The Trouble With Magic (A Bewitching Mystery #1) by Madelyn Alt

The Trouble With Magic by Madelyn Alt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Antiques-shop clerk Maggie O'Neill was a little weirded out when she discovered her new boss Felicity was a witch. But when Felicity becomes the suspect in a local murder, Maggie must enlist Felicity's wiccan friends for help--and discover her own spellbinding talent.~~~



This book was really slow for me. I had a hard time staying interested. I liked the characters and the premise of the book, but the execution was not great for me. The author's writing style was a bit too wordy for me. Overly descriptive in some areas and repetitive in others. I was expecting a paranormal cozy mystery but ended up feeling like I got an intro course in New Age/Mysticism instead. The mystery itself seemed to be a background for Maggie's discovery of 'magic'. (I use the word magic loosely as I feel like it is more about religion than magic in some ways.) I did however like the characters and am hoping that future books in the series get better. I like the mysterious Marcus and the stormy beginning for Maggie and Tom. The intro to the NIGHTS left a lot of possibilities for future characters. So while I may not jump right on the next book in the series, I will eventually get back to it.




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Crave (The Fallen Angels #2) by J.R. Ward

Crave by J.R. Ward

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Seven deadly sins. Seven souls that must be saved. One more no-holds- barred battle between a fallen angel with a hardened heart and a demon with everything to lose.

Isaac Rothe is a black ops soldier with a dark past and a grim future. The target of an assassin, he finds himself behind bars, his fate in the hands of his gorgeous public defender Grier Childe. His hot attraction to her can only lead to trouble-and that's before Jim Heron tells him his soul is in danger. Caught up in a wicked game with the demon who shadows Jim, Isaac must decide whether the soldier in him can believe that true love is the ultimate weapon against evil.
~~~

Before I get into how much I enjoyed this book I have to give kudos to Ms. Ward for her wonderful ability to create a world and draw her readers into it. In both this series and her Black Dagger Brotherhood series she creates an intricate world where the reader becomes immersed in the lives of the characters in such a way as to create emotional ties between the reader and the characters in the books.

I loved this 2nd book in the Fallen Angel series. I went into this book wondering to myself how in the world was Ms. Ward going to be able to write a book in this series where the good guys lose one. We fall in love with the main characters and how would she ever be able to write a believable story where these much loved characters end up turning away from good and joining the evil team. I mean good can not always triumph, as much as we would all love for that to be the case. So somewhere along the line the demon has to win a soul or two. Well my question was answered and with a twist that just seemed so fitting, but still leaves us breathless to see what happens next!

Love this series and this author!!



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The Reapers Are the Angels by Alden Bell

The Reapers Are the Angels by Alden Bell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Zombies have infested a fallen America. A young girl named Temple is on the run. Haunted by her past and pursued by a killer, Temple is surrounded by death and danger, hoping to be set free.

For twenty-five years, civilization has survived in meager enclaves, guarded against a plague of the dead. Temple wanders this blighted landscape, keeping to herself and keeping her demons inside her heart. She can't remember a time before the zombies, but she does remember an old man who took her in and the younger brother she cared for until the tragedy that set her on a personal journey toward redemption. Moving back and forth between the insulated remnants of society and the brutal frontier beyond, Temple must decide where ultimately to make a home and find the salvation she seeks.

~~~

Maybe I was expecting too much going in because of the rave reviews that I have read but I was a bit disappointed with this book. The prose was bit too much. The author seemed to be trying too hard to make this a deep book, but it is about the end of the world as we know it and it did not fit for me. Another thing that bugged me was that the main character was a 15 year old girl, born 10 years after the beginning of the zombie apocalypse, who is not educated, in fact does not know how to read, but has a very extensive vocabulary. Overall it was an okay read, but not the best zombie novel I have read.



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Black and White (The Icarus Project #1) by Jackie Kessler, Caitlin Kittredge

Black and White by Jackie Kessler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It's the ultimate battle of good versus good.

