Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

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

You know your life is bad when you miss your days as a poison taster . . .

With her greatest enemy dead, and on her way to be reunited with the family she'd been stolen from long ago, Yelena should be pleased. But though she has gained her freedom, she can't help feeling isolated in Sitia. Her Ixian background has changed her in many ways -- and her newfound friends and relatives don't think it's for the better . . .

Despite the turmoil, she's eager to start her magic training -- especially as she's been given one year to harness her power or be put to death. But her plans take a radical turn when she becomes involved with a plot to reclaim Ixia's throne for a lost prince -- and gets entangled in powerful rivalries with her fellow magicians.

If that wasn't bad enough, it appears her brother would love to see her dead. Luckily, Yelena has some old friends to help her with all her new enemies...

MAJOR SPOILERS IN REVIEW, DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ ANY SPOILERS...YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.
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Wow.

I zipped right through this book, it was so good.

I zipped from the beginning to the end, loving this book with every word that I read. Maria V. Snyder sure knows how to tell a story. She had me so engrossed in this story that I thought about the book when I was away from it, wondering what Yelena was going to get herself into when I was able to read again.

By page 200, though I was enjoying the new characters and enjoying learning more about Yelena and her background, I was missing Valek horribly. I even bitched at Holly for lying about there being more Valek in this book but then I kept reading and I got more excited.

I'm a reader who loves to revisit with old friends from previous books and Mrs. Snyder doesn't disappoint in this book. I loved seeing the Commander, Ari and Janco and most of all, I LOVED seeing Valek again. Seeing Valek in action and just being the amazing chamelion that he is, made the book just all the more great in my opinion.

I love how pure and strong Valek and Yelena's love is. I loved how intune with eachother they are and how fierce they are...together. I mean, apart their love never wavered but together, they are such a force to be reckoned with.

It was fantastic meeting Yelena's long lost family. I loved Perl and Esau, I loved reading about their reunion with their long lost daughter. I loved that they accepted Yelena for who she was and what she became and I loved how Perl wanted to make up for the fourteen years that Yelena was away from them. I loved how she worried Perl was when Yelena had to go and I loved Esau's intense faith in his daughter. I loved how instead of trying to keep her from the things she needed to do, they accepted that she had to do these things and even helped her with her mission. I loved how they had faith in her ability to get through all these complicated things and I just loved them.

They were a great family.

And then there was Leif. This guy totally annoyed me a lot throughout the book, with his crap toward Yelena. He was more of a hinderance to Yelena than anything else and that bothered me a lot during this book because I swore this guy was a bad guy...but I was glad that I was proven wrong with him because he proved to be a strong ally at the end with Valek and Yelena so I was glad that he was there to guard their six. haha.

The Master Magicians didn't prove to me that they were all powerful since Yelena was supposed to be no match to their all greatness and yet she singlehandedly took care of all of the problems that Sitia faced.

And she was the outsider.

What's really going on?

I loved all of the other characters that I met in this story, except Rose. I even liked Cahil up until the end, ooh, now I'm hoping that Valek will end him and rid his crap from Sitia and Ixia. I loved Mrs. Snyder's little world she's created with Yelena and Valek, I'm loving all of this magic business and cannot wait to get my hands on Fire Study.

The ride is not done and I'm so anxious to continue the ride in Fire Study. A total two thumbs up, get this book and read it, you'll love it!

The Dream Hunter by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Hero: Arikos
Heroine: Megeara Kafiero
Grade: B-

In the ethereal world of dreams, there are champions who fight to protect the dreamer and there are demons who prey on them...

Arik is such a predator. Condemned by the gods to live eternity without emotions, Arik can only feel when he's in the dreams of others. For thousands of years, he's drifted through the human unconscious, searching for sensation. Now he's finally found a dreamer whose vivid mind can fill his emptiness.

Dr. Megeara Kafieri watched her father ruin himself and his reputation as he searched to prove Atlantis was real. Her deathbed promise to him to salvage his reputation has now brought her to Greece where she intends to prove once and for all that the fabled island is right where her father said it was. But frustration and bad luck dog her every step. Especially the day they find a stranger floating in the sea. His is a face she's seen many times.... in her dreams.

What she doesn't know is that Arik holds more than the ancient secrets that can help her find the mythical isle of Atlantis. He has made a pact with the god Hades: In exchange for two weeks as a mortal man, he must return to Olympus with a human soul. Megeara's soul.

With a secret society out to ruin her expedition, and mysterious accidents that keep threatening her life, Megeara refuses to quit. She knows she's getting closer to Atlantis and as she does, she stumbles onto the truth of what Arik really is.

For Arik his quest is no longer simple. No human can know of a Dream-Hunter's existence. His dream of being mortal has quickly turned into his own nightmare and the only way to save himself will be to sacrifice the very thing he wanted to be human for. The only question is, will he?

This book was pretty good.

