Touch of Smoke

KARISSA LAUREL

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Red Adept Publishing, 2019.

How acquired: Received from the author for review.

First line: The day I left Evansville, I twisted my rearview mirror until it reflected the ceiling of my daddy's '61 Apache and not the road behind me.

My thoughts: Isn't that cover gorgeous?

The paranormal aspect of this romance unfolded very slowly, and I loved the way that happened. Rikki has returned home to Evansville after being away three years. Arriving in town, she's greeted with a little hostility and a lot of hurt from her friends and family over the way she took off. She's here to face her demons and get some answers about the death of her best friend. The narrative jumps back and forth between the present and the past. We follow Rikki apprehensively greeting her mother, her friends, and her former love, Owen, who she blames for Mina's death. In between those chapters, we go back three years and follow Rikki as she first meets and falls for Owen. There are hints about the paranormal aspect sprinkled throughout the two narratives, and we gradually learn more about Owen and his abilities. And when it's finally revealed just exactly what Owen is, or rather why Owen is the way he is, it was quite a departure from the usual paranormal tropes.

Owen is also former military, which ticks one of my boxes, and I was quickly enamored with him. And I really liked Rikki as well. Watching their relationship slowly develop was fun.

“I'm named after my dad.”

"Was he hoping for a boy?”

I balled a fist. “Were you hoping for a fat lip?”

Along with a little humor there's a bit of brooding and plenty of angst without dipping into depressive.

But the ending threw me a little. The narrative is in first person POV from Rikki, and the logical part of my brain couldn't understand how Rikki could be telling us the story at the point. Unless there will be a sequel or a second book. We don't necessarily get an HEA, but there is the possibility of one so that didn't bother me.

Overall, I enjoyed this romance from a new to me author. Her other books, based on the synopses I read, sound a little intriguing but not something I would normally choose to read, not being a big fan of mythology, but I liked her writing here well enough that if I come across them I'm very likely now to pick them up. And I do hope that there will be another book about Rikki and Owen, or at least set in their world. I'd gladly read about Luke next.

Goodreads synopsis: Three years ago, Rikki Albemarle watched her best friend die at the hands of a supernatural evil. Certain she was slated to be the next victim, Rikki fled her small Smoky Mountain hometown, vowing to never come back. Plagued by nightmares and knowing she's the only one who believes Mina's death was no accident, Rikki returns with hopes of finding answers and holding the killer accountable.

Rikki is convinced the key to unlocking the secret of Mina's death lies with Owen Amir, the alluring young army vet who once claimed her heart. But the deeper Rikki digs into Owen's past, the more she's torn between the urgings of her heart and her memories of him on the night Mina died.

After falling further into the rabbit hole, Rikki lands at the feet of an ancient and powerful evil determined to finish what it started years before. To survive, she'll have to make a decision: believe Owen is the monster she always feared he might be or trust him enough to stay and fight for a second chance at love.

Fire Possessed (Twin Rivers Possession, Book One)

SEPTEMBER STONE

Goodreads synopsis: Sophie has done her best to avoid the magical world for fear of the havoc her abnormal ability wreaks on other supernaturals. As a silencer who mutes the powers of those around her, she’s spent her life among the mortals her defect can’t harm. But when Mother Nature pushes her from her home to do her bidding, Sophie has no choice but to venture to the magical town of Twin Rivers. Instead of viewing her presence as a curse, four men see Sophie’s arrival as a blessing. Carrigan, a psychic who hears everyone’s thoughts at all times. Hagan, a bear shifter who transforms at the slightest provocation. Jonas, whose losses have left him isolated and jaded. And Valor, a vampire without conscience or remorse. Drawn to Sophie, these irresistible men find themselves caught up in a dangerous whirlwind of magic that runs deeper than they can imagine. But Sophie can’t allow her mounting attraction to keep her from her mission—because Mother’s wrath destroys everything it touches. 

Stats for my copy: Kindle Edition, 1/14/19

How acquired: Hidden Gems ARC Program

First line: The moment the stench of freshly-burning wallpaper creeps under my bedroom door and smacks my nose, my dream where I'm mapping out future lesson plans comes to a blunt stop.

My thoughts: Billed as a “full length reverse harem urban fantasy adventure”. What isn't mentioned is that it just abruptly ends with no resolution to the plot. Grr.

Now that that gripe is out of the way. It's really the only gripe I have. Well, that and the cover, which looks like it belongs on a completely different book. I can't even begin to picture Sophie dressed the way the cover model is. Anyway, I used to read a lot of paranormal, and got a bit burned out on it. But the synopsis for this book sparked my interest as it sounded a bit different. And it very much is. In the world of this book, there are magical creatures, most of whom live in Twin Rivers. Sophie is a witch, but her magic is quite different than other witches, in that when she is around, other's magic disappears. Obviously, this makes her presence a bit unwelcome to others in the magical community. So Sophie's father raised her away from Twin Rivers, in a community where magic is unknown.

Sophie has a connection to Mother Nature that I'm still a little unclear about. Mother Nature uses Sophie for her own purposes, and if Sophie refuses her bidding, Mother Nature retaliates by, say, burning her house down in the middle of the night. Mother Nature wants her to seek out a mage in Twin Rivers who can restore a lost river. So off Sophie goes, where one by one she meets up with the four men who I guess make up the “reverse harem”.

