Warlord by Angela Knight contains “Jane’s Warlord,” “Warfem,” “The Warlord and the Fem,” and “Baby, You’ve Changed”

Paperback: 410 pages - Publisher: Berkley Trade (September 4, 2007) - Language: English - ISBN-10: 0425217841 - ISBN-13: 978-0425217849

 

Warlord

by Angela Knight

contains “Jane’s Warlord,” “Warfem,” “The Warlord and the Fem,” and “Baby, You’ve Changed”

Together for the first time – the acclaimed novel and novella that turned Knight into “a rising star in the paranormal pantheon” (Midwest Book Review) – plus two never-before-published stories set in an erotically charged workd that “will set your blood on fire and have you begging for mre…” (In The Library Reviews)

In Jane’s Warlord reporter Jane Colby has made a startling discovery about a recent murder. The killer has struck before – hundreds of years in the past. Now’s he’s jumped through time to find his next victim … Jane. Her only hope lies with Baran Arvid – a genetically engineered warrior from hundreds of years in the future sent to capture the predatory time traveler – even if it means using jane as bait. But can they survive the galaxies that come between them – and a madman bent on destroying them?

In Warfem a strange destiny has reunited the seductive Warfem Alina and Baird, the sexually dynamic Warlord who shared his lover’s young fantasies twenty years ago. But in this time apart, a dangerous new spark has been ignited between them. One that has held Alina captive in another’s plot of death and betrayal…

Review: Erotically charged, action, mystery, suspense, together with paranormal sci-fi elements – Knight is one heck of an author!

Jane’s Warlord

As the newspaper reporter at a crime scene, Jane Colby can only imagine how horrible the crime scene must be if the lead detective comes out and “tosses his cookies”. Upon arriving home, she faces a rather large man and what looks like a rather large wolf who broke into her home. But Baran and his partner, Freika, convince her that their there to save her, to protect her, from the murderer. Traveled back in time, Baran and his partner sent to stop the murderer and he needs Jane. Only, Jane isn’t meek. Strong, self-reliant, with a past that haunts her, she wants to fight and to use herself as bait, regardless of her fear. But not only does she accept that he’s from three hundred years into the future, she’s afraid she’s losing her heart to him, and worried about how much she’ll have changed once he goes back, for she’s losing her heart to him..

**Incredible as only Angela Knight can make it. With believable details, you really like Baran and Freika right from the start. What I liked was how Jane stood up to him even knowing that he could overpower her. I loved their banter, especially with Freika. Action was great, love scenes superb that make you squirm in your seat. Excellent plot well carried out. A truly fine story.

Warfem

Warfem Alina is carrying a file for the one she serves. She is to deliver the file, on the promise that her mistress, Rajin, would finally release her from duty and give her back her son. Baird is investigating a case of treason, afraid that his ex-lover, the woman he loved, is knee-deep in it. And while he doesn’t want to believe it, extenuating circumstances forced her to do as her mistress bid. But no more. Alina is tired of the threat Rajin holds over her son and will do whatever is necessary to get her son out of harms way. What Baird doesn’t know is that, even after twenty years, Alina still loves him, had been forced to leave him. Question is, will he understand and believe when the truth stands in front of him in the form of a ten-year-old boy?

**I liked this one. The action was great, the plot well done, even if it was small. I think Ms. Knight could have actually made this one into a novel instead of a novella, adding more to the story. I think my fave part is of the boy taking down the one person who could destroy them all. Perfect ending!

The Warlord and the Fem

Apparently, these last two first appeared on a yahoo group and added them to the book. Truthfully, I think they could have stayed out of the book. I won’t go really into deal, cause there isn’t much to begin with. Baird, a Warlord (not to be confused with Baird from Warfem – this Baird is a different character,) fights to become part of a mercenary group because of Kyna. Kyna is a Warfem, and Baird wasn’t her as his mate. But Kyna refuses, for she remembers spying on an “episode” with her sister and her Warlord, and it freaked her out. She swore to herself she would never be with a Warlord, would never play the submissive to their dominant ways in the bedroom. But Baird is determined. What I liked was that he did his damndest to “court” her, playing chess, talking, taking walks, all in the name of having her as his mate. I think, though, that Kyna could have fought him a little harder in the last scene, and while their lovemaking was great, it was short of spectacular. Could have been better – the whole story could have been.

