The Prize by Julie Garwood
It’s England and it’s 1066, which means that the Normans are coming, and the Saxons are doomed. Except if you happen to be our Heroine Nicholaa, a courageous, crafty, spontaneous young woman who is the Prize that the title refers to. She has become quite the legend at King William’s Court because thus far she managed to fight off 3 of the King’s warriors that were trying to get her to surrender her keep and her lands. Her parents are long dead, her younger brother is at his death bed in a nearby abbey, and her older brother is off fighting the Conqueror in the North so she has to use whatever methods are at her disposal to defend herself and her people (including her sling – she is a mighty shot and she never misses.)...(Read More)

If His Kiss is Wicked by Jo Goodman
I would like to start my review with the things that I did not like about the book and get the negative out of the way. They are in this order: the cover, the title and the summary. I just hate them. I think they fail miserably to convey how much this book is worth to be read. Had this book a different cover, a smart title and a more suitable blurb, I am certain more people would buy it and perhaps even come to respect the genre. I wonder if Mrs Goodman has any choice in the matter but I think that most of the time (from what I gather by reading author’s sites) the editors are the ones to make these ill-advised choices that I am certain, are part of the reason why romance novels are on the fringes of literature!...(Read More)

Iron Kissed: Mercy Thompson Book 3 by Patricia Briggs
Mercedes Thompson is unique. In a world where fantastical creatures are real, Mercy is the only one of her kind. She is a walker—not to be confused with a skinwalker—that is, she can shapeshift from woman to coyote painlessly, a birth gift from her Native American Indian father. When her mother came to Mercy’s crib and found a coyote pup in the place of a baby girl, she gave Mercy over to the werewolves to be raised. Which adds to Mercy’s uniqueness—she grew up with not just any werewolves as her family, but the Marok (the head werewolf of all North America) himself as her pack leader...(Read More)

The Sharing Knife: Beguilement and Legacy (books 1 and 2) by Lois McMaster Bujold
I was a bit wary in picking up Beguilement, primarily because there were some less than favorable reviews floating out there in fantasyland. Many readers were disgruntled with Ms. Bujold's turn away from strict fantasy to a more romantic, character driven type of story. Since I love a good romance with my fantasy or sf, I decided to give it a shot after warily eyeing the books in my local Borders for a few months...(Read More)

The Last Hellion by Loretta Chase
Loretta Chase is one of my favourite writers. I loved her Carsington series and Lord of Scoundrels is my all-time favourite romance novel. So when I read that The Last Hellion had connections with the latter I rushed to get it. Vere Mallory is the last Mallory Hellion. History says that the family name means Trouble and no one could be more of a hellion than Vere: the obnoxious, conceited, conscienceless, et cetera, et cetera, Duke of Ainswood...(Read more)

A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole (Ana's Review)
I think that perhaps the fact that Thea and I approached the book from different backgrounds and with different expectations is what made such a divergent outcome in our appreciation for the book. Unlike Thea I had no major expectations about the paranormal. I have read few paranormals so far and I am not even very sure what it takes for a book to be considered a paranormal. I knew this one was a Romance in its core though, with paranormal elements and that was what I settled for, anything else would be an added bonus. And I have to say that I ended up loving both aspects of the book – they are intertwined and I cannot see one without the other...(Read More)

Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce
I am a huge fan of Tamora Pierce and have been since I was very young. The Song of the Lioness Quartet is one of my favorite series of all time—and this isn’t just nostalgia speaking. Recently I reordered the books because I wanted to see if they were as wonderful as I remembered them to be. One weekend (and one very angry, neglected boyfriend) later, I had firmly reestablished my admiration for Ms. Pierce and her wondrous Tortall Universe. When I saw that Trickster’s Choice was not only set in this universe, centered on the daughter of my childhood loves Alanna and George, and most importantly was a duology (there is a limit to how many lengthy, multi-volume epic series I can take on at once), how could I resist...(Read More)

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole
This book begins by taking us back to the first days of the Hie to the Guatemalan tomb where Bowen entraps Mariketa and we discover that before doing so they had quite of a heated moment down there, fuelled by the fact that Bowen has feelings for another female after two centuries of feeling nothing. You see, a werewolf has only one Mate during his immortal lifetime– only one female who is supposed to be his to protect, to provide for, to love and the only one who can have his children. His fled him in terror on a new moon night when a werewolf has no control of his bestial side and ended up dead in front of him. He has never recovered, not only because he must face eternity alone but also because of his guilt and shame for who he is...(Read More)