I was a little afraid that this book was going to devolve into just a bunch of sex scenes between Sophie and the four men, with some loose storyline to connect them (I'm looking at you Anita Blake!). I'm happy to report that did not happen. In fact, there's not really any sexual action until midway through the book, and did not involve every character. But even then, the story still took precedence. The connection between Sophie and each of the other characters was clear, or if not clear at first, became clear as you learned more about the characters. And the characters are well written. Of course they are all quite different from each other, what with one being a shifter and one being a vampire. A couple of the men do not make good first impressions, but as the author peeled away the layers of their personalities, they become more liable, more vulnerable, and more welcome to the party.

I read this book in two sittings. I probably would've read it straight through in one sitting if company had not shown up at my house. It did start out a little slow, but once Sophie met the first two men it picked up with some of the dialogue making me laugh. Also, I was on page 75 when it suddenly hit me that the narration is in present tense. My least favorite tense, and I didn't even notice until 75 pages in! Score one for the author, and I look forward to Book Two. 

WEDDINGS FROM HELL

MAGGIE SHAYNE, JEANIENE FROST, TERRI GAREY, and KATHRYN SMITH

Synopsis from Goodreads: Some marriages are made in heaven . . . Some are not.

What happens when "the happiest day of your life" turns into a nightmare? Forget the drunken best man or the bridesmaid dresses from the '80s . . . none of these wedding day disasters can compare to a cursed bride determined to make it down the aisle, or a vampire who is about to disrupt your wedding.

Join New York Times bestselling authors Maggie Shayne and Jeaniene Frost, USA Today bestseller Kathryn Smith, as well as Terri Garey in four unforgettable tales of unholy matrimony . . . where the grooms are dark, dangerous, and mostly dead, and to love and cherish till death takes on a whole new meaning.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Harper, 2008.

How acquired: Bought.

My thoughts:

TILL DEATH, by Maggie Shayne

This is my first time reading Maggie Shayne, though a quick count shows I have around 12 other books in my TBR by her, although half of those seem to be omnibuses with other authors.

When Kira was seven her mother died in a freak accident, and her father took his own life not long after. Now, eighteen years later, Kira receives a call from Scotland, advising her that a relative has died and she needs to come to Scotland for the reading of the will. There she meets her mother's family for the first time – several assorted, unmarried aunts – and learns of a curse placed on the family line – that MacLellan women are always killed at the hands of their husband. She also meets Ian, one of her family's solicitors, who she is instantly attracted to. A short novella but with so much packed into those 91 pages. I really enjoyed it and obviously need to read more of Ms. Shayne.

HAPPILY NEVER AFTER, by Jeaniene Frost

This story is the reason I bought the book. I love Ms. Frost's Night Huntress series, so I was looking forward to this story set in that universe. It's been awhile since I finished the Cat and Bones books, but I think Chance and Isabella, the hero and heroine of HAPPILY NEVER AFTER, had made an appearance in one of the books. I vaguely remember their names.

Isa is engaged to the local mob boss, Robert Bertini. Or at least Robert thinks she is. Isa's brother, Frazier, has disappeared, after begging Isa to go along with the engagement for the time being. So while she can't stand Robert, she's pretending to be love struck. Meanwhile, Isa's grandmother, Greta, knows something's up, but doesn't know what. So she contacts her old friend, Bones, a vampire, and ask him for help finding Frazier. Bones passes the assignment on to another vampire, Chance. I liked Isa, and I liked Chance. He's no Bones, but then who is? I enjoyed the story, and for readers who've not yet been introduced to the Night Huntress series, it's a good peek at what kind of vampires inhabit that universe. But it didn't quite grab me the way the Cat and Bones books did.

GHOUL'S NIGHT OUT, by Terri Garey

This story just blew the others right out of my head. I'm very anal about reading series books in order, and I had looked up each story ahead of time, but somehow I missed the fact that this story was part of a series. Otherwise, I would not have read it until I found the rest of the Nicki Styx books and had read them in order up to where this one comes in (number 2.5 per Goodreads). But I am really glad I read it because I loved it. I loved Nicki. I loved the idea of her seeing spirits and reluctantly helping them with whatever they need help with before they can go into the light, ala Jennifer Love Hewett in “Ghost Whisperer”, which I just happen to be streaming on Netflix.

In this story, Nicki's cousin Debbie has asked her to be a last minute bridesmaid in her wedding. Nicki doesn't want to, especially after seeing the hideous dress she must wear, but she knows her late mother would expect her to. While at a fitting for the dress, Michelle walks in and demands to know why Nicki is wearing her dress. Turns out Michelle was supposed to be the bridesmaid, but after a fight with Debbie she stormed off and was never heard or seen from again. Nobody realizes that she's dead, including herself.

I loved Nicki, and her interactions with Michelle. I loved the way Michelle's appearance changed depending on her mood or what she remembered. We also meet Nicki's boyfriend Joe, and while he didn't actually appear until halfway into the story, I loved him.

I started drifting away from paranormal romance because I got burned out on vampires, but ghosts still fascinate me,and I am very eager now to find the rest of the Nicki Styx books.

