Category Archives: Mystery

January 15, 2011 · 6:06 pm

Witchling (Sisters of the Moon, #1) by Yasmine Galenorn

We’re the D’Artigo Sisters: Half-human, half-Faerie, we’re savvy – and sexy – operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. But our mixed-blood heritage short-circuits our talents at all the wrong times. My sister Delilah shapeshifts into a tabby cat whenever she’s stressed. Menolly’s a vampire who’s still trying to get the hang of being undead. And me? I’m Camille – a wicked-good witch. Except my magic is as unpredictable as the weather, which my enemies are about to find out the hard way…

At the Wayfarer Inn, a portal to Otherworld and the local hangout for humans and beasties alike, our fellow operative Jocko’s been murdered. Every clue points to Shadow Wing, the soul-munching, bad-ass leader of the Subterranean Realms. He’s made it clear that he aims to raze humankind to the ground, turning both Earth and Otherworld into his private playground. Our assignment: keep Shadow Wing and his minions from creeping into Earth via the Wayfarer. The demons figure they’re in like Flynn. After all, with only my ‘bumbling’ sisters and me standing in the way, how can they miss? But we’ve got a secret for them: faulty wiring or not, nobody kicks ass like the D’Artigo girls.

re-read 1/15/2011

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Filed under Mystery, Paranormal, Romance

January 1, 2011 · 7:02 pm

Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy, #6) by Richelle Mead

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Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules.

She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir’s Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir Princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardian to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose- for a crime she didn’t even commit. She’s in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She’ll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the clock on Rose’s life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back… and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your life is about saving others, who will save you? (from Goodreads)

This is the final book in the Vampire Academy series and it does an excellent job of tying up lose ends.  I am very glad to know there will be a spin off series however because I am nowhere near ready to give up this world.  The first book is titled Bloodlines and will be released August 23, 2011.

The last book ended with the murder of the queen and Rose’s arrest.  This book centers around Rose’s escape with the help of her friends and their attempt to discover the real murderer.  Of course, there are several subplots as well, the most important of which is the love triangle between Rose, Dimitri, and Adrian.  Just like the Hunger Games series, there cannot be a happy ending for everyone.

There were a number of surprising revelations in the last few chapters, but the book did not seem rushed.  I would like to go back and re-read the other books in the series to see if there were any clues foreshadowing some of the things that came to light.

I was totally shocked at the identity of the murderer, but I shouldn’t have been.  The motive was there, I just didn’t see it.

All in all, an excellent ending to the series.

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Filed under Contemporary, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult

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December 10, 2010 · 4:34 pm

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

This is the best book I have read in months.  I actually listened to it on audio which I think made it better because of the music.  You can hear Sixteen Moons on the authors’ website and you really need to listen to it.  I prefer the moody version.

One of the things I liked about the book is the small town.  I swear I have met variations on most of the characters in the book because of the small towns I have lived in myself.

Oh yes.  The dog’s name is priceless.

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Filed under Contemporary, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult

December 1, 2010 · 4:46 am

Possession in Death in The Other Side anthology (Eve Dallas, #31.5) by J. D. Robb

“The devil killed my body. I cannot fight, I cannot find. I cannot free her. You must. You are the one. We speak to the dead.”

Immediately after hearing these words, uttered to her by an old Romanian woman bleeding to death in the street, detective Eve Dallas begins to notice that her latest case has come with a number of interesting side-effects: visions of the deceased, instant familiarity with rooms she’s never seen before, and fluency in Russian. Likewise, there appears to be a force inside of her, a spirit other than her own, that won’t let her rest until she’s found Beata, the old woman’s great-granddaughter, whose disappearance two months prior remains a mystery. Desperate to be free of her new “gifts”, Eve pursues the facts until she discovers a link between Beata’s disappearance and the disappearance of eight other young women, all of whom attended the same dance classes, none of whom were ever heard from again.

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November 18, 2010 · 5:56 am

Heist Society (Heist, #1) by Ally Carter

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When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own–scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat’s friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat’s father isn’t just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help. For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it’s a spectacularly impossible job? She’s got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in history–or at least her family’s (very crooked) history. (from Amazon)

I have been wanting to read Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls series since she began publishing them.  I just haven’t taken the time.  Heist Society, however, is on this year’s YALSA’s Teens Top Ten list so I went ahead and read it.  I am so glad that I did.

She is an excellent author.  There are all kinds of twists and turns, but none of them seem far fetched.  It was more of a “I should have seen that coming” or “Why didn’t I think of that?” style.

The ending was very satisfying with a definite option for a sequel, but no cliff-hanger.  I am so tired of cliff-hangers!  I found the following information on the author’s blog.

“The title for Heist Society 2 will be Uncommon Criminals.  Look for it in stores on June 21, 2011!” (from Ally Carter’s blog)

And yes, I am definitely moving her Gallagher Girl series closer to the top of my TBR list.

 

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Filed under Contemporary, Mystery, Realistic, Young Adult

November 12, 2010 · 5:21 am

Indulgence in Death (Eve Dallas, #38) by J. D. Robb

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First it was a limo driver shot through the neck with a crossbow. Then it was a high-priced escort found stabbed through the heart with a bayonet.

