Trail of Dead (2013) Melissa F. Olson The sequel to Dead Spots, it wasn’t horrible, but I would kick this book out of bed for eating crackers in an instant. I still liked the idea of the story. And the mystery was interesting. But I hated… no, I take that back, I despised the love […]
The Dark Heroine: Dinner with a Vampire (2012) Abigail Gibbs “Hmmm…. what do I want to read next?” (looks through books) (picks up Dark Heroine) … “What the hell? How is it one o’clock in the morning?! Shit! I have to work tomorrow!” So, The Dark Heroine: Dinner with a Vampire is that kind of […]
Miss Buncle’s Book (1936) D. E. Stevenson This book was a fun read. First published in 1936, it’s set in England, in that strange time period between the two world wars. Miss Buncle is at wits end as to what to do for money. Her dividends are no longer supporting her, so she has to […]
Under Camelot’s Banner (2005) Sarah Zettel Lynet Carnbrea is the daughter of Steward Kenan, the man who holds Camilard for Queen Guinevere, whose name is under a shadow, for she acted as a go-between for Tristan and Iseult. Shamed, and broken by her penance, she is seen as damaged goods, and so unlike her sister, […]
For Camelot’s Honor (2005) Sarah Zettel I still love the cover, but the contents didn’t live up to my memory. I’m not saying it was a bad story–it’s not–I just remember it as being fabulous, and instead it’s just fine. Elen is the daughter of a Welsh chieftan, and King Arthur wants her family to […]
Gunmetal Magic (2012) Ilona Andrews And now I reach the conclusion of my binge reading of Ilona Andrew’s Kate Daniels (& World) series. We end with Andrea’s book: how Andrea puts herself back together after being thrown out of the Order. Except there’s lots of monster fighting and shooting (this is Andrea) so it’s not […]
Magic Slays (2011) Ilona Andrews And here we are at book five. I’m thinking I may stop here for now. Book six came out relatively recently, and it wasn’t a particular favorite. But I have hunted down all the Kate Daniels short stories I can find, so I’ve got a little more Kate left. Kate […]
Magic Bleeds (2010) Ilona Andrews This one is more romance than mystery, but still all fantasy and action. First, I really appreciate how Kate actually thinks and considers before taking action. She doesn’t always so manages when it’s important. If Curran and I got into it, our fight wouldn’t be seen as a conflict between […]
In Camelot’s Shadow (2004) Sarah Zettel I originally picked this book up because I fell in love with the cover. This is one of my favorite book covers, ever. It’s gorgeous, it’s romantic, and it shows an active heroine not in need to rescue, but capable of defending herself. Luckily, the book lives up to […]
Midnight Blue-Light Special (2013) Seanan McGuire So… I had pre-ordered this, and then it sat, unread, for… ten months. I think, first and foremost, it’s a sign that I’ve become predominately an eBook reader. (Further evidence? The last Cat and Bones book is sitting on my coffee table, staring at me, wondering why I haven’t […]
Midsummer Moon (1987) Laura Kinsale Let’s get the important thing out of the way first: This is a FABULOUS cover. There are many covers for this book, but this one–hands down–is the best. I mean, there is a HEDGEHOG in his pocket. A hedgehog that plays an important part in the story! He looked at […]
Kitty (1979) Marion Chesney and M. C. Beaton Anymore, Kitty just wants to be warm. But her mother wants her to make a good marriage, to move the family socially upward, and is willing to do almost anything to achieve that marriage. There’s also a mystery–after Kitty becomes a very rich heiress, it appears someone […]
An Affair of Honor (2011) Candice Hern This was both enjoyable and frustrating. First the frustrating. She was in the process of removing a jaunty black beaver hat with a green plume, to reveal hair of a remarkable shade of russet, and eyes of almost the exact same color. What? She has red eyes? That’s… […]
Desperate Measures (2011) Candice Hern Lydia Bettridge is in love with a gentleman who seems not the slightest bit interested in her. So her brother and his best friend, Philip Hartwell, cook up a plan to make this gentleman jealous. Unfortunately for Lydia, not knowing who the gentleman in question is her brother and Philip […]
A Change of Heart (2011) Candice Hern Lady Mary Haviland is quite content being a spinster. In fact, she enjoys being a somewhat eccentric spinster, making friends with all sorts, including rakes. “I much prefer the man who is open adn straightforward in his dealing with people, even if he does not often stay strictly […]
The Privilege of the Sword (2006) Ellen Kushner I’ve been listening to the audio book version of this, when I reached a point where I gave up and started re-reading (from the beginning) on the Kindle. Mind you, I’m still listening to the audio version, but it had been too long since I’d read the […]
A Proper Companion (2011) Candice Hern Emily Townsend is of good birth, but impoverished (her mother ran away with her father, and was disowned by her parents), so Emily takes one of the only options available to a genteel lady: a companion to an older woman. Robert, Lord Bradleigh is a recently betrothed Earl with […]