Baby, You’ve Changed

Did not like – not one bit. There was nothing to it. Warfem Tamir and her ship, the Xe’vit, fight and lose the battle to Captain Gage Deauxville and his ship, the Intrepid. But he’s not after her ship – he’s after her. Years ago, as teens, Tamir had humiliated him, for humans aren’t strong enough to play the dominant, as Warfems need. But now Gage isn’t just merely human anymore, but a vampire, strong enough if not stronger, than Tamir. He intends to take his revenge on her in the way of how Warlord do. What I didn’t like was how. Until she submitted to him, what he was going to do was rape, and that left a sour taste in my mouth. Yes, I know that some have that fantasy, of being taken against their will. This was so not for me. Period. ‘Nough said.

Overall, I really liked the book and recommend it to any sci-fi, paranormal fan.

Rating:

Innocent In Death by J.D. Robb (‘In Death’ series Book #24)

Format: Mass Market Paperbound - Published: August 9, 2007 - 400 Pages - ISBN: 042521754X - Published By: Berkley Mass Market

 

Innocent In Death

by J.D. Robb (pseudonym of Nora Roberts)

‘In Death’ series Book #24

Once again, Lt. Eve Dallas shows why she’s “New York City’s top murder cop” in Roberts’s 24th thriller under her Robb pseudonym set half a century into the future (after 2006′s Born in Death). Dallas tries to close a case at the exclusive Sarah Child Academy, where two bright 10-year-old girls discover the body of Craig Foster, a popular history teacher who proves to have been poisoned by ricin-laced cocoa.

Dallas wonders if another staff member or a parent might be involved, but after the prime suspect, a promiscuous teacher who’s been harassing another employee, turns up dead, the investigation takes a shocking turn. Besides a provocative puzzler, Robb provides an intense relationship update on Dallas and Roarke, her Irish power broker hubby, whose dark past – in the form of a crooked ex-girlfriend – returns to cause trouble. This prolific author, a recent Quills romance winner, is still at the top of her game.

Review: Another excellent book in the series!

The plot was well written, and I found it just as difficult to swallow as the characters in the book. I really liked that.

The side plot was excellent as well. A couple needs a fight every now and again, and I’m glad it turned out the way it did, I think, for both, Eve and Roarke.

Peabody and McNabb are their usual selves, and the, um, “struggles” I guess you could say, between Even and Summerset – in this book, Fantastic!

This is definitely a series you need to read from the beginning, or you’ll never understand why Eve and Roarke are the way they are. Trust me – I made that mistake. I started with Book #17, Immitation In Death, not knowing that it was part of a series. You best believe I corrected that right quick and in a hurry. It took 2 months, but I caught up with the entire series and am constantly on pins and needles waiting for the next book.

Yes, this series is set in the future, but the way Robb writes it, you’re not overwhelmed, and everything is believable. The mysteries/cases are intriguing, this novel as well, and the everyday interaction is no different than if it were in the present time.

Another excellent book! Stupid me, I did what I swore I won’t do – I read the excerpt of the next novel at the back of the book. Darnit! The Hardcover is out in November ’07, which means I gotta wait another six months on top of that for the paperback. Aargh, this is gonna drive me crazy, LOL!

Rating:

Memory in Death by J.D. Robb (‘In Death’ series Book # 22)

Format: Mass Market Paperbound - Published: June 9, 2006 - 384 Pages - ISBN: 0425210731 - Published By: Berkley Mass Market

 

Memory in Death

by J.D. Robb (pseudonym of Nora Roberts)

‘In Death’ series Book #22

Eve Dallas is one tough cop. She’s got no problem dealing with a holida reveler in a red suit who plunges thirty-seven stories and gives new meaning to the term “sidewalk Santa.” But when she gets back to the station and Trudy Lombard shows up, it’s all Even can do to hold it together. Instantly, she’s thrown back into the past, to the days when she was a vulnerable, traumatized girl – trapped in foster care with the twisted woman who now sits in front of her, smiling.