I liked Arikos, I liked getting to know the Dream Hunters, but I've got to say, I didn't like the Dream Hunters better than the Dark Hunters. For me, it's still all about the Dark Hunters but I liked reading and getting to know Arikos, Solin, D'Alerian, M'Ordant and even M'Adoc. Those cats are some interesting fellows. I'm more than a little intrigued by Solin and can only wonder if he's going to get his own book since everyone and their mother seems to be getting their own book these days. I might be persuaded to buy Solin's book should it ever become available. I also need to go back and read D'Alerian's book, he did have one, right?

Megeara, who wanted to be called, Geary (for reasons that are totally beyond me, why not Meg or Ara, but Geary? Yeah, okay...whatever rocks your socks, girl!) was actually a pretty decent heroine. Her story of trying to find Atlantis to clear her father's name and snub all of those people that laughed at her father for his pipe dream to find Atlantis and prove everyone wrong was a pretty good story.

I loved reading about all of the Gods and Goddesses. It was a little funny to read about Hades being this outrageously hunky manly God, when all I can think of is the Hades from Disney's Hercules. He was soooooo not outrageously beautiful, like the Hades of SK's world, but hey I liked that touch. It was cool. I'm hecka loving this twist on the Greek Mythology stuff, it's really good stuff.

I don't remember much about the Dream Hunters from the previous books, so I can't really say that SK messed up on some of her own rules because if she did, I didn't catch any of it in here, but....I did enjoy this book and am glad that I read it.

Would I recommend this book to others? Oh yes, this book was for sure better than Sins of the Night, so yeah....go on and read it, it was good. You'll love you some Arik, I know I did. Geary was easy to read as well, she wasn't a TSTL heroine and I'm glad for it. I loved that it was, well I can't tell you guys that without spoiling the book so if you want to know what I liked most about Geary and this story, then email me and I'll get the talkin' with you on there. I enjoyed this book, it wasn't this dramatic book that made me cry and weep and all that, it was just good stuff.

I thought I would be able to stay away from SK's DH series since I've been so annoyed with the direction she's been taking it in but I was glad that I went against what I wanted to do and read this book, it was good...really good.

Good job, SK.

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

Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward

Hero: Butch O'Neil
Heroine: Marissa
Pages:455
Category: Paranormal
Grade: Two grades here...The book grade~ B, The ending grade~ C

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.

*****SPOILERS ALERT***** It would be really hard for me to review this book and not have spoilers in it so I'm not even going to try to hold back. BEWARE.

First off how freaking excited was I to be the first one to reserve this book at my library? Then how much MORE excited was I when they got it early and I picked it up on thursday! Yeay me! Okay but now to the review....

By the time I read this book it's been what? Six months since Lover Awakened? So I wasn't really fresh on the whole Butch/Marissa thing. I was a little blurry. But that wasn't really a problem, yeah I wanted to remember why they were apart but it didn't hinder the story.

Right off we see Butch suffering from feeling the odd man out. He has a bond with V, and loves Marissa yet he's not a Brother and thinks Marissa has rejected him. None of the clothes he wears are his down to his boxers and the money he spends just as where he lives isn't his either.

When he comes across a civilian about to be attracted by lessers he steps in to help. Needless to say he's in bad shape when V finds him. He was worked over by the for-lesser and the Omega did a job on him.

When he wakes up he finds himself in Havers (Marissa's brother) clinic under quarantine.....with Marissa by his side. With his memory filled with black holes he can't remember what exactly happened to him but he knows Marissa should not be with him, risking her life.

Marissa didn't think twice about racing to Butch when she heard he was hurt. Nor did she even take a second to think of her safety as she burst into his room without the proper coverings on. When she is found with Butch her brother tells her that she may be contaminated and has to stay there till it is found to be safe for them both to leave.

During the time Marissa and Butch are locked together in this room there are a lot of misunderstandings cleared up and a lot more made.

That I can tell you this book was full of.

It's weird cause normally I'll want to throw a book against a wall for all the misunderstandings these two had. But all I had were my eye rolls and a little annoyances, but I still could not put the book down for two seconds.

I think Ward's saving grace is that she chops up her story's so well. She never says on one person or one scene for a long time. So yeah, I don't like reading about the lessers that much (it bores me) but I want to get to B&M that I fly through the short paragraph or two of lessers so fast.

Anyway. We find out that Butch has Vampire in him, surprise surprise. And he is some super powerful tool to be used by the brotherhood. But here are some of my issues. When he goes through his transition he gets bigger, like the other brothers. Now I already thought of Butch as kind of big, now he's so big that Ward wrote his boxers were all tight on him. Now I normally picture boxers kinda loose so for him to get this big I kept getting a picture of the Incredible Hulk with ripped clothes and all in my mind. I know! But I couldn't help it, and it was messing with the story for me. lol.