My Lady Notorious by Jo Beverley
I had such a great time reading this book! It was immensely entertaining which rather surprised me as I wasn’t especially excited about reading it. I mean, another cross-dressing story? How wrong was I! This was the most fun I had in ages.We start out with Cyn, a younger brother to the powerful Malloren family who at the tender age of 24 is still trying to prove himself to his older, very charismatic brothers. He has taken up life in the army as a way to live outside their shadow and to fulfil his need for excitement.Now, after recovering from a fever he is utterly bored and ready for some action which shows up in the form of a mysterious lady who, dressed up as a highwayman, kidnaps the coach he is in. He is not fooled for one moment about her sex but decides to carry on with the charade – he is at the same time amused and curious as to why a clearly well-bred lady has taken such measures...(Read More)

Honor's Splendour by Julie Garwood
Duncan of Wexton has always lived by the rule of discipline. He is tough knight, a Baron who has pledged allegiance to King William II and has put his duty as a landlord ahead of the need to be a loving brother to his three younger siblings. His is an ordained world and there is no room in his life for laughter or joy. Until he gets acquainted with chaos personified in the form of Lady Madelyne . She is the sister of his sworn enemy, Baron Louddon , another favourite of the king. Louddon has raped and badly injured Duncan’s sister and as revenge, Duncan destroyed his castle and captured Madelyne whom he expects to use as pawn in their battle of wills. But as soon as they have their first interaction he knows that he will never let her go...(Read More)

Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson (Thea's Review)
Thea: I also very much enjoyed this book. Well written, good array of characters, a solid (if somewhat rehashed) plot in a compelling universe. When I discovered that this is Ms. Wilson’s debut novel, I instantly became even more impressed. I’m not sure I loved this book more than any other I have read this year, but it certainly was enjoyable and a good, fast paced read.As a fantasy lover, I was pleased with the universe Ms. Wilson created. As Ana says above, it is very Lord of the Rings. Understandably, LOTR is a genre defining work, and its influence is going to be felt in every author’s foray into high fantasy. Lord of the Fading Lands portrays an epic struggle between Good (the Fey and the Celierians who are neither good nor evil, but men) and the rising Evil (the Eld, evil mages)—which, let’s face it, is always gonna feel a bit reheated. I had some problems with the power hierarchies and ‘rules’ of the universe, but this didn’t detract from the general reading experience...(Read More)

The Good, the Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison
I thought book 1 was a solid start to a promising series, and Ms. Harrison completely won me over with book 2. No sophomore slump here—this brilliant author manages to defy the law of diminishing returns and create a sequel that is even better than the first. First off, let me just say that the little summaries from the publisher on the back of the books are completely misleading. They make Rachel Morgan sound like some sexkitten voluptuous witch that slinks around defeating creatures of the night without messing up her hair. This sort of “sexy” characterization couldn’t be further from the truth! Rachel Morgan is a tall, skinny, flat-chested, freckled redhead—with hair that never quite listens to her or her anti-frizz charms. She’s cute and likes to dress how she likes to dress, but she isn’t some sexy maven on the prowl. (That would be her vampire roommate, Ivy.)...(Read More)

Every Which Way but Dead by Kim Harrison
Book 3. I started off my book 2 review for The Good, the Bad, and the Undead by stating that Ms. Harrison managed to defy the laws of diminishing returns and created a book 2 that was even better than its predecessor. I can only begin this review by repeating that observation, as Every Which Way but Dead raises the ante even more...(Read More)

The Gunslinger by Stephen King
“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.” : with this phrase we have both an opening sentence and a summary of The Gunslinger.The search for the Man in Black, by Roland, our hero, has been going on for years and now he is closer than never. We go along as his search takes him through a town, the desert, the mountains; we meet some people (and some monsters) along the way, some stick around for a very short amount of time, some for even less. Some things are learnt – by us and by Roland - but the narrative is mysterious, as mysterious as the reasons behind his search . All we know is that the Man in Black is his connection to a larger quest – that of the Dark Tower. Throughout the 200 pages of the book we have glimpses of Roland’s past and his training as a gunslinger, we learn that he is the last of them and that he has no family or friends left in the world. He has nothing but memories to get by, but memories that he tries to leave behind along with his emotions as he can not afford either in his relentless pursuit...(Read More)