They were best friends at an elite academy for superheroes in training, but now Callie Bradford, code name Iridium, and Joannie Greene, code name Jet, are mortal enemies. Jet is a by-the-book hero, using her Shadow power to protect the citizens of New Chicago. Iridium, with her mastery of light, runs the city’s underworld. For the past five years the two have played an elaborate, and frustrating, game of cat and mouse.

But now playtime’s over. Separately Jet and Iridium uncover clues that point to a looming evil, one that is entwined within the Academy. As Jet works with Bruce Hunter—a normal man with an extraordinary ability to make her weak in the knees—she becomes convinced that Iridium is involved in a scheme that will level the power structure of America itself. And Iridium, teaming with the mysterious vigilante called Taser, uncovers an insidious plot that’s been a decade in the making…a plot in which Jet is key.

They’re both right. And they’re both wrong. Because nothing is as simple as Black and White.

~~~~



Excellent read. I was not sure going in how I was going to like this book as I am not a big superhero or comic book fan. But I absolutely loved this book. The story of 2 best friends who are in training to be hero's jumps back and forth between present day and the past as well as between the two main characters POV. It makes for a very interesting story and one that I absolutely became immersed in. Can not wait to get my hands on the next book to see what the next chapter in the lives of Jet and Iridium is like.



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Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls (Ghost Hunter Mystery #5) by Victoria Laurie

Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls by Victoria Laurie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When M.J. Holliday and the crew of her cable TV show, Ghoul Getters, venture to the haunted ruins of Dunlow Castle in Ireland, drawn by the legend of hidden treasure, they hope the road will rise up to meet them, that the wind will always be at their backs-and that the resident phantom won't push them off a cliff. If they treasure their lives, M.J. and her ghost busters need to get the drop on the menacing phantom...

~~~

Another great book in the Ghost Hunter series. With each book the spirit/phantom/demon that the team has to go up against seems to get a little worse and the story line seems to get a little darker. That is just fine with me. I love all of the characters although some of MJ's qualities are beginning to worry me. Her selfishness is showing a bit and her constant honey and buddies are annoying. She also acts very impulsively and somewhat stupidly at times. The fact that I feel like her character is a real flawed person is probably a good point for the authors ability to make her characters real. Very much looking forward to the next in the series after reading the sneak peek in the back of this book.



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Ghouls Gone Wild (Ghost Hunter Mystery #4) by Victoria Laurie

Ghouls Gone Wild by Victoria Laurie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Psychic M.J. Holliday finds herself in a witchy situation...

When M.J. and her friends travel to a small town near Edinburgh, Scotland, to film the first installment of their new cable TV show Ghoul Getters, they find plenty of spooky action in a series of supposedly haunted caverns. But when they discover the body of a maintenance worker, the cause of death is reminiscent of an old legend involving a witch's wrath...

~~~

Loved this latest installment of the Ghost Hunter series. This book gets quite a bit darker, but I like that. Enjoyed the interactions of the characters and the story line. Looking forward to reading more.



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Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link

Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


Contents:
The Faery Handbag (2004)
The Hortlak (2003)
The Cannon (2003)
Stone Animals (2004)
Catskin (2003)
Some Zombie Contingency Plans (2005)
The Great Divorce (2005)
Magic for Beginners (2005)
Lull (2002)

~~~

This book was not for me. I read it, and kept at it, because I kept expecting this sudden understanding to hit me. All of the reviews I read had raved about how wonderful this book was, so obviously I was missing something. Whatever it was that everyone else loved so much managed to evade me because I just did not get it. There were a couple of stories that were okay but even those for me were not worth the read. Obviously this book takes a special kind of reader and I am not ashamed to admit that I am not it.



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Mistletoe Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery #1) by Leslie Meier

Mistletoe Murder by Leslie Meier

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As if baking holiday cookies, knitting a sweater for her husband’s gift, and making her daughter’s angel costume for the church pageant weren’t enough things for Lucy Stone’s busy Christmas schedule, she’s also working nights at the famous mail-order company Country Cousins. But when she discovers Sam Miller, its very wealthy founder, dead in his car from an apparent suicide, the sleuth in her knows something just doesn’t smell right.