I did not read the fourth story in the book, THE WEDDING KNIGHT, by Kathryn Smith, because I know it's part of her Brotherhood of the Blood series, and I have the first three books already, so I plan to come back to this book and read THE WEDDING KNIGHT when I reach that point in the series. I know, I know, when these stories appear in these omnibuses like this they're supposed to work as standalones, but still. 

KISS OF DARKNESS (Silhouette Shadows No. 32)

SHARON BRONDOS

Synopsis from Goodreads: Adrian Smith's latest orders tore at a conscience that shouldn't exist, pricked a heart that was his curse. But he'd made his deal with Death centuries ago, and now he had to do Its bidding. He would kill the scientist who was on the brink of prolonging human life; then he would return to his own private hell...

Adrian had expected his prey to be an old man whose time was near, but instead, he found himself preparing to harm a beautiful young woman, bursting with life. Yet Adrian could no sooner murder Sue Cooper than he could hope to fight Death and Its agents of evil when they came to do the job themselves...

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Silhouette Books, 1994.

How acquired: Given to me by a neighbor many years ago.

My thoughts:  I was unfamiliar with Silhouette Shadows when I picked up this book to read, and partway through my curiosity got the better of me and I looked up the line. It seems to have had a limited run, from March 1993 to March 1996, with only 66 titles. Some familiar authors and some I'd not heard of. 

Five hundred years ago Adrian lay wounded on a battleground, where he was approached by Death, who offered him immortality in exchange for enslavement. In agonizing pain, Adrian accepted. Since then he has lived his undead life mostly in isolation, leaving his solitary hut only to do Death's bidding.

Sue is a scientist on the brink of a breakthrough in her latest research project, looking for a way to extend the human lifespan. Death does not want her project to succeed, so he orders Adrian to kill her. But of course, once Adrian meets her, he is loathe to take her life.

The story has a different take on vampirism, which was interesting, and not what it seemed in the end. One of Adrian's abilities is to ward. At Sue's apartment, he places magical wards on the door and windows, to keep anyone else out. The description of him doing so is always vague:

After locking it, she saw him step back and make a few movements with his hands.

The next morning, while Adrian is asleep, Sue sneaks out of the apartment. How did she get past his wards you ask? Quite simply:

She set down her bag and tried to imitate in reverse exactly what she had seen Adrian do last night. After two attempts, she heard a soft hum and then a click. When she tried the door again, it opened readily.

I don't know why but this really bothered me. She is a human, with no magical powers or abilities. Yet by simply imitating the hand movements Adrian did, she can turn his wards off and on. It just didn't make sense to me. As silly as this sounds, given the paranormal nature of the book, it just wasn't believable.

This book was not great. It was like one of those corny old B movies. Yet I enjoyed it so much that I feel the need to search for more Silhouette Shadows. 

Click here if you'd like to explore the line yourself. 

STORM FRONT (The Dresden Files, Book One)

JIMBUTCHER

Synopsis from Goodreads: HARRY DRESDEN — WIZARD

Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he's the ONLY at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the "everyday" world is actually full of strange and magical things—and most don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a—well, whatever. There's just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks.

So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. And that's when things start to get interesting.

Magic - it can get a guy killed.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, New American Library, 2000

How acquired: From a BookCrossing member.

My thoughts:  A wizard named Harry, but living in a very different world than that other Harry! Harry Dresden lives in present day Chicago, where he barely makes a living as a sort of paranormal private detective. I love the world building here, with Harry openly proclaiming himself to be a wizard rather than hiding his powers from the general public. A client comes in and wants Harry to locate her missing husband. He tries to refer her to the local police, but she says her husband has been fooling around with magic, and since that's Harry's specialty...meanwhile, Lieutenant Murphy, director of the Special Investigations unit of said local police, has called on Harry to help investigate a grisly double murder.

The story is told in first person POV by Harry, who, during the course of his investigations, drops little facts here and there about wizards and the magical community, without info dumping. We also meet a faerie, a vampiress, and a talking skull that lives in Harry's basement.

The plot was fairly intricate, with lots of twists. Harry isn't out to be a hero, he's just trying to make a buck, but he has morals and he won't walk away when someone is in danger. I liked his character, and I enjoyed the story and the writing. His narration is often amusing and self-deprecating.

Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face.

Entertaining and quick paced, building up to a climactic confrontation that had me sitting up a bit past my bedtime. 

Wild (Amber Eyes, Book 1 and Book 2)

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS WHAT SOME MAY CONSIDER SPOILERS

MAYA BANKS

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Golden Eyes
When Duncan finds an injured cheetah, questions about how she wound up in his mountains—and going after the poachers pursuing her—can wait. First he brings her home. Then he checks in on his patient, and finds not a cat, but a gorgeous, very naked woman.

Aliyah Carter spent the past six months trapped in cheetah form, a prisoner of the poachers who took her to use in an illegal exotic-game hunt. Finally she’s escaped, but now she faces another problem. A devastatingly sexy sheriff who knows her secret.

Amber Eyes
The beautiful, timid cougar that appears at Hunter and Jericho’s remote cabin breaks their quiet routine, warms their hearts—and rouses their curiosity. Why would this wild creature want to form a friendship with humans?

Kaya has survived a lifetime of isolation in her shifted form. Yet there’s something about these two men that draws her to embrace her human side. In the shelter of their love, she blooms. Then they are called away on a mission that goes terribly wrong. Now pregnant and alone, Kaya’s only hope is that the men who love her will find their way home.