Marvel Zombies by Robert Kirkman and Sean Phillips
Ok, I’m putting this out on the table. I am addicted to zombies. I love apocalypse stories, I love the gruesomeness of the flesh-eating undead. When I am sick and stay home from work, my go-to movies have titles that usually end with “of the Dead”. So, when I was perusing the graphic novels section of my bookstore and saw Marvel Zombies, I nearly collapsed into a giddy heap on the floor. What could be better than all of my favorite Marvel superheroes as ZOMBIES?! (Turns out there actually IS something better, but more on that later!)...(Read More)

Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews
At the conclusion of book 1, Kate becomes a paid liason for the Order between the Merc Guild and the Pack. After successfully avenging her guardian’s death in Magic Bites, Kate turns to bigger problems. Atlanta is being plunged into a “Flare”—that is, a time when magic flares up strongly and crashes over tech repeatedly, with an increasing frequency and strength, affecting everyone (especially magic creatures, like shapeshifters for instance). The Flare also means that creatures that may not normally manifest gain strength and gain a window of opportunity to enter the world...(Read More)

The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran
As the story opens, Emmaline Martin is an heiress who has just survived a ship wreck where she lost her parents; they had set on a voyage to British India to meet her fiancée, Marcus, the man her parents had arranged for her to marry. Upon arriving in India she starts to realize that the fact that she survived a most horrendous experience was not enough to gain sympathy from the Delhi Society – in fact it becomes clear that the fact that she was rescued by sailors has tainted her reputation. To English society she would probably be better off dead. It would be a grave and sad realization to be cut off from society like this if Emma didn’t have such a clear mind as to realize what was important in life –.... (read more)

Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaugh
Kitty Norville is a young, twentysomething cute blonde, who DJs late-night for a local radio station. She also happens to be a newly minted werewolf. Bored one night at work, tired of folks requesting lame tunes, Kitty poses a joking question on the air about a tabloid story concerning "Bat Boy". One caller takes the question very seriously, and says that Bat Boy and other sensationalized tabloid stories are actually a cover up for the truth--that there really are things that go bump in the night. Vampires, Werewolves, you name it. Kitty--a werewolf herself--knows that such things do exist, and she opens the floor to callers, asking if anyone has a story to tell. The reaction is overwhelming. While a lot of callers are crackpots, or do not have much to say, one caller flatly says he is a vampire, and he knows Kitty believes him. And he has a question for her: as a new vamp, and a formerly devout Christian, he is dealing with some serious questions--according to church doctrine, he no longer has a soul. But this is not how he feels (Read More)

Demon Angel by Meljean Brook (Thea's Review)
I was hesitant to read this book for a number of reasons, despite Ana’s emphatic recommendation and high praise. First and foremost, my encounters with paranormal romance books have been disastrous at best—having read and been less than impressed with books 1&2 of Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series, I was dragging my feet with Demon Angel. Plus...I'm not crazy about the cover. But, “meeting” Meljean through her comments here and reading her blog, and then after the recent interview we had with her, I knew it was time to delve into the book. (I mean, a DC fangirl that shares the love for movies such as Willow, Labyrinth, The Goonies, Basket Case 2, links to a Wolverine-Jubilee fansite on her blog, AND has a kickass picture kissing R2-D2? What choice did I have?!) And I am fully pleased to announce that I was not disappointed. Demon Angel is beyond a doubt the best paranormal romance that I have read...(Read More)

Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh
Clay is one of the DarkRiver leopard pack Sentinels. A powerful man with a hole in his life: he lost his best friend Talin, when they were children. A loss he has never been able to get pass. Living on the edge of his own darkness, if any one of the Sentinels was ever close to become a rogue – living outside pack, becoming more animal than human - Clay was the one. Clay is a man who indulges in the madness whenever he wishes, seeing ghosts, still searching for the one he misses most in the world. Until the day his belief that she was dead is shattered into one million pieces when Talin shows up – looking for him. For his help.
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The King's Favorite by Susan Holloway Scott
First Impressions:Thea: Ever since my Outlander binge last year, in which I read all 6 of Diana Gabaldon's books in the span of a couple of months (in total somewhere above 9000 pages), I decided to take a break from historical fiction for a bit. This year I had picked up a few historical fiction reads, but each book I tried left me cold (try as I might, Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl just wasn't cutting it for me). So, when we were offered the chance to read The King's Favorite on the heels of the Loretta Chase recommendation, I was ready to dive in! And Susan Holloway Scott really delivers. I loved this book, I loved her characterizations, especially of the witty, pretty Nell Gwyn. Going into this read, I knew next to nothing about Restoration England, but Ms. Scott manages to make even the greenest history novice feel right at home in the bawdy spirit of the era. I loved it, and cannot wait to read more by this author!
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