Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob -- knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?


This is the much anticipated continuing first person story of Bella Swan, a 17-year-old girl who moved to Forks, Washington and fell in love with vampire Edward Cullen.

Graduation is fast approaching for Bella, and with it, her deadline for becoming a vampire. She's still on the outs with Jacob Black and she's starting to have second thoughts about being changed. Not to mention there are a spree of murders taking place in Seattle and Victoria, the crazed vampire who's been after Bella since Twilight, is still haunting Bella's dreams.

I've never been one for self-denial. I mean, I figure, you can lie to your friends, you can lie to your family, but ultimately, you cannot lie to yourself. Bella Swan takes "lying to yourself" to a whole new level in this book. So much that I was seriously tempted to stop reading.

Side Note: There will be spoilers included in my review. There's no way around it for me. If you are the type of person who doesn't want to know before you read it yourself, please don't read any further. :End Side Note

Once again we follow Bella's thoughts as she tries to deal with becoming a vampire, her overwhelming love for Edward, her constant worry for her family, and her despair at the gulf between her and Jacob.

I think my biggest problem with this novel is the way Bella constantly deludes herself. It started almost in the beginning. Alice has a vision at lunch while sitting with Bella and Edward. Bella is curious and wants to know what the vision was, but neither Edward or Alice will tell her. Edward then railroads her into going to visit her mom for the weekend in AZ, and then lies to Bella about the vision, telling her it was something much different than what it really is.

Prior to Edward telling her, Bella is sure she knows what the vision was about - Victoria - and has worked herself up into a nice fit of semi-panic. But when Edward tells her it was something inconsequential, she goes, "Oh. Good" and for the next 300 or so pages, she thinks to herself, "I'm just blowing this out of proportion again, just like I did with Alice's vision". She even does this after she finds out the truth of the vision and why Edward insisted she leave town for the weekend.

And that was the continuing trend throughout the book. She was in constant self-denial and always wanting to play the martyr. She finally makes amends with Jacob - who we know is totally in love with her - and she spends as much time with him as she can. But while she constantly thinks to herself, "I'm hurting him" she doesn't back away, and she doesn't make an effort to ease the pain he feels over her relationship with Edward.

I also had a very, very hard time with her developing relationship with Jacob. She finally agrees to marry Edward and then shortly after realizes she's IN love with Jacob. Yes, I said IN LOVE with him. Although she loves Edward more, she could envision a life with Jacob. A comfortable, human life. She tells Jacob all of this and then says, "but I'm going to stay with Edward". She even kisses him at one point (Jacob, I mean). Who does that? Naturally Edward found out right away because he can read Jacob's mind, but rather than being upset with Bella he tells her he understood her reasons, that Jacob doesn't fight fair, and that he loves her no matter what. Which, of course, just made Bella feel even worse.

At one point, I thought this was going to turn into another Love Triangle series, and I was sorely disappointed. I'm still not entirely sure that won't happen.

Eventually they (Bella, Edward and Alice) figure out that Victoria is creating her own little army of "Newborns" - vampires who have just been created and don't have any control over themselves but have tremendous power - with the intention of bringing them to Forks to wipe out the Cullens and kill Bella. They begin preparing to fight them, but Jasper, who has experience fighting Newborns, doesn't think they'll be able to win the fight, as they're all sadly outnumbered.

Until the werewolves get involved. Jacob and the rest of the gang from La Push agree to fight with the Cullens to save Bella. I have to say, despite how annoyed I was with the book in general and Bella in particular, that was pretty cool. Seeing the Vamps and Weres working together was great. Although I still say Bella isn't worth it.

Perhaps I'm not making much sense, or my frustration with the book is overshadowing the actual review of this book, but this is how I felt whilst reading..frustrated. And angry. And annoyed.

There were some good things. We find out more about Esme and Jasper and how they became Vampires. Learning about their pasts was very interesting. We found out more about the werewolves, too, and how they came to be and the legends they pass down. Of course, it was from these legends that Bella gets the idea into her head to sacrifice herself so everyone else can live, but at least it doesn't happen that way.

The fight scenes were cool, even though we saw them all from Bella's POV. And there's an extremely unguarded moment when Jacob and Edward are talking about Bella with each other - when they think she's asleep - that really touched me. Seeing where they both come from in regards to her..well, it was very sweet and touching. I could really feel the love they both have for her, although I am truly baffled by it. I'd just want to smack her myself, but that's just me.

I think, overall, I expected Bella to get stronger and more independent. To find herself, I suppose. And instead she seemed to get more co-dependent and more self-serving. She was just plain selfish, assuming the world revolves around her and only thinking of herself, never of the other people in her life.

The Epilogue was very well done, however. It's written from Jacob's POV and I found it to be very insightful. If SM writes Midnight Sun -Twilight from Edward's POV - or anything from Jacob's POV, I'd scoop them up in a heartbeat.

Anyway, despite my issues - and there were many - with the overall story and Bella, SM's writing still drew me in. She obviously has the talent and drive it takes to produce a constant page turner, and for that alone I cannot rate this in the "terrible" range.

3.0 out of 5

I honestly don't know how I feel about continuing on with the series. Prior to reading this one, I was excited to read more about Bella and the Cullens and Jacob. Now? I'm not sure I want to see where this train wreck leads us. Although, I will probably buy the next installment. What can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment.

*I was going to include links in this post to SM's site and etc, but it appears to be down. If I remember, I'll update it later.

Talk Nerdy To Me by Vicki Lewis Thompson

Fashion model Eve Dupree is fed up with being labeled “the pretty one” while her sister’s called a genius. Eve’s got loads of brilliant ideas, not the least of which is the invention she’s building in her garage. But when she turns to the nerd next door to help get it off the ground, she finds herself on dangerous ground.

Charlie Shepherd has discovered that there’s more to Eve than meets the eye. But it’s not just her body he likes—it’s those sexy brains of hers. Romance is a complication he doesn’t need right now. The problem is, she has something he needs and he can’t seem to resist her.

Keeping her creation under wraps is harder than Eve expected—as is denying her attraction to Charlie. But when a saboteur starts sniffing around her project, she questions everyone around her, even her nerd in shining armor. Can opposites attract or will they ignite a fire they can’t control?

Ever since I read The Nerd Who Loved Me, I've been obsessed with VLT's nerds. I honestly never realized a nerd could be hot.

Boy was I wrong.

In her latest installment of Nerd Books, VLT again shows me just how hot a nerd can be. Charlie was hot, sweet and definitely a nerd.

Though I will say, the nerd-speak didn't do much for me. Still, it was a sweet, light read.

3.5 out of 5

The Other Twin by Katherine Stone

On a rainy day in Northern California over 30 years ago a tragic accident occurs. Young Claire Forrester goes into labor as she watches her husband succumb to his injuries. For the next five days, she divides her time between her husband's hospital room and the neonatal unit where her daughter clings to life. Now her daughter, Paige, is a caring doctor who is slowly succumbing to her own medical problems. Gwen St. James, a makeup artist, is called in by Paige to hide the ravages cancer has wrought on a terminally ill patient before she goes home. Gwen and Paige become fast friends. Each feels as if she has found a part of herself that was missing, which is understandable under the circumstances. Claire Forrester also feels something is missing. Although her memory can't quite grasp what she's trying to recall, it does hold the key to unlock the emptiness each woman is experiencing in this moving story of family love.


This is a beautiful and touching story. I really like KS. She's different than a lot of the other romance authors I read, but good none-the-less.

The story is split between 2 woman. Paige, a sweet and caring doctor who's hiding a secret from everyone and Gwen, a very sweet makeup artist who has a horrible birth mark that covers half of her face.

Paige's relationship with her mother is very strained, even though everyone else seems to love her.

Gwen really struggles to deal with her scarred face.

It's a sweet and poingant story. Not a quick, light read, but still really good.

Willing by Lucy Monroe

They’re the good guys fighting the bad guys. They’ll get the job done—if the price is right and so is the cause. Meet three sexy men who individually are READY, WILLING, and ABLE to go the distance—and together, are unstoppable…

Josie McCall has been raised to be a soldier, and she could be the best—if she wanted it. Instead, she left her dad’s mercenary school behind for a normal job in computers. But now that someone has torched the school and her dad is MIA from the hospital, Josie’s going to use every bit of her merc training to find him and hunt down the culprits who took him. Josie knows a lot about explosives, hand-to-hand combat, and tracking. What she doesn’t know about is sex. She has no idea what to do with the volcanic attraction she feels for her dad’s new partner, Daniel Black Eagle. And that feels more dangerous than any bomb…

Daniel knows exactly what he’d like to do about that attraction. The brooding explosives expert can’t get within five feet of Josie without wanting to touch, taste, and protect her—even if he’s sure she would happily drop-kick him if she knew one sizzling moment of his fantasies. But he’ll save it for later. Right now, he’s got his hands full figuring out who set that bomb and took Josie’s dad. Daniel’s sure of one thing, though—he’s not letting Josie McCall out of his sight for a single second. Convincing the cutest, most desirable trained soldier he’s ever met that she needs a bodyguard isn’t going to be easy. But if she’ll let him, he’ll show her he’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep her safe, and along the way, he’ll make her feel every inch a woman…

This is the second book in her Mercenary series and I loved it. Willing was hot, steamy, romantic and action packed. LM is really good at getting into the technical side of things without boring her readers.