Trudy claims she just wanted to see how Eve was doing. But Eve’s husband, Roarke, suspects otherwise – and his suspicions prove correct when Trudy arrives at his office, demanding money in exchange for keeping the ugly details of his wife’s childhood a secret. Barely restraining himself, Roarke shows her the door – and makes it clear that she’d be wise to get out of New York and never bother him or his wife again. But just a few days later, Trudy’s found on the floor of her hotel room, a mess of bruises and blood. A cop to the core, Eve is determined to solve the case, if only for the sake of Trudy’s bereaved son. Unfortunately, Eve is not the only one to have suffered at this woman’s hands, and she and Roarke will follow a circuitous, dangerous path to find out who turned this victimizer into a victim.

Review: J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) does it again! The same characters are just as awesome as usual. I always burst out laughing when Mavis reminds Even about the birthing coach classes. I found the story to be fast-paced enough, but it seemed to lack a bit of the usual action; the bad-guy-after-Eve action. But that was okay. between the injuries that Eve and Roarke are still healing from on the last case, I could see how this fits, and it was fine. I kind of figured out who the perp was, but I couldn’t tie it up until near the end. Great book, just like always. It’s hard to do a review ona book that’s so far in the series, as the most of the usual ‘cast’ is the same. Just as colourful, just as wild with individual personalities… One thing I did find strange. When Eve asks Nadine for help on putting a twist on-air about the current case, it was discussed over lunch, but the interview never took place. That was weird, and I actually didn’t think about it until now, but it’s minor. Hunh! 

I can say that, when I read the excerpt on her website (remember, I don’t usually pick up hardcover,) I was floored when I read those words: “Why, don’t you remember me? I’m your mama!”, I almost fell off my chair! Anyone who reads the series would understand why. If you haven’t read this series, I urge you… Go Pick Up Book #1 (Naked in Death) TODAY!!!

Rating: .75

Killing Time by Linda Howard

Format: Mass Market Paperbound - Published: June 27, 2006 - 400 Pages - ISBN: 0345453468 - Published By: Ballantine Books

 

Killing Time

by Linda Howard

Returning to the entrancing supernatural territory of her popular novels Dream Man and Son of the Morning, New York Times bestselling author Linda Howard has written a sizzling new novel that is her most daring, exciting, and original yet.

In 1985, with much fanfare, a time capsule was buried under the front lawn of a small-town county courthouse, to be reopened in 2085. But just twenty years later, in the dead of night, the capsule is dug up, its contents stolen. That same night, one of the contributors to the capsule is brutally slain in his home – with no sign of forced entry or indication of a strugle. One by one, others who had placed items in the time capsule are murdered.

Besides his suspicions about the sudden, mysterious appearance of Nikita Stover, the chief investigator, Knox Davis, has absolutely no leads. And while Nikita’s no murderer, she seems to be hiding plenty of secrets. With more at stake than anyone else realizes, the smart-talking Nikita is determined to catch this cunning killer – while at the same time battling her own deepening feelings for a man and for a world in which she doesn’t belong.

When readers crave a seductive novel of unrelenting suspense with a paranormal twist, Linda Howard delivers time and again … make that Killing Time – a captivating, character-rich story that races along on a breathless plot full of action and intimicy, romance and danger, thrills and intrigue.

Review: Finished Tuesday, March 27th, 2007. Um… Not sure what to say about this one. It’s not the first futuristic novel I’ve read, and it didn’t start that way, either. The synopsis made the novel sound much more exciting that it was, ie: more suspense, mystery… There wasn’t really much of that. You pretty much find the reason for it all without getting that far into it, it dragged in places, and the ending… so not impressed. One of those endings that are over way too fast and too simple. I thought the main characters were good. I certainly felt a spark of some sort between Nikita and Knox, but sparks… not exactly as intense as it should have been. The synopsis didn’t mention the futuristic angle, so it was a surprise. Reading up on Howard, she writes different genres, so I won’t let this book put me off. I’ll try some of her other stuff. Oh, and btw… on the cover, the guy has a tattoo on his shoulder – who you would assume to be Knox. Well, in the book, not one mention of a tattoo… on anyone. Not that I read, anyway.

