Category Archives: Contemporary

Dark Slayer (Carpathian, #20) by Christine Feehan

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A rumor has persisted in the vampire world of a dark slayer — a woman — who travels with a wolf pack and who destroys any vampire who crosses her path. Mysterious, elusive and seemingly impossible to kill, she is the one hunter who strikes terror into the hearts of the undead.

She is Ivory Malinov. Her only brethren, the wolves. Long ago betrayed by her people, abandoned by her family, and cast out by everyone she held dear, Ivory has lived centuries without companionship or love. She has sustained her sanity by preparing for one purpose — to destroy her greatest enemy. Until the night she picks up the scent of a man, her unexpected salvation. Her lifemate. The curse of all Carpathian women. (from Goodreads)

He is Razvan. Branded a criminal, detested and feared, he is a dragonseeker borne of one of the greatest Carpathian lineages, only to be raised as its most despised — and captive — enemy. Fleeing from his lifetime of imprisonment, Razvan now seeks the dawn to end his terrible existence. Instead he has found his deliverance in the Dark Slayer.

In spirit, in flesh and blood, in love, and in war, Ivory and Razvan are made for each other.

For as long as they dare to live.

This was actually a re-read for me, although I did not remember reading this book until I got into it.  I have been reading this series for several years and with the exception of one title, I have loved them all.

This book explains so many things that have been alluded to in earlier books.  Characters that have always been the bad guys may not be after all.  Others are even worse that I realized.

I want to dive right into the next book, but she is weaving her Jaguar series into this one, so I am re-reading those next.  I have to keep everything straight in my mind.

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Filed under Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance

The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks

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Think vampires are romantic, sexy, and powerful? Think again. Vampires are dead. And unless they want to end up staked, they have to give up fanging people, admit their addiction, join a support group, and reform themselves.
Nina Harrison, fanged at fifteen and still living with her mother, hates the Reformed Vampire Support Group meetings every Tuesday night. Even if she does appreciate Dave, who was in a punk band when he was alive, nothing exciting ever happens. That is, until one of group members is mysteriously destroyed by a silver bullet. With Nina (determined to prove that vamps aren’t useless or weak) and Dave (secretly in love with Nina) at the helm, the misfit vampires soon band together to track down the hunter, save a werewolf, and keep the world safe from the likes of themselves.
(from Goodreads)

Okay, this is definitely a different interpretation of the vampire legend.  They have absolutely no romantic appeal at all.  I have no idea who to recommend this book to because the vampire lovers won’t like it and who else would be vaguely interested.

It’s not a badly written story.  It’s just very strange.  I did have a difficult time with the beginning because so many characters were introduced all at once.  I actually ended up making up a character description list to refer to for the first several chapters.

This book is one of this year’s YALSA’s Teens Top Ten nominees.  These books are selected by teenagers around the country, so this one obviously has an appeal to someone.  Maybe it’s just me that is having a difficult time with it.  Give it a try if you want an interesting and different read.

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Filed under Contemporary, Paranormal, Young Adult

Renegade (Elite Ops, #6) by Lora Leigh

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As a bridal shop owner, Mikayla Martin helps make women’s wedding dreams come true. Her own life, however, has become a nightmare since she witnessed a murder—and got an up-close-and-personal look at the killer. What’s worse: She knows she knows him. But the police, after doing an alibi check, don’t believe her. It’s up to Mikayla to prove them wrong…and do whatever it takes to solve the murder by herself.

Elite Ops agent Nikolai Steele, code name Renegade, is asked to pay an old comrade a favor. This friend swears he’s no killer—and Nik believes him—even though he’s been mistaken as one by Mikayla. So Nik goes to set her straight…but the moment he lays eyes on the fiery and determined beauty, he knows he’s in too deep. A woman this irresistible can only mean trouble and, sure enough, after sticking her nose in one too many places, someone wants Mikayla dead. Now Nik must find a way to keep her safe, clear his friend’s name, and find the real killer, who remains on the loose… (from Goodreads)

If ever there was a series I want to re-read straight through, the Elite Ops is one.  Of course, I would really have to start with her SEALS’ series because the Elite Ops is a spin-off of it.

Having said that, this book actually does a better job of standing alone than many of her others.  There are characters from previous books, but not so many that I couldn’t keep them straight.

I don’t think Lora Leigh can write a bad book.  She writes across a variety of genres and does an excellent job in all of them.  Renegade is just another example of what a good author she is.