Random hits, thrill kills, murderers with a taste for the finer things in life-and death-are making NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas angry. And an angry Eve can be just as an efficient and dangerous predator as the killer.

As time runs out on another innocent victim’s life, Eve’s investigation will take her into the rarefied circle that her husband, Roarke, travels in-and into the perverted heart of madness… (from Amazon)

I love this series and would dearly love to re-read all of them, but with 38 titles including novellas, I don’t see it happening anytime soon.  This book starts with a vacation in Ireland visiting Roarke’s family.  It gives a glimpse into what his life could have been like if his father had not been the murdering SOB that he was.  It also shows the love between Roarke and Eve.

I like that Robb has gotten away from so much negative tension between them.  The last few books have shown they are more believing in their love for each other.  The only real fights seem to occur when they are trying to protect one another from danger.

Posession in Death (in the anthology The Other Side) will be released November 30, 2010 and the next full novel, Treachery in Death, is due out February 22, 2011.  Normally with books being released that close together, I would wait and read them all at once.  However, I never wait to read an Eve and Roarke book!  I love them way too much for that.

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Filed under Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction

September 8, 2010 · 8:56 pm

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

August 8, 2010 · 8:19 pm

Waking the Witch (Women of the Otherworld, #11) by Kelley Armstrong

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The orphaned daughter of a sorcerer and a half-demon, Savannah is a terrifyingly powerful young witch who has never been able to resist the chance to throw her magical weight around. But at 21 she knows she needs to grow up and prove to her guardians, Paige and Lucas, that she can be a responsible member of their supernatural detective agency. So she jumps at the chance to fly solo, investigating the mysterious deaths of three young women in a nearby factory town as a favor to one of the agency’s associates. At first glance, the murders look garden-variety human, but on closer inspection signs point to otherworldly stakes.

I have been reading this series since Bitten was originally published.  It was probably one of the first paranormal romances I started following.  Due to this, I have watched Savannah grow up.  It’s amazing  how invested I can become in a character and begin to think of them as real people.  I don’t believe this story would be nearly as good to someone who did not know her as a child.

This is definitely a series that needs a re-read from the beginning.  Unfortunately, there are so many short stories interspersed as either part of the series or side stories, I am not quite sure what order they should be read.  I expect I could get some help on Goodreads or LibraryThing though.

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Filed under Mystery, Paranormal, Romance

August 7, 2010 · 11:38 am

Into the Crossfire (Protectors, #1) by Lisa Marie Rice

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Former Navy SEAL Sam Reston keeps to himself. His world is dangerous, uncertain, violent…and there is no room in it for the helpless and weak. Then the most beautiful woman in the world moves in next door to him . . . .

Nicole Pearce’s life is complicated enough—with an ailing father and a new business to worry about—and the last thing she needs is to get involved with a secretive, hard-bodied, hardheaded neighbor. Yet Sam leaves her breathless—her body tingling with erotic desire—and it takes every ounce of her fabled control to resist offering herself to him, no strings attached. What she doesn’t know is that Sam Reston is on an undercover assignment . . . and she’s about to step into the crossfire.

Never has Sam ached for a woman so badly, and he’s never fallen in love before. Now that Nicole is in grave danger, he will become her shield, and guard the tempting body he longs to touch and taste. Because a terrorist plot hatched half a world away is heading to their doorstep—and it can only be derailed by one man and one woman. (from Goodreads)

I started reading Lisa Marie Rice when I discovered her Midnight series.  I have read and re-read those three books several times.  Since then, I have purchased and read everything else I could find by her, but none of them have lived up to the Midnight ones.

This book does!

It’s ironic that I love the alpha males so much in reading.  I expect I would laugh in their face in real life.  Nicole is not a wimp by any means.  She was brought up with the classic silver spoon, but when the necessity arose she walked away from that life to care for her father.  She is not stupid either.  She knows she is in over her head with the terrorists and is willing to rely on Sam to help her.

My only problem is that I do not want to wait for the next book in the series.  Hotter Than Wildfire is due out in March 2011.

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Filed under Erotica, Mystery, Realistic, Romance

July 10, 2010 · 9:51 am

Sizzling Sixteen (Stephanie Plum, #16) by Janet Evanovich

Trenton, New Jersey, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has inherited a “lucky” bottle from her Uncle Pip. Problem is, Uncle Pip didn’t specify if the bottle brought good luck or bad luck. . . . (from Goodreads)

These books have definitely hit their stride again.  They are always good, but I was not as pleased with books thirteen and fourteen.  However, with Finger Lickin’ Fifteen and Sizzling Sixteen, I feel like the Stephanie Plum I fell in love with is back.

Stephanie is in the “off” portion of her on-again-off-again relationship with Joe.  And as often happens, she ends up staying with Ranger for one reason or another.  Is the “lucky” bottle going to make sure she gets lucky?

Come on Stephanie, this is Ranger!!  How can you resist?

This book actually  made me think a time or two that the series was coming to an end.  There was all kinds of foreshadowing going on.  Fortunately, I was wrong.  There are clues for further plot developments though.

The only problem I have with these books is that it is so long between titles.  She has added another series starring Diesel, so I am afraid the wait may be even longer.  I wish there was a new book at least twice a year and I don’t count the “between-the-numbers” ones.

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