Rating:  (wasn’t good enough for higher, not bad enough to rate lower.)

Shades of Dark by Linnea Sinclair (‘Gabriel’s Ghost’, Book #2)

Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages - Publisher: Bantam (July 29, 2008) - Language: English - ISBN-10: 0553589652 - ISBN-13: 978-0553589658

 

Shades of Dark

by Linnea Sinclair

‘Gabriel’s Ghost’, Book #2

Award-winning author Linnea Sinclair returns with a vibrant interstellar thriller of romance and adventure.

For two fugitive lovers, space has no haven, no mercy, no light – only…

SHADES OF DARK

Before her court-martial, Captain Chasidah “Chas” Bergren was the pride of the Sixth Fleet. Now she’s a fugitive from the “justice” of corrupt Empire. Along with her lover, the former monk, mercenary, and telepath Gabriel Ross Sullivan, Chaz hoped to leave the past light-years behind – until the news of her brother Thad’s arrest and upcoming execution for treason. It’s a ploy by Sully’s cousin Hayden Burke to force them out of hiding, and it works.

With a killer targeting human females and a renegade gen lab breeding jukor war machines, Chaz and Sully already had their hands full of treachery, betrayal – not to mention each other. Throw in Chaz’s Imperial ex-husband, Admiral Philip Guthrie, and a Kyi-Ragkiril mentor out to seduce Sully, and not just loyalties but lives are at stake. For when Sully makes a fateful choice, changing their relationship forever, Chaz must also choose – between what duty demands and what her heart tells her she must do.

Review: Perfect blend of sci-fi, romance, action, suspicion and suspense – don’t miss this one!

**Spoiler Warning – This review will contain spoilers**

Not long after Chaz and Sully escaped Marker with the help of her brother and her ex-husband, Chaz receives news that her brother, Thad, had been arrested for treason. From there, things quickly escalate from bad to worse. Hayden Burke and First Barrister Darius Tage are in cahoots together, wanting the Empire for themselves, and are planning on taking it any way they know how. They’re sure that Burke is behind the jukor gen labs, and Chaz and Sully intend to shut them down, no matter the cost. With the help of an informant, Del, they find the lab, but the cost is greater than anyone would even begin to believe, for Del is Stolorth, and a Kyi-Radkiril, and has taken Sully on as a student, helping him harness and use his power. But Del is hiding something from both Sully and Chaz, and it’s not good.

And now a war is starting, and no one is sure how it will turn out. Those who don’t swear allegiance to Tage are hunted, some killed. Being hunted is her ex-husband, Admiral Philip Guthrie, and Chaz and Sully save him just in time. And just when we think that everything will finally work out – the gen lab found, the crew out of the way, and Hayden Burke walking aboard to deal with the lab – more betrayal hits too close to home.

The story begins right at the start, when Chaz finds out her brother has been arrested. She he be questioned by a Radkiril, their enemies will learn what Sully truly is, and nothing could be worse for them right now.

I didn’t like Del right from the start, and I was right not to like him. Just when you want a good guy to help, the bad comes along with dark intentions, and that pissed me off. Yes, the story needed him, but I think I’d have liked to see this come about in a different fashion. I’m glad that we got to see more of Philip Guthrie – we needed more between him, Chaz and Sully. Finally, you really understand where Philip and Chaz stand with each other, and while is makes the reader sad that their relationship turned the way it had, it’s understandable, and not unlike those in higher social standing that we’re used to reading.

And now, the ending. Oh, was I mad! With all the action, you’re adrenaline pumps up as you’re following the story. You want so badly that Sully wins against Del, that Chaz and Philip manage to help him, but I felt let down. Sure, Del is beaten, but the price that Chaz and Sully pay is over the top, leaving several questions unanswered; questions that need answers. We understand how it happens and why (from earlier explanations about cultures, customs and such), but it wasn’t fair for that to happen. And what was between Sully and Chaz will never be the same. Then I’m told that there will be a Book #3, Hope’s Folly, but after reading the description, the book is about Philip, not Chaz and Sully. Please, Ms. Sinclair, we need more on Chaz and Sully. It’s not just because I like them very much, but to leave them hanging like that, as well as the reader, isn’t fair.