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Filed under Contemporary, Erotica, Mystery, Romance

Jamie (Visitation, #5) by Lori Foster

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Carrying a naked woman up a mountain in a driving storm – now there’s a way for a man to start the day. But for Jamie, the unconscious redhead in his arms is an intruder, one who could bring harm. He has his reasons for hiding out in this mountain cabin; for keeping his emotions hidden; for never, ever getting too close to anyone. And he’s not about to stop now. (from Goodreads)

I only re-read this book because my new Jayne Castle/JAK book had not arrived yet.  That may have been a mistake.  I love Lori Foster’s books.  This title is a culmination of her Visitation series and now I want to re-read all of them.

I remember the summer I discovered Lori Foster.  I bought her entire backlist which included a couple of titles that I had to get directly from her.  She had them in boxes in her garage and sent them to me for a donation to her local humane society.

Unfortunately I have been reading so many authors the last couple of years, she has slipped off my radar.  It is obviously time for me to see what I have missed and revisit all my friends.

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Filed under Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance

Fired Up (Dreamlight, #1) by Jayne Ann Krentz

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More than three centuries ago, Nicholas Winters irrevocably altered his genetic makeup in an obsession-fueled competition with alchemist and Arcane Society founder Sylvester Jones. Driven to control their psychic abilities, each man’s decision has reverberated throughout the family line, rewarding some with powers beyond their wildest dreams, and cursing others to a life filled with madness and hallucinations.

Jack Winters, descendant of Nicholas, has been experiencing nightmares and blackouts-just the beginning, he believes of the manifestation of the Winters family curse. The legend says that he must find the Burning Lamp or risk turning into a monster. But he can’t do it alone; he needs the help of a woman with the gift to read the lamp’s dreamlight.

Jack is convinced that private investigator Chloe Harper is that woman. Her talents for finding objects and accessing dream energy are what will save him, but their sudden and powerful sexual pull threatens to overwhelm them both. Danger surrounds them, and it doesn’t take long for Chloe to pick up the trail of the missing lamp. And as they draw closer to the lamp, the raw power that dwells within it threatens to sweep them into a hurricane of psychic force. (from Goodreads)

This is the first book in the Dreamlight series.  Like her other Arcane Society novels, she will alternate between a contemporary title and an historical one (Burning Lamp).  In this trilogy, however, she is finishing up with a book set in her futuristic series set on the planet Harmony.  I am in the process of re-reading all of the Harmony series and the two Dreamlight titles to be ready for the new book.

Like all of her books, this one has humorous aspects to it, but the Arcane series is much more intense than some of her others.  It is really striking to compare her books now with the ones she wrote 25 years ago.  There are many differences, but I can tell a JAK no matter what name it is under or time period it is in.

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Filed under Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance

The Devil to Pay by Stephanie James

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The Price of Love
Just as Emelina Stratton was about to break into an empty beach cottage, a man materialized out of the fog with a Doberman at his heel. Julian Cotter was as quietly lethal-looking as his dog. A man who exuded an aura of command that force Emmy under its sway. It was easy to believe the local gossip that he was a Mafia kingpin hiding out until things cooled off back East. But Emmy was desperate, and Julian could help her — for a price. Emmy was confident she could pay no matter what he charged . . . until Julian called in her I.O.U.

As I stated in the previous post, this book is supposed to be connected to Fabulous Beast because both male characters have the last name Colter.  That is the only connection, so they are actually stand alone stories.

One thing that stands out to me now is how young the characters are in her books.  Funny, I didn’t notice that when I originally read them 25 years ago!

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Filed under Contemporary, Realistic, Romance

Fabulous Beast by Stephanie James

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Tabitha Graham thought she had found a soul mate when she rescued Dev Colter from a dangerous situation. She thought he was a kindred spirit: gentle, shy, and in need of love.


But Dev had a secret life that made him as dangerous as any of the fabulous, legendary beasts the bookstore owner had studied.When she fled from his sensual claim, his pursuit was relentless.
(from Goodreads)

This book has always been one of my favorite Jayne Ann Krentz novels.  It was originally published back in 1984 under her Stephanie James pen name.  I bought it new, so that should tell you how long I have been reading JAK.  She has been my number one favorite author for 30 years.  It doesn’t what name she is writing under, all her books are wonderful.

Anyway, I reread this book because I saw on Wikipedia that it is supposed to be part of a connected pair called the Colter books.  The male protagonist has the last name of Colter and so does the one in The Devil to Pay. It turns out that Wikipedia was wrong.  The books have nothing to do with each other.  It certainly wasn’t a hardship re-reading these books though, since I love them so much.

I particularly enjoy Tabitha’s lectures on the mating habits of mythological beasts!

And yes, I corrected the entry in Wikipedia.

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Filed under Contemporary, Realistic, Romance