synopsis:
As soon as Marrok sees Olivia Gray's dark windswept hair and burning violet eyes, he's sure they've met in eons past. He's felt her soft gentle curves writhing in pleasure beneath his own hard powerful body...Morganna! For centuries, towering Marrok, once the mightiest of King Arthur's warriors, has endured a terrible curse cast upon him when he spurned the witch.
Olivia shares a mystical--and irresistible--connection with brooding Marrok. Soon after the sexy warrior appears in her erotic dreams, he abducts her, demanding she uncurse him. Their intense passion is more powerful--and intimate--than either of them has ever known. Olivia may be the key to unlocking the diary that will break Morganna's hold on his life. But in the wrong hands, the book also holds the power to destroy all magickind. As they search for answers, a ruthless wizard returned from exile is building an army of evil. When he discovers Marrok and Olivia have the diary, only their love--with the help of a powerful group of magical Brethren--can save them.
***This is not my typical choice of book to read. It is based on magic, wielded by bloodlines started by Merlin and Morgan le Fay. One evil, one good. It took me a good 100 pages to get into the story, I am not used to reading stories based in England. But once the story got going, I found myself enjoying the humor and connection between Marrok and Olivia. Their love story is cute, in no way original by any means. Strong woman saves brooding man from himself. But there is a backstory developing that takes the story along with them and a few more characters come into play. All in all it was a good Sunday afternoon read, not a keeper, but ok. This seems to be the beginning of a series, I won't rush out to buy them, but i might read the rest of it on a quiet Sunday afternoon.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Charlaine Harris-- "Dead in the Family" (Sookie Stackhouse series)
synopsis:
Even with the blood of 2 vampires in her system, Sookie is having trouble healing from the terrible torture she endured at the hands of her great-grandfather's enemies during the brief but deadly Fae War. Worse are the emotional wounds, especially over the loss of her own personal fairy godmother and the near death of her first love. Sookie is hurt and she's mad. Just about the only bright spot in her life, besides the fact that she is, after all, still alive--is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman, who is under scrutiny by the new vampire king because of their relationship.
As the political implications of the shifters' coming-out are beginning to be felt, Sookie's connection one particular Were draws her into the dangerous debate. And, unknown to her, though the doors to Faery have been closed, there are still some fae on the human side--and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry.
***It seemed like i had read the last book a long, long time ago. I had to skim thru it to refresh my memory of what happened. This book seemed almost tame compared to the previous ones. The "edge of your seat" thrill just wasn't in it. It did have it's tense moments, it was not boring by any means. But just not quite as exciting as previous ones. I would have liked to delve more into the side stories with Eric's maker and Bill's blood sister. And Sookie's relationship with Eric gets deeper, and as always the were's are stirring up their own trouble, Alcide still has the hots for Sookie, i wonder if they will ever be together again? But we do get to know Claude a little better, and somehow Sookie still lands on her feet......
You really have to start at the beginning of this series to understand it all. And don't compare the TV series "trueblood" to the books. The story gets "tweaked" to make it great television. But i am biased and like the books better....
Even with the blood of 2 vampires in her system, Sookie is having trouble healing from the terrible torture she endured at the hands of her great-grandfather's enemies during the brief but deadly Fae War. Worse are the emotional wounds, especially over the loss of her own personal fairy godmother and the near death of her first love. Sookie is hurt and she's mad. Just about the only bright spot in her life, besides the fact that she is, after all, still alive--is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman, who is under scrutiny by the new vampire king because of their relationship.
As the political implications of the shifters' coming-out are beginning to be felt, Sookie's connection one particular Were draws her into the dangerous debate. And, unknown to her, though the doors to Faery have been closed, there are still some fae on the human side--and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry.
***It seemed like i had read the last book a long, long time ago. I had to skim thru it to refresh my memory of what happened. This book seemed almost tame compared to the previous ones. The "edge of your seat" thrill just wasn't in it. It did have it's tense moments, it was not boring by any means. But just not quite as exciting as previous ones. I would have liked to delve more into the side stories with Eric's maker and Bill's blood sister. And Sookie's relationship with Eric gets deeper, and as always the were's are stirring up their own trouble, Alcide still has the hots for Sookie, i wonder if they will ever be together again? But we do get to know Claude a little better, and somehow Sookie still lands on her feet......
You really have to start at the beginning of this series to understand it all. And don't compare the TV series "trueblood" to the books. The story gets "tweaked" to make it great television. But i am biased and like the books better....
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Ted Dekker-- "Boneman's Daughters"
synopsis:
They call him BoneMan,a serial killer who's abducted six young women. He's the perfect father looking for the perfect daughter, and when his victims fail to meet his lofty expectations, he kills them by breaking their bones and leaving them to die.