Rating:

Suite 606 (anthology) by J.D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Ruth Ryan Langan, Mary Kay McComas

Paperback: 352 pages - Publisher: Berkley (November 4, 2008) - Language: English - ISBN-10: 0425224449 - ISBN-13: 978-0425224441

Suite 606 (anthology)

by J.D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Ruth Ryan Langan and Mary Kay McComas

FOUR NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHORS UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF DESIRE…

J.D. ROBB plunges Lieutenant Eve Dallas into the violent aftermath of a ritualistic murder – and into the mind of an alleged witness who can’t remember a thing to save his life.

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Love endures for MARY BLAYNEY, who investigates the connection between a ghost, a magic coin, and a deliberate deception that has kept two lovers apart for years.

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RUTH RYAN LANGAN brings a lost man out of a pounding storm and into the arms of a welcoming woman for a breathtaking twist of fate.

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And MARY KAY McCOMAS follows a mother and son lost in the threads of history and an impaired wizard who must return them to their own world to fullfill his own destiny – in time.

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15-Nov-08 to 17-Nov-08

Review: A great anthology!

Ritual in Death by J.D. Robb ~ While attending a fancy party, Eve and Roarke are thrown into another mystery when a stranger, naked and covered in blood head to toe, holding a knife in his hand, stumbles into the room from down the hall. But Jackson Pike doesn’t remember what happened, and the more he tries, the more the pain in his head becomes intolerable. Other witnesses are like Pike: unable to remember and too much pain. But that doesn’t stop the team from bringing down the murderers.

Another incredible story in the series, even if it is shorter than usual. I really like how Eve follows her instincts, and no matter the argument between her and Roarke, they still manage to come to the same conclusion. What I liked in this one was how Eve was forced, once again, to think outside the conventional box. Excellent mystery and decisive detective work along with colourful, believable and incredible characters make for one hell of a story.

Love Endures by Mary Blayney ~ A man is robbed and murdered after winning a large some at betting. Grieving, his widow and daughter take off for the country for a few months, only to return to find his ghost is haunting his room, and the one way he can leave, at least by way of Heaven, he needs to right his past wrongs. But can trusts and broken hearts be mended?

Oh, you bet! I loved how this story came about. I truly adored Summer’s ‘I’ll be damned – come hell or high water’ attitude when she finds the ghost of her husband talking to her daughter. She’s known that he’s lied, even worse with the dire enough situations he’s left her in. Having lied to even his own brother, now he won’t trust Summer either. But the worst was finding out that he lied to both, Summer, and his best friend, Lord Stephen Bradley. Summer and Stephen had fallen in love right before her wedding to Reggie, but he wanted the money their marriage could bring him, and lied to them both. To him, it was a bet and nothing more – he liked to win. I was truly glad that, although they butted heads, Summer and Stephen finally found the truth and sent Reggie on his way.

Cold Case by Ruth Ryan Langan ~ When his partner is shot and killed by a bullet meant for him, Sam Hunter quits the force and decides to revisit a small a town in Vermont where he spent a long-ago college semester. But it seems his hotel room was given to someone else and he’s forced out into a storm, in search of a bed & breakfast he remembered. A flash of something looking like a woman forces him to slam on his brakes and straight into a ditch. Slightly wounded, he gets out of the car in search of the woman he saw when he stumbles onto a house named Storm Hill. He’s invited in by Mary Catherine McGivern and her younger sister, Anna. While her stepfather has allowed him to stay until the storm passes, he becomes more and more agitated – seems that their mother, his wife, had supposedly run off with a hired hand, and he’s refused to keep a stranger in his house for long since then. But unexpectedly, Sam and Mary Catherine fall in love, with a sad, and happy, ending?

I have to say it even if it hurts me to: I wasn’t impressed with this one. And I have never, ever, said that about a Ruth Langan story in my life! While I really felt Sam and his pain, I felt nothing for Mary Catherine or her sister. None, nada, zip, zilch. I didn’t feel them falling in love whatsoever, and the ending infuriated me. Why she would push him out of the way of a blow meant for him, ending her own life, the same as his partner did, had me upset and angry in disbelief. To give a man who endured so much a second blow was enough to make me livid. And while he learns the truth about their mother and what Hoag has done, not once now but twice, he’s thrown out into the ice storm by Hoag who intends for him to disappear and die in it. But then Sam comes to, a woman helps him out of the car, onto a snowmobile and into the bed and breakfast, Storm Hill. It seems that Kate is related to the family who has owned the land for centuries. Seems Anna had managed to escape Hoag, and once Hoag died, the land was returned to the McGiverns. But then we’re left with speculation as to what Sam is going to do next. Seems that Kate is just as beautiful as Mary Catherine. But I got the willies when it’s suggested that he may fall in love with Kate and stay – when shortly before, he had been in love with her great-great-aunt. Only one word came to mind with that: Ewe! Sorry, Ms. Langan, but I just didn’t feel it this time, and that almost makes me want to cry! I’ve never disliked any of your stories, but this one just didn’t cut it for me.

Wayward Wizard by Mary Kay McComas ~ On an unsupervised visit with her son, Marie Barnett takes her son Hugh to a baseball exhibit at a museum. Once done there, they vist another exhibit when lightening from a storm raging outside plays havoc with the lights and security system. Hugh touches, fiddles with one of the exhibits and disappears. Having seen what he son had done, Marie does the same, and ends up where he is, several centuries before their time, in the home of Nester Baraka of Viator, a wizard who supposedly can displace time with the help of two stone, Petroleon and Sellithos. But Sellithos had been stolen from him long ago. He wants to get it back, and he’s hoping he can jump with them through time and find it, returning them to their rightful place. Meanwhile, Marie and Hugh grow closer, his anger at his mother slowly ebbing. And Marie and Nester seem to be falling in love, dispite how badly they fight it, for he needs to return to his time, while she must stay in hers.

Oh, I loved this story! We hear the explanation from Marie about why her son is angry with her. Now only do we feel that anger towards her as well, but we feel a great deal of empathy for Marie as well. For Marie has gone to hell and back, not once, but twice. An accident that causes her to lose her unborn baby, an addiction to prescription meds, rehab, a relapse, and a longer time in rehab. While her now ex-husband is understanding enough to help her with rehab the second time around, her son is resentful, for Marie was supposed to get better the first time around and come back for him. But this time, she’s kicked her habit and has promised herself and her son that she’ll never go back to who she was. But it’s taking more time than she’d like. It was great to see them jumping to different time periods, the details are spectacular. And I loved watching Nester become aquainted with they way we speak, our phrases and sayings. Watching the banter back and forth between the three is excellent. 

What I thought was great: how Nester, Marie and Hugh are tied into all four stories. We get a glimpse of them in the first three, and it’s fun watching them pop up into the stories while McComas is telling hers. I got a kick out of that. Ladies, I hope you collaborate again – this was fun!

Rating:

Strangers In Death by J.D. Robb (‘In Death’ series Book #26)

 Strangers In Death by J.D. Robb

‘In Death’ series Book #26

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages – Publisher: Berkley (August 5, 2008 ) – Language: English – ISBN-10: 0425222896 – ISBN-13: 978-0425222898

Back of the Book reads:

In 2060 New York, Lieutenant Eve Dallas is about to discover how the ties that bind strangers can kill…

(Inside cover)

In 2060 New York, some murders still get more attention than others, especially those in which the victim is a prominent businessman, found in his Park Avenue apartment, tied to the bed – and strangled with cords of black velvet. Fortunately, homicide cop Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s billionaire husband, Roarke, happens to own the prime real estate where Thomas Anders’s sporting-goods firm is headquartered, giving her some help with access. Before long, she’s knocking on doors – and barging through them – to look for the answers she needs.

But some things don’t add up – and everyone’s alibi checks out, from the wife who was off in the tropics to the nephew who stood to inherit millions. Was this the crime of passion – or a carefully planned execution? It’s up to Dallas to solve  this sensational case in which those who seem to be intimates sometimes guard secrets from each other – and strangers may be connected in unexpected, and deadly, ways…

Strangers In Death at Amazon.com

Strangers in Death at Chapters.ca

Strangers in Death at Amazon.ca

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25-Sep-08 to 26-Sep-08

Review: When Eve is called to a homicide on Park Avenue, she finds herself in the bedroom of Thomas Anders, sports fanatic and the head of Anders Worldwide. Sixty-one, he, like his father before him, ran a top enterprise of sporting-goods turned into more; several cities set up to help underprivileged children with sporting-goods to play sports. Unfortunately, Anders’s life was cut short. His body was found by his House Manager (housekeeper); each arm and leg tied to either the headboard or footboard with velvet cord, and a velvet cord around his neck. Upon first glance, looks like a lover’s tryst gone wrong. But that doesn’t sit well with Eve – and her gut instinct was correct. Everything was too clean, made too easy, and once confimed that he’d been drugged, Eve is on the hunt for a killer.

After meeting the characters involved in Anders’s life, Eve believes in her gut that the wife, Ava Anders, did the deed. But how could she? She was off in the tropics with her two best friends on an girls-only holiday. But something about Ava sets Eve off. Too pristine, in every way; from attire to manner to emotion. However, proving it is Eve’s challenge. And Eve enjoys a challenge.

Along the way, the more the facts fit together, the more and more they point away from Ava, but Eve refuses to let go. She knows Ava is in up to her pretty little head, and she’ll be damned if Ava gets away with it. Baxter, on the sidelines, asks Eve to take a look at a case a couple of months old that he and Trueheart have been working on. They can’t close it, the trail’s gone cold, and they’re hoping a fresh set of eyes can help in closing the case. But upon another glance, Eve catches something that wouldn’t have caught anyone’s eye: the wife of the victim in Baxter’s case is loosely connected to Ava, through Anders’s charity of sporting-goods. No all Eve needs is a confession to wrap it up.

I’ll admit, I am a huge fan of Nora Roberts (I have everything she’s ever written), but my ultimate fave is her J.D. Robb series. And while I’ve been a faithful fan since I stumbled upon this series back in 2003, I didn’t find this one as thrilling as the rest. Although different, I thought it was good just the same. Just not 5-star good.

Eve is called to the homicide of Thomas Anders. But something ring’s false to her – everything seems staged somehow. Meeting up with Morris, the ME, over Anders’s body, one thing stands out. Anders had been drugged. And even though he was strangled, it was still a slow death. Something’s wrong, and Eve plans on figuring out what it is. Question is: How? The wife was in the tropics, sharing a huge suite with her two friends. There are witnesses. The nephew has an airtight alibi. Was it murder for hire? Eve doesn’t think so, and after going through their financials, there is no evidence of a payoff.

The more Eve investigates, the more her gut points her toward the wife. But there’s nothing to support it. So Eve digs and digs and digs until she finds something, with the usual cast of characters: Roarke, Peabody, McNab, Feeney, Baxter and Trueheart.

Now, usually, there are several suspects and it takes the entire book to figure out who it is, if you can figure it out. But Eve is so sure that it was Ava, directly or indirectly, that the story pretty much stayed focused on Ava, the wife. It was different from the norm, and I can’t say I liked it overmuch. It was like putting a stereotype on the rich – something that Eve is intimate with as she is married to a billionaire. The greed key has been played so often that I was hoping for something more.

The way the case came together was different. A twist I wasn’t expecting. I figured for sure a hired hit. Far from it. The more I got into the story, the more it had a sort of Hitchcockian feeling to it. Now, anyone who’s watched a Hitchcock movie will understand when they read this book.

What was disturbing was how a woman can play a roll such as Ava did, to rise herself to the top, to get everything she wanted, all for the sake of “because I deserve it.” How she tested the waters with ‘potential candidates’ to help her with her crime, the questions, the manipulation, reduced to threatening kids – the kids and the mothers that she’s supposed to be helping, caring for.