Josie is tough, but still very vulnerable. I loved that she was one of the best trained mercs in the business but still very feminine. My heart went out to her when she was talking about how hard it was to grow up with a father that demanded she be a better soldier than all the rest.

It also broke my heart to hear about Daniel's past. His upbringing was sad and violent and I just wanted to wrap him up in cotton and keep him safe!

Very good read. I highly recommend this series.

The books that come before this one are:

Merry Christmas Baby: Silver Bella (anthology)
Three Brides for Three Bad Boys
Ready

After the Fire by Kathryn Shay

Detective Megan Hale comes to Hidden Cove, leaving behind painful memories of her policeman husband killed in the line of duty. But when she meets fireman Mitch Malvaso, Megan's heart is set ablaze-even if it knows the risks.

Near New York City, the Hidden Cove Fire Department responds to the dangerous Sinco fire. Three Malvaso siblings, who work at the same fire station, become trapped inside, but ultimately are rescued. Jenny insists that she, Mitch, the oldest, and Zach, the youngest, pledge to change their messed up personal lives as each one realizes how close to death they came.

Six months later, they're still on the job and have not yet made the changes they said they were going to.

Zach, who has been divorced from his wife for 2 years, vowed to win her back and prove that he's a reformed rake (apparently he cheated on her quite a bit while they were married) and try to be a better father, but not having much success with the former. Though he had made quite a bit of progress with the latter.

Jenny had vowed to have a child, via artificial insemination, so she finally works up the courage to ask her best friend since childhood, Grady O'Connor, if he'd be the donor. They've been friends since kindergarten and up to that point had no physical attraction between them. Jenny is afraid that she'll ruin their friendship with her request (they've both been scarred by previous relationships, though Grady seems more wounded than she), but Grady agrees. He suggests they do it the right way, though. At first, Jenny seems hesitant, not wanting to ruin their friendship, but eventually agrees.

Mitch had vowed to work things out with his shrew of a wife and become a better father to his two teenage children. Though he seemed to be making a genuine effort with his children, he hadn't been able to make any effort with his wife. When he meets Detective Megan Hale, and she proposes they start a camp for children of firefighters and police officers who were killed in the line of duty, he immediately agrees to help.

Megan is dealing with some losses of her own. Her husband had been killed in the line of duty several years before and her father had died in the line only a few months before she moved to Hidden Cove from the city.

Basically, the book was alright. I didn't like the fact that throughout the entire book Mitch was married while his feelings developed for the detective. The book is approximately 360 pages and until page 299 he was still sharing a bedroom with his wife. Though he didn't physically cheat on her, he definitely had an emotionaly affair with Megan. I couldn't seem to get past that.

Besides that, the story was kind of muddled, with too many POV's throughout the book. A lot of characters were introduced and there were several subplots with the Malvoso family (there are two other siblings not in the firefighter line of work), including issues with both Zach and Mitch's children. Apparently this is the first book of a trilogy, with Zach getting his story at a later date, so, in my opinion, a lot of the parts about him could have been shortened or cut out completely.

There was also a lot of technical information included, about the process of firefighting and the terminology they use. While I like to be informed, at times I felt like I was reading an instruction manual.

If my summary seems a bit muddle and confusing, it's because that's how I found the book to be. I have the other 2 on my shelf to be read, and I'm not sure I'll be able to read them.

Overall, I enjoyed the story of Jenny and Grady, but didn't really care for the book.

I give it a 1.25 out of 5.

The Kitten Club by Dara Edmondson

When forty-year-old salon owner Kitty Murphy meets dashing entrepreneur Harrison Wentworth, III she’s instantly drawn to his powerful presence. Kitty fights the intense attraction, fearing Harrison’s motive is to woo her precious salon away from her. But losing her salon isn’t the only problem on Kitty’s horizon. She worries constantly about Josh, her drug-addicted son.
College student Brooke Barnes discovers she’s carrying Josh’s baby. Can she save him in time to be a father to their child?

Before I get into my review, can I just say: Dara Edmondson really knows how to grip a reader. This is my second novel by her, and both of them totally grabbed me right in the beginning. Fabulous.

I've been having a hard time writing this review. Not because I didn't enjoy the book, but because I did.

I think, once again, I judged a book by it's cover. The Kitten Club seems like a sort of light, fluffy book, just based on the blurb and the cover. But it's actually a very deep, emotional read.

The struggles Kitty faces are very real and very deep.

Ms. Edmondson takes us on a journey of self-discovery. Kitty is a single mom. She finds out her son has a drug problem and questions herself: Did she make the right choices while raising him? Could she have done better? If he'd had a father in his life would he have turned out different? That's something all mothers wonder as their children grow and especially single mothers. I felt totally connected to Kitty in that respect.

Watching Kitty struggle to do the right thing by her son and for herself was interesting to read about. At times it was hard, because she had to face some hard truths about the kind of person her son had become. Once Brooke, Josh's girlfriend, becomes pregnant, Kitty's struggles become even more pronounced. But having Harrison there really helped her along, I think. And watching a strong man do what needed to be done to help both Kitty and Brooke melted my heart.

There were things I disliked about the book, like Brooke deluding herself into thinking Josh didn't have a problem, even after he stole her money, jewelry and car. Not to mention her rushing off to find him one of the many times he disappeared on a binge.

I'm on the fence about the way Kitty handled Josh's issues and her attraction to Harrison. For most of the book she's convinced that Harrison is in the mob and the only reason he's with her is to get her salon away from her. I understand part of that, because Harrison's father and grandfather were kind of unsavory characters and because Josh's father was a rich guy who was just playing around with Kitty and left her as soon as she turned up pregnant.

But Harrison did everything he could to show Kitty he cared about her. I think she almost went too far in pushing him away. Not quite, but close.

The thing is, despite my issues, I really liked the characters. They were real. Kitty's actions and reactions were just what I imagine a mom's would be in that situation.

Something that really bothered me, though, was why Brooke was ever with Josh to begin with. She seemed like a nice, sweet girl who was really down-to-Earth and had her stuff together. So why, then, would she end up with someone like Josh. This is actually something Ms. Edmondson addressed but something I still don't feel was cleared up. Harrison says something to Kitty to that effect and she gets very upset with him, but eventually sees things from Harrison's point of view. The question was never really answered, though.

Oh, and I had some issues with all the typos in Compromising Positions. I'm happy to report that there weren't any in this book (well, ok, maybe one or two, but it wasn't over the top). Very nice.

Overall I enjoyed the story. It was so much more emotionally involved that I expected it to be. I think Ms. Edmondson did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life and showing us the darker side of motherhood, both from Kitty and Brooke.

4.25 out of 5

One last thing: I don't think the title, The Kitten Club, or the cover properly do this book justice. I expected a lighter read based on those two things. Just my opinion.

Holly Says: Lover Revealed by JR Ward

Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard-living ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world-to engage in the turf war with the lessers. His heart belongs to a female vampire, Marissa, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. And if he can't have her, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers.

But fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, he's found by a miracle, and the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back, though even her love may not be enough to save him.

Normally when more than one of us here at SF reviews the same book, we just add our thoughts to whatever has already been posted. But Jazzy-girl was a bit long winded, so I just decided to add my thoughts here.

I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but I'm not going to make any promises. Don't forget to check out Jazz's review before you go. We tend to have differing opinions, especially when it comes to the BDB.

Ok, so you already know the basic plot, but let's see if I can recap...

Butch is pretty much feeling sorry for himself all the way around. He has no purpose in life other than to sit around and drink good scotch. Shoot, even the clothes on his back were ones bought by other people. Oh, and he's half stalking a vampire female who doesn't want him, and is way out of his league in any case. Then, his day gets worse.

He's picked up by some Lessers and spends the next 12 hours somewhere far away from happy land. Then the Omega gets involved and dude, what he does to Butch is just..freaky.

Then there's Marissa. She's an aristocrat who hates her life, is controlled by her brother, and knows no one wants her. But then she gets a call that changes all that. She's needed at Butch's bedside. Naturally she rushes right over to take care of him and that's when things get interesting.

The Good: JRW is one of the few authors I've read who can constantly jump around and pull it off. Every other chapter is a new situation, with different characters, but unlike some others, she pulls this off grandly. As a matter of fact, I think her stories would suffer quite a bit if she didn't jump around as much as she does.

John. He was great. I love the bits and pieces we saw of him and I can't wait to read more about him. And I just love being right about him. Just in case y'all haven't figured out where John came from yet, highlight the following text: He's Darius reincarnated...

The Man Love between Butch and V. Now, I was initially going to put this under The Ugly section below, but the truth is, it's kind of hot. I mean, come on, what girl doesn't fantasize about 2 big, strong alpha males going at it like dirty rabbits? Except, I really, really wish all those rabid fans out there would just go ahead and admit that...THEY'RE GAY! Dude.