Then every time he would fight lessers with the brotherhood he didn't seem to fight as good and when he did his thing he was so tired, he seemed kinda weak. I think all around he seemed kinda weak. I don't particularly think someone that would take their life as strong I think that is weak, and he tried that. Early on in the book. But actually I shouldn't go there cause that situation was unique with what happened to him and how he was feeling at the time. So whatever.

The book of course was full of horrible slag but as usual it didn't bother me to the point of not wanting to read it. It was just silly as usual.

The whole V and Butch gay vibes? Definitely here! lol. I mean there were times when V was all kinds of up in Marissa and Butch's private affairs and he was more focused on Butch than Marissa. And I just have to quote this one part for you all, listen to this and tell me there isn't that I-wish-we-could-but-know-it's-not-to-be vibe:

Without thinking, Butch tilted his chin up, aware that he was offering himself, aware that he...oh, fuck. He stopped his thought , completely weirded out by the vibe that had sprung up from God only knew where.
In slow motion Vishous's dark head dropped down and there was a silken brush as his goatee moved against Butch's throat. With delicious precision, V's fangs pressed against the vein punched through skin. Their chests merged.
Butch closed his eyes and absorbed the feel of it all, the warmth of their bodies so close, the way V's hair felt soft on his jaw, the slide of a powerful male arm as it slipped around his waist. On their own accord, Butch's hands left the pegs and came to rest on V's hips, squeezing that hard flesh, bringing them together from head to foot. A tremor went thought one of them. Or maybe...shit, it was more like they both shuddered.
And then is was done. Over with. Never to happen again.
Neither of them looked at the other as V broke away ... and the parting was complete and irrevocable. A path that would not be walked. Ever.

There was also a part when V was saying to himself that he thought of Butch as his. It was almost like he knew he was in love with Butch and knew it was weird cause he never felt that for a male before and knew also that it wouldn't come of anything cause Butch loved Marissa to much so he was just going to deal with it and try to move on. I mean hell I'm all for best guy friends but these two? Definitely more.

But anyway, I really don't care about that much, just wanted to point out IT WAS THERE STILL! LOL.

We read about Butch's past and his dead sister, also his sister that is alive and his parents. Now in the end we do find out why Butch's father hated him, and how exactly he got Vampire in him. BUT there is no closure to the family issues. Does he really just not care at all? Does his sister really just not care??? Guess you have to read it to see what I mean.

And in ending my choppy all over the place review I'll say that I really didn't like the ending of the book. It came way to fast, like it was all rushed in the end, and it wasn't even of Marissa and Butch! Are you serious! Comon', that just really irked me. But whatever, it was still a good book that I didn't put down for a second and would tell everyone to go get.

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer.

Hero: Edward Cullen
Heroine: Isabella Swan
Category: Paranormal, Young Adult
Page Count: 563 pages
Grade: A

For Bella Swan, there is one thing more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is more dangerous than Bella ever could have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of an evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realize their troubles may just be beginning....

Legions of readers entranced by the New York Times bestseller Twilight are hungry for more, and they won't be disappointed by this gripping sequel. In New Moon, Stephenie Meyer delivers another irresistible combination of romance and suspense with a supernatural twist. Passionate, riveting, and deeply moving, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality.

Dylan Says

Stephanie Meyer sure knows how to write some fantabulous books because New Moon was just as great as Twilight and I was just as much in love with Edward Cullen in this book as I was in the last book. This is the second book in the series, I don't even know what the name of the series is but I am a big time fan of Stephanie Meyer now. The woman knows her way around a pen and paper. I am literally wrapped up in her world and have no want to get out. She is beyond great, she's one of the best.

Now, Edward is missing through a whole chunk of this book but I cannot say that I didn't enjoy the book anyway, I sorely missed having him there to be with Edward and I was seriously heart broken right alongside Bella but I was just so happy that Jacob was there.

Jacob.

He was such a great character, another favorite of mine in this series. I liked him in Twlight but I liked him even better in New Moon. My heart hurt for him just as much as it hurt for Bella in this book and I think that's why I love these books so much. They ripped emotion after emotion right out of me and not once was I taken out of the book. I want a happy ending for Paris, I mean Jacob. Because it was more than evident in Twilight that he had a crush on Bella, that crush blossomed into something so much more and you'd have to be deaf, blind and dumb to not see that the reason why Jacob hates Edward so much is because well, read the book...then we can discuss this book but yes, suffice it all to say that I love Jacob Black. This book was just what I needed to bring me out of my Paranormal slump, I'm more than ready to jump into the next paranormal book, because I just love me some sexy vampires.

You guys should totally read this book, I don't want to get too into the stories because for Charm, I'm trying not to give away all the dirty details of the book, just READ THIS BOOK IT WAS GREAT!

Isabel Says

I'm torn. The story was good. Once I started reading, I was hooked. Stephanie Meyer knows how to tell story. However, there are parts I'm just not happy with. Edward missing from most the of the books. The he said, she said. Bella unintentionally leading Jacob on. Yeah she told him they were just friends and Jake said he understood. But saying things like, "You're breaking up with me!?" That's isn't something you say to your friend.