Warning: This title contains explicit sex, adult language, sweet lovin’, multiple partners and ménage a trois.

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Samhain Publishing, Ltd., 2010.

How acquired: Borrowed from a friend.

My thoughts:  Maya Banks is one of those authors I see all the time, but have never actually read until WILD. I really enjoyed her take on shapeshifters, which has always been one of my least favorite tropes in the paranormal genre.

The first story, “Golden Eyes”, is about Aliyah, who is a cheetah when she's not a woman. While in cheetah form in Africa, Aliyah is captured by poachers, who are bringing wild animals to the Rockies and then releasing them to be hunted. Duncan, the local sheriff, is out investigating sightings of a tiger and a lion when he comes across the injured cheetah, and rescues her from the poachers. I enjoyed the story, and the characters, especially Duncan. Their relationship built up pretty fast, and almost bordered on the fated mates trope, which I'm not crazy about. As per the warning on the synopsis, there was quite a bit of explicit sex, and I loved seeing how Duncan reacted to Aliyah, surprising himself with his own fierceness. In between the beddings, they track down and shut down the poaching ring and it all ends on a nice HEA.

“Amber Eyes” was very different. The heroine is Kaya, who is a cougar. She was mentioned in “Golden Eyes”, as she's Aliyah's sister, who disappeared when they were young children. Unknown to her family, she'd been captured, and eventually managed to escape, but by the time she found her way home her family had moved away, and she thought she'd been abandoned and was unwanted. She's been living on her own in the mountains, spending most of her time in animal form, since then. Hunter and Jericho live in a remote cabin, and are a bit of a mystery. They've loved and lost a woman together, but to honor her memory they carry on with their work, which they don't ever talk about, and all we know is they could be called away for an assignment at a moment's notice.

“Amber Eyes” had so much more actual story to it – there is no sex until at least the halfway point if I remember correctly. While Aliyah was cautious and wary lest her secret get out, Kaya is much more so. Having not lived among humans since she was a child, she's much more terrified of being discovered and put in a cage. She's drawn to the cabin, drawn to the two men, and has been watching them from a safe distance for a long time, unbeknownst to them. It isn't until she has an injured paw that she finally becomes brave enough to actually approach them.

With Kaya we get a lot of internal dialogue as she worries about being discovered, worries about surviving, worries about Hunter and Jericho knowing her secret, worries about whether or not they want her, especially Hunter who is more standoffish. In the beginning the two men were almost interchangeable for me, in that I had trouble keeping up with which one was which. I liked them both well enough, but not as much as I liked Duncan.

My heart broke for Kaya over and over, as her tragic past and angtsy feelings were revealed. I became much more vested in her story than I had with Aliyah. The pacing of the relationship between Kaya and the men was much slower than the one between Aliyah and Duncan. Hunter and Jericho have loved the same woman before, and while they shared her, it was never a smooth and comfortable relationship because she never truly trusted the relationship. They both want Kaya, but they're reluctant to go through that heartbreak again.

Lots of feels here. Eventually the men must leave for an assignment, and are gone much longer than anticipated. When they are all finally reunited, I teared up. Then Kaya and Aliyah are reunited, and I cried a bit. And then Kaya is finally reunited with her parents, and I blubbered like a baby. So much emotion packed into the last thirty pages or so!

“Golden Eyes” is an enjoyable, sexy story. “Amber Eyes” is a wonderful and touching and sweet character study. And Maya Banks has a new fan. 

50 Ways to Hex Your Love (Hex, Book 1)

LINDA WISDOM

Synopsis from Goodreads: Jazz cant decide whether to scorch him with a fireball or jump into bed with him.

Jasmine Tremaine, a witch who cant stay out of trouble.

Nikolai Gregorivich, a drop-dead gorgeous vampire cop on the trail of a serial killer.

The sizzling love affair between Jazz and Nick has been off-again-on-again-for about 300 years. Mostly off, lately. But now Nick needs Jazz's help, and while Jazz and Nick try to figure out their own hearts and resist their ever-increasing attraction, they must steer clear of a maniacal killer with super-supernatural powers. They are surrounded by a hilarious cast of oddball paranormal characters, including Irma, the chain-smoking ghost who haunts Jazz's sports car, Dweezil, her ghoul of a boss, and Fluff and Puff, a pair of bunny slippers with sharp teeth and short tempers (watch your ankles!).

Stats for my copy: Kindle edition, Sourcebooks Casablanca,2008.

How acquired: Amazon

My thoughts: Linda Wisdom, aka Linda Randall Wisdom, is one of those authors who, after reading a couple of her books, I began collecting everything I could find of hers. I've had this book on my Kindle app since 2011, but hadn't gotten around to reading it, partly because I just so much prefer to read a physical book over digital, and partly because I was just a tiny bit put off by the book being a paranormal romance. For awhile that's all I was reading and I got a little burned out on the genre, especially vampires, and I just sorta thought to myself that everyone seemed to be jumping on the paranormal bandwagon. But a few days ago I found myself away from home with some time on my hands and no book, so I resorted to the reading on my phone. And wow, am I kicking myself now for not reading this sooner. I should've known that Ms. Wisdom would not disappoint me!

