Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Holidays Are Hell by Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Marjorie M. Liu, Vicki Pettersson

Holidays Are Hell Holidays Are Hell by Kim Harrison



This holiday, spend quality time with family and loved ones;living and dead . . .

There's no place like home for the horrordays;unless you'd prefer a romantic midnight walk through a ghost-infested graveyard . . . or a haunted house candlelight dinner with the sexy vampire of your dreams. The (black) magical season is here;and whether it's a solstice séance gone demonically wrong with the incomparable Kim Harrison, a grossly misshapen Christmas with the remarkable Lynsay Sands, a blood-chilling-and-spilling New Year's with the wonderful Marjorie M. Liu, or a super-powered Thanksgiving with the phenomenal Vicki Pettersson, one thing is for certain: in the able hands of these exceptional dark side explorers, the holidays are going to be deliciously hellish!



My review


rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have written up a little review of each story. I did not realize it when I started the book, but I have books and/or series of books by each of these authors on my TBR shelf. But have not yet read any of them, with the exception of one Kim Harrison's 'Hollows' book that I don't remember being terribly impressed with. So here goes--





Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel by Kim Harrison--

I have read the first book about the Hollows by Harrison and while it was okay I was not blown away and have not read any of the others yet. But I have to say that I loved this story about a teenage Rachel. I have to go back and check my journal entry for the book that I have read, but I don't recall anything in it that relates to this story. In this story we have a young, sickly Rachel, who is fighting to overcome the remnants of a battle with an illness that no before her has ever survived. She wants to join the I.S. but her older brother wants her to move with him and study witchcraft. He makes a deal with her -- If she can perform a spell and bring back the ghost of their father to ask him what he thinks Rachel should do, and her father's ghost agrees that she should join the I.S., then he will sign the papers for her. Rachel performs the spell with success but the ghost that comes back is not her father. This leads to a race to find a young girl, who has been kidnapped by a vampire that the ghost Rachel brought back has battled before. All in all a very detailed and exciting story that makes me want to go dig out my Rachel Morgan books and read them now.





Run, Run Rudolph by Lynsay Sands --



This was a fun, romantic read. When Jill is zapped by an experimental ray from a molecular destabilizer that her brother has created, she suddenly becomes a shape shifter, able to instantly change into anyone (or anything) that she sees. This leads to a bit of chaos when a crazy lab assistant tries to kidnap her to experiment on. With the help of a guy she has been 'friends' with for the past 6 months, she has to escape the madman and try to keep her secret from her potential new guy, all of this while play Mrs. Claus in the annual Christmas parade. lol A wonderful, fun story that was quite enjoyable to read.





Six by Marjorie Liu --



This is a much darker urban fantasy than the first 2 stories in the book. The story takes place in Shanghai where we meet Six -- a young woman who has been raised by the government and trained to be a killer. She works for an elite team of female anti terrorists who are deadlier than any other weapon that the government has. While investigating a possible terrorist threat she encounters a man who is nothing like anyone she has ever met before. When he saves her from a vampire she decides to learn what she can from him about this new threat to her nation, even though it may mean she has to commit treason. Good read, good urban fantasy.





The Harvest by Vicki Pettersson --



I really enjoyed this story of The Zodiac. I have not read any of her Zodiac series of books yet, but I really enjoyed this one and look forward to starting them soon. I can't wait to see how the stories tie into this one. I was amazed at how much the author managed to include in a short story. It was great!! Zoe is an agent of the Light, a member of the Zodiac team. She has given up her powers in order to protect her daughter, who is supposed to be a the fulfillment of a prophesy. When her granddaughter, who is also a supernatural, but being hidden in the mortal world for her own safety, is kidnapped by the Shadows, she must contact her old love and convince him and the other members of the Zodiac to help her rescue the child. I am very eager to read more of her books and learn more about the Zodiac. Great Read!!


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Friday, January 9, 2009

Fish Out of Water (Fred the Mermaid, Book 3) by MaryJanice Davidson

Fish Out of Water (Fred the Mermaid, Book 3) Fish Out of Water by MaryJanice Davidson


red the Mermaid has taken the bait and chosen to date Artur, Prince of the Black Sea, over human marine biologist Thomas. And just in time. The existence of the Undersea Folk is no longer a secret, and someone needs to keep them from floundering in the media spotlight. Fred has all the right skills for that job, but has a hard time when her real father surfaces and tries to overthrow Artur’s regime.



My review


rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am so sad to know that this is the last Fred the Mermaid book. I love Fred and totally enjoyed this series. In this final book Fred has to help Arthur and his father try to figure out what is happening to the Undersea Folk. Lots of them have been disappearing since their recent decision to show themselves to humans and Fred and the crew rent a mansion in Florida and begin to investigate. Add to this Fred's best friend, Jonas in the midst of his wedding plans and Fred's decision about which guy she wants to be with and you are in for a wonderful adventure. This is the MJD that I fell in love with!!


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The Man With the Golden Torc (Shaman Bond #1) by Simon R. Green

The Man With the Golden Torc (Shaman Bond #1) The Man With the Golden Torc by Simon R. Green


From the New York Times bestselling author of the Deathstalker and Nightside series comes a new kind of hero in an old kind of war.

All those things you hear about as a kid? The boogeyman under the bed? The creature in the closet? They're for real, people.

Eddie Drood knows they're for real. His family has kept humanity safe from the things that go bump in the night. For ages, they've held back the nightmares, locked the doors, barred the gates, and put righteous boot to monster arse on a nightly basis.

But now Eddie's in trouble. One of his own has convinced the rest of the family that Eddie's become a menace, and that humanity needs to be protected from him. So he's on the run, using every trick in the book, magical and otherwise, hoping he lives long enough to prove his innocence. And he knows how dangerous the Droods can be-because he's one of them



My review


rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first book by Green that I have read, though I have quite a few on my TBR shelf. I enjoyed it. I really like the main character and his sense of humor. That's Bond, Shaman Bond! lol For me this book is very tongue in cheek. Lots of James Bondishness. I have never been a James Bond fan and so was put off a little bit, but eventually was able to overlook it and really enjoy the book and the characters. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series soon.


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