Tempest Reborn (2013) Nicole Peeler Alas, all good things come to an end: this is the final book of the Jane True series. I’m honestly delighted with the whole thing. I hate series that go on too long, or series where every book is a cliffhanger that is little more than a teaser for the […]
Lady of Quality (1972) Georgette Heyer Annis Wychwood is twenty-nine and an old maid. Her beauty led to previous offers for her hand, but she turned them down, none from a man for whom she was willing to give up her independence. Of course, she is still young enough she must keep someone with her, […]
Cotillion (1953) Georgette Heyer Another re-read, because there’s nothing quite like foolish young people to distract from the real, modern world. Kitty Charing was adopted by the very rich and very unpleasant Matthew Penicuik. When he makes his will, he states that she will inherit his entire fortune–if she marries one of his great-nephews. The […]
These Old Shades (1926) Georgette Heyer This was a reread. I got so depressed by the news I needed something comforting, and this is what I ended up reading. Some of the bits are somewhat horrifying–and probably not the bits that were originally so. More the whole fact that Alistar will not–cannot even!–marry anyone so […]
Saved at Sunrise (2013) C. C. Hunter I’m a fan of C.C. Hunter’s Shadow Falls series, and was introduced to it through the free novella Turned at Dark about Della Tang, who is also the main character in this novella. Della wanted to go into law enforcement before she was turned, now, she wants to […]
Twice Tempted: A Night Prince Novel (2013) Jeaniene Frost NOTICE: If you had not read Jeaniene Frost before, SHE WRITES BOINKING BOOKS. Okay, that’s out of the way… The sequel to Once Burned is also not the final book in this series (I’m guessing the middle book of a trilogy, but I don’t know that […]
The Rake to Ruin Her (2013) Julia Justiss This is a straight up historical romance (with boinking) which hasn’t been anything I’ve particularly liked in the past, but after enjoying Darlene Marshall’s Sea Change, I thought I’d give it a try, since it was relatively inexpensive. So. It wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t my […]
Kiss of Steel (2012) Bec McMasters Honoria is trying to hold her family together after the murder of her father. But her job doesn’t pay much, and the medicines they need for her brother are very expensive, and even worse, don’t seem to be working very well. To make things worse, she is expected to […]
Cards & Caravans (2013) Cindy Spencer Pape THIS IS ANOTHER BOINKING BOOK. Although there is less boinking here than in the Bloodhounds series. The fifth book of the Gaslight Chronicles finds Connor McKay coming to the rescue of Belinda Danvers who has been convinced of murder by witchcraft and sentenced to burn at the stake. […]
Archer’s Lady (2012) Moira Rogers This is the next book in the Bloodhounds series, and IS A BOINKING BOOK. LOTS OF BOINKING. Just so you know. Why do I keep reading this? Because I find the world she created fascinating. Bloodhounds are humans who were created/remade/manipulated to fight vampires. They have keep the towns in […]
Hunter’s Prey (2012) Moira Rogers First things first, THIS IS A BOINKING BOOK. See the publisher? Samhain Publishing, Ltd? They print erotica. So you have been warned. But here’s the thing. I really really like her world building. Wild West, except that vampires exist in the wilds, and frontier towns are subject to raids by […]
Graveminder (2011) Melissa Marr Rebekkah Barrow is called back to Claysville for the death of her grandmother, the Graveminder. Byron Montgomery has gone into the family business, and helps his father at their funeral home. But the death of Maylene Barrow, Rebekkah’s grandmother, makes him there’s way more going on than he’s been told. This […]
Thomas the Rhymer (1990) Ellen Kushner Of course I’d read this before. But after rereading Swordspoint, I wanted to read it again. This is actually a novel based upon the folklore and myth surrounding Thomas the Rhymer, told in four parts. The first is told by Gavin, a crofter, living in the hills with his […]
The Strange Case of Finley Jayne (2011) Kady Cross Finley Jane has just been throw out of her most recent position. After seeing the governess in the house slap one of her charges, Finley retaliates with a punch that quite literally knocks out the woman’s teeth. With trepidation, she returns home–to the bookstore her mother […]
In Sea-Salt Tears (2012) Seanan McGuire The Luidaeg has been a complicated character throughout the October Daye series. This story gives us a glimpse of the relationship between the Selkie and The Luidaeg. The only way a selkie can become a true fey is to inherit one. But there aren’t many skins, so most selkie […]
Fair Game (2012) Patricia Briggs My. I was not expecting where that went. Now that the werewolves have been outed, the Marrock has been far more strict about enforcing the rules. And Charles, as his enforcer, has been very busy. He has also become haunted by those he is forced to kill, and those ghosts […]
