Sunday, March 21, 2010

Christine Feehan-- "Dark Slayer (Carpathian series)

synopsis:
A rumor has persisted in the vampire world of a dark slayer--a woman--who travels with a wolf pack and who destroys any vampire who crosses her path. Mysterious, elusive and seemingly impossible to kill, she is the only hunter who strikes terror in the hearts of the undead. She is Ivory Malinov. Her only brethren, the wolves. Long ago betrayed by her people, abandoned by her family and cast out by everyone she held dear, Ivory has lived centuries without companionship or love. She sustained her sanity by preparing for one mission, to destroy her greatest enemy. That is, until the night she picks up the scent of a man, her unexpected salvation. Her lifemate. The curse of all Carpathian women. He is Razvan. Branded a criminal, detested and feared, he is a Dragonseeker from one of the greatest Carpathian lineages, yet he has been raised as its most despised enemy. Fleeing from his lifetime of imprisonment, Razvan seeks the dawn to end his terrible existence. Instead he finds his deliverance in the Dark Slayer.

***(spoiler alert) Book 17? I feel it is time to move away from this series. I was bored, bored, bored, and skimmed thru most of the book. I have read 16 books worth of the chanting and healing spells, and I don't need to read the Carpathian words for beloved a hundred more times. This book started off well enough but lost it's spark quickly. I forced myself to finish it because i wanted to know if they finally defeated Xavier. Xavier has been an enemy throughout the series, but his final scene was disappointing. After so much buildup to his death you would think it would have been more than the few pages it was given. It did leave the series with a new enemy, a master vampire who has taken on part of Xavier's dark energy. And Razvan was reunited with his sister and children (some he didn't know he had). But I don't think i will continue with this particular series unless there is absolutely nothing else to read.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Alexis Morgan-- "Defeat the Darkness" (Paladin series)

synopsis:
Hard-eyed and hard-boiled, Hunter Fitzsimon isn't what Tate Justice expected in a tenant for the apartment above her garage. Terse and intensely private, Hunter's mission is to protect a narrow stretch of the barrier between Earth and Kalithia against the Paladins' ruthless enemies--a job that would be much easier without his sexy landlady nosing around. So when she follows Hunter into the woods late one night, he decides to teach Tate a lesson with a passionate kiss that brings her to her knees....and unexpectedly ignites red-hot desire deep in his soul. But the warrior's dark and dangerous world is no place for his fiery lover. Does possessing Tate mean turning his back on his brethren... or will Hunter forsake the woman of his dreams for the harsh duty he's always known?


***Morgan writes this series so slowly (1 to 2 books a year) that i forget what happened in the previous one. I can't remember exactly what happened to Hunter previously or if it was even written about. But it is easy to catch on to what his nightmares are about. If you haven't read this series, you may not understand the dynamics of the Kalith and the Paladin. It is a good series, and it all comes down to the basic romance plot....tormented guy saved by the wonderful woman...all live happily ever after....right? It is just the path they use to get there that changes from one author to another. I was happy to see that Barak and Larem are adjusting to their new life in this world, i like their characters. And the Paladin's have captured another "bad guy" who is using both sides for his own greed. This series and her Talion series are not like anything i have read. It is not a page-turner but a nice book for an afternoon read. I will continue to read both series.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Michelle Gagnon-- "The Gatekeeper"

synopsis:
From the moment 16 year old Madison Grant is abducted, an unthinkable terrorist plot is set in motion--pitting Special Agent Kelly Jones against her most powerful adversary yet. The kidnapper's ransom demands aren't monetary...they come at a cost that no American can afford to pay. As Kelly's fiance, Jake Riley races to find Madison, Kelly is assigned to another disturbing case: the murder and dismemberment of a senator. At first the two cases don't appear to be related. But as Kelly navigates her way through the darkest communities of America--from skinheads to biker gangs to border militias--she discovers a horrible truth. A shadowy figure who calls himself The Gatekeeper is uniting hate groups, opening the door to the worst home grown attack in American history.


***(spoiler alert) This is the 3rd book in the series, and maybe the last? It is about 100 pages to long, i skimmed thru most of it, just catching the important points of the story. And i only read this one looking for the resolution to Kelly and Jake's relationship. I am not fond of government espionage stories and was bored with almost the entire book. But what i liked the least was the ending..... I know books almost always have a cliff-hanger ending to keep you reading the series. But i have not been so irritated with an ending since Karin Slaughter killed off my favorite character in her Grant County series. Kelly is in a medically induced coma from a grenade blast. Jake is at her side, and the book simply ends with her (in her mind) letting go and floating away. I am not sure i will keep going with this series if there are more to come. I only like the relationship between Kelly and Jake, the stories themselves do not keep my attention.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Eileen Wilks-- "Tempting Danger" (Lupi series)

synopsis:
Lily Yu is a San Diego police detective investigating a series of grisly murders that appear to be the work of a werewolf. To hunt down the killer, she must infiltrate the clans. Only one man can help her--a werewolf named Rule Turner, a prince of the lupi, whose charismatic presence disturbs Lily. Rule has his own reasons for helping the investigation--reasons he doesn't want to share with Lily. Logic and honor demand she keep her distance, but the attraction between them is immediate and devastating--and beyond human reason. Now in a race to fend off evil, Lily finds herself in uncharted territory, tested as never before, and, at her back, a man she's not sure she can trust....

***took me a while to get absorbed by this book. Being the first in the series, Wilks has to "set it up" so to speak, and some of the terms used by the lupi still aren't clear. But once the story starts to move along I found Lily and Rule a charming couple. I do think Lily accepted the idea of being "chosen" a little to easy, but we will see what happens in the next book. This is a different kind of paranormal story, all kinds of characters exist, it's not just about werewolves. Give it a try, its not a keepsake book, but a good story for a sunday afternoon. I have now wish listed the rest of the series.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Michelle Gagnon-- "Boneyard"

synopsis:
FBI special agent Kelly Jones has worked on many disturbing cases in her career, but nothing like this. A mass grave site unearthed on the Appalachian Trail puts Kelly at the head of an investigation that crosses the line--from Massachusetts to Vermont, from wealthy vacationers to poor transients, from a serial killer to a copycat nemesis. Assisted by law enforcement from both states and a forensic anthropologist, Kelly searches for the killers. But as darkness falls, another victim is taken. Kelly must race to save him before he joins the rest....in the boneyard.


***this is the second installment in the FBI agent Kelly Jones series, and was much better than the first. The first third of the book was slow and i didn't become really interest in the story until the second third, but by the final section the chase was on and it was a page turner. I can't wait to read the next one just to see if Kelly and Jake wind up together. Overall, the book wasn't bad. But the reporter Jan, was a complete waste of space and you can skip over that without losing the story or plot line.