The Bad: The slang and the designer name dropping. I swear, by the time I finished the book, I wanted to scratch my eyes out. Was it really necessary to tell us what designer each person was wearing? Cripes. Way over the top!

Although the slang got on my nerves, I have to tell you, it didn't bother me as much in this book as it has in her previous ones. I'm not sure if it's because I stopped expecting better, or if it was because she didn't use it as much, but I only rolled my eyes a couple of times. Oh, well, except for that EVERYONE used the slang in this book. Our perfect aristocratic heroine? Yep. The nasty Lesser dudes? Yep. Come on now, at least in the last book JRW gave us a break once in awhile.

I'm not really a Phury fangirl, but why was homeboy so absent in this book? I realize his part wouldn't be as strong as it was in Zarek's book, but he was only mentioned like...maybe once? That just seemed kind of strange to me.


The Ugly: Butch. Hello, big fat whiny crybaby. Could you feel any sorrier for yourself? Look, I realize he'd been handed some shit in his life, but in my opinion, a real man bucks up and doesn't whine and cry about it. Suck.It.Up. Plus, his stalker-like obsession with Marissa got a little old, and so did his constant, "I'm not good enough" bull. Not that I don't see where he was coming from, but seriously, he should have outgrown that shit in the first half of the book, at least.

Marissa. Yes, I know she was naive and sheltered her whole life. And I will admit we saw some major growth from her throughout the book, but there was just one misunderstanding too many for my tastes. Even someone as sheltered as Marissa shouldn't have acted as stupid as she did. And the ending? OH.HELL.NO. That stunt she pulled? She in no way made up for what she did to Butch. Especially since she didn't even realize she was wrong on her own, she had to have the other girls tell her so. And she should have begged and pleaded and crawled and...well, you get the idea. So wasn't impressed.

The nice, neat tidy thing that happens to clear everything up for Marissa and Butch's HEA. Come on, could you maybe be a little more creative? Oh, look, it's Sherrilyn Kenyon all over again. I know something had to happen so they could be together 4-ever, but this plot line was just a bit contrived.

I could probably go on and on, but I'll stop there for now. My grade?

Butch/Marissa: 1.5
The rest of the story: 3.0

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

Welcome to colorful Trenton, New Jersey, and the wild and wonderful world of Stephanie Plum. In One for the Money, rookie "apprehension agent" Plum may be a bit wet behind the ears, but nobody's gonna take it easy on her; especially her first skip, an ex-cop and murder suspect named Morelli.

Holly Says

Stephanie Plum is a little down on her luck. The Trenton, New Jersey girl has lost her job as a lingerie buyer for a sleezy department store, her car has been repossessed, her overbearing Italian mother is trying to set her up with a balding, fat butcher and she's had to sell off all her furniture and appliances just to make ends meet.

As a last resort, she goes to her cousin Vinnie and blackmails him into giving her a job...as a bounty hunter. Steph doesn't know much about being a bounty hunter, but she's determined to get the $10,000 finders fee on the biggest skip-trace on the books. One vice cop, Joseph Morelli.

The thing is, Joe and Steph have a little history together, and Steph isn't sure if bringing him is just business as usual, or a personal vendetta. The first time she met Morelli she was 7 and he dragged her into his parents garage to play Choo-Choo, and didn't even let her hold the flashlight. Then, when she was 17, he nailed her behind the Eclair case at the donut shop she was working at, then wrote all the dirty details in the men's room at Mario's sub shop. Four years later, Steph saw him walking down the street and ran him over with her dad's Buick. So, yeah, bringing him down might be personal.

To make matters worse, Steph gets on the bad side of a psychotic deranged boxer name Benito Ramirez. But Steph is made of tough stuff and she isn't going to let a 250 lb psycho keep her from getting her man...

This is the first book in a (so far) 12 book series about bond agent Stephanie Plum. It's the perfect set up for the series and one of the funnies books I've ever read.

I love everything about it, from Steph's Mazda Miata getting repo'd by a sleezy guy she went to high school with, to her mother's constant harping. In the first three chapters alone, I was laughing so hard I was crying. Let's see:

Grandma Mazer, Steph's 80-year-old grandmother decides to start wearing biker shorts and accidentally shoots the ass out of the chicken their having for dinner with Steph's gun.

Steph goes to get a job with her cousin Vinnie and has to blackmail him into giving her the job by reminding him, "I know about Madam Zaretski and her whips and chains. I know about the boys. And I know about the duck."

Steph "commandeers" Morelli's car (read: steals) and when Morelli comes for it, he catches her the shower. She's stolen the distributor cap and he wants it back. When she refuses to give it up he handcuffs her to the curtain rod - naked - and leaves her there. Hey, he's not a complete asshole, he left her the phone.

Steph's antics are enough to have anyone in stitches. Pick up the first book (and the rest in the series) and give yourself over to the crazy world of Stephanie Plum. You won't be sorry.

5 out of 5 (It's not without it's flaws, but the laugh factor alone is enough to make me score this at the top of the chart)

Isabel Says

Ok, Holly gave you the plot. So I'll skip all that. This book was great. I loved Grandma Mazur. From shooting the chicken they were going to have for dinner with Stephanie's gun to her biker shorts, she was just hilarious!

Loved when she ran Joe Morelli over with her car. Well didn't run him over, just kind of clipped him. It was pay back for taking her virginity from behind the eclair case at the bakery she worked.

When Joe handcuffed her to shower rod naked and Ranger had to help Stephanie out.

When she blackmailed her cousin. Hilarious!

Benito Ramirez was just creepy! Ugh, i did not like that man. Just reading his scenes sent shivers up my spine. He's a raping, mutilating, boxer and he's set his sights on Stephanie. He's called her house, visited her at her apartment and left her a present. I was so hoping he'd get his. And in a way he did, but not like I had hoped. More like dying a slow painful death.

I'm looking forward to the next book.

Grade: A-

Deliver Me by Farrah Rochon

After being dumped by her boyfriend and passed over for yet another promotion, Monica Gardner moves to New Orleans, determined to make a name for herself as the new attending ER physician at Methodist Memorial Hospital. As for men--she's through with them. But when given the chance to chair the hospital's annual charity banquet, Monica must elicit the help of gorgeous Ob-gyn Elijah Holmes.

Eli will do anything to thwart his matchmaking Mama's plan to reunite him with his high school girlfriend. So, when the sexy new ER doc asks for his help in planning this year's charity banquet, Eli devises the perfect scheme: He'll help put on the best banquet the hospital has ever seen, if Monica poses as his new girlfriend. But when Eli finds himself falling in love, he realizes convincing Monica of his true feelings may be his greatest delivery yet.

This is Farrah Rochon's first published novel. I read it last week, but I held off on reviewing it because I wasn't sure exactly how I felt about it. I think, based on the first few chapters of the book and the cover, I was expecting something a bit deeper, a bit heavier and a bit darker. The truth is, it's just a light and fluffy read. Which is fine, but since I was expecting something totally different, I was very disappointed when I finished the book. After thinking it over for a few days, and doing a quick re-read, I now realize it was my own expectations that ruined the book for me.

I'm a huge fan of the primetime drama Grey's Anatomy, and I think I expected something along those lines when I started this book. Although there were some medical aspects that seemed similar, overall the story was much less dramatic and much more fun.

Monica Gardner leaves St. Louis to start over in New Orleans, partially to get away from her demanding family, and partially to forget about her ex., a man whom she'd been with for a number of years and who cruelly left her. She's determined to make a name for herself at Methodist Memorial, and she's even more determined to avoid men.

Dr. Eli Holmes is known as "Super Doc" around the hospital, because he seems to perform heroic deeds on a daily basis. He's not in the market for a permanent relationship, and he's about ready to kill his mother for trying to set him up with yet another woman - This one a former high school flame who seems to have lost a few braincells in the intervening years.

When Monica is offered the position of director for a charity event at the hospital, she readily agrees. Her only problem? One Eli Holmes. It seems the sexy OB-GYN isn't interested in helping her with the charity event. Mostly because he doesn't think they'll be able to save the free clinic attached to the hospital and he feels he needs to devote his time to finding new care for his patients. But all that changes when his mama turns on the heat about his ex-sweetheart and he sees the perfect out in Monica Gardner. So he makes a proposal. If she'll pretend to be his girlfriend and get his mother off his back, he'll agree to throw the best charity event the hospital has ever seen.

Monica reluctantly agrees, but they're both more than surprised when they find themselves falling in love.

The Good: The relationship Eli had with his family, most especially his brothers, was wonderful. From what I understand, this is to be the first book in a trilogy with stories for his 2 brothers and I can't wait. His young niece was also adorable.

Monica's friendship with her sister-in-law was great, too. They had a tight bond with each other that reminded me of the relationship I have with my closest friends.

There was a secondary romance that I found rather intriguing. A pregnant patient of Eli's and her husband were on the rocks, and watching them come back together was great. At times, I was more interested in what was going on with them than with the main characters.