Jazz is a “young” witch, who was banished from the witch realm in 1313, along with twelve of her classmates at The Academy for Witches, for a period of one hundred years. Initially, one hundred years. Every time she uses magic in a way the Witches' High Council does not approve of, additional time is added to her banishment. Fast forward to 2007, where Jazz earns her living as a curse eliminator, and a limo driver for a service that caters to all things inhuman. She has a human roommate who is her best friend, a pair of vicious bunny slippers named Fluff and Puff who eat anything they can get a hold of, and a 1956 convertible she shares with the former owner's dead wife, Irma, a ghost who is cursed to remain in the car – the one curse Jazz has not been able to figure out how to eliminate.

Then there's Nick, the vampire she loves to hate. They've had a very on again off again relationship for centuries. Now he's in town, investigating the disappearances of vampires, and he wants Jazz to help him.

With Jazz and Nick, Ms. Wisdom has created an interesting world of witches, vampires, dwarves, and other assorted creatures. Jazz is a fun and lively character, and as she goes about her day we learn bits and pieces about her magical powers and that interesting world I just mentioned, without the author ever having to info dump on us. Jazz spends much of the first part of the book bantering with Irma and her roommate, Krebs, and trying to avoid talking to Nick. But eventually she finds herself drawn into his investigation, as well as into his arms. I loved them together, talking, arguing, fighting. I also loved the chattering snarly bunny slippers, and I hope Krebs will be in future books as well. I'd love to learn more about him. The only parts I didn't love were the sex scenes, especially one where Nick does something with his mind that made it a little over the top. Their lovemaking could have happened off page and I don't think it would have bothered me at all. And why is there a black cat on the cover picture? Since there wasn't one in the book, unless I missed it somehow.

A bouncy, fun, but not overly light or cutesy book. I look forward to continuing with this series. 

Forever Road (Peri Jean Mace Ghost Thrillers, Book 1)

CATIE RHODES

Synopsis from Goodreads: Peri Jean Mace’s knack for seeing ghosts made growing up in her rural East Texas hometown a living hell. Now an adult with her own business, she thinks she’s finally got things under control.

But the murder of Peri Jean’s trailer trash cousin, Rae, forces Peri Jean to face long buried issues. She owes her cousin a favor from beyond the grave and must solve her murder. The more Peri Jean pokes around, the more she realizes everyone in Gaslight City has something to hide.

Uncovering the wrong secret will send Peri Jean straight into the arms of a killer.

Stats for my copy: Kindle edition, Long Roads and Dark Ends Press, 2016.

How acquired: Given to me by the author's publicist for review.

First line: An inhuman shriek sliced through the pre-dawn darkness, stabbing at the haze of sleep coating my brain.

My thoughts: Peri Jean Mace is an interesting character. She can see ghosts, a condition which caused her mother to commit her to a mental institution as a young child, where the word schizophrenia was bandied about. She's not the first heroine I've read about who has the ability to see ghosts, but I believe she is the first who has not embraced this particular trait. Seeing ghosts has caused Peri to become an outcast in the little town of Gaslight City, where everyone is aware of it, whether they believe it's true or believe she's crazy, but pretend they don't know anything. Even in her own home, her ability is never talked about, as if it doesn't exist. It was a different take on the “ghost whisperer” genre, and a welcome one.

The story starts out a little slow,with Peri's cousin, Rae, shrieking up a storm and yelling at Chase, her flavor of the month who is also Peri's best friend. Peri lives with her grandmother, and Rae lives in a travel trailer parked on grandma's property. When Peri hears the shouting she flies out to the trailer to shush them before her grandmother is woken up, and in exchange for Rae shutting up Peri agrees to owe her an unspecified favor. It was all a little melodramatic, and the favor for silence a little silly.

But Rae cashes in that favor pretty quickly when Peri walks into her trailer later and finds her cousin's been murdered. And then Rae's ghost appears, and Peri realizes that Rae wants and expects her to find the killer.

From there the story picks up nicely. Dean Turgeau is introduced, Gaslight City's newest deputy, and he and Peri clash from the beginning, especially since Chase is suspect number one and Dean is determined to prove it, while Peri is determined to defend her friend. Which becomes more difficult when Chase pulls a dissapearing act. Dean brought to mind (to my mind, anyway) Aiden Quinn's Detective Hallett from the movie Practical Magic.

I loved watching Peri and Dean dance around each other, and I also enjoyed Peri's interactions with her childhood friend turned nemesis Hannah. As Peri gets deeper and deeper into her investigations there were quite a few twists, and the mystery was unpredictable. I didn't figure out who the murderer was until she did.

A nicely written whodunit, which got a bit violent during the big reveal, but with a satisfying conclusion. 

Born to Bite (Argeneau, Book 14)

LYNSAY SANDS

Synopsis from Goodreads: Legend has it that Armand Argeneau is a killer in the bedroom...

But with all three of his late wives meeting unfortunate and untimely ends, is this sexy immortal a lover or a murderer? That's what Eshe d'Aureus intends to find out. As an enforcer, it's her job to bring rogue vampires to justice, even if the rogue in question makes her blood race red hot.

