Saturday, February 27, 2010

Michelle Gagnon-- "The Tunnels"

synopsis:
The crime scenes are grim and otherworldly. The bodies of two female students are found mutilated and oddly positioned in the dark labyrinth beneath the school, haunting symbols painted on the walls behind them. In her decade tracking serial killers, FBI Special Agent Kelly Jones has witnessed terrible offenses against humanity. Yet the tragedy unfolding at her alma mater chills her to the bone. Evidence suggests there is a connection between the victims, all daughters of powerful men. And elements of the killing point to a dark ancient ritual. As the body count rises, so do the stakes. The killer is taunting Kelly, daring her to follow him down a dangerous path from which only one can emerge.

***Not the best thriller i have ever read, but not the worst. It has a boring start, uninteresting characters, and a slow developing plot. But about half-way thru it picks up and the chase begins. The three main characters are more likable at this point but the killer is revealed a little to soon for my liking and the end just leaves you hanging like a door shut in your face. This seems to be the first in a series starring FBI Agent Kelly Jones, hope the next installment is better.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Christine Warren-- "Wolf at the Door"

synopsis:
Sullivan Quinn didn't travel 3,000 miles from his native Ireland and his wolf pack just to chase rabidly after the most delectable quarry he's ever seen. Quinn is in America on a mission, to warn his other brethren of a shadowy group willing to use murder and mayhem to bring them down. But one whiff of this Foxwoman's delicious honey-suckle fragrance and he knows that she is more than a colleague or a conquest...she is his mate.

Anthropologist Cassidy Poe is a world renowned authority on social interaction, but the overpowering desire she feels around Quinn defies every ounce of her expertise. Working by his side to uncover the Other's enemies poses risks she never expected, to her own safety, to those she loves, and to her heart, as a every encounter with Quinn proves more blissfully erotic than the last...

Now, with no one to trust but each other, Quinn and Cassidy face a foe that's edging closer every day, threatening to destroy the life they've always known, and the passion they've just discovered....


***It took me a while to pick this out of the "to be read pile", but once i started it i really enjoyed it. There is nothing extraordinary or different about this series, except it adds a lot of other paranormal species than you usually find. Brownies, shifters, gnomes, vampires, werewolves, etc. But this book had me laughing out loud. It has a great sense of humor and a charming love story mixed in with the drama, thrills, and the crux of the story...defeating the enemy. It reminded me a little of the Mercy Thompson or the Sookie Stackhouse series. I look forward to the rest of the series, each book looks to be a different paranormal charcter.

Kresley Cole--Pleasure of a Dark Prince (Immortals after Dark series)

synopsis:
Lucia the Huntress: as mysterious as she is exquisite, she harbors secrets that threaten to destroy her, and those she loves.
Garreth MacRieve, Prince of the Lykae: the brutal Highland warrior who burns to finally claim this maddeningly sensual creature as his own.
From the shadows, Garreth has long watched over Lucia. Now, the only way to keep the proud huntress safe from harm is to convince her to accept him as her guardian. to do this, Garreth will ruthlessly exploit Lucia's greatest weakness, her wanton desire for him.

***Another great installment in the series. This story, like many in the Immortals after Dark series, starts back at the beginning to give you the starting point from where Lucia and Garreth met. From there we follow them on a thrill ride adventure thru the Amazon. If you haven't read this series, start at the beginning with Emma and Lachlain. You won't be disappointed. The characters are nutty, eccentric, and lovable.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Dennis Lehane-- "Shutter Island"

synopsis:
The year is 1954. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his new partner, chuck Aule, have come to Shutter Island, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane, to investigate the disappearance of a patient. Multiple murderess Rachel Solando is loose somewhere on this barren island, despite having been kept in a locked guarded cell under constant surveillance. As a killer hurricane bears relentlessly down on them, a strange case takes on even darker, more sinister shades--with hints of radical experimentation, horrifying surgeries, and lethal countermoves made in the cause of a covert shadow war. No one is going to escape Shutter Island unscathed, because nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is remotely what it seems.

***"Insane men deny they are insane".
Great book, it took me a couple of tries to get into it. I have never read this author before, but once i was hooked, i couldn't put it down. It's a puzzle that when you think you have it solved, it adds more pieces. I don't want to give anything away, but nothing is what it seems in this book. And i hope the movie does it justice.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Nalini Singh-- "Archangels Kiss" (Guild Hunter series)

synopsis:
Vampire hunter Elena Devareaux wakes from a year-long coma to find herself changed, an angel with wings the colors of midnight and dawn. But her fragile body needs time to heal before she can take flight. Her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel Raphael, is used to being in control, especially when it comes to the woman he considers his own. But Elena has never done well with authority. They've barely begun to understand each other when Raphael receives an invitation to a ball from the archangel Lijuan. To refuse would be a sign of fatal weakness, so Raphael must ready Elena for the flight to Beijing, and to the nightmare that awaits them there. Ancient and without conscience, Lijuan holds power that lies with the dead. And she has organized the most perfect and most vicious of welcomes for Elena.....

***This is the second book in the series, and it's another hit. Elena is waking up to her new existence as a Made angel, and all the threats that come with it. Elena and Raphael start to learn each other, how to trust each other, how to love each other. But there are other angels who wish for more power and are willing to hurt Raphael to get it by killing his heart.... Elena. She has to learn quickly how to defend herself with her new body and her new wings. While Lijuan has evolved beyond what anyone can imagine, she has power over death. And her new army of the "reborn" is a threat, the Cadre, do not take lightly. At Lijuans ball, the surprises keep coming. Lijuan has a present for Elena ... one that has haunted Elena since her sisters were killed.

Can't wait for the next one!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Larissa Ione-- "Ecstasy Unveiled" (Demonica series)

synopsis:
Lore is a Seminus half-breed demon who has been forced to act as his dark master's assassin. Now to earn his freedom and save his sister's life, he must complete one last kill. Powerful and ruthless, he'll stop at nothing to carry out this deadly mission.
Idess is an earthbound angel with a wild side sworn to protect the human Lore is targeting. She's determined to thwart her wickedly handsome adversary by any means necessary, even if that means risking her vow of eternal chastity. But what begins as a simple seduction soon turns into a passion that leaves both angel and demon craving complete surrender. Torn between duty and desire. Lore and Idess must join forces as they battle their attraction for each other. Because an enemy from the past is rising again, one hellbent on vengeance and unthinkable destruction.

***If you haven't read the first 3 books, you probably will have no idea what is going on. Roag has returned to torment his brothers in a whole new way, using someone from Idess' past to put his plan in motion. Nothing is what it seems. But Lore must do the unthinkable to save his sister, envoking the wrath of his brothers. Along the way Lore realizes that Idess is the only person he can truly touch because of his power. It's not my favorite of the series, alot happens in this book, but it is a great book and moves the series along and you meet new characters. Lore's sister is next in the series, and from the synopsis i can't wait to read her story!