The Bad: I'm pretty anal about certain things, and one of them is TSTL heroines. Although Monica didn't quite cross the line into Stupidville, she came very close. Several times while reading I was very tempted to throw my book across the room. I managed to restrain myself, but it was a near thing.

I also found the writing to be a bit immature. For a first novel, I'd say it was alright, but not even to knock my socks off. There were a lot of typos and grammatical errors, which may not bother some people, but I'm anal enough that it took me right out of the story every time.

The Ugly: There were too many questions left unanswered. I don't mind being left with a bit of a cliffhanger when I know there will be connecting books to follow, but only a handful of the loose ends in this story were tied up. Such as Monica's relationship with her parents, among other things.

The last few chapters felt extremely rushed, which was terribly unfortunate. What could have shaped up to be a sweet, wonderful romance instead left me feeling rather confused and unsatisfied. If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say that Ms. Rochon needed to wrap the story up and sacrificed her HEA to do it.

For example: There was a BIG MISUNDERSTANDING with Eli's ex. She came to the house and basically screamed at Monica to stay away from "Her" man. Eli then worries over it and Monica runs away, but there was never any resolution with the ex. We didn't see her or hear about her again after that. I would assume that if she was that desperate to keep Eli, she'd have played a larger part in the last half of the book. Instead...nada.

I could give many other examples, but I'm sure you get the point.

Overall I'd say the story was a bit contrived but still enjoyable. Nothing you should lose sleep over not having read, but if you see it on the shelf of your local bookstore it wouldn't hurt you to pick it up, especially if you're in the mood for a quick, light read. You can buy it here or here.

3.25 out of 5

Just another reminder: Despite the dark, serious cover and the title of the book, this is a very lighthearted read. Don't be deceived as I was.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Choose: A quick death . . . or slow poison . . .

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace -- and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear . . .

Holly Says:

Before I go into my review, I just want to say...isn't that cover amazing? I think it's beautiful.

I first read about this book on Samantha's blog and I was intrigued by it. Her review made me anxious to read it, and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest by it.

Poison Study is the first person tale of Yelena, a woman sentenced to death for murdering the son of a high ranking General in Ixia (North). On the day she's to be executed, she's brought before The Commander's first in command, Valek, to confess her crimes. Instead, Valek offers her the position of food taster for the Commander. She's put on the spot: Die now, or possibly die later by poison. She chooses the possible poison. Yelena says that only a fool wouldn't accept, and that she is no fool.

The training of a food taster really surprised me. She was forced to sample a lot of different poisons so that she could recognize them in the Commander's meals, some of which leave her so ill she's incoherent for days. And if she survives her training, there's a good possibility she won't survive a plot to murder the Commander.

As Yelena finds out more and more about what's going on around her the entire picture changes, and she's forced to look deep inside herself for strength she isn't sure she possesses. Not only that, but a traitorous plot is revealed and Yelena seems to be right in the middle of it. Plus, the General whose son she murdered isn't happy to wait around and see if she dies by poison.

As the story develops, and I was shown more and more of Yelena's world, I was completely drawn in. And just when I thought I'd figured out what was going on, a new revelation would occur and I'd have to review everything I thought I knew about the story and characters. It truly made me think, which doesn't happen that often.

I also have to tell you that the romance was just an added bonus. When I first started reading, I didn't even think this was a romance novel. But as I watched Yelena fall in love (no, I won't tell you who with, read it and find out for yourselves), I was pleasantly surprised!

I truly admired the way MVS brought in new characters, as well. Though there are several by the end of the book, they were introduced gradually and I never felt overwhelmed or like there was too much going on at once. There was also a magical element to this story that I didn't expect, but which, I felt, was also an added bonus.

Overall I was extremely impressed. So much so that I immediately ordered the second installment, Magic Study.

As a first novel, I'd say Maria V. Snyder certainly left her mark. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more from MVS in the future.

4.75 out of 5 ( I didn't give it a full 5 stars because I had no idea it was the first book in a trilogy)

Poison Study
Magic Study

Isabel's Turn

I enjoyed this book. I started it last night and finished this morning. Because I had know what was going to happen. Would romance blossom between her and certain someone? What was criollo? A drug. I had to know.

I thought it was interesting how she went through the training to become a food tasters. Tasting the different poisons. The most deadly making her ill for a couple of days. The staff would bet on if Yelena would survive or not.

I liked her friendships with Ari and Janco. Loved how protective they were of her. They taught her to trained her to fight. When she became ill from tasting poison, they took turns watching her. It was very sweet.

There isn't a whole lot of romance, but you can feel it building it up. The twists and turns of the plot were also good and kept me guessing. I can't wait for Magic Study, the sequel to Poison Study to come out in paperback.

Grade: A-

Dylan's Turn:

Hero: Valek
Heroine: Yelena
Category: Paranormal
Grade: B+

So Yelena is up for execution because she killed a man. Before she is executed, she's offered a job as The Commander's Food Taster, she has to taste his food to make sure there aren't any poisons that would kill the Commander. She has to become an expert on poisons and Valek takes her under his wing and trains her in the art of poison. She proves herself time and time again to him and the book ends with me hoping to read more in the second book, Magic Study.

I liked this book a lot. I loved seeing Yelena's character grow in self confidence as the book wore on. I loved watching her stand up for herself and not having anyone fight her battles for her. I loved the friendship that blossomed between her, Janco and Ari. It was genuine and I enjoyed it. I loved how her relationship with Valek progressed throughout the entire story. They went from being very wary of each other to missing one another and then to loving each other. That was great, I got all giddy when Valek told Yelena that he was having criollo sent up to our room...hehe, it was great! The characters were great, the storyline was fantastic and all the espionage and spy stuff had me guessing right up until the last page.

Great stuff!

What I didn't like about the book was that it took a long time for the story to take off. It was slow to start for me but I'm glad I stuck with it. Another thing was Valek's tests, that man would drive me up the wall, though I thought he was a sexy man with his fierceness in the battlefield. All the tests he put everyone through and how he was so complex, it had me secondguessing him throughout the whole book...that could be a good thing, keeping me on my toes but it annoyed me some in the book. Aside from the slow start and the constant tests, I loved it!

I would totally recommend this book to anyone, it's great stuff, I promise!

Compromising Positions by Dara Edmondson

Meet Crystal, Patsy and Maureen - three friends in their forties trying to run the obstacle course of mid-life. Crystal thinks she has the perfect marriage until she starts fantasizing about a handsome coworker. But when she suspects her husband is having more than fantasies about another woman, she digs in her heels and fights for what's hers. Patsy discovers her Neanderthal husband Bud having sex with his bowling buddy and wearing women's underwear. When Bud tries to take more than his fair share in the divorce, Patsy sets out to humiliate him into submission. Maureen has enough trouble trying to survive life with her rebellious teenaged daughter Rhianna. When she starts dating the teacher Rhianna has a secret crush on, the fur flies.

Holly Says:

Crystal is your average wife/mother. She's looking for work and raising her family. Her relationship with her husband, Wes, seems just as good as always and other than obsessing about her weight, she's feeling pretty good. She lands her dream job with a local magazine as a food critic and she couldn't be happier. Well, until she meets the sexy photographer assigned to travel with her. Her impure thoughts and silly daydreams seem harmless enough, until she overhears a conversation that makes her suspect her husband is having an affair. Suddenly, her life starts spinning out of control, and having her best friend move in with her unexpectedly is just icing on the cake...and not that non-fat kind, either.

Patsy's been married to Bud for 8 years. She takes a trip to see her brother and decides to drive home early because she's missing her husband. Unfortunately, she walks in at the wrong time. She finds her husband dressed up in her underwear, being pleasured by his best friend...Ralphie. Now she's living with her best friend, trying to figure out how to put her life back together. But then things get worse, because Bud seems to think he's entitled to half of everything, even the stuff she had before she married him. And Ralphie's wife thinks Patsy is having an affair with her husband, which just makes the situation 50 times worse. But she can only take so much, and finally she snaps. Enlisting the help of one of her expert co-workers, Joe, she sets out to get revenge on Bud, and Ralphie.

Maureen, Patsy and Crystal's other best friend, is having issues of her own. Her teenage daughter, Rhianna, has hit the rebellious stage and seems to be fighting Maureen at every turn. They butt heads about everything, from clothes to music to boys. To top it all off, she's lonely as hell. Luck seems to turn for her when she meets Rhianna's English teacher, Ian Fuller, and they hit it off. But what she doesn't know is that Rhianna already has a thing for Mr. Fuller and when she finds out her mother is seeing her teacher, well, all bets are off.

I truly enjoyed watching these three women struggle and grow through everyday life. The characters were believable and winning, and had me rooting for them right from the beginning. When I first started reading, I was dismayed to realize the women were all in their 40's. Not that I have anything against older woman in romance novels, but it's not my preferred reading choice. Before long, however, I was wrapped up in the story and anxious to see how it ended.

Compromising Positions is engaging and heartwarming. I found myself emotionally invested in Crystal's marriage, Patsy's fight for her self-confidence and Maureen's struggle to connect with her daughter. To be honest, I was sorry it ended. I wanted just a bit more from each story, just a bit longer with each character. That doesn't happen often to me these days, so it's something for DE to be proud of.

There was quite a bit of humor wrapped up in the story as well. I found myself laughing out loud more than once. And though I realize it was devastating for Patsy, the image I had in my head of her husband in a peach teddy with his best friend in front of him will have me snickering for a week. Not that it was funny at the time, but looking back on it....you get what I mean.

Though the story itself turned out to be good, and I found myself enjoying it, there were times when I was pulled out of it, because something seemed off. I'm not sure if it was the writing style, or the pacing itself, but I had a hard time focusing on it, especially in the beginning.

There were also a lot of typos and grammatical errors. I need to write up a post about this, because I'm not sure where to assign the blame for this. I know that when writing a blog (which isn't anywhere near the same as writing a book, but I'm working with what I've got here, ok??) I don't notice the typos and such right away. It's not until I go back and re-read my post that I realize how many mistakes I've made. And even after I re-read it several times I still manage to miss a few here and there. But, well, I'm not doing this professionally. And I don't have an editor to read through my stuff before I post it for the public to read, either. I suppose a few don't really bother me (ok, that's a flat out lie, even one bothers me, but I'm anal like that), but this one had more than a few. Not enough that it took me completely out of the story, but enough that I had to re-read several sentences before I understood what was going on. I hate that.

There were a few other things that bothered me, but they're of a more personal nature. For example, the characters had a habit of saying, "Alright? Okay." Who does that? No one says, "Alright? Okay." Without waiting for a response from the other party. Unless their confirming something, which wasn't the case. And Maureen's nickname was Mo, something else I didn't like. But again, these are personal issues and not a reflection of the story. Just my personal pet peeves.

Overall, I enjoyed the characters and storyline very much. I'll definitely be looking for more work from DE in the future.

3.75 out of 5 (mostly for the pacing and typos)

Jazz's Take

Yay! I love doing reviews together, and going second, this way I don't have to do the run down on the book! ha ha, Holly's taken care of that, so now I can jump right in with the juicy stuff. So here it is.

When I first started the book I had a huge "OH PLEASE NO!" moment, lol, but as it turned out it was really okay and I loved the way Dara opened up her story. You were hooked right away.

I enjoyed the dynamics between the girlfriends a lot. I always love close friendships in stories because we get to see and hear what is going on with them and their love life from a different angle. There are the thoughts in their heads, and what they share with their significant other, but what they share with girlfriends? That's always a hoot.

So let me tell you what I thought of each of the girls and their stories.

I never really clicked with Patsy. It's not that I didn't like her, but that she annoyed me. I mean yeah, I felt bad for her situation, even though it was kinda funny, but the way she dealt with it made me mad. She kinda just rolled over at first, doing nothing. I'm sorry but if that was me I would have done SOMETHING to get revenge right off the bat. But hey maybe I'm just spiteful like that. lol.

She moved in Crystal and her family, so you know there is going to be some boundary issues. I know these women are really close and all, but if they were that close wouldn't Patsy have known certain things? Like the fact that Chrystal had just lost a ton of weight and still struggles to keep it off? So why would she then go and purposely make all these fatty foods when Crystal even points out that she has been trying to go the healthy road with her family? It's like she was oblivious to the most obvious things.

And I don't want to sound snobby or anything but unless I was off on what I read, Patsy was in her early 50's. I swear it said she was married to Bud for 10 years and she got married when she was 42, correct me if I'm wrong. And she seemed so loud and obnoxious, and big. I by no means am a small woman. I actually struggle quite a bit with my weight but I just don't like reading about big women that don't care that they are big. I don't know, guess it's just one of my weird quirks. I mean age is always an issue with me and my books and it's not an authors fault by any means. Roz in Black Rose by Nora Roberts was the first older heroine I ever liked. And size goes the same way. I mean look at Night Play, one of Holly's favorite SK books, I could not get over Bride's size! But hey we all have our quirks.

So it was just little things like that bothered me. I also didn't like how uneducated Patsy sounded all the time. I know, I know she wasn't dumb, she had a degree. But she sounded that way! She was always talking with this "I'm so dumb accent". Actually that's a bad way to say it, cause I don't care that she had an accent (although I prefer if an author just says what kind of accent they have instead of writing with the accent. But again a personal preference), it was more just her way of talking or the words she used. Like always using ain't, stuff like that. I don't know. Guess I just wasn't really keen on Patsy and her part of the story.

I loved Maureen (I just hated the nickname Mo, YUCK!)! But I'll tell you now if I were her I would have smacked my daughter upside the head! And Holly I soooo know what your ewww moments were! Don't worry everyone, they ended up fine, but I can't tell you or it will ruin the book. lol. But Maureen was great, her personality and her issues with who she was attracted to had me laughing.

Rhianna, Maureen's daughter, annoyed me a lot. But I think she was supposed to. However I don't think the way her character just changed overnight was believable. And I think she acted a lot younger than her age. I don't really see a 17 year old doing the things she did. Well not all of it.

The only thing with Maureen's story was, I kinda felt it was left undone with one part. There is a major thing that is going on with Maureen in the book and when it comes full circle you're so happy for her. But then it's just done. Nothing else. I would have thought we would have seen more on that part, especially with her new friend, Hema, involved. But whatever I still liked Maureen the most.

Crystal was my favorite. That was until I found something out about her toward the end of the book that made me really cringe. I won't say what it is. But it is something that I am very, very against so it made her really unlikable for me. But I know everyone doesn't have the same beliefs as me so it may not be an issue for everyone.

Crystal and Wes were so great together and the issues she started to have were very believable. I loved watching her struggle with her weight and attraction to a different man, and her fight for a job she wanted and her husband. She was very real, and her feelings toward Patsy staying with her were very realistic. I liked that a lot.

All together? The book was good. I think what I was missing was an emotional attachment. I wasn't very emotionally involved, and I like to cry when characters cry.

I will definitely look forward to more of DE's work in the future. I'll just be looking for more emotion, or a better way of sharing the feelings, because I KNEW how the characters were feeling I just didn't feel it myself.

Grade C+

Demon Angel by Meljean Brook

For two thousand years, Lilith wrought vengeance upon the evil and the damned, gathering souls for her father's armies Below and proving her fealty to her Underworld liege. Bound by a bargain with the devil and forbidden to feel pleasure, she draws upon her dark powers and serpentine grace to lead men into temptation. That is, until she faces her greatest temptation—Heaven's own Sir Hugh Castleford...

Once a knight and now a Guardian, Hugh spent centuries battling demons—and the cursed, blood-drinking nosferatu. His purpose has always been to thwart the demon Lilith, even as he battles his treacherous hunger for her. But when a deadly alliance unleashes a threat to both humans and Guardians in modern-day San Francisco, angel and demon must fight together against unholy evil—and against a desire that has been too long denied...

As I said before, I've been hearing wonderful things about this book in particular and this author in general for quite some time. However, I have to be honest and tell you I probably wouldn't have bought this book if I hadn't of won the contest at The Good, The Bad and The Unread, for two reasons:

1) I thought it was a historical, and I haven't been in the mood for one of those in years. Though the first 2/3 or so of the book is set in the 12th Century, it's actually a contemporary. I didn't realize this until after I started reading it, though.

2) I haven't been in the mood for a paranormal..at all. I just haven't been interested in things that go bump in the night.

Since I'm far too lazy to write up a summary of this myself, I'm borrowing Jane's from Amazon.

Lilith is the daughter of Lucifer who has spent centuries getting men to kill themselves at her suggestion. Hugh Castleford is a knight from the 12th Century who has spent the last two years guarding his liege's wife. Hugh has a bit of a crush on the young lady but is much too honorable to ever act on it. Lilith is busy luring men at the baron's home to their death. Upon seeing the purity of Hugh's soul, Lucifer orders Lilith to obtain it.

Unfortunately, Lilith is also intrigued by Hugh's soul and is so moved by his goodness that she begs Michael, an angel, to transform Hugh to an angel. Thus begins over 800 years of battling between Hugh and Lilith. They love, lust and battle until Hugh becomes disillusioned and chooses to Fall. Before Falling, however, he believes he must perform an act of courage that he had been to weak to do and that is to kill Lilith and release her from her servitude to Lucifer.

The Good: The world building was imaginative, sensual and amazing. I was pleasantly surprised by the way Ms. Brooks drew me into her fierce battle for souls and the fight between good and evil. I was also drawn in by the two lead characters, Lilith and Hugh. Though they came from two different worlds (literally) and were on opposite sides of an eternal battle, their connection to one another came across as not just sexual, but very emotional as well, which made their constant conflict all the more believable.

I also enjoyed the secondary characters (well, most of them..I could have done without Lucifer, personally) and the relationships they had with Lilith and Hugh. Colin, the vampire they both befriended despite themselves, Sir Pup, Lilith's hellhound, Savi, Hugh's roommate and even Auntie, the woman who once took Hugh in, were fabulous characters, and while they played a large part in the overall story, they in no way intruded on the focus of the main story.