Armand knew she was trouble the moment Eshe roared into town on her motorcycle, clad in tight black leather. She claims she's hiding from dangerous fiends, though he suspects something more. But after three wives who've all had trouble remaining, well, undead, Armand is reluctant to open his heart again. Then strange accidents start to happen, each deadlier than the last, and Armand realizes he may not have much time to prove he's a lover, not a slayer.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Avon Books, 2010.

How acquired: Bought.

My thoughts: My least favorite Argeneau book so far. The characters just never grabbed me. Except Bricker. I enjoyed all of his scenes and was glad when he put in an appearance. The Argeneau books usually have a lot of humor in them but this one was a little lacking. And there was no romance at all. No sexual tension, no build up. When Eshe and Armand first meet, they both realize right away that they are life mates, and fall into bed together very quickly after that. And yes, the circumstances didn't really allow them any time to pussy foot around and get to know each other, what with Eshe there to secretly investigate Armand who was suspected of killing his three wives and his son's wife. And even when it became evident that someone was now trying to kill both Eshe and Armand, I never felt any sense of urgency. I didn't know who was behind the attacks, yet still felt little suspense. And then when the mystery was resolved at the end, the action was quite civil and a bit of a letdown.

I always thought it was rather ridiculous in previous books that the women always faint after having sex. But now apparently it's not just the women, it's life mates. Both Armand and Eshe faint afterwards. Was it always both partners and I just never noticed? Either way, I still think its ridiculous.

And as I complained about previous books, the characters are constantly saying things “dryly”. Three times on one page. And sometimes now they even smile dryly. And towards the end I began to notice that they also often murmured when they spoke. I'm a little tired of both words now.

Regardless, every book can't be a winner, and I'm still a fan of the author, and I'll still continue with the series, though maybe not right away. 

More Than Fiends (Demon Duster, Book 1)

MAUREEN CHILD

Synopsis from back of book: “Today you are thirty-two years old,” the old woman went on, and just how the hell did she know it was my birthday? “Your time has come.” She smiled, but it wasn't a Grandma-type wanna-cookie? smile. Nope, this was more like the grin on the fake shark they built for the movie Jaws. “There is no time to waste,” she said. “The demons are here. And only you can kill them.”

There's great surf in La Sombra, California – along with a huge mental institution, where Cassidy Burke figures this old lady has escaped from. Especially after she claims that Cassie is next in a long line of demon-dusters – Burke women paired with a centuries-old cleaning solution to shine windows and spot demons. Sure, her Clean Sweep maid service is taking off, with a sexy new client promising to have her rolling in dough, not to mention keep her hormones happy. But wiping out supernatural bad guys? Sounds like a job for a size-two cheerleader.

Yet suddenly Cassie has got fighting instincts and fierce new strength, and she's going to need both. For one thing, her teenage daughter, Thea, thinks her dad is dead, but in truth he just never knew about her, and now he's moved back to town. For another, after many dateless years, Cassie finally has men lining up at her door. Unfortunately most of them aren't human...

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Signet Eclipse, published by New American Library, 2007.

How acquired: Bought.

My thoughts: After getting all caught up in the paranormal craze a few years ago, I eventually got a little burned out on vampires and demons and etc., and the last couple of years I've been more interested in contemporary romance novels. But I loved SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL by this same author, so when I saw her name on this book I snatched it up. And I'm glad I did.

There are quite a few characters, and since Cassidy narrates in first person point of view we see the other characters the way she does. Cassidy is a single mom, raising her teenage daughter in the same house where she herself grew up, and running a house cleaning service whose business is starting to pick up. On her 32nd birthday (a random number to say the least), Jasmine, an elderly woman who claims to be a friend of her grandmother, shows up and proceeds to tell Cassidy that there are demons everywhere and she is here to train Cassidy, the newest demon duster, so Cassidy can assume her birth right duties. Cassidy of course thinks the old lady is mental,until she talks to her grandmother on the phone and grandma confirms the story.

As for some of those other characters:

Devlin Cole is the owner of the hottest spot in a town, a nightclub that's also reputed to be a sex club. He needs a cleaning service for the upstairs rooms at his club, and Cassidy wants the job. It would be her first foray into commercial cleaning and could be just the boost her company needs. Devlin himself is probably the hottest bachelor in town, and from their first meeting the sparks start flying. Cassidy's been in a sexual drought, and Devlin has her panting.

Logan is Cassidy's high school boyfriend, who went off to college, leaving Cassidy to spend her senior year of high school pregnant. Although he never knew that. The day Cassidy planned to tell Logan about Thea, he introduced her to his fiance,and Cassidy went home broken hearted, without ever divulging her secret to him. Now he's a police officer, he's moved back to town,he's divorced, and he wants Cassidy back. And try as she might, Cassidy can't help but still be attracted to him also.

Thea is Cassidy's daughter, who's whip smart (she writes up the bid for the cleaning job, having a much better head for numbers than her mother) and who has always been told that her father died a hero, rescuing some kids from a fire. Or maybe it was a flood. Cassidy can never remember what lie she used.

When Thea meets Logan, she's furious with her mother for lying to her all those years. Logan is pretty angry himself, but he seemed to get over it pretty quick and was pretty forgiving. He got over it faster than Thea did, and I loved the interactions between Cassidy and Thea, with her grumblings and eye rolls and “I'm not talking to you!” and other typical teenage girl behavior.

