Category Archives: Science Fiction

Festive in Death (In Death, #39) by J. D. Robb

Festive in Death (In Death, #39)Festive in Death by J.D. Robb

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Eve Dallas deals with a homicide—and the holiday season—in the latest from the #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Personal trainer Trey Ziegler was in peak physical condition. If you didn’t count the kitchen knife in his well-toned chest.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas soon discovers a lineup of women who’d been loved and left by the narcissistic gym rat. While Dallas sorts through the list of Ziegler’s enemies, she’s also dealing with her Christmas shopping list—plus the guest list for her and her billionaire husband’s upcoming holiday bash.

Feeling less than festive, Dallas tries to put aside her distaste for the victim and solve the mystery of his death. There are just a few investigating days left before Christmas, and as New Year’s 2061 approaches, this homicide cop is resolved to stop a cold-blooded killer.

I love the later Eve and Roarke books. Their relationship is solid and I can just enjoy the mystery and not be upset by problems between them.

Eve has learned that it is okay to enjoy life as “normal” people do. She can help throw a party (even if she is forced into it) and just enjoy her friends.

The murder victim in this book is completely unlikable, but that doesn’t mean Eve doesn’t give the case her best effort. She definitely has a stronger sense of justice than I do. I think he got what he deserved.

The murderer wasn’t a complete surprise, but the plot getting there was engrossing.

Another great book and one that is making me think about Christmas in September. I guess I need to start planning soon.

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The Hot Zone (Rainshadow, #3, Harmony, #11) by Jayne Castle

 

The Hot ZoneJayne Castle, aka Jayne Ann Krentz, has done it again. I love her books under whatever name she writes, but I have a special place in my heart for the dust bunny books. In Hot Zone, the third of the Rainshadow Island series, we meet Lyle, the newest addition to the dust bunny cast.

 

Unlike some of the other dust bunnies, Lyle does not have a fetish for jewelry or antique clutches or dolls. Lyle likes to sort things, whether they are pieces of candy or pieces of amber. He arranges and rearranges them to his satisfaction. You have to love an OCD dust bunny.

 

Oh yes, the humans.

 

Sedona Snow is a descendent of Arizona Snow who you may know from JAK’s Eclipse Bay series. Hundreds of years later and light years away, we finally learn why Arizona was such a conspiracy theorist.

 

With that background, of course Sedona ends up with a Jones. Yes, one of those Jones . . . of the Arcane Society.

 

Cyrus Jones is the new Guild boss for Rainshadow Island. Rainshadow has never needed the Guild before, but with newly discovered tunnels and monsters coming out of the Preserve, they are definitely needed now.

 

Of course, a Jones always has more than one motive. Cyrus is actually there looking for Sedona. Seems she has recently escaped from a mad scientist who kidnapped her and injected her with a secret Arcane formula. Yes, Arcane fans. It’s Sylvester Jones’ formula showing up once again and we all know how well that is going to turn out.

 

With all that going on, how could I not love the book?

 

You really don’t have to have read her contemporary or historical Arcane books to follow the plot, but it adds so much to the story if you have. I felt that I was meeting old friends throughout the book.

 

I highly recommend this addition to the Harmony/Rainshadow series. As always, the author delivers with an alpha male and a strong willed female and romance and humor abound.

 

Oh yes, and don’t forget the dust bunnies.

The Hot Zone

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Filed under Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction

Heart Fortune (Celta’s Heartmates, #12) by Robin D. Owens

Heart Fortune (Celta's Heartmates, #12)Heart Fortune by Robin D. Owens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Jace Bayrum has always been a loner. Concerned more with getting an adrenaline fix and making money to live on his own, Jace cares little for family ties or matters of the heart. On the other hand Glyssa Licorice, Jace’s former fling and true mate, is both loving and loyal. She is determined to track down her HeartMate and have him claim her. After hearing that Jace has been involved in an accident, Glyssa sets out to find him, departing for the excavation site of the lost starship Lugh’s Spear. Though her goal is to help Jace and finesse him into recognizing her as his mate, the excavation itself draws her in… Thrust by fate into working side-by-side, Jace and Glyssa’s electric connection from years before sparks once more. She intrigues him, and Jace begins to realize that a HeartMate can make a difference. And one as magnetic as Glyssa could be exactly what he has been searching for…