The Bad: There were too many questions left unanswered, I think. Part of the appeal of this book is it really makes you think. Nothing is tied up in a nice, neat little bow, there are questions left unanswered and things you have to figure out on your own. Which was good and bad. I felt there were a few too many things left unexplained. However, because this is the first book of a series, I'm willing to wait for the next book before passing judgment.

The Ugly: The pacing. As much as I enjoyed this book, I had a very hard time with the pacing. It took me three days to read this book, and it's only 400+ pages (which is unheard of for me). The story was very slow moving. At times, the pace would pick up and I'd be sucked in, unable to set it down, and then it would get bogged down again and I'd have a hard time giving it my full attention. I understand that a lot of the information imparted was important for the story and the basis of the world Ms. Brook created, but at times there was Too Much Information. I think, in all honesty, the story could have been 100 pages shorter and been better for it.

Overall, I adored the storyline, the world building and the characters. I can't wait for Demon Moon. I do hope, however, that the pacing will work better than it did in this one.

I think I'm going to give this one a solid:

4 out of 5

despite my issues with the pacing. It was that good.

Dark Side of the Moon by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Hero: Ravyn Kontis
Heroine: Susan Michaels
Grade: B-

Susan Michaels was once the hottest reporter on the Beltway Beat until a major scandal ruined her life and left her writing stories about alien babies and Elvis sightings. Life as she once knew it is over, or so she thinks until she gets a lead on the biggest story in town: The Seattle Slayer. She heads to the local animal shelter, expecting a tip on the latest rash of killings. Instead, she gets a story about the mayor feeding citizens to a ring of vampires... yeah. Just another day in her life.

Then she gets talked into adopting a cat she's allergic to. Her first thought is to neuter the cat. But when he turns out to be a gorgeous shapeshifting man who claims to be an immortal vampire slayer she thinks: not so fast. Next thought: seek professional help.

Susan doesn't know what to believe, but as she's drawn into a paranormal world, she comes to realize that the story that could bring her credibility is too unbelievable to expose. Now it's no longer a question of bringing the truth to her readers, it's a matter of saving lives and souls, and her only ally is a man she's allergic to. In the world of the Dark-Hunters, it's always dangerous. But never more so than when one very human woman can shatter their entire world with just one story. The only question is... will she? Dark Side of the Moon is full of Sherrilyn Kenyon's trademark sexy humor and breathtaking imagination.

Dylan Says:

Whoa.

I inhaled this book like there was no tomorrow, like my life depended on finishing this book before I could ever go on and live a normal life again. I really enjoyed it too. It was a fun roller coaster, meeting new Dark Hunters, seeing old Villains who just won't stop, seeing more of the people we wanted to see more of in the previous books, men who are still oh so mysterious and has me curiouser and curiouser to find out more about them. Lots of shocking news, a bunch of OMGOSH cliff hangers, the book had it all.

I was literally gripped throughout the entire book. But, that might be because I LOVE the whole Katagaria and Arcadian side of these books. It was really crazy, I mean one adventure after another and boy was Susan Michaels one kick ass heroine. She didn't really get on my nerves which is the norm for me and heroines. I either don't care for them, forget about them later or think they flat out rock!

And Susan Michaels flat out rocked! She was a good strong heroine, one who didn't back down from a fight, one who stood by the man she loved and fought (I mean literally battled it out by his side, think Buffy the Vampire Slayer) to the death with him. She didn't take crap from no one, she let people get to her but was done with all that so she got strong and she didn't back down from no where and she was one funny cat too...had a quirky sense of humor that cracked me the hell up.

Now as for Ravyn, I really liked how SK portrayed him. Quiet and lethal. That was Ravyn. Trust no one, that's how he saw things and yet Susan fought her way into his heart and I loved how he didn't shy away from his feelings for her, how he didn't push her away like all of them do, he knew what she was capable of and instead of being all alpha male on her, he embraced her capabilities. He held her hand while they went and fought the good fight, but you didn't get the I'm a sissy vibe from him, he didn't NEED Susan to fight with him but he did like having her by his side, someone that he trusted with all that he was, since he wasn't the trusting kind. I thought it was more endearing than anything, it was cute.

We get lots of Ash in this book and I have developed a soft spot for him, I mean I really liked him in the other books, but he wasn't this ULTIMATE hero for me, he was more or less my Adam Black of the DH's. I liked him well enough but not nearly as much as I liked the other, lesser DH's. But in this book, I really softened toward him, I really felt for him. He's so alone, Ash is...never letting anyone in, I wish he trusted someone, anyone enough to confide in, because everyone needs a friend to talk to, he lost the best friend he ever had to his hasty comments, words that he didn't even mean.

Nick is back and as much as I love this man, I can't wait to see what SK has in store for Nick's character because he is really pissed off at Ash, a lot of it is unjust but he's really emotional right now and everyone grieves in their own way, I guess Nick's way of grieving is to lash out at the person he thinks is responsible for it all, at Ash. *sadly shakes my head* Nick, Nick, Nick...you retarded guy, stop being so pissed off and wake up and see what's really going on. Ash isn't the enemy, you dolt!

Savitar. I love this guy and can't wait to read more about him. He seriously cracked me the hell up in this book.

We meet a lot of new Dark Hunters, Cael, Dragon, Amazon, Zoe, etc...I like them all, nice addition to the Dark Hunter family. I look forward to getting to know them better.

Now, don't' get me wrong this book was good, really good but there was a great deal of things that bothered me. Like Susan gets dicked in the beginning, someone set her up and her career ends because of that something that happened, we never find out who set her up, it was as if she was suddenly over it and was forgotten, in true SK form, Ravyn should have found out who did it and righted that wrong, just like Vane did in NP for Bride and Kyrian did for Amanda in NP, they all got their ladies back and Ravyn was cheated out of coming to Susan's rescue. So that's what sucked about it. Oh wait and then there's the assumptions about what Ash does when he's doesn't take their calls, it seriously makes me mad when they all assume Ash is lazing around letting them get beat up, like he didn't care....if they only knew what the hell Ash goes through on their behalf, it would shut them up but good. Gosh, I can't wait to see how they react when they find out.

So, this book has it's ups and it had it's downs, BUT the downs didn't ruin the book for me, not at all...I would totally recommend this book, it was great fun to read and I totally enjoyed this book. Give it a shot, I'm sure you'll enjoy it too.

But I must say this, Izzy and Grace I know you guys will enjoy it. Holly, I know you might not. So, I don't know if I would recommend for you to read it, I know you'll be pissed.

Isabel Says

This book was ok. It was great, but it was still good. My favorite is still Night Play.

Nick just totally pissed me off with his "I hate Ash, I hate everyone attitude." What happened to the Nick I used to love. And Nick *bitch slap* What the HELL are you thinking?

Did I miss something about Kyrian and Amanda dying in New Orleans? Cause I don't remember that at all.

Cael and his wife? ( I don't know how to spell it.) Oh shit. This shall be interesting.

Ash. What are you? I had a feeling you were a god. Is Nick right? Hmmm.

I liked Susan. I thought she was sarcastic, funny and kick ass. Ravyn, my heart broke for him. Damn his family. They were just jerks. Except for Dorian. He seemed to have compassion. But I cheered when Susan gave them a piece of her mind.

Again, it was all right.

Grade: C=/B-

Holly Says:

I wasn't even going to read this book, because I just flat out refused to buy it in hardcover, but a good friend sent it to me and I couldn't resist. After reading what Dylan and Izzy had to say about it and forcing my friend (the one who sent me the book) to tell me all the spoilers, I was curious.

It's funny, because in all the different threads I've looked at where this book is being discussed, hardly anyone talks about Ravyn and Susan. Mostly the discussions surround Ash and Nick and Savatar and Stryker and whatever. Just from peeping out those threads, I thought the book would be more focused on Ash and Nick than on Susan and Ravyn and I was prepared to be irritated by that. To my surprise, that's wasn't the case at all. We don't really even see any of Ash or Nick until halfway through the book. I was glad of it, too. I think a lot of times we, as SK readers, forget to focus on the main characters and instead get caught up in speculating about everyone else and what will happen in future books.

Anyway, on to my thoughts for the book:

Sarah over at Life Romantisized said that she couldn't get into the story and put it down after reading about 20 pages. I can see now why she felt that way. The beginning of the story seemed to move really slowly for me. I read extremely fast and it still took me two days to finish this. It finally picked up around the middle of the story, but it didn't grip me like some of her earlier novels did.

Susan: In the beginning, she really irritated the crap out of me. I was sure she was going to end up as one of those idiot heroines with Penis Envy that I hate, but she managed to redeem herself. I think it was her constant, "I do what I want, not what other people tell me to do", that bugged me in the beginning. There comes a point - oh, like say when you're being chased by really scary guys with guns who are shooting at you - when it's better to err on the side of caution and listen to the big, badass man who just saved your life, right? Luckily, by the middle of the book, she'd settled down.

