Category Archives: Humor

A Hunger Like No Other (Immortals After Dark, #2) by Kresley Cole

A mythic warrior who’ll stop at nothing to possess her…

After enduring years of torture from the vampire Horde, Lachlain MacRieve, leader of the Lykae Clan, is enraged to find the predestined mate he’s waited millennia for is a vampire. Or partly one. This Emmaline is a small, ethereal half Valkyrie/half vampire, who somehow begins to soothe the fury burning within him.

A vampire captured by her wildest fantasy…

Sheltered Emmaline Troy finally sets out to uncover the truth about her deceased parents–until a powerful Lykae claims her as his mate and forces her back to his ancestral Scottish castle. There, her fear of the Lykae–and their notorious dark desire–ebb as he begins a slow, wicked seduction to sate her own dark cravings.

An all consuming desire…

Yet when an ancient evil from her past resurfaces, will their desire deepen into a love that can bring a proud warrior to his knees and turn a gentle beauty into the fighter she was born to be…?

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Filed under Contemporary, Humor, Paranormal, Romance

The Warlord Wants Forever in Playing Easy to Get anthology (Immortals After Dark, #1) by Kresley Cole

Nikolai Wroth, once a ruthless human warlord in the 1700s and now a general in the rebel vampire army, needs to find his Bride, the one woman who can render him truly alive. As a turned human, he doesn’t enjoy a heartbeat or breaths and is consequently weaker than fully blooded vampires. He wants his Bride for the power she will bring him and can hardly believe it when his heart beats for Myst the Coveted, a mad, fey, mythological creature.

Myst is known throughout the world as the most beautiful Valkyrie, part chillingly fierce warrior, part beguiling seductress who can “make you want her even as she’s killing you.” She has devoted her life to protecting an ancient, powerful jewel and to fighting the vampires, and she now sees a way to torment one—for with Wroth’s heartbeat comes consuming sexual desire that can only be slaked by her.

She eludes him for five years, but he has finally chased her to ground and stolen the jewel which commands her, giving him absolute power over her. While he possesses it, he can make her do anything, and he plans to in order for her to experience first hand the agonizing, unending lust she’d purposely subjected him to for half a decade. Yet when Wroth realizes he wants more from her and frees her, will she come back to him?

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Filed under Contemporary, Humor, Paranormal, Romance

Beast Behaving Badly (Pride, #5) by Shelly Laurenston

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Ten years after Blayne Thorpe first encountered Bo Novikov, she still can’t get the smooth-talking shifter out of her head. Now he’s shadowing her in New York-all seven-plus feet of him-determined to protect her from stalkers who want to use her in shifter dogfights. Even if he has to drag her off to an isolated Maine town where the only neighbors are other bears almost as crazy as he is…

Let sleeping dogs lie. Bo knows it’s good advice, but he can’t leave Blayne be. Blame it on her sweet sexiness — or his hunch that there’s more to this little wolfdog than meets the eye. Blayne has depths he hasn’t yet begun to fathom — much as he’d like to. She may insist Bo’s nothing but a pain in her delectable behind, but polar bears have patience in spades. Soon she’ll realize how good they can be together. And when she does, animal instinct tells him it’ll be worth the wait…

And I read these books over and over again . . . at least once a month I imagine.  I particularly love the bears.

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Filed under Contemporary, Humor, Paranormal, Romance

Theodora’s Diary: Faith, Hope and Chocolate (Theodora, #1) by Penny Culliford

Library

From the Back Cover

Saturday 8th May. Emergency!

It is 11:30 p.m. and I am suffering from an incredibly intense chocolate craving that will not leave me in spite of prayer, distraction activities and half a loaf of bread and butter. Got out of bed and searched the flat. No luck. Not even a bourbon biscuit. Not even a cream egg left from Easter. All the shops are closed so no nipping out to replenish supplies. Nothing else for it. I’m reduced to the chocoholic’s equivalent of meths—cooking chocolate.

It’s been one of those days for Theodora. Her mother has become the Greek equivalent of Delia Smith, her boyfriend would rather watch 22 men kick a ball around a field than go shopping with her, and chintzy Charity Hubble wants to pray for her. And of course, the crowning insult is her utter lack of chocolate. Join in her daily life with all of its challenges and joys, tears and laughter.

I have to admit I picked up this book because so many of my middle school girls were reading it.  I mean SO many!  I begin to have my suspicions that it might contain some content that was not entirely appropriate for their age.

