner battles waging war, battles with those who want them dead and/or captured, enemies trying to get the four artifacts and Pandora’s Box before the warriors do – incredible fights, incredible thoughts, incredible suspense and mystery, incredibly erotic love scenes all added up to a perfect ending!

Danika – now there is a heroine I truly adore in a novel. Running, hiding and fighting for her life, she and her mother, sister and grandmother are seperated, hiding from the one warrior who was sent by the gods to kill them – Aeron, who ‘houses’ the demon or Wrath. (He is currently chained, by Reyes, at the very bottom of the fortress’s dungeon – and I can’t wait for his book!) Captured by hunters, she is told a story that she is meant to believe, and she sort of does. Rescued by the warriors, she’s back under Reyes’s ‘protection’, and yet most believe that she is either bait or a plant – especially Sabin. Fighting her inner battles, wanting to run, wanting to stay, wanting to find and protect her family, she is supposed to be spying on the warriors and relating information back to the hunters. Only, she can’t do it – she can’t betray Reyes, for his touch alone brings warmth.

Reyes is completely enthralled with Danika. Housing the demon of Pain, he learned to control the demon somewhat, and now only hurts himself to control the demon’s urges. He is forced to chain Aeron in the dungeon to keep Danika and her family alive – and it eats him up inside. Meanwhile, he wants Danika in every way – and is determined to get her. However, there’s a catch. He’s tried the relationship thing before, but by allowing the women to give him pain at the same time as pleasure had always turned bad – the women turning around and hurting everyone in their path. Reyes refuses to allow that to happen to Danika – until she finally proves that she can do what he needs without damaging herself in turn. But then, there is a turn of events as well, for his demon seems to ‘take a hike’ when they make love.

An incredible love story, they both beat the odds and the head God, Cronus, the king of Titans. And very creatively, I might add. I soooo can’t wait for the next novel!

Rating:

The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter (‘Lords of the Underworld’ series Book #2)

 The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter

‘Lords of the Underworld’ series Book #2

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages – Publisher: HQN Books (June 1, 2008 ) – Language: English – ISBN-10: 0373772327 – ISBN-13: 978-0373772322

Back of the Book reads:

Hi is ultimate darkness – and all consuming desire…

She has tempted many men… But never found her equal.

Until now.

Though she has lived for centuries, Anya, goddess of anarchy, has never known pleasure. Until Lucien, the incarnation of death – a warrior eternally doomed to take soulds to the hereafter. He draws her like no other. And Anya will risk anything to have him.

But when the merciless Lord of the Underworld is ordered by the gods to claim Anya herself, their uncontrollable attraction becomes an anguished pursuit. Now they must defeat the unconquerable forces that control them, before their thirst for one another demands a sacrifice of love beyong imagining…

---

28-Jul-08 to 30-Jul-08

Review: Another excellent novel in the series!

I enjoyed this one more than the first!

I loved how Showalter wrote Anya’s character. As the greek goddess of anarchy, Anya truly acted like a greek goddess; from the stomping of a foot when she didn’t get her way, to pitching a fit if called a ‘minor’ goddess, to the way she changes her mind and is constantly after what she wants, the portrayal of a Greek Goddess hit just the right spot.

And Lucien… no matter how much he tried to push Anya away, she still got under his skin. Didn’t help with his demon, Death, wanted Anya just as much. He hated having to rip souls from their bodies to deliver them where they were to go, whether Heaven or Hell, but was resigned to the task. Having Anya with him made the job easier.

I thought the banter/fighting between the two really added character to the story. I always did like a good fight between the hero/heroine. Makes the story more interesting for me. And, no matter how selfish Anya is/was, she did the ultimate thing – giving up her one true treasure to save the warrior she loved. And Lucien, with one heck of a brain, saved her in return.

Actions scenes were great, the fighting almost a constant now that the Hunters are clearly on their trail at every minute, there’s no stopping now. Erotic scenes make the reader hot under the collar and wanting more. Most of the warriors have reunited, working towards one goal: stopping the Hunters and their Leader in finding Pandora’s Box. If that box falls into the wrongs hands, the demons would be ripped from the warriors’ bodies, and without the demons, the warriors die. Desperate times are calling for desperate measures, and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next installment.

Rating:

The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter (‘Lords of the Underworld’ series Book #1)

 The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter

‘Lords of the Underworld’ series Book #1

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages – Publisher: HQN Books (May 1, 2008 ) – Language: English – ISBN-10: 0373772467 – ISBN-13: 978-0373772469

Back of the Book reads:

HIS POWERS ~ Inhuman

HIS PASSION ~ Beyond Immortal…

All her life, Ashlyn Darrow has been tormented by voices from the past. To end the nightmare, she has come to Budapest seeking help from men rumored to have supernatural abilities, not knowing she’ll be swepts into the arms of Maddox, their most dangerous member – a man trapped in a hell of his own.

Neither can resist the instant hunger than calms their torments … and ignites and irresistible passion. But every heated touch and burning kiss will edge them closer to destruction – and a soul-shattering test of love…

---

25-Jul-08 to 28-Jul-08

Review: Good!

What can I say? I’m a sucker for a happy ending. I believe this one could have used a little more work, though.

I thought it just a little weird how Maddox became so attached and protective of Ashlyn when they just met. It was weird how the connection kind of just slammed together, and I thought that the only reason Ashlyn was attached to Maddox, at the beginning, was because he ‘quieted’ the voices that continuously ran through her mind. But they grew closer a lot faster than I’ve read in a novel before, and it left me slightly uncomfortable.

Despite her gift/curse, I thought Ashlyn a very strong and self-reliant person. She did what she though was necessary, for Maddox. She didn’t get it at first, and I could understand the horror of it all if I’d be in her shoes, but I’m glad it was finally explained to her. I can’t imagine what someone would go through, knowing how she grew up, to watch them ’attack’ at Maddox every night.

And Maddox … wow! Even for a warrior, cursed with housing the demon of Violence, to him, everyday blended together until is just is what it is. Ashlyn broke him out of that shell right at the beginning, and it was a little weird watching how it all came together.

What I liked… how the book was more of an internal war – Maddox battling his demon, Violence, and not wanting it to affect Ashlyn. But the demon grew attached to Ashlyn just as fast as Maddox did, and now both would do anything to protect Ashlyn. Ashlyn soothes his demon just as much as Maddox being around calms the voices she constantly hears.

Earlier, when I became interested in the books, I looked up some of the reviews, and wondered why some where comparing this series to Ward’s ‘Brotherhood’ series or Kenyon’s ‘Dark Hunter’ series. After reading the first novel, I thought this unfair. Showalter created a world completely different, basing most of the entire series on Greek mythology. While some things are reminders of other series, ie: gods, powers, etc…, I thought Showalter did an excellent job in creating her own world for her characters. I look forward to all of the novels in the series.

Rating: