Still managing to hide her ‘hairier-than-thou’ status while holding down her job as an auditor, Sophie Garou thinks she’s finally getting a handle on her life. If it wasn’t for the fact her attractive lawyer boyfriend has been working later and later with his beautiful assistant Miranda, life would be perfect. Almost. Her most prestigious and handsome client is making it clear he’s interested in more than business and the mysterious hot Tom Fenris confusing her every time he appears complicate things in the worst.. or best way. The Houston Pack has finally found out about her existence and they now have to make a decision whether she should be killed, made to leave the area, join the pack or come to some arrangement if she carries out a teensy task for them. Not much to ask at all…
This book was a little different than Howling at the Moon. The pace was faster, with more action and Sophie gets into more trouble than is good for her but it was a good read. The only complaint I have is the shaving thing. Wear trousers girls for goodness sakes! Also the fact that while when transformed into their wolf selves, they are naturally hairy… except for the shaved bits. Not sure why that bothers me but it does. Other than that, like the first book it’s a fun read, not as quite as lighthearted but I think that is better in several ways – more character depth and development which at times can be bittersweet. I loved the addition of several new characters and Sophie meeting more of her kind, with often hilarious interactions. I’ll definitely be looking out for the next book in the series.
Growing up in Orlando Florida, the bestselling novelist has lived in several countries before returning to Florida and settling in DeLand. With books translated into several languages and a nomination for Readers Choice for best Urban Fantasy Novel in 2008 she is a force to be reckoned with. A bit like her characters!
I was introduced to these books by a friend and I’m glad I heeded her advice. Karen Chance creates an often dizzying world of vampires, clairvoyants, mages and the ultimate headspin of time travel. Her main character Cassandra Palmer is a gutsy heroine that got dropped in the deep end by becoming the world’s chief clairvoyant with no formal training or preparation. The charm of the books is how she deals with it and interacts with those around her, even those who would see her dead. My favourite secondary characters have to be Pritkin, the mad mage and Mircea, one hot vampire, both who have a vested interest in her and seeing her stay alive. The books are well written, the stories engaging and above all, you care about what happens to the characters. Well worth reading.
With their love made public, Imriel nó Montrève de la Courcel and Sidonie, heir to the throne of Terre d’Ange have no choice but to obey Queen Ysandre’s edict. Unless Imri can bring his traitorous mother to justice, they will not be allowed to marry. The foster parents he loves, Phèdre and Joscelin help him begin the search by sending word to various contacts they have made throughout their own journeys and information begins to filter back. The city is thrown into a buzz of excitement when a visiting diplomat asks for Sidonie’s hand in marriage. With his suit refused, he casts an evil enchantment that holds the city in thrall and the belief that not only has Sidonie happily consented to the marriage but that Terre D’ange has agreed to support him in a foreign war. Only Imriel is spared, courtesy of the mother he’s never known but still loves him, and he alone remembers the love that he and Sidonie shared. With help from an unexpected source, he sets out to find Sidonie and break the enchantment. If he can’t, he’ll lose his beloved sun princess and Terre D’Ange will be at civil war.
I’ve been a huge fan of the original Kushiel trilogy for years. So much so, I’ve read them several times (and plan to again!). The Treason’s Heir trilogy have been just as good, even though the main focus of the story wasn’t on my favourite characters of Phèdre and Joscelin but on their foster son Imriel. Having said that, watching Imriel’s journey from a frightened boy, having endured too much already, into a man who knows honour, duty, grief and love, you can’t help but fall in love with him. This grows as the trilogy progresses and now, having finished the final book Kushiel’s Mercy, I am left feeling almost bereft that the story is over.
That Love is religion in Terre D’Ange and has always played a huge part in the books has always fascinated me. Their main tenet ‘Love as thou wilt’ is intriguing and the religious aspects that spring from that. Carey created a world that was vibrant, erotic and sensual, filled with characters that you genuinely feel you come to know and love.
The book was just phenomenal, as they all have been. Her writing is clean and crisp, the story flowing smoothly and the plot takes you through so many emotions you both laugh and cry. It’s also complex and the twists and turns it takes as the story unfolds keep you glued to the pages. I couldn’t put it down and now want to go back and read from the very first book in the original series, if only so I can review them all, as they deserve to be.
St. Martin’s Press (US) are gearing up to release the second book in Sherrilyn Kenyon’s The League series – titled Born of Fire. I recently read, loved and reviewed the first book (Born of Night) and I really am very excited about the prospect of another chance to visit that world and meet a whole collection of new characters.
To support the release, St. Martin’s Press is offering people a chance to win a copy of the book (although it’s limited to US residents only), but if that includes you, then you can check out the competition here.
The book is out on November 3rd in the US, and November 5th in the UK (published by Piatkus, an imprint of Little Brown). You can pre-order them both now on Amazon (US and UK versions).
There’s a bunch of additional promotional material coming along with the release. You can check out an excerpt of Born of Fire on Sherrilyn’s official site. I’ve read it and it’s exciting! It has all of Sherrilyn’s hallmark writing, starting with a pair of adversaries and telling us their story!
On top of that there’s a promo video on YouTube which I’ve embedded below. It’s pretty short, but it gives a good indication of the main characters and should immediately highlight the main difference between this series and Sherrilyn’s Dark Hunter series.
The League is not set on Earth and the technology is far more advanced, but judging by the excerpt and having loved Born of Night, it’s still classic Sherrilyn Kenyon.
From the press release:
New from St. Martin’s Press is #1 New York Times bestselling author, Sherrilyn Kenyon’s 3-book series, ‘The League’! With over 19 million books in print, Sherrilyn Kenyon is renowned the world over as “the reigning queen of the paranormal genre that she pioneered long before the world had heard of Twilight.” The second book from ‘The League’ series, ‘Born of Fire’, will be available November 3rd, 2009.
I’m itching to get my hands on this book after thoroughly enjoying the first one!
Here are the links if you want them all in one place!
Life is anything but ordinary for Sophie Garou. Her mother is a psychic witch, her father who she’s never met, was a born werewolf. Being raised by her mother alone, for the first ten years of her life, they had to continually move as Sophie’s werewolf nature would cause her to go furry on a regular basis, not just tied to the moon but emotions too. Daycares and schools seem to frown on that for some reason. Having found a place in Austin, Texas without it’s own pack, they finally manage to set down roots and her mother perfects a recipe for a wolfsbane tea which suppresses the urge to change unless she wants to. Apart from the four equinoxes. Then she has no choice but to fur up and go wolf. With a job as an auditor, a hot lawyer boyfriend and a best friend, life should be good but her secret is something she is too scared to share. Things get very complicated as her boss and boyfriend both have plans for her on the coming equinox. When her mother is arrested for the murder of a local politician and the police not interested in looking for anyone beyond her, it’s up to Sophie to try and find who the real killer is. When she meets Tom, the golden haired and powerful born werewolf, her furry side hormones kick in to full. Yup, life is definitely anything but ordinary.
This is the first book I’ve read by Karen MacInerney and it’s a fun read. Nothing too deep, the story flows easily and engages you quickly. Often whimsical and funny, I couldn’t help but like the main character of Sophie. She’s brave and gutsy and the moments she starts wolfing out in inappropriate places just made me laugh. The chemistry between her and the mysterious Tom is well written and hot. In contrast when she is with her boyfriend Heath, while it’s good between them, you know there is something not quite right. Sophie’s best friend is funny too, acerbic and witty and willing to help solve the murder case and get her mother out of jail. Her mother is really the icing on the cake for the book. She’s scatty and loves her daughter, wants the best for her but her methods are usually a bit madcap and involve the use of attraction amulets or love potions. As a mix they work really well, their interactions are funny, well written and enjoyable.
The pace of the book is pretty good, and while the plot is fairly simple, it doesn’t really matter as the charm of story is the characters. There were a few plot devices that were actually pretty funny but it did jerk you out of the story to go hmmm… But it did keep me reading and entertained and by the end was relieved I have the second book on the shelf waiting.