Jacob. I like him before he changed. After he changed, I was little annoyed with him. I understood the animosity with the vampires. But the whole protectiveness of Bella with Alice? I found myself annoyed with Jake. Hello, she loves Edward! She's practically family with The Cullens. You knew this. Yeah I know you have a crush on Bella and this feud with The Cullens, but you knew how Bella felt about them.

So yeah, I'm torn with the book. I liked it but there are parts I'm unhappy with. I'm gonna leave this one grade less for now.

Daphne Says

This book was one emotional roller coaster for me. I was shocked that Edward left so early in the story, it almost made me not want to read anymore. Especially seeing page upon page of the months that passed by. I thought that was clever, and gave the story a dramatic effect, but boy was it depressing. The majority of the story focused on Bella's friendship with Jacob. Ah, Jacob. Poor guy, I felt so bad for him. I know Meyer's compared the trio to Romeo and Juliet, but for me I thought of Ducky from Pretty in Pink, the classic story of the guy who falls for his best friend, who happens to be in love with the school stud. Another dip in the emotional roller coaster.

My heart really goes out to Jacob, but I still love Edward more. Why? I guess it's because Edward was always presented as a vampire, and he's been loveable from the beginning. Jacob is a great friend to Bella, but I just knew he would end up being a werewolf, and I had a feeling that the transition would be difficult for him. I think Edward has the advantage of being older, not just in his human age (17 versus Jacob's 15 or 16?), but also decades of living as a vampire. Anyway, the middle was a bit harder for me to get through, only because Edward wasn't there, but I still enjoyed the story. Up until the ending, where things got intense.

I personally enjoyed the last portion of the book, only because this is where the action and suspense occurred. However, by the end I was a bit frustrated with Bella. The fact that she asked the Cullens to take a vote on her immortality was just.... lame. By the end of Twilight I felt she was a bit hasty in her decision to be a vampire. Yes, I know she loves Edward and for her there is no ifs ands of buts... however, I wish she would not dismiss Edward's points so quickly. After all, he's lived as a vampire for a hundred years, so he knows what he's talking about. Anyway, going back to my original point, even though I disagree with her, it's still her decision, so why is she putting it to a vote? Ugh, that really annoyed me. Then, when Edward proposes to her, she's instantly hesitant. That's so contradictory to me, she can choose immortality in the blink of an eye, yet she's freaked out about marriage? I'm curious to see how this all plays out in the end.

Like Twilight, I thought New Moon was very well written. However, it's definitely not as good as the first. I am giving this one a B.

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!

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balance precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.
Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.

Oh my God. I love this book. Thanks to Mailyn and Holly who pimped it. Thanks to Jazz who bought it for me. I LOVE YOU ALL!

I love this book. I made the mistake of starting it at night after watching Top Chef. Made myself put it down so I could get some sleep. Took with me to work and got very little done. I kept reading paragraphs here and there. I seriously considered leaving work early so I could finish the book.

The story just sucked me in. It is told from Bella's point of view which I enjoyed. Not every author can make first person pov work. Kind of bugged me cause there were times I wanted to know what Edward was thinking. However according to the website, Stephanie Meyer is rewriting Twilight from Edward's point of view. It will be titled Midnight Sun. YAY!

Other then one moment, I loved Bella. When she learns Edward is vampire, it doesn't really phase her. She just asks questions about about it. Even asks if she can watch him hunt. Which shocks Edward. He tells her she should be afraid. The one moment where she does have her TSTH, I totally forgive her for though. Because I understand why she did what she did. What I also thought was cute is she's clumsy and accident prone. Poor Thing. Edward is constantly telling her to be careful.

I love Edward. I want him. I want to do a million naughty things to him over and over. Hot damn. I don't know where to even begin to describe him and do him justice. He's just wonderful. Funny, caring, concerned, tender, serious, tortured. You don't even know how tortured. The first day he meets Bella he wants her blood. He explains her blood just smelled so sweet. In the excerpt of Midnight Sun, he actually thinks of ways to kill Bella. Morbid, I know. But he controls the blood lust, he fights it. He ends up falling in love with her. At prom he tells Bella, "He called you pretty. That's practically an insult, the way you look now. You're much more than beautiful."

Edward is vampire but he's different. For instance, these vampires don't have fangs or get all fangy when they bite. (A la Angel in the Buffy series) They just have sharp teeth. They can also go out in the sun, but they try and avoid it. Edward can also read minds, but he can't read Bella's. It's very frustrating for him.

There is a sequel to the book. New Moon. However, I hear Edward is hardly in it. There is also another book to come, Eclipse. I've read on her website that this is supposed to be an on going series. Which to me kind of sucks. I do want to read more about Edward and Bella, but I don't want the series to go on and on. You know what mean? I have my HEA for Edward and Bella imagined in my mind. I afraid if I keep reading, it'll ruin it. Or I'll just get frustrated saying "WHEN WILL THEY BE TOGETHER! Also the books are being released once a year.