I was totally wrong.  This is an excellent, funny, sometimes sad, but always enjoyable story.  Although Theodora is a single woman in her late twenties living in England, I could really connect with her.  I will definitely be reading the rest of the series:  Theodora’s Wedding and Theodora’s Baby . . . and they’re in that order too.

Of course, I still don’t know why the middle school girls love them so much?

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Filed under Christian, Contemporary, Humor, Realistic

Prince Charming Doesn’t Live Here (The Others, #10) by Christine Warren

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Danice Carter is not one for glass slippers. A stilettos-wearing lawyer at one of Manhattan’s most elite establishments, Danice has a very strong grip on reality. So when she’s asked by one the firm’s founding partners to take on a personal case, Danice knows she’s in for the opportunity of a lifetime. All she has to do is convince her top boss’s granddaughter, Rosemary, to file a paternity suit. Sounds simple enough…until Danice arrives at Rosemary’s home and is pounced on by a handsome stranger.

Private investigator McIntyre Callahan’s was only following his powerful client’s orders: Find Rosemary—at all costs. Instead, he’s found a super-hot lawyer prowling around looking for answers he can’t give. The half-human, half-Fae Mac tries to warn Danice that she’s way in over her head—that Rosemary may roam among The Others, and may have dangerous ties to the Unseelie Court—but she won’t be deterred. Even if that means following Mac to the ends of the earth to find Rosemary…or surrendering to his supernatural powers of temptation…until death do they part. (from Amazon)

This is a great series.  I have been reading them since they were first published in online form only.  This book is a expanded and republished version of her third book Faer Fetched.  And that is the only problem I have with the series.  Even the author does not seem to know what order to list them in.  Once she started publishing in print, there has been no consistency.  I did not even realize this one was a re-release.

The books definitely have a reading order which the publisher has obviously not taken into consideration.  I need to rearrange my collection again to put this one in its proper place.  However, there is a new title due out on April 26, 2011 (Black Magic Woman) and I have no idea if it is a totally new story or another re-release.  Oh well, I will enjoy reading it anyway I am sure.

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Filed under Contemporary, Humor, Paranormal, Romance

Eat Prey Love (Love at Stake, #9) by Kerrelyn Sparks

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Carlos Panterra is looking for a mate, a woman who will love and care for the young orphans he’s recently taken under his wing (or paw, as the case may be). When the shape shifter spies the beautiful Caitlyn, it’s like sunshine amidst the darkness. At last, he’s found the perfect woman, except…

Caitlyn Whelan is mortal. Worse, her father is the head of a CIA agency bent on hunting the undead. Still, Caitlyn knows that Carlos is the man for her, shape shifter or not. So she jumps at the chance when her sister offers her a job to work with him, determined to show Carlos their attraction is more than just animal magnetism. But danger lurks in the night, and their unleashed, untamed passion might just get them both killed… (from Goodreads)

This was not one of my favorites in the series, but I think that was because I was getting tired of reading them.  I did have problems with Carlos’ determination to only mate with another full-blooded panther shifter.  I understand that he was trying to save his species, but all that “nobility” can be hard to stomach.

There was some foreshadowing to indicate that he may not be as alone as he thinks.  I certainly hope so.

Book ten, Vampire Mine, goes on sell March 29, 2011.  We are finally going to get Conner’s story.

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Filed under Contemporary, Humor, Paranormal, Romance

The Vampire and the Virgin (Love at Stake, #8) by Kerrelyn Sparks

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Olivia’s packing list:

1. Sunscreen
2. Bathing suit
3. Flip-flops

FBI psychologist Olivia Sotiris is looking for a cool ocean breeze, sand between her toes, and a break from her crazy, and sometimes dangerous, life. But when she escapes to the Greek island of Patmos, all she gets is a meddling grandmother trying to marry her off. None of the men there interest her—except a mysterious Scotsman named Robby MacKay.

Robby’s packing list:

1. Synthetic blood
2. More synthetic blood
3. Jogging clothes (even a Vamp has to stay in shape!)

Robby needs to cool off, too, since all he can think about is revenge on the Malcontent bloodsuckers who once held him captive. But then he meets Olivia, the beauty with wild curls and a tempting smile. When a deadly criminal from one of her cases back home tracks her down, Robby will have to save her life, along with giving her a first time she’ll never forget … (from Goodreads)

As much as I enjoy these books, I am glad I am reaching the end of the series . . . or at least, so far.  It is definitely time for a change of pace.  Anyway, Olivia is an empath, but she cannot read vampires.  Personally, I have problems with that.  The vampires are alive during the night, so she should be able to read their emotions.  I guess it can be blamed on their psychic powers and ability to block others from their minds.