Intelligence officer Ryan Evans, on the other hand, has lost all hope of ever being the perfect father. His daughter and wife have written him out of their lives.
Everything changes when BoneMan takes Ryan's estranged daughter, Bethany, as his seventh victim. Ryan goes after BoneMan on his own.
But the FBI sees it differently. new evidence points to the suspicion that Ryan is BoneMan. Now the hunter is the hunted, and in the end, only one father will stand.
***This is the first Ted Dekker book I have read and I liked it. It was a bit confusing to follow at first, but then the backstory falls into place and the race is on. This story shows how parents can go wrong. And how one father can change and beat all odds to save his daughter. I wish the Boneman's identity hadn't been revealed so soon, but there was still alot of edge to this story. The BoneMan is twisted in ways that boggle the mind and his way of defeating those who he perceives have disappointed him are almost beyond imagination. There are a lot of characters in this book, not too many to overload the story, but enough to make it a multi layered one. Dekker's character development brings you to cheer for the good guy and wish death on the bad guy. Give it a try, it is a long book, but worth the effort.
They call him BoneMan,a serial killer who's abducted six young women. He's the perfect father looking for the perfect daughter, and when his victims fail to meet his lofty expectations, he kills them by breaking their bones and leaving them to die.
Intelligence officer Ryan Evans, on the other hand, has lost all hope of ever being the perfect father. His daughter and wife have written him out of their lives.
Everything changes when BoneMan takes Ryan's estranged daughter, Bethany, as his seventh victim. Ryan goes after BoneMan on his own.
But the FBI sees it differently. new evidence points to the suspicion that Ryan is BoneMan. Now the hunter is the hunted, and in the end, only one father will stand.
***This is the first Ted Dekker book I have read and I liked it. It was a bit confusing to follow at first, but then the backstory falls into place and the race is on. This story shows how parents can go wrong. And how one father can change and beat all odds to save his daughter. I wish the Boneman's identity hadn't been revealed so soon, but there was still alot of edge to this story. The BoneMan is twisted in ways that boggle the mind and his way of defeating those who he perceives have disappointed him are almost beyond imagination. There are a lot of characters in this book, not too many to overload the story, but enough to make it a multi layered one. Dekker's character development brings you to cheer for the good guy and wish death on the bad guy. Give it a try, it is a long book, but worth the effort.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Amanda Ashley-- "Immortal Sins"
synopsis:
Three centuries ago, vampire Jason Rourke succumbed to temptation with a wizard's lovely daughter, and that brief taste of pleasure earned him a powerful curse. Trapped within a painting, unable to quench the hellish thirst that torments him, Jason has given up hope of escape until Karinna Adams purchases the painting and unwittingly frees him.
At first, Jason plans only to enlist Kari's help in navigating this strange new world so he can find and punish the wizard who entrapped him. But Kari's enticing sensuality and innocence incite a growing need in Jason to touch and taste her, to possess her utterly. For the gulf between them, and the danger that awaits, is nothing compared to a potent, primal hunger that will last for all eternity....
***Plain. That is the best word to describe this book, just plain, like vanilla. I picked it up because it had a different premise than any other vampire book I have read. But there was really no passion, just a slightly sweet story. When Jason was trapped in the painting, his lover, the daughter of a wizard, was trapped in her own painting. After Jason is freed, he finds and frees her as well, bringing her to Kari's home. Luisa still childlike after being trapped for 300 years in a painting, runs away and finds her own vampire to love. When the wizard finds them and traps Kari in a painting to punish Jason, he must turn Kari into a vampire to break the curse and free her from the painting. It was generally boring and if it hadn't been just different enough of a story, i would have never finished it. I don't think i will read anymore of this author.
Three centuries ago, vampire Jason Rourke succumbed to temptation with a wizard's lovely daughter, and that brief taste of pleasure earned him a powerful curse. Trapped within a painting, unable to quench the hellish thirst that torments him, Jason has given up hope of escape until Karinna Adams purchases the painting and unwittingly frees him.
At first, Jason plans only to enlist Kari's help in navigating this strange new world so he can find and punish the wizard who entrapped him. But Kari's enticing sensuality and innocence incite a growing need in Jason to touch and taste her, to possess her utterly. For the gulf between them, and the danger that awaits, is nothing compared to a potent, primal hunger that will last for all eternity....