Read this book. It's awesome people.

Grade: A

Dylan's Turn:

Hero: Edward Cullen
Heroine: Bella Swan
Category: Paranormal
Page Count: A lot
Grade: A

This book was fantabulous!

I was hooked from the very beginning and more than a little intrigued by Edward Cullen and the rest of his family that sat at the far table and kept to themselves. The pale creatures that everyone was afraid of and yet all loved and envied because they were so damn beautiful.

I inhaled this book and am quite astonished at how fast this book became my favorite. It's my favorite book of 2007 (for me since this book didn't come out this year) and I am so hot damn eager to start New Moon, which I ran out and bought right after I finished this book. It was that good for me.

Where to start? I loved Edward. I loved how Bella got to know him, I loved how when he decided to stop running from her, how strong he became because he withheld from the temptation to kill Bella so many times because he wanted her blood that much, I loved how he wanted to hurt her just as much as he wanted to save her from himself and herself because she was a total klutz. I loved how he took care of Bella and how he loved her. I loved the way he dazzled everyone and most importantly I loved reading the excerpt from Midnight Sun on Stephanie Meyer's site where we see Bella's first day of school through Edward's eyes. Oh how I love this vampire. He is SO the bomb.

I really liked Bella too...she was the bomb DOT com. Even when she did well, read it and find out, I wasn't that mad at her.

But more importantly, I loved Edward. hehe.

This book was really good, it had a good storyline and hot damn it was addicting...make sure you guys read this book, seriously..it's the bomb.

The Smoke Thief by Shana Abe

Hero: Christoff Langford (aka Kit)

Heroine: Clarissa Rue Hawthorne (aka Rue)

Category: Historical/Paranormal

Page Count: 324 pages

Grade: C

Dubbed the Smoke Thief for a series of daring jewel thefts, Clarissa Rue Hawthorne didn't expect the dra´kon leader himself to come to London dangling the tribe's most valuable jewel as bait: the Langford Diamond. But Christoff, the charismatic Marquess of Langford, had to catch Clarissa before anyone else did- or risk exposing the entire clan to the world of ordinary mortals. He never expected that the outcast halfling he pursued would have a proposition of her own to save the dra´kon- a proposition so dangerous, so tempting, that Christoff will find it impossible to resist: to join forces with her.To be honest, I only bought this book for two reasons: 1) the cover looked cool 2) it has received many positive reviews. I really wanted to love this book. I was itching for a good paranormal at the time and I was hoping this would be another series I could reread over and over.

Unfortunately, I just could not get into it, and I felt like toward the end I had to force myself to finish. It didn't reach the point to where I wanted to throw the book against the wall, but nothing exciting happened to keep me reading in the wee hours of the morning. The concept was great, it's what intrigued me in the first place. The hero and heroine are both dra´kons, species that can shift forms from human to smoke to dragon, and back. The prologue was longer than what I'm used to, and I felt that Abe has a talent for creating a history of the dra´kon race for the readers. The problem was that the prologue was just too long. By the fifth page of the prologue I was lost. Abe went through too many generations of the dra´kon and there were too many descriptions and names of places that were never brought up again in the story.

The first few chapters started out great. Rue was a child who always loved Kit from afar, but maintained a low profile in her clan. Kit was destined to be the Alpha Male, loved by all the women. Then Rue decided to stage her own death in order to escape the clan, start a new life and bury her past. When Kit catches Rue trying to steal the Langford diamond, the two decide to join forces in order to find the real thief. Rue agrees to help in exchange for her freedom, that she not be punished for staging her death and abandoning the clan. For me, this is where the story started to fall flat. Kit finds out that Rue is the first female dra´kon in four generations who can "Turn," or shift to the dragon form. This automatically makes her the Alpha female, and now Kit must have her.

I didn't feel any romantic connection, mostly because Kit just wanted Rue since she was Alpha female. He didn't seem to care why Rue valued her freedom so much. All he cared about was claiming her. Case in point...."Rape or seduction. He would take either." Yah, I didn't really like reading those words.Another thing that I disliked (though some may disagree) was the elaborate descriptions of the hero and heroine when they were in smoke or dragon form. For example, "His talons found her shoulders and hips...For a few wondrous minutes, as long as the wind cradled them, they were one creature, four wings, two tails, his head by hers, their cheeks touching." I personally, don't find dragon descriptions very romantic. I will probably read the next book in the series, The Dream Thief, for the sake of finishing the series. However, I don't think my expectations will be so high like they were for The Smoke Thief. I would be curious to know what other readers thought of this book. For me, it wasn't bad, but it fell short of my expectations.

Red Lily by Nora Roberts.

Hero: Harper Ashby
Heroine: Hayley Phillips
Category: Contemporary, Paranormal
Page Count: 287 pages
Grade: B+

A Harper has always lived at Harper House, the centuries-old mansion just outside of Memphis. And for as long as anyone alive remembers, the ghostly Harper Bride has walked the halls, singing lullabies at night...