One of the many things that bothered me in this one was the time frame. Susan seemed to be fairly planted in reality. She didn't suspect that there were "other" people/things in the world and she was extremely skeptical. But in the space of one day, she softens towards a man who can turn into a cat, accepted that there were evil vampires in the world, agreed that the Greek myths she'd learned in grade school were actually truth and then had sex with a complete stranger (ok, maybe that didn't happen in the first day, but you get what I mean). At least in previous books SK gave the heroines time to adjust to having their world turned upside down. I just think that was wayyyy too convenient. I did like that Susan was able to take care of herself in most situations, though, and I did enjoy her quick wit and sarcastic humor. Reminded me of...me.

Ravyn: Meh. I wasn't all that into him. In the beginning, he seemed the dark, tough, tortured, brooding type that I've enjoyed in previous books by SK, but after awhile he just seemed like a big ol' pussy cat (pun intended). Anne over at Let's Gab had a post up recently in which she stated that Ravyn didn't seem Alpha enough for her. I totally agree. She quoted a specific line from the book that showcased his Betaness and when I read it for myself I nearly gagged. What kind of self-respecting Alpha-Male says, "Ooo, a Starbucks girl after my own heart." Real men don't say "Ooo", do they? Overall, I wasn't that impressed with him.

Ok, now for my opinions on other things, some speculations and some confirmations:

Nick: Meh. Whatever. He didn't irritate me near as much as I thought he would. I was basically just rolling my eyes at him. Though I was surprised to hear that no one else remembered what happened in NO when his mother was killed. But him blaming Ash for everything, including the hurricane? Way over the top. He acted like the spoiled child he's always been and I just couldn't work up enough enthusiasm to even get irritated by him.

Ash: I've always like Ash. Right from the very beginning I was intrigued by him and couldn't wait to read his books. But to be honest, I'm starting to get really, really tired of seeing him act the ManWhore with Artie. Yes, I realize he's tortured and blah, blah, blah. But I am so sick and tired of seeing him sacrifice himself all the damn time it's disgusting me. I ended up just skimming over the parts with him and Artie together in this book. I was disappointed, too, that we didn't see more of Simi. I love her. heheh

Savatar: Love him. I liked him in Unleash and my opinion hasn't changed. I'm curious about how things will play out. And his line to Nick? Loved it.

Satara: I think she's going to be Ash's heroine. Which will be just perfect since she was instrumental in ruining Nick...can't wait to see how it plays out.

Overall, the book was ok. Not good. Not great. Not horrible. Just ok. I didn't hate it. I didn't love it. Would I recommend it? Probably, just because it's part of the series and I have a hard time stopping in the middle of one, but that's just me.

2.75 out of 5

Jazz says:

Okay now I'm gonna be very honest here. I was not impressed with this book. I started it off really excited, I've been waiting forever for this book. Well actually let me correct that, I've been waiting for another SK to come out, I was not so pleased when I found out it was going to be another "animal" one. I am more into Dark-Hunters that were human and DON'T change into animals. Like this part grossed me out, actually at first it was hot then it was like ewwww why'd it have to get ruined like that! Okay here it is:

Susan's eyes widened as she realized that he was already growing hard again. Pulling back, she looked down to see that she wasn't imagining it.
Shocked, she met his evil grin.
"Welcome to the world of the Were-Hunters, baby. We're not like human men."
"No kidding. . . ." Before she could move, he sat up with her in his arms.

Hot right? Well here's were it got ruined for me.

"Now let me show you how a cat makes love to a woman."

Okay now granted he wasn't meaning 'me cat you woman let's get freaky'. lol, they both stayed in human form to do the deed, but still just him even jokingly saying that grosses me out.

But anyway ...... So I'm reading and so far so good even if Susan was a bit annoying. Then I continue on and it's good, the plot seems to be thickening and I'm getting into it. Then I don't know I kinda just lost interest. I was a little disappointed in Ravyne he wasn't a big-strong-macho-Dark-Hunter type like the others, he was kinda a softy. I mean in the beginning I was all kinds of hot for him he had the badass thing down, but only for the first 5 or so chapters. He really didn't fight much in the book, he was mostly in hiding, so that could have had a lot to do with it. This is a part that was in the beginning of the book that I really liked and if Ravyn kept like this the book would have been better:

He threw his hands out and some kind of invisible wave went through the room, knocking the two men off their feet. His eyes matched the red blood that still dripped from his chin as black clothing appeared on his body.
"You don't knock on the devil's door, boys, unless you want him to answer," he said, his voice deep and evil. He wiped the blood from his chin.
"Th-they said you wouldn't attack us," one of the thugs said in a frightened tone.
"They lied."

Nick came back in this book, at first I was like okay he can be angry and bitter. With what he went through who wouldn't? Right? Well yeah, that was all good and fine. Till he did the stupidest thing at the very end. I don't see how this is going to work out in the series to come. But we'll see.

Ash kinda annoyed me in this book, he seemed more and more the male god whore to me. I know, I know something happened like forever ago to make him basically enslaved to Artie but I'm sorry it just really made my skin crawl this time around. And I know a lot of you will say it is so wrong that everyone gets annoyed with Ash and thinks he's lazy but what are they supposed to think? That's what they are all lead to believe and he doesnt correct them.

I think what this book was really lacking was emotion. I didn't feel that connected with the characters. I mean with Ravyne I felt sorry for him and it was sad everything he went through in his life but my heart didn't break. In SK's earlier books I seriously would cry, this one just didn't touch me the same way. I think I felt more connected to Cael then Ravyne. Speaking of that was a big loose end left hanging, I really hope to see more of him.

And let me tell you loose ends is one thing this book had plenty of. We were left hanging with Nick, Cael, Ash......

I mean even Ravyne with his family. For a minute there you think your going to get some closure there, and then ... nothing. Like nothing happened at all.

And the romance between Ravyne and Susan? Well it just seemed kinda like a joke most of the time. I mean you definitely knew they loved each other but it was so flippant and I don 't know, I think that the sarcasm to define the two of them was fine, it was part of who they were. But I just wish we saw more of them beyond that.

I also really hope her next books are in paperback, cause the hardback was not worth the money this time.

One last thought....Zoe. Is she a lesbian? Do you think she'll get a book? And would you read it if it was about her and another woman? Just wondering. And just so you know, I would probably read it. I really like Zoe. She seems so kick ass.

Grade- C

Daphne's Review:

I feel like the last person on the planet to have read this, mainly because I refused to buy the hardback. Now that I've read it, I'm relieved that I didn't go through with buying the hardback. One thing I will say for this book, I could not put it down, and I pretty much spent all afternoon reading it. Now here are my thoughts on several aspects of the story:

Ravyn and Susan: Meh, I didn't really go nuts over this hero. I'm kinda over the whole DH hero thing, and I really like the arcadian/katagaria stories more than the DHs, but Ravyn just didn't do anything for me. I remember more of his lines as a cat when he sent mind messages to Susan, than I do his lines as a human. Susan - at first I liked the fact that she wasn't completely helpless and she was pretty strong/brave, but it got to the point where it seemed unrealistic. Unlike Tabitha from the previous books, Susan knew NOTHING about the DH world. So I can understand Tabitha fighting off the Daimons, but Susan? I don't think so! I don't care if she was trained by Dragon in martial arts/combat, it's not like she does that for a living. She's a news reporter! Since when do news reporters just start kicking butt when vampires start attacking them? She made such a big deal in the beginning of the story about how vampires could never exist, and then she's okay with it all of a sudden and not a bit scared?

I also had issues with the fact that Ravyn and Susan barely knew each other, and then out of nowhere they have sex in the basement. Hello! You guys barely even exchanged words. And the whole allergic to cats thing was unnecessary, oh please. Can we not start sneezing and then just go down on Ravyn? There were too many questions left unanswered or just "resolved" in a hurry. What happened in Susan's past that made her lose her job and make her cut her wrists was never resolved. I stll don't fully understand it, and at this point I really don't care. Also, I didn't like Ravyn's family storyline. It seemed like it was just thrown in there to make me feel sorry for Ravyn, but I've already seen enough family drama in the previous stories (i.e. Zarek/Valerius, etc)

Ash and Artie: Seriously. I'm getting annoyed with these two. More so with Ash than Artie. Don't get me wrong, I love Ash like most gals out there, but come on! Enough already! I'm so sick of him being Artie's whore, and yes I know he's sick of it too, but geez louise, it's making me feel like he's a wuss. That whole scene with him having to give Artie six orgasms in an hour? Oh come on! I literally laughed out loud at how ridiculous that was. *sigh* I don't know how much longer she's gonna keep writing Ash in this way, but it needs to stop. I get it, I understand his relationship with Artie, but please don't write anymore scenes like that one. It just frustrates me. And I'm also frustrated that all the DHs get pissed when Ash doesn't show up the instant they need him. Most of those DHs have been that way for hundreds of years, and then you need Ash for 5 minutes and get pissed off when he doesn't show up.