***Plain. That is the best word to describe this book, just plain, like vanilla. I picked it up because it had a different premise than any other vampire book I have read. But there was really no passion, just a slightly sweet story. When Jason was trapped in the painting, his lover, the daughter of a wizard, was trapped in her own painting. After Jason is freed, he finds and frees her as well, bringing her to Kari's home. Luisa still childlike after being trapped for 300 years in a painting, runs away and finds her own vampire to love. When the wizard finds them and traps Kari in a painting to punish Jason, he must turn Kari into a vampire to break the curse and free her from the painting. It was generally boring and if it hadn't been just different enough of a story, i would have never finished it. I don't think i will read anymore of this author.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Christine Warren-- "You're So Vein" (Other series)
synopsis:
Ava Markham is beautiful, savvy, chic, and more at home with Kate Spade than with the idea of fangs and fur. She can't quite get used to the fact that some of her closest friends have crossed over to the Other side. Then one night she is attacked by a rogue vampire, and her deepest fears are realized when her body begins a dangerous transformation from human to immortal--a change she cannot survive without the help of an alluring stranger who comes to her rescue...
Vladimir "Dima" Rurikovich, an elite member of the European Council of Vampires, is on the prowl for a murderous vampire fugitive on the night he saves Ava from the clutches of death. It takes just one look for Dima to know he cannot live another eight centuries without the stunning and seductive Ava--until he discovers a secret about her bloodline that could change everything....
***I have never liked Ava throughout the series, she is a very unlikable character. And for her to finally have her happy ending is a little hard to believe. I liked that Dima is Misha's long lost brother. But in truth i skimmed thru most of this story just so i could find out what happened with "Liza" the escaped vampire Dima came here to recapture. I am more inclined to be happy that Dima got his happy ending.
Ava Markham is beautiful, savvy, chic, and more at home with Kate Spade than with the idea of fangs and fur. She can't quite get used to the fact that some of her closest friends have crossed over to the Other side. Then one night she is attacked by a rogue vampire, and her deepest fears are realized when her body begins a dangerous transformation from human to immortal--a change she cannot survive without the help of an alluring stranger who comes to her rescue...
Vladimir "Dima" Rurikovich, an elite member of the European Council of Vampires, is on the prowl for a murderous vampire fugitive on the night he saves Ava from the clutches of death. It takes just one look for Dima to know he cannot live another eight centuries without the stunning and seductive Ava--until he discovers a secret about her bloodline that could change everything....
***I have never liked Ava throughout the series, she is a very unlikable character. And for her to finally have her happy ending is a little hard to believe. I liked that Dima is Misha's long lost brother. But in truth i skimmed thru most of this story just so i could find out what happened with "Liza" the escaped vampire Dima came here to recapture. I am more inclined to be happy that Dima got his happy ending.
Christine Warren-- "Big Bad Wolf" (Other series)
synopsis:
Missy Roper's fantasizes have revolved around Graham Winters since the moment they met. But the imposing leader of the Silverback werewolf clan always seemed oblivious to Missy's existence. At least he was, until Missy collides with him at a party and then abruptly runs away--arousing Graham's interest...and wild desires.
Lupine law decrees that every Alpha must have a mate, and all Graham's instincts tell him that the sensual, beguiling Missy is his. Trouble is, Missy is human--every delectable inch of her. Convincing his clan that she's his destined mate, and keeping her safe from his enemies, will be the biggest challenge Graham has ever faced. And now that he is determined to have her--as his lover and his mate--Missy's world is changing in ways she never imagined....
***This is my favorite couple in the series! I couldn't put this one down and practically read it straight thru the nite. I didn't want it to end. And it really doesn't since they play a part of several upcoming stories. I didn't read these in order so i already know their path. And each of the books in this series stand alone. But i still enjoyed discovering their story and learning more about the werewolf clan culture. If you can find the correct reading order, start there, but you won't be disappointed no matter what order you read them in.
Missy Roper's fantasizes have revolved around Graham Winters since the moment they met. But the imposing leader of the Silverback werewolf clan always seemed oblivious to Missy's existence. At least he was, until Missy collides with him at a party and then abruptly runs away--arousing Graham's interest...and wild desires.
Lupine law decrees that every Alpha must have a mate, and all Graham's instincts tell him that the sensual, beguiling Missy is his. Trouble is, Missy is human--every delectable inch of her. Convincing his clan that she's his destined mate, and keeping her safe from his enemies, will be the biggest challenge Graham has ever faced. And now that he is determined to have her--as his lover and his mate--Missy's world is changing in ways she never imagined....
***This is my favorite couple in the series! I couldn't put this one down and practically read it straight thru the nite. I didn't want it to end. And it really doesn't since they play a part of several upcoming stories. I didn't read these in order so i already know their path. And each of the books in this series stand alone. But i still enjoyed discovering their story and learning more about the werewolf clan culture. If you can find the correct reading order, start there, but you won't be disappointed no matter what order you read them in.
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