Hayley Phillips came to Memphis hoping for a new start, for herself and her unborn child. She wasn't looking for a handout from her distant cousin Roz, just a job at her thriving In the Garden nursery. What she found was a home surrounded by beauty and the best friends she's ever had - including Roz's son Harper. To Hayley's delight, her new daughter Lily has really taken to him. To Hayley's chagrin, she has begun to dream about Harper - as much more than a friend...

If Hayley gives in to her desire, she's afraid the foundation she's built with Harper will come tumbling down. Especially since she's begun to suspect that her feelings are no longer completely her own. Flashes of the past and erratic behavior make Hayley believe that the Harper Bride has found a way inside of her mind and body. It's time to put the Bride to rest once and for all, so Hayley can know her own heart again - and whether she's willing to risk it...

Holy goodness, I really enjoyed this book. But for the sake of I'm too lazy to really get into a long winded review on this book, I'm going to take a page out of Holly's book and just tell you, the good, the bad and the ugly about this here book...

The Good: The characters and the friendship. This book was filled to the brim with great characters and great friendships. The friendship between Roz, Stella and Hayley was fantabulous. I loved reading about how much they cared for each other, how they all had each other's back and how they were all quick to let eachother know when they were being dumbasses. The patience Roz and Stella showed with Hayley was what really made me like them because had I been in their places, me and Hayley would have been scrappin' all throughout this book because of her stupid attitude. Gosh she got on my nerves, but beyond her, I also loved the friendship between Harper and David. I loved how well they understood each other, I loved the bond between them and just the way they were with each other. Steady and strong, they both were and I just loved the friendship factor, Nora Roberts writes her best stuff when she's writing about strong friendships and family.

Another good is the overall story. I loved how the romance took a backseat in most of these books but was still there. I loved the bigger story being told, the mystery behind the ghost and I loved watching the crew getting closer and closer to finding out who she was and what happened to her and then righting the wrong. I thought the story about the ghost was most interesting and it definitely had me intrigued from the jump. Good stuff.

The Bad: All the plant talk. I guess it sort of fits in with what they're about, being gardeners and all but all the plant talk was wasted on me because I skimmed most of it not being a plant person myself but hot damn was there a lot of plant talking or what? I could have planted my own garden from the descriptions in this book, but like Mitch, I can't plant a Chia Pet...so I'll leave all the plant business to Roz and Harper.

The Ugly: Hayley. Can the girl get on my nerves or what? With all of her mood swings, her bitchiness and just her I've-got-through-this-on-my-own-and-don't-need-a-man-to=help-me attitude drove me absolutely bonkers! I'm still debating on whether she's a candidate for the TSTL heroine title. She just got on my hot damn nerves and throughout a whole lot of the book, I kept thinking, "Are you sure you love her, Harper?" Because seriously, the girl got on my hot damn nerves.

As a whole, I really enjoyed this book and this series. It was a little slow to pick up but when it did, it took off. Thanks for the pimp, Nicks and Holly, I enjoyed these books a great deal and this book in particular, this story closed out the series on a perfect note, everything was tied up in a neat and tidy bow and I was one happy camper!

Dude, so much for being lazy, it's still one long ass post! lol.

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.

Black Rose by Nora Roberts...

Hero: Dr. Mitchell Carnegie
Heroine: Ms. Rosalind Harper
Category: Contemporary, Paranormal
Page Count: 291 pages
Grade: B-

Roz is a woman of independent means who thinks love is all in the past-but she's about to be taken by surprise.

Number-one bestselling author Nora Roberts presents the second novel of her In the Garden trilogy, as three women discover the secrets from the past contained within their historic home.

Book #2 was more enjoyable for me than Book #1 was. I'm sure it had to do with me liking Roz more than I liked Stella. She was an older woman who had lived a great life which was sometimes hard, sometimes good. It was great to finally meet people that were mentioned in the first book, like Harper's brothers and Roz's other sons, Mason and Austin. I enjoyed meeting and seeing them interact with their mother, it was a treat.

I loved reading about Mitch and his son and their little weekly date night. He's so cute. What I loved most about Mitch was how honest he was. That may have had to do with the fact that he's no longer unsure of what he wants and he's a lot more mature than most heroes, being almost 50 and all but I really, really liked Mitch. I loved how honest he was about his first marriage and taking his part of the blame in it and owning up to it. I loved how much he wanted to stick up for Roz but let her do it on her own because he knew it was what she wanted.

I loved how he understood Roz and still loved her anyway. She was a complicated woman, a hardheaded woman at times (which sometimes drove me up the wall) but I loved how he stuck by her because she was the one for him. What I loved most about him is that he didn't back down from Harper when Harper went over to his house, itching for a fight. I loved how even though he was pissed at Harper, he let him rant and rave at him and then let him sit and finish watching the game with him.