There were several things I liked about this book. Glyssa is a librarian and that is the first time I remember her family appearing in any of the books. I love the Fams. Glyssa’s is a young fox and Jace’s is a type of hawk. Several characters from previous books appear, either in minor or major roles. All of these positives are overshadowed by Jace not wanting to HeartMate with Glyssa. He doesn’t believe in love and he doesn’t want to lose his freedom. Although I cannot imagine ever giving up on this series, I much prefer the earlier books. The couples were both more likable then. View all my reviews

This book was given to me by NetGalley for an honest review.

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Justin (Tales of the Shareem, #6) by Allyson James

Justin (Tales of the Shareem, #6)Justin by Allyson James

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have been a longtime fan of the Shareem books and I don’t know how this one slipped by me. I really need to re-read the series.

Like many of them, this book was funny and heartbreaking. I really enjoyed meeting many of the couples/triples from previous books.

The only thing I didn’t care for is when they switched dom/sub roles.  I’m not comfortable with the male as the sub.

I will definitely keep a closer watch on this series to make sure I don’t fall behind again.

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Filed under Erotica, Regency, Science Fiction

Come Fill Me (The Prophecy, #1) by Tina Donahue

Come Fill Me (The Prophecy, #1)Come Fill Me by Tina Donahue
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Title: * Come Fill Me
Author: Tina Donahue
Series: Prophecy, #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Samhain
Format: ebook
Date/Year: December 18, 2012
Reviewed by: ElaineReads

*This book was provided to me by the publisher for review.

Summary from the publisher:

Years ago, with the healing abilities afforded by her blend of Aztec and extraterrestrial blood, Liz was free to do as she wished. Now she is trapped in a blood feud, forced to heal one of her clan’s most dangerous rivals so they can exploit his gift of prophecy.

As she drapes her nude body over his, the rush of his returning strength overwhelms her, and his stunningly sensual caress pushes her to her sexual limit.

Zeke Neekoma never expected to hunger for a woman he’s supposed to hate, but now that he’s tasted her, he has no intention of denying himself the pleasure of her body—or of kidnapping his enemy’s most cherished plaything.

Brought to Zeke’s stronghold to heal his brother, Jacob, Liz surrenders her body’s most traitorous needs to the unrestrained desires of two powerful men. And the brothers fill the lonely void she has too long endured.

But her clan doesn’t intend to let her go without a fight…and the ecstasy that binds Liz to her lovers could be the thing that breaks them.

My Musings:

The characters in this book are descendents of two different alien races that visited Earth sometime in the distant past. The aliens bred with Native American women and gifted some of the children with powers. Those from Zeke’s people have the gift of prophecy while Liz’s people have healing powers. The powers are rare and Zeke and Liz are some of the strongest of their respective people.

Carreon, the leader of Liz’s people, has captured Zeke and he is near death. Carreon kidnaps Liz and forces her to heal Zeke because he wants to use Zeke’s ability for himself. This healing requires Zeke to have sex with Liz, so that he can be healed completely.

I am not sure why I did not like this book. The premise had real possibilities and some of the sex scenes were handled very well. However, the emotional responses of all the characters seemed forced and unbelievable.

Liz has suffered abuse and humiliation at Carreon’s hands, but she still desires him. Within minutes of healing Zeke, she is falling in love with him. Jacob, a grown man, only wants her because she belongs to Zeke. The only likable person in the story is Zeke and even with him things happen unbelievably fast.

The scenes involving sexual foreplay were explicit and arousing. However, the scenes involving actual sex were rushed, particularly the ones dealing with anal sex. I got the impression the author was not comfortable describing those.

Finally, I felt the book just stopped. Yes, it is the first book in a series, but there was not any indication of what was to come. Normally, I always finish any series I start. I can’t help myself. I doubt I’ll bother with this one though.

Ratings

Overall: 3 – It probably really deserves a two, but the plot has real possibilities and some of the sex scenes were very well done.

Sensuality level: 4 – I almost gave this a five because there is discussion of Liz being submissive and being whipped. However, it is nothing like a true BDSM book. The pain is simply mentioned, not described.