Wasn’t any action in this one at all. More running around, thinking and tying things together than anything. It didn’t have the feel for what I’m used to, and I wasn’t thrilled. Yes, I liked how Eve played her hand, how she slipped Ava up, but it was from point A to point B that wasn’t thrilling.

I must, however, comment on the fight that Eve and Roarke had. I have yet to hear of a couple, married, common-law, or even roommates, not having argued about money. While most arguments are based on the money spent, over-spending, etc…, their argument was the opposite: Eve had spent the money from her paycheck but didn’t even thing to ask Roarke for some, even knowing that she had an account in her name that Roarke set up simply for her to use. But to her, it’s his money, and she didn’t marry him for his money. She can’t just take it, it doesn’t feel right to her. The money he has is because he earned it, legally or not. And while each of them has a hard time understanding why the other is being so pig-headed about it, they finally get it, and it becomes a compromize between two people who love each other, regardless of their financial situation. That was a part of the book I adored. Every time Eve and Roarke get into a personal argument, they seem more and more like real life people than characters in a book, like a truly happily married couple, going through what just about every married couple goes through. I can give top marks for that!

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Warrior by Angela Knight (‘The Time Hunters’ series Book #1)

 Warrior by Angela Knight

‘The Time Hunters’ series Book #1

Paperback: 304 pages – Publisher: Berkley (July 1, 2008 ) - Language: English  -ISBN-10: 0425220842 – ISBN-13: 978-0425220849

Back of the Book reads:

“A rising star in the paranormal pantheon,”* Angela Knight returns to the future with a sexy Warlord who’s sent back in time to stop a madman from killing…

In the twenty-third century, time travel is no longer just a flight of fancy. Tourists, historians, and criminals can leap though time at will. To police the time Jumpers, the Temporal Enforcement Agency has established a precinct in time, tucked away in the Georgia mountains.

Galar Arvid, a genetically altered Warlord and agent, has been sent ack to 2008 to save a pretty Atlanta artist from a Xeran time traveler who intends to kill her for profit. What Galar doesn’t count on is the powerful desire Jessica Kelly ignites in him. But could a romance between them every work? A two-hundred-year chasm separates them, and even if they dart through time, there’s still a maniacal killer on their tail…

(*Midwest Book Review)

Warrior on Amazon.com

Warrior on Chapters.ca

Warrior at Amazon.ca

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22-Jul-08 to 25-Jul-08

Review: Another excellent Knight novel!

Usually I have a really hard time with sci-fi novels, especially those that are focused in the future. I find some authors go overboard and it doesn’t feel real. Knight is exactly the opposite. The way the writes, everything feels comfortable, like you’re there, in the future and everything feels like it’s the way it ought to be. I really enjoy authors who can do that.

Jessica is an unrecognized artist who truly enjoys her work. Living with her roommate, Charlotte, she is trying to break out in the art world and isn’t having much luck. A strong woman, she uses her brain and fights for her life.

We learn that, in the future, she’s supposed to have been possibly murdered, although her body was never found. Galar is sent back to find out what happened, if it’s possible that a future collector of her work wants her dead so that her art is more valuable/worth more. The rules are that he is not allowed to change the past, that he isn’t only there to see what happened. However, looks and beliefs are deceiving, and the story holds a lot more than the obvious.

A Xeran battleborg is sent back in time to deal with the roommate – she is the object of his mission. But before he can complete his mission, Charlotte does something to Jess and hightails it out of there, leaving Jess to deal with what’s to come. A fight on her hands, her life in jeopardy, she is brought into the future. At first, she has a hard time, but quickly learns that it’s not bad.

She and Galar have formed a strong bond almost right from the first. It’s great to see that bond go beyond the norm. While you do get some answers, others are not, and I found this strange. Obviously, the answers will come in future novels, but I hate it when a story is left unfinished. Even the characters are left wondering the what and why of it all, not to mention the who.

Truly a great novel, except for that. One star missing, but I won’t miss the rest of the series because of it.

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