I loved when he said this line:

"I'll hold your coat, then you can hold mine."

I thought that was the most perfect thing to say to Roz's son after finding out the latest catastrophe that happened. It was so cute and made me fall in love with Mitch for Roz. I got all gooey inside for Mitch after reading that line.

It was fantastic!

Roz was a very strong, capable and admirable heroine. Being that she was older than your average heroine, I guess that was the only way to go but I really liked Roz. She was smart, funny and just great. It did grate on my nerves a bit that she just wouldn't lean on Mitch and her family the way they wanted her to, the way she just HAD to do and handle everything herself. But what I liked about her is that she didn't run away from calling herself an idiot after all was said and done.

The storyline was great, the flow of the book was a bit slow on the pick up but for the most part, this book was a great read. I'm glad I read it and I think most anyone would enjoy this book, if you and finish Blue Dahlia, then I know you'll like this book a whole lot better.

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.

The Daystar by Rene Lyons

Hero: Constantine Draegon
Heroine: Lexine Parker
Category: Paranormal
Page Count: 247 pages
Grade: B-
Buy It: Here.

Can she heal lifetimes of pain and make him believe salvation is possible?

Always feeling different from the world around her, a power grows within Lexine Parker. In the light is where she belongs—even as she finds herself thrust into the nocturnal realm of the Templar vampires.

Scarred by a brutal past, Constantine is a creature consumed with rage. He knows only darkness and sin. Believing he fights a losing battle of redemption, heaven is something he doesn’t dare hope for—until Lexine makes him believe salvation is possible.

Locked away in an ancient castle, they come together in body and spirit, searching for love to chase away the darkness. With Constantine’s soul at stake and Lex’s life on the line, the nights tick down to a cataclysmic event that could tear them apart forever.

This book was a book that I've been waiting a LONG time to read and I'm glad that I did because I enjoyed the story as a whole, but there was a bunch of little things that bothered me, but none of those things had anything to do with the story, just little stupid things that I couldn't stomach and hope to high heaven I never see again. Like, Raphael calling Lex, boo and Constantine's constant nickname for Lex being, elf. I didn't like them but I didn't hold those little things against the story as a whole. Then there was the fact that I couldn't get used to Allie being a vampire so whenever she would bare her fangs, I tried to stifle my giggles. It was just so weird for me to read about Allie being a vampire, weird and dumb, but there you go. There were other things I didn't care for, like Goth guys, I'm not into that whole Gothic guys, they don't attract me but Rene did a good job of making me see Con for what he was and still being able to respect him even though I wasn't swooning with delight over him, the way I was whenever my main squeeze, Raphael was mentioned in the story.

So, in this story we read about Constantine Draegon and Lexine Parker's romance story. Constantine is a Templar Knight and Lexine is Allie Parker's sister. The whole story revolves around the Daystar. Now, in Midnight Sun we read about how the Templars as well as all the Evil vampires and their bad armies are looking for the Daystar because whoever has the Daystar has the power to rule the world. Very cool things, I think and it was good to see Lex come into her own with her link to the Daystar.

What I liked about the story is that the story for me didn't drag, it was good enough to keep me interested in what was going to come next and I really liked the ending. I liked that everything didn't just always go good for Lex and Constantine, I liked that they had to work for their happy ending and work they did. I loved how the ending scene went down and I just loved how completely in love with Lex Constantine was. He may not have said the words, but they were there in his actions and in the way he loved Lex. He was not going to give her up without a fight and that's exactly what he did. He fought for her.

I loved that.

There was a lot going on right up into the last chapters of the story and that is what I loved, they overcame overwhelming odds to be together and Con's love for Lex was strong enough to get them through it and man that makes my romantic heart melt a little. It's just so effing romantic and you know I love me some good romance.

Rene definitely delivers with this one.

Con's book was everything I hoped it would be and a little bit of what I hoped it wouldn't be and besides those little things that left a bitter taste in my mouth, the book was still really good and I would recommend this book to all those who want to continue the Templars series and read more about good vampires.

That goes for you 5 who knows who you are...=) Read this and let me know how you liked it. I liked it a lot.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"No matter what happens, rest assured that I've already seen Heaven. I see it every time I look at you."

-Constantine

"Forever, elf, I want you forever."

-Constantine

Who knew Constantine could be so sweet? But he was, beneath that icy personality and cold attitude that he shows the world, Constantine Draegon was NOT the monster he wanted everyone to believe him to be. He just was what he was. He didn't apologize for being the complete bastard that he was to everyone, he made his bastardness (is that a word?) apart of him and people either accepted it or they didn't. I think Rene did a wonderful job of portraying Constantine Draegon and having him stay true to his character, there wasn't one part of the book where I thought, OH YEAH RIGHT CONSTANTINE WOULDN'T SAY THAT OR DO THAT, it was all on point. So good on ya for that one, Rene. I loved it!