One of my favorite scenes is at a block party, where Devlin and Logan face off against each other and verbally stake their claims on her, trading barbs regarding which of them belongs there with Cassidy. I liked both guys, but I did lean towards Devlin more than Logan.

Cassidy is shocked to learn about demons, but when she finally starts talking to others she discovers that practically everyone she knows already knew that demons lived within their community. From the outset she assumes all demons are evil, and she's shocked again to learn that some of them just want to live their lives in peace and have no interest in waging war on humans. Jasmine withholds information from her, and both Cassidy and I were put out about that. Doesn't Jasmine realize that by not telling Cassidy upfront that there are good demons and bad demons, Cassidy could have unwittingly killed some good ones? And it seemed pretty far fetched that everyone else in town is already aware of demons (and ghosts) living among them and just accepts it as a matter fact. Except Logan, who thinks Cassidy is making it all up, even after witnessing a dusting.

But despite those issues, I enjoyed Cassidy's humorous narration as she navigated this new world that had been opened up for her, and I'm eager to find the next book in the series.

The Prince's Tawse (Saga of the Eastern Crown, Book 2)

LAUREN KESS

Publisher's Synopsis: In the Court of the Empress Regina in London, the child of Princess Consort Daniella and Imperial Prince Nikolai has been born, and Daniella's long-time servant Kiana is the child's beloved nursemaid. Dark forces, however, are at work and tragedy strikes: Kiana's father is killed saving Daniella from an assassin, leaving Kiana alone at the Court, at the mercy of the dark rulers. Worse, Kiana's brother Galen is alone, still in Persia, in the clutches of evil Queen Anca.

Kiana realizes she must save her brother, no matter what the cost, but her attempts at leaving the court are ill-fated; she is caught both trying to steal jewels to finance the escape, and then caught in the escape attempt itself. Yet, against all expectation, the Prince helps Kiana. He could have turned her over to the dark discipline of the priests of the Order Sangre, or even have had her executed; instead, he leaves all behind to make her a devil's bargain: submit to him in every way, and he himself will take her back to Persia himself.

Kiana has no choice but to agree, even though it means putting herself at the mercy of Imperial Prince Andrew. And soon, Kiana finds herself no different than her mistress: an agonie aperitiv - an "appetizer" of pain - to a dark vampire Prince.

But unlike her mistress, she could never learn to love one such as he. Could she?

Publisher's note: The Prince's Tawse is an erotic romance of love and loss in a future world gone mad, a world in which vampires and humans co-exist. It contains erotic BDSM themes, including spanking and anal punishment.

Stats for my copy: E-book, Blushing Books, 2013.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: I knew the dead man hanging in the square: Liam was his name.

My thoughts: The story picks up right where THE PRINCE'S LASH ended, but now we're following Kiana's story rather than Daniella's. Kiana is Daniella's servant, and now that her father is dead, she is determined to travel to Persia to get her younger brother away from Queen Anca. But Kiana has caught the eye of the vampire Prince Andrew, and when she steals a horse and escapes from the Empress Regina's court, he quickly catches up with her. Branded not only a thief, but a horse thief, Kiana has no doubt the Empress will have her hung. But Andrew offers her a bargain: he'll accompany her to Perth to find her brother. In exchange, she must give him complete obedience.

Unlike Daniella, Kiana is not an “agonie apertiv” - she does not enjoy and crave being whipped. She has no desire to be spanked, but Prince Andrew spanks her just about every time she turns around. In other words, there is a LOT of punishment spanking. Which is preferable to whipping, but that too is eventually introduced to Kiana (hence the title of the book).

I had anticipated enjoying this story more than Daniella's, but as I turns out I never really connected with Kiana or Prince Andrew. I could understand Kiana's single-mindedness in getting to her younger brother, and I didn't find any fault with her or her character, so I'm not sure why she didn't appeal to me more. My issue with Andrew was a little clearer. It didn't bother me that he constantly wanted to spank Kiana, but it did bother me that he constantly told her he wanted her to cry, he wanted to make her cry. I get that breaking through her barriers and making her sob her heart out once was good for her, cathartic. But I can't believe it's cathartic over and over.

The story is narrated by Kiana, so we never know what's actually going on in Andrew's head. He purports to love Kiana, but he must still obey the Empress, which means he often abandons Kiana when she needs him. If some of the story had been told from his point of view, he might have been a more sympathetic character and easier to like.

The ending surprised me. Mere pages from being over I couldn't see how things were possibly going to work out for Kiana. And while they did, they also didn't.

I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. And I do like the author's writing style, so I would like to read more of her work. 

Sex & the Immortal Bad Boy (Immortally Sexy, Book 4)

MICHELLE ROWE

Synopsis from Goodreads: Paige Darlington has a problem. See, she's the former apprentice to Satan's right hand, Becka Gibbs. As a result, she's got this pretty much all consuming need to be bad... not her fault, right? Well, that will be a small comfort when she loses all human emotions, including the ability to love and care about those who matter to her.

To keep his brother alive, Jed Buchanan works for Satan Jr., the heir to hell and the most evil being in existence. Jed has been forced to do a lot of unsavory things during his time on the "job" and his latest assignment - killing Becka Gibbs - isn't pleasant either. It only gets more complicated when he arrives at Becka's apartment, and inadvertently attacks Paige, a beautiful, sexy demon who decides that saving his black soul will be just the thing to keep her own from rotting.