Ash and Nick: I was surprised with the ending in the last book, Unlease the Night, and I'm curious to see where this goes, but I'm already annoyed with this storyline. I love how Nick swears he knows Ash better than anyone else, yet he still doesn't realize that Ash isn't completely responsible for what happened to him. And why are we blaming Ash for the Hurricane Katrina incident? That has nothing to do with you shooting your brains out or your mother's death. Arrrrghhh!

Overall I'd say this was a great book for discussion purposes. But I wasn't that impressed with it and I don't see myself rereading it other than for informational purposes. I'm giving this one a C.

Drop Dead Gorgeous by Linda Howard

Blair Mallory has already survived one murder attempt. Now, while planning her wedding and dealing with holiday-season madness, Blair once again dodges a bullet. Or more precisely, a Buick. And though the driver’s identity remains a mystery, his or her murderous intentions are all too clear.

Or are they? After all, Blair’s homicidal ex-husband and his partner in crime/wife are safely behind bars. And even Wyatt Bloodsworth, her police detective groom-to-be, isn’t inclined to believe she’s being targeted again. All of which makes Blair wonder if her close call was simply a mishap. But the wondering stops when she narrowly cheats death again in another seemingly innocent accident. Two strikes is all it takes to convince Blair that she’s back in someone’s crosshairs. And the only thing more frightening is that Wyatt still doubts her. That means this time, no one will be watching Blair’s back when she sets out to get the drop on her would-be killer–before whoever it is finally drops her.

In the sequel to To Die For, Linda Howard once again takes us back inside the mind of Blond-Bombshell, former Cheerleader Blair Mallory.

When I first heard that To Die For was going to be written in the First Person, I was a bit nervous. I've always loved LH, but I wasn't sure she could pull it off. She did. I loved TDF. But when I heard DDG was the sequel to TDF, and was once again written from Blair's POV, I got nervous all over again. I wasn't disappointed in the least, however.

Since the plot is outlined above, I'm not going to go over it again. Blair's happy with Wyatt, she's planning her wedding and doing all that she can to bug Wyatt. Basically, same as the first book. And once again, someone is trying to kill her. Nothing new there, either.

Unlike a lot of others, I didn't find Blair annoying. I loved reading about her antics with Wyatt, her interactions with her family, and just her overall sarcastic, bubbly attitudes. Watching her and Wyatt go rounds for the top position in their relationship was hilarious. Blair's antics often had me laughing out loud.

The murder plot wasn't too hard to figure out from the reader POV, or at least not from mine. I knew who the bad guy was within a few chapters. But that didn't take away from the story at all. Reading along as Blair tries to figure it out was fun and interesting.

It was nice to revisit some characters and I enjoyed seeing Wyatt and Blair again. I also felt that their relationship was progressing along nicely, and it seemed very real. They had fights, just like all couples, and they both played dirty, which I enjoyed.

Overall the book was a very good read. On the light side, but enjoy it. I'd highly recommend both To Die For and this one.

4 out of 5

Dylan's Review:

Hero: Wyatt Bloodsworth
Heroine: Blair Malory
Category: Contemporary
Grade: B-

I'm not sure why this book was just average for me but it was. I didn't really laugh with this book as much as I did with To Die For. I mean, I enjoyed the book and thought wow it's good to see Wyatt and Blair again but I think the first book was really all I needed where these two were concerned. I think I would have enjoyed the book far better if it had been Siana's book like I originally thought. But as far as the book went. It was good, not great but good, for me anyway.

I didn't laugh like crazy until this part:

I ran over to that bitch and kicked her.

Holy crap I was rollin'...at 1 in the morning I was rollin' like it was nobody's business and everyone wasn't trying to sleep. But man, reading that little part of the book made me so glad that I read it...it is the reason I'm grading this book a B- and not a C. Gosh I loved it!

Wyatt was the same Alpha Sexy Man...he totally brought Sexy Back with his SDS but he sure did get on my hot damn nerves with his high handedness even though I knew why he did some of the things he did, it didn't stop me from wanting to club him over the head with a well, a club. But, I just chalked up my annoyance with Wyatt as him being a typical man and because he wasn't this cookie cutter, perfect hero, I loved him all the more for making boneheaded mistakes that made me want to punch him, therefore making him GREAT for me. LOL.

Blair was as always funny, but not annoying, I enjoyed this book...I just liked the other book better.

Next up, please let it be...Siana's book.

Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs

Exploring the many facets of love and friendship, New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs evokes a summer in the Catskills, where family ties clash with family secrets during lazy days and hot, languid nights . . .

Real estate expert Olivia Bellamy reluctantly trades a trendy Manhattan summer for her family's old resort camp in the Catskills, where her primary task will be renovating the bungalow colony for her grandparents, who want one last summer together filled with fun, friends and family. A posh resort in its heyday, the camp is now in disarray and Olivia is forced to hire contractor Connor Davis -- a still-smoldering flame from her own summers at camp. But as the days grow warm, not even the inviting blue waters of Willow Lake can cool the passions flaring or keep shocking secrets at bay. The nostalgic joy of summers past breathes new promise into a special place and people . . . a promise meant to last long after the season ends

I've heard some good things about Susan Wiggs from other romance readers, and my curiousity was peeked after Grace read, and really enjoyed, Table For Five. So when I saw Summer At Willow Lake at Wal-Mart the other day, I decided to pick it up.

I generally enjoy longer stories, because I feel that, if written well, we become more firmly entrenched in the story and characters, and come out feeling much more satisfied than we do when reading a short story. This book, at 498 pages, seemed like just the story I needed to get me out of my slump.

Unfortunately, the problem with longer books is that if they aren't written well, they tend to just drag on and on. This book started out well, but by half-way through, I wasn't sure SW could pull off such a long novel.

Olivia Bellamy's days at camp hold no precious memories for her, so when her grandmother informs her that she and Olivia's grandfather wish to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary at the family camp, where she spent all of her childhood summers, and want Olivia herself to oversee the clean up of it, she's none to pleased. But since her third engagement has just failed, she agrees. She suckers her best friend, Freddy, into going with her and they set out to re-create the camp as it was 50 years before, when her grandparents were wed there.

Once she arrives she's forced to hire Connor Davis, her old camp flame and the only general contractor in a 50 mile radius, to help her with the renovations. Soon after, her cousin Dare and her Uncle Greg arrive, along with Greg's 2 children, Daisy and Max. What happens after that is a journey for each of them. Olivia tries to put the past behind her and to get over the hurt Connor caused her as a child. Connor himself has to fight his own demons, those of growing up with the town drunk for a father. Daisy and Max have to come to terms with their parents divorce, and just when you don't think anything else can happen, Connor's estranged teenage half-brother shows up with his own demons to fight.

This book started out really good. The book itself starts out in 2005, and then goes back to 1991 to Connor's first summer at Camp Kioga. Then it flashes forward again, and then back to 1977, the last year Olivia's father spent there. Then we see 2005 again, and 1991 and 1997 and..well, but 1/4 through the book, I was having doubts that Ms. Wiggs could continue with the constant jumping around without losing me as a reader. I'm sorry to say that's exactly what happened.

The Good: I enjoyed the story of Julian, Connor's half brother, and Daisy and Max. Plus, I liked Olivia and Connor. I enjoyed the setting of the camp as well, since it brought me back to my childhood and the one and only summer I spent at summer camp. The storyline itself was good, too. I've always been a sucker for "The One That Got Away", though I did lose interest in it for awhile. And I'm not nearly as obsessed as Grace is.

The Bad: The development of the love story between Olivia and Connor. SW spent so much time focussing on the past that she rarely included scenes from the present. Just as we were starting to get a good feel for their relationships, whether with each other or with their family members, she's jump back in time and ruin the moment. And she never seemed to pick up where she left off. For example: Lolly (Olivia) and Connor would be just about to share a kiss when Lolly would be transported back in time, remembering something that happened when she was younger, and then when SW brought us back to the present, it would be a week later and the kiss was all but forgotten.

Which brings me to:

The Ugly: The constant jumping around. From 2005, to 1991, to 2005, to 1977, to 2005, to 1991, to 2005, to 1997, to 2005, to 1991, to 1997 and so on and so on. Had she made the current story flow as well as the backstories, this might have worked wonderfully, but it seemed to me that SW got so wrapped up in writing the characters pasts she completely forgot to write their present.

As I mentioned, she jumped through weeks at at time during the present, so we never got to see Connor and Olivia fall in love today. Instead, we learned about Olivia's past with her family and Connor's shame at having a drunk for a father, but we never saw him fall in love with Lolly, or her with him. What should have been a powerful tale of What Might Have Been, instead we saw two lost souls come together with no connection to them, or emotion from them. Some of the scenes that should have moved me to tears left me feeling very unsatisfied instead, like the emotional connection I should have had with them was just out of my reach.

Overall, the story was ok. It could have been amazing, but SW lost me in all of the jumping around.

I'm giving this one a:

3 out of 5

This is the first in her new series, and I am curious enough to read the next book, because there were a lot of things left open that I feel I need closure for.