My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon (2007) P.N. Elrod The follow up to My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding, at least in theme. This was a very mixed bag. Some of the stories were good, some I could barely stand to finish, and in fact, put this anthology down several times, for something (anything?) I liked a […]
Discount Armageddon: An InCryptid Novel (2012) Seanan McGuire Verity Price is a cryptozoologist. And dancer. And member of a renegade family that supports the rights of cryptids to live as long as they don’t kill humans. Cryptids? They’re the monsters that go bump in the night. The creatures of myth and folklore. There is so […]
Graceling (2009) Kristin Cashore It took me a couple of tries to get into Graceling, but once I did, I ended up staying WAY up past my bedtime to finish it. Katsa is a Graceling–a person with different colored that denote that she is a gift–a special power. Every Graceling has unique powers, and Katsa […]
Dragon in the System (2007) Cindy Spenser Pape So, another boinking book by Cindy Spencer Paper. Again, I didn’t buy it for the boinking, but because I enjoy her world building, and because it was $1.49. Lori is a herpetologist (really! how awesome that the heroine loves lizards!) who has a broken engagement behind her, […]
Easy (2012) Tammara Webber Wow. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this story. As I started the first chapter, I REALLY wasn’t sure if I wanted to read this story. The book opens with Jacqueline suffering a sexual assault–a friend of her ex-boyfriend attempts to rape her. That’s a pretty heavy start to a […]
Steel’s Edge (2012) Ilona Andrews According to Ilona Andrews, this is the last book in the Edge series. In the future they may write in this world (and about some of these characters) again, but as it is, they’re done with The Edge series. Second point, this is a relatively long book. Although the story […]
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (2007) Diana Gabaldon I am really enjoying this series, and REALLY like Lord John. Lord John’s mother is getting remarried. Hal and John choose to meet with General Sir George Stanley, so Hal can make sure he’ll be acceptable for their mother, at which time they also […]
And Only to Deceive (2005) Tasha Alexander I read And Only to Deceive back in 2007 and found it a disappointment–I wanted a straight up mystery, but instead god a romance with elements of mystery. So how did I feel upon a re-read? I still very much liked the arc of Lady Emily discovering who […]
Lord John and the Private Matter (2003) Diana Gabaldon I read a Lord John short story by Diana Gabaldon in the anthology Down These Strange Streets, and if you know anything about my reading preference, you should be impressed when I tell you it was a zombie story, and I still wanted to search out […]
Moonlight & Mechanicals (2012) Cindy Spencer Pape I think the reason I’m enjoying the stories so much is because they’re only novellas so they’re not full price. I can justify a couple bucks for a whimsical short story/novella. That’s not to say these are bad stories, because they aren’t. I very much like the world-building, […]
Taken at Dusk (2012) C. C. Hunter Kylie Galen is still struggling to discover who she is. She believes she is meeting her couple who adopted her father as a baby, and hopes they will have answers to her questions, but the meeting leaves only further questions. In addition to questions she cannot answer, she […]
A Discovery of Witches (2011) Deborah Harkness I picked this up on sale, and one day when I was waiting and didn’t have a book, started reading it. Problem with this is that I missed part of the title: “All Souls Trilogy.” I was getting towards the end when I realized there was no way […]
Death’s Rival (2012) Faith Hunter Jane has tried to escape Leo Pellisier and the vampires of New Orleans, however, something–or someone–is making vampires all over the country sick, so Jane heads out to collection information (and generally act as Leo’s Enforcer). Jane has been walking a very fine line (and not even walking it at […]
Hush Money (2010) Susan Bischoff Several months ago I read the story Impulse Control, set in the same world as Hush Money, and really liked it. So I bought Hush Money, and then kept thinking, “I don’t think I want to read this right now.” I don’t know why I do these things. Something happened, […]
Magic Dreams (2011) Ilona Andrews Huh. This is a reread, but I can’t find my original review. Apparently, I didn’t read all the stories in the anthology this was originally in, and so I never wrote a review. So, this first appeared in the anthology, Hexed, which I have but seemingly only read one story […]
Kilts & Kraken (2012) Cindy Spencer Pape I must admit I’ve been enjoying this series of novellas. The lovely steampunk and strong female characters offset the boinking (which, there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just not my thing.) Dr. Geneva MacKay (Genny to her family) has worked very hard to establish herself as a rare […]
A Fatal Waltz (2008) Tasha Alexander Lady Emily’s marriage to Colin Hargreaves was put off when Lord Fortescue arranged to have Hargreaves sent overseas on a mission. Fortescue opposes Emily’s marriage to Colin and will do everything possible to end their engagement. Thus it is with some surprise that Lady Emily finds herself invited to […]