But can the Devil's minion and the Devil's assassin possibly find true love?

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, published by Forever, a division of Grand Central Publishing, 2007.

How acquired: Bought.

My thoughts: I read the first three books in this series several years ago, and I loved all three of them. In the third book, Paige, the heroine of this book, was introduced as a secondary character, and I adored her. She provided a lot of comic relief. So I was really looking forward to reading SEX & THE IMMORTAL BAD BOY. Unfortunately, I’ve just really had a hard time getting invested in the story.

Paige is a Rivka, created by Satan very recently, to harvest the souls of people who are going to hell. She has managed to get away from Satan however, and no longer works for him. Then one day she discovers that any living thing she touches, a plant, a tree, an angel, is burned up and disintegrates. Something Satan did to her without her knowledge in his quest to create the perfect killing machine. Now she’s on a mission to find a cure, before her inner wraith completely takes over and she loses all her humanity.

Jed is a shadow warrior, who works for Satan, Jr. Not by choice, but in order to protect his brother from being tortured. And it turns out that, being damned, Paige can touch him and not hurt or kill him. So now he and Paige are teaming up, to find a way to cure Paige, and get Jed out of his contract with Satan, Jr. and save his brother.

And if that all sounds like a silly confusing mess, it is. I’m not sure if the plot is really that bad, or if I’ve just gotten so far away from paranormal romance in the last couple of years that I just can’t connect with it now. Granted, it’s been awhile since I read the previous book (2010), but Paige just doesn’t seem like the same Paige I loved in that book. She is so desperate to be touching Jed all the time, you'd think she'd been unable to touch anyone else for years and years, not for a day or so. For the most part I just find her to be too dramatic and annoying. I do like Jed, and if the story were just about his problems and solving his issues, I’d probably enjoy it more. Except maybe I wouldn't, since I'm not sure what he sees in Paige, other than that she accepts him for who and what he is. 

I gave up at page 164 (out of 314). I just don’t care enough about these characters to finish their story.

Ghost Night (The Bone Island Trilogy, Book 2)

Heather Graham

Synopsis: A slasher movie turns real when two young actors are brutally murdered on a remote island film set. Their severed heads and arms are posed in macabre homage to a nineteenth-century pirate massacre.

Two years later, survivor Vanessa Loren is drawn back to South Bimini by a documentary being made about the storied region. Filmmaker Sean O'Hara aches to see how the unsolved crime haunts her...and Sean knows more than a little about ghosts.

Lured by visions of a spectral figurehead, Vanessa discovers authentic pirate treasures that only deepen the mystery. Are the murders the work of modern-day marauders, the Bermuda Triangle or a deadly paranormal echo of the island's violent history? As Vanessa and Sean grow closer, the killer prepares to resume the slaughter...unless the dead can intervene.

First line: The sound of the bloodcurdling scream was as startling as the roar of thunder on a cloudless day.

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, published by MIRA Books, 2010; 371 pages; bought at a used book store.

My thoughts: I read the first book in this series, GHOST SHADOW, in January, and I enjoyed it so much that Heather Graham immediately made my list of authors whose back list I obsessively began to collect, and I was particularly eager to acquire the other two books in this series. Unfortunately, I was disappointed in GHOST NIGHT.

Sean O'Hara is the brother of the heroine of the first book. And while he and the female lead were likeable enough, I never really connected with either of them or cared about them as much as I did Katie and David in the first book. I was pleased to learn right from the start that Bartholomew, the ghost of a privateer who lived with Katie, had now attached himself to Sean, as Bartholomew was one of my favorite characters in the first book. Sean had never been able to see or hear Bartholomew until after the events at the end of that book. Bartholomew, however, while involved in the storyline, was not on the page nearly as often as in the first book, and was definitely a secondary character this time.

Vanessa and a small group were filming a horror movie on Haunt Island, when the two leads' severed heads were found on the beach. Now, two years later, Sean and David are about to start filming a documentary about the history and local legends of the area when Vanessa appears and begs Sean to hire her onto the crew. She wants to go back to Haunt Island and try to figure out what exactly happened. Vanessa also just happened to be a childhood friend of Katie's. Sean reluctantly lets her convince him to hire her, and to include the mysterious circumstances of the murders on Haunt Island in the documentary.

Maybe I'm not remembering the first book properly, maybe the story drew me in so much that I didn't notice the writing, but the whole tone, the writing, of this second book just seemed...more amateurish for want of a better description. The plot was more convoluted and a little harder for me to keep up with. Maybe the book just needed better editing. For example, I had to read this part twice, and it just irritated me:

“Hey, what's going on?” he asked.

Zoe stared at him without speaking.

“Sean,” she said softly. “You need to be quiet and not raise an alarm.” (pg 359)

She can't stare at him without speaking, and then immediately say something, or, you know, speak.

I wasn't sure how it was going to end, and then the ending didn't feel real plausible to me. And yes, I know, we're talking about pirate ghosts here, so no plausibility to begin with, but still.

The third book is about Liam, and since I did like the first book so much, and I already have the next book, I'll still read it, and still look forward to it. I mean, not every book can be a winner for everybody, right?