A usual day in the Burg for Stephanie Plum, finding a body in Morelli’s basement, taking care of the teenager of a missing woman who seems to be connected with the body and then there is the missing nine million dollars who everyone wants to find. Only everyone thinks it’s buried somewhere on Morelli’s property and wants to find it… including Grandma Mazur. Throw in working for Ranger on a security detail for an ageing singer, Stephanie is up to her eyeballs in trouble and the eye twitch is out in full force.
I’m not sure if this book was better than they have been recently or if having a bit of a break from the series and reading other stuff allowed the magic to return. Either way, it was a really good read with all the usual suspects leading to a funny, frantic story with all of Stephanie’s charm and haplessness in full force. Joe and Ranger were as macho and funny as ever and I love their interactions, even by proxy through Stephanie. Although Ranger didn’t feature that much, he was his usual hot self when he was around. Joe just had me laughing at every turn, as he deals with the fallout of the missing money rumours, Stephanie’s ability to find corpses and also her working with Ranger. I think if his blood pressure goes up any more, he might pop!
I don’t know how Janet Evanovich comes up with all the situations she gets Stephanie into but they are hysterical. The blue dye moment was just inspired and had me laughing every time it came up. I also can’t wait to see where Lula’s cornering of Tank takes them, definitely an explosion waiting to happen.
Fearless Fourteen is a great addition to the series and highly recommended if you want to head back to the Burg and Stephanie Plum.
Sherrilyn Kenyon is one of the writers who helped shape the genre of paranormal romance into the phenomenon it has become today. She lives in Missouri with her husband, sons, pets, a collection of swords and a plethora of imaginary friends which she likes to play with and share their stories with us. Her books are always at number one spots in the charts where they certainly deserve to be, and there are more than 18 million in print in over 35 different countries.
The first Sherrilyn Kenyon book I picked up was Night Play. I hadn’t read much paranormal romance but the blurb on the back intrigued me and I thought I would give it a try. I didn’t expect to read a book rich in dark humour, stunning characters, steamy scenes and fast paced plot. The world she created was amazingly detailed, based on our own but with an unseen side of dark-hunters and were-hunters, gods and monsters. I was hooked.
Having read every book I can get my hands on, in all the different genres she writes in, I am astounded by her imagination and creativity. She is prolific (thankfully!) but spares no detail because of it and I always have the feeling she genuinely loves each character, that they are real to her and because of that, makes them real for the reader through her writing.
If I had to choose just one author to recommend for Paranormal Romance, Sherrilyn Kenyon would be it, as a few friends who are also now fans can attest!
David Gemmell wrote tales about flawed heroes. He wrote them in settings which are fantastical in nature, but generally low in magic and high in spiritualism. However, the settings are secondary to the characters, and it is those characters and their nature that drive the underlying narrative in David’s books.
It could be argued that the range of characters in a David Gemmell book are limited and that the same themes crop up again and again, and I don’t disagree in principal. I just don’t think this is a negative aspect of his work, but simply an aspect of his work. David revisited the same themes with different characters, different viewpoints and sometimes different results. He often looked at themes of redemption, the nature of evil, growing old, true heroism, loyalty and honour.
There is also no denying that David’s prose is simple and his style is sometimes accused of being ‘macho’. However, the other side of those coins provide us with a fast paced story which never gets bogged down in its own style, and an easy to read prose which delivers a raw emotional punch.
So why should you read David Gemmell?
His tales evoke deep emotional responses. You are drawn in to the story through the realistic and flawed characters, and once there you are pushed along by an emotional and moving story towards an often bitter sweet climax.
His stories are full of humour, but not humour delivered in a comic manner, rather humour drawn from the reality of life, the situation and David’s thorough appreciation of people and their motivations.
The books are both personal and epic in nature. It’s difficult to expand on that comment in a reasonably short number of words, but I will try. While the story might focus on a single person or small group of people and their emotional and heroic attempts to stave off some great evil, you have no choice by to find yourself questioning the very nature of heroism, good, evil, redemption, honour and loyalty. What is it that makes one person’s actions heroic and another’s evil? What is bravery, and how can you be brave without ever feeling fear? These questions are driven from the core of the personal emotions in the stories, but their scope is epic.