Lex accepted him. I liked that about her, what I didn't like about her was that she cried all the time. I'd probably be the same way but gosh, all of her crying and her being scared of everything just wasn't working in her favor to be a really good heroine to me. She wasn't the woman that her sister was and though I don't hate Lex, she's not my favorite heroine. She was just there and Constantine happened to love her.

That's it.

Constantine, mean and fierce Constantine. I wanted to love him and I did but I wasn't IN love with his character like I was with Sebastian and like I was with Raphael and Raph isn't even a main character in the stories yet....I was more drawn to Seb and Raph in these stories but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of Constantine. He was a fabulous hero, very masculine and very strong, but my heart lays elsewhere and that's that.

Great job, Rene...you did good with this one, I look forward to reading more of the Templars in Lucian's book...where the bloody hell is Lucian woman? I want to read his book like..NOW!

I can't wait for more Templar action, that's for sure.

Midnight Sun by Rene Lyons

Where the damned come to play. When things go bump in the night, Allison Parker bumps back. As the resident ghost hunter in a quiet, rural town, she's thrust into the nocturnal world of the Templars. Embracing the night, she finds a place where she belongs. Damned by God, Sebastian of Rydon knows only blood and death. After eight hundred years of merely existing, he learns what is to live when Allie comes bursting into his life. Her spirit guides him out of the dark. Caught in a web of hate and revenge, they search for love as their world is torn apart.

It's taken me forever to read this. I had the book in e book format. But I couldn't make myself read it while on the computer. I kept forgetting to pring pages out at work. Finally I gave up and figured I'd wait for paperback.
E books suck.

Anyway~~~~

I don't know what to say really. I would just be repeating Holly, Dylan and Jazz.

I did enjoy the story. I would to love to read more about the templars and their history. I was shocked about Stephen and Lucian. This should be interesting. I can't wait for this story line to unfold.

I liked Allie and Sebastian as a couple. Although them hooking up seemed sudden. That kind of irked me. Like Holly said in her review, the beginning was a little confusing with the POV jumping around.

I like that Allie was a strong woman, but she was still vulnerable. She didn't play games with Sebastian. She let him know how she felt. Even though he felt he didn't deserve her, he held onto her tightly. He didn't try and push her away.

I'm looking forward to the rest of series.

Grade: B

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Darkfever opens approximately three and a half years after Spell of the Highlander ends. MacKayla O'Connor's life is good. Or so she thinks until something extraordinary happens... When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death - a cryptic message on Mac's cell phone - Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister's killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She soon is faced with an even greater challenge - staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed - a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae. As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister's death, the ruthless Vlane - an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women - closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac's true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book... because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands.

If you are expecting Darkfever to by like KMM's highlander books, you will be disappointed. It's not like her past books. First, its first person point of view. I thought I'd have issues with it, but I didn't. Second, no romance. It's more of a paranormal suspense.

I liked the book though. I had a few issues with it. Mainly because I have questions the book didn't answer, but will probably be answered later on in the series.

Who is Jerricho? Will Mac learn about her heritage. Not just she's a sidhaseer (or however you spell it) but who her real parents are. Will they cross paths with the MacKelter's? What was in Alina's journal?

I like Mac. Since the story is told from her point of view, we understand why she's trying to find Alina's murderer. She wants to know what Alina's last message was about and she wants to understand why Alina was murdered. She goes to Dublin and is thrown into a world with things she didn't think possible.

Jerricho. Meh. I don't feel anything for him right now. I guess because I have this doubts about who is really is.

I'm looking forward to the rest of this series. I have to say KMM did a pretty good job of going a different direction.

I give this a B.

Dylan's Take:

Hero: Jericho Barrons (I'm assuming)
Heroine: MacKayla Lane
Grade: B-

Hmm...Izzy already gave you guys the run down (in italics) about this new series by Karen Marie Moning. I started it the night before last but I only read the very first chapter...last night, I finished the book and I think the reason I read it so fast (for me anyway) was because I was really nosy to see what was going to happen next.

I'm not sure how I feel about Jericho yet, I don't hate him, but I also don't think he's all that right now, I hated that he called Mac, Ms. Lane ALL THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE DAMN BOOK, that bothered me more than a little but me and Barrons come from two totally different worlds, I live in the world that Mac USED to live in and I love it, so I can see why Mac was so hesitant to believe anything Barrons was telling her.

This first book really did a good job of being mysterious because I WILL be reading the next book and I will be wondering what exactly Jericho is, I want to know why all of this is coming to past and I want to know what happens next.

This book was totally different from any other KMM book that I read but I thought she did a good job, it hooked me from the beginning of the book and I like Mac's voice, though I'm not a big fan of first person in books, Mac's storytelling voice was easy to follow and I felt like she was sitting right in front of me, telling what happened. It was good stuff.

Very suspenseful and though there was no romance at all, I was still feelin' this book. The pace was good, the story as a whole was great and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Yeah, give it a shot.