THIS REVIEW ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AT SEDUCTIVE MUSINGS.

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Filed under Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction

Hearts and Swords (Celta novellas) by Robin D. Owens

Award-winning author Robin D. Owens returns to the futuristic world of Celta with four original romantic fantasies as four different couples find their HeartMates and their destinies on Celta.

This was a wonderful addition to the series.  My favorites were the first story of the ships before landing on Celta and the last one about the Clovers.

I think I would have liked the others better if I had recently read the books they were spun-off from.

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New York to Dallas (in Death, #33) by J. D. Robb

Isaac McQueen is a savage pedophile who just can’t quit. Now that he’s escaped from New York’s Riker Island, he has only three goals: Stay free; continue his perverted attacks; and wreak revenge on the cop who brought him down: Eve Dallas. J.D. Robb’s 33rd futuristic In Death novel promises to take readers deep into the mind and heart of Eve Dallas than ever before.

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Filed under Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction

Heart Search (Celta, #10) by Robin D. Owens

Laev T’Hawthorn — one of the highest nobles in the land — must rebuild his life after a devastating mistake.  He married a woman he believed was his HeartMate, only to learn she was a greedy social climber.  She callously used him, stealing his family heirlooms.  He is determined to reclaim all that he has lost — beginning with his self-respect.

Abandoned at fifteen, Camellia Darjeeling values her independence above all.  She’s fought to establish her own businesses — elegant tearooms — only to have her father and uncle re-enter her life.  They emotionally scourge her and extort money.  Trusting men, even her HeartMate, is too risky.

When Laev and Camellia meet, they refuse to acknowledge that they are true HeartMates.  After her shady relatives are implicated in the theft of Laev’s property, Camellia and Laev’s lives become ever more entangled bringing each to the brink of despair and passion…and a destiny they can no longer avoid.

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The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1) by James Dashner

Imagine waking up one day in total darkness, unsure of where you are and unable to remember anything about yourself except your first name. You’re in a bizarre place devoid of adults called the Glade. The Glade is an enclosed structure with a jail, a graveyard, a slaughterhouse, living quarters, and gardens. And no way out. Outside the Glade is the Maze, and every day some of the kids — the Runners — venture into the labyrinth, trying to map the ever-changing pattern of walls in an attempt to find an exit from this hellish place. So far, no one has figured it out. And not all of the Runners return from their daily exertions, victims of the maniacal Grievers, part animal, part mechanical killing machines.

This is the first in what I think is going to be a trilogy.  It is one of the nominees for the 2011-2012 Georgia Peach Award for Teens and one of the best so far.

There were so many things going on in this book that at first I had a hard time keeping track.  That is often the case when an author has to spend time world building.  I stuck with the book and I am glad that I did so.  It really turned out well although the ending is definitely a cliff hanger.

This is a book that I would recommend to readers who like The Hunger Games or The Knife of Never Letting Go series.

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Filed under Dystopian, Post-apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Young Adult

WWW: WONDER (WWW, #3) by Robert J. Sawyer

Webmind, the vast consciousness that spontaneously emerged from the infrastructure of the World Wide Web, has proven its worth to humanity by aiding in everything from curing cancer to easing international tensions. But the brass at the Pentagon see Webmind as a threat that needs to be eliminated.

Caitlin Decter, the once-blind sixteen-year-old math genius who discovered, and bonded with, Webmind, wants desperately to protect her friend. And if she doesn’t act, everything, Webmind included, may come crashing down.

I did not get to read this book immediately after reading the first two because I had to wait for it to arrive.  While waiting, I read Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson.  This was another book in which the world’s technology becomes self-aware, but it took an entirely different direction.  I could not have picked a better book to read for contrast.

Although Webmind has proven the way he can benefit humanity, some members of the American government still want him destroyed.  The Chinese government may end up unintentionally doing the job for them.

This series addresses so many social issues, not just our reliance on the Internet.  Human rights, abortion, and religious views are all represented.

I actually had chill bumps while reading this book.  I cannot recommend this series enough.

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Filed under Contemporary, Science Fiction, Young Adult