David’s journalism background, his innate story telling ability and his very nature means the books are rich with life and honesty. The stories evoke a feeling of ancient legends and myths told around a blazing fire, fighting to keep the darkness away. They are rousing tales of honesty, truth and loyalty in the face of almost absolute despair.
You might not be a fan of fantasy, but don’t be put off by the book store labelling. Quite apart from his historical fantasy (for example, the three Troy books), the rest of the books have a solid grounding in reality and there are no elves or dwarves, just a rich mythology and spattering of alternate-history.
To finish though, the reason why you should read David Gemmell’s books is that the tales in them are alive, demanding to be read, trying to be free. These are more than just stories, these are legends and myths brought to life by a master story teller.
Jim enjoys various diverse hobbies – martial arts, fencing, singing, riding, roleplaying and while that should make him seem like a fairly scary individual, all reports suggest he is a very nice man. He also does LRP (Live Roleplaying) which in my book makes him fairly awesome! He lives with his wife, son and dog and is without a doubt one of the best writers of urban fantasy and fantasy I’ve come across in a long time.
I managed to start the Dresden Files right at the beginning with Storm Front and was blown away (no pun intended!) by Harry Dresden. As a character he is brilliant, sarcastic, enigmatic and often downright hilarious. You also see him develop a more sombre, angry side which adds more depth to the character and just helps you empathise with him all the more. The books themselves are a bit like riding a runaway horse. You can’t get off, you have to just hang on and keep going and eventually it will stop but you also know you just had the ride of your life. They are pure entertainment and just get better with each book. There was a short lived TV show which was a lot of fun and it was a crime when it was cancelled.
The fantasy side of his writing talent comes with the Codex Alera, a series based in a world where the ordinary is extraordinary and it’s down to a boy without the talents everyone else has, to use his wits and intelligence to get by. I wasn’t reading much fantasy at this stage but since it was a Jim Butcher book I thought I would give it a go and again, it was fantastic. Very different in theme and even writing style to the Dresden Books which I thought was good because we didn’t need another Harry Dresden but in a fantasy setting. All I can say is give the first one a go!
When not writing she can be found shoe shopping, boating with her husband or trying to love an ungrateful cat (I know that feeling!). With numerous awards and thirteen books under her belt, she has become one of America’s (and quite a few brits too!) best loved romance authors.
The first book I read was Simply Irresistible and it couldn’t have been more perfectly titled because it really was. I think it was one of my first brushes with the romance genre, having had trouble finding sci-fi and fantasy to read. It wasn’t at all what I expected. It was funny, touching and extremely engaging. While it was also good and steamy in places, it was also really well written and brought the characters to life in a way that made you love and care about them from the start.
Now, having devoured everything else she has written I can say that stays true in all of them. There is not a bad book in the set and they are all very entertaining.
Very young children eat their books, literally devouring their contents. This is one reason for the scarcity of first editions of Alice in Wonderland and other favorites of the nursery.
Rosenbach, A. S. W.
BookThing! is a website where Grete can indulge her passion for books. There are reviews covering a range of genres (paranormal romance, crime, fantasy, romantic comedy), bibliographies for selected authors, features and sometimes the odd free book giveaway!
Still managing to hide her ‘hairier-than-thou’ status while holding down her job as an auditor, Sophie Garou thinks she’s finally getting a handle on her life. If it wasn’t for the fact her attractive lawyer boyfriend has been working later and later with his beautiful assistant Miranda, life would be perfect. Almost. Her most prestigious and handsome client is making it clear he’s interested in more than business and the mysterious hot Tom Fenris confusing her every time he appears complicate things in the worst.. or best way. The Houston Pack has finally found out about her existence and they now have to make a decision whether she should be killed, made to leave the area, join the pack or come to some arrangement if she carries out a teensy task for them. Not much to ask at all…
St. Martin’s Press (US) are gearing up to release the second book in Sherrilyn Kenyon’s The League series – titled Born of Fire. I recently read, loved and reviewed the first book (
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