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Filed under Contemporary, Humor, Paranormal, Romance

Forbidden Nights With a Vampire (Love at Stake, #7) by Kerrelyn Sparks

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Vanda Barkowski is in trouble.

As the owner of a hot nightclub, she’s more unconventional than most of her fellow vampires, and if some think her a little out of control, then so be it. But after three former employees filed a complaint about her temper, Vanda is sentenced to an anger management class. Worse, Phil Jones agreed to be her sponsor. Phil, the mortal who is forbidden to her . . .

If Vanda knew who—or what—Phil really is, she’d reconsider her attraction to him, for his true nature is wilder than anything she’d ever imagined. He has tackled the beast within and now is the perfect person to help Vanda with her rage . . . if only he can keep his cool when she makes him so undeniably hot. But with rogue vamps on the loose, will they ever have their forbidden nights? (from Goodreads)

This one is definitely a change of pace.  We have a female vampire (not the first), but she is matched with a shape-shifter.  In this case, the shifter is an alpha werewolf.  It’s amazing how different authors twist the vampire and werewolf legends to suit their books.  Of course, since there is not “true” history or description, anything goes.

This book definitely includes some foreshadowing for future novels.  I think Phil’s sister will have her own book at some point.

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Filed under Contemporary, Humor, Paranormal, Romance

Secret Life of a Vampire (Love at Stake, #6) by Kerrelyn Sparks

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A typical bachelor party is all about beers and beautiful women. A vampire bachelor party is no different — except the men are drinking Blissky (whiskey-flavored synthetic blood). And no one can throw a party quite like Jack, the illegitimate son of the legendary Casanova. But when the party gets out of hand and the cops show up, Jack has some explaining to do . . . if only he wasn’t struck speechless by the beauty of Officer Lara Boucher.

Lara is sure there’s something more than a bachelor party going on. What is Jack hiding? And why is he so interested in the recent disappearance of young women all over town? Her investigation uncovers more than she wants to know, especially about this modern-day Casanova. But if she’s ever to make detective, she’ll need to expose all his secrets . . . if only her heart wasn’t on the line. (from Goodreads)

I loved this storyline.  Although it has the SAME problem of a woman going from not knowing vampires exist to immediately falling in love with one, I found this one more believable.  Maybe I’m just becoming more accepting of the whole idea.

I did like the fact that Jack admitted he had been in love before.  After all, he is over 200 years old.  He hasn’t pined for his entire existence waiting for Lara to appear.

Her friend, LaToya is wonderful too.  I see a book in her future as well.

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Filed under Contemporary, Humor, Paranormal, Romance

All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire (Love at Stake, #5) by Kerrelyn Sparks

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Toni Davis’s Christmas wish list

1. Springing my best friend from the psych ward.

2. Living somewhere that doesn’t have coffins in the basement. Occupied coffins.

3. Finding Mr. Right. Please make him tall, dark, handsome, and alive.

This Christmas isn’t so merry for Toni. Her best friend’s been locked up in a mental hospital ever since she told the police she was attacked by vampires, and the only way for Toni to get her out is to prove that bloodsuckers really do exist. So she’s taken a job as a bodyguard for the Undead, but she gets more than she bargained for, especially when she meets Ian MacPhie, a Scottish rascal looking for Ms. Right.

Although Ian’s nearly five centuries old, he looks and acts like a twenty-seven-year-old hunk.

How can a dead man be so damn sexy? Could Mr. Wrong be Mr. Right? One forbidden kiss could lead to an eternity of passion—and all it takes is one moment under the mistletoe . . . (from Goodreads)

I was glad to see that Ian finally got his own story.  I am still bothered by how quickly the woman (and in a previous book, man) go from wanting to kill all the vampires to falling in love with one.  For Pete’s sake, Emma was nearly raped and murdered by Malcontents just a few days earlier and now she is madly in love with Ian.  Oh well, it was a great book anyway.

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Filed under Contemporary, Humor, Paranormal, Romance