Taking time out from her hectic holiday life to find out what really happened, her investigation leads to a backlog of secrets as long as Santa’s Christmas Eve route. Lucy is convinced that someone murdered Sam Miller. But who and why? With each harrowing twist she uncovers in this bizarre case, another shocking revelation is exposed. Now, as Christmas draws near and Lucy gets dangerously closer to the truth, she’s about to receive a present from Santa she didn’t ask for–a killer who won’t be satisfied until everyone on his shopping list is dead, including Lucy herself…

~~~

Very much enjoyed this cute cozy mystery. Love that it is set in a small town as I can relate to a lot of the descriptions and happenings living in a rural area. I like the characters and the mystery itself was interesting enough to keep me reading. Will definitely be continuing with this series.



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Jingle Bell Rock by Lori Foster and other various authors

Jingle Bell Rock by Lori Foster

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


They're big, they're bad, and they're everywhere -- Brava's national bestselling anthologies continue to delight devoted fans across the country, and the franchise that began with All Through the Night now brings a whole new meaning to the idea of Christmas ecstasy. Featuring a six-pack of top-notch, bestselling romance writers, Jingle Bell Rock will be the next best thing to eggnog to celebrate Christmas cheer.

Skip the mistletoe -- you won't need it after you indulge in these six tempting tales of romance filled with the sort of naughty-but-oh-so-nice men who make the season so bright it's downright hot...


He Sees You When You're Sleeping
Lori Foster
What Booker Dean wants for Christmas isn't under the tree, it's right next door. Frances Kennedy is everything Booker desires...and the gift he has planned for her involves a lot of delicious unwrapping...


All She Wants for Christmas
Janelle Denison
When sexy pediatrician Matthew Carlton plays Santa, pulling Faith Roberts onto his lap, he has no idea what's on her Christmas wish list...or how much he'll enjoy fulfilling every bit of it...


Turning Up the Heat
Susan Donovan
Being stood up on Christmas Eve is bad enough, but now Valerie's furnace is broken, too. Good thing that sexy repairman is available to raise the temperature dramatically...


Baby, It's Cold Outside
Donna Kauffman
It's been ten years since Susanna York left Jace Morgan. Now, as fate reunites them during a holiday snowstorm, they'll have plenty of time to discover that distance only sharperns certain hungers...


A Blue Christmas
Alison Kent
Thomas "Blue" Miller never expected to see Jessie Buchanan on his Christmas tree farm again. But now that she's here, he's ready to show her exactly what she's been missing...


The Nutcracker Sweet
Nancy Warren
Co-workers Daniel and Tara couldn't hate each other more. So when they end up as Secret Santa partners, it's a perfect chance for revenge and a dare that just may ignite the steamiest night of their lives...

Very enjoyable anthology of Christmas romance. Definitely a bit steamy, sometimes a bit unrealistic, often a bit of fun. I always enjoy a good anthology and even though I always say that I don't read 'romance', I really seem to enjoy it when I do.

~~~~



While some of the stories seem to be parts of series they all seem to be able to stand alone as well. Normally I am anal about reading series in order, but it did not bother me to read these particular stories.



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The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson

The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


A killing virus has swept the earth, sparing only children through the age of twelve. There is chaos everywhere, even in formely prosperous mid-America. Gangs and fierce armies of children begin to form almost immediately. It would be the same for the children on Grand Avenue but for Lisa, a ten-year-old girl who becomes their leader. Because of Lisa, they have food, even toys, in abundance. And now they can protect themselves from the fierce gangs that roam the neighborhoods. But for how long? Then Lisa conceives the idea of a fortress, a city in which the children could live safely and happily always, and she intends to lead them there.
~~~

Interesting idea and has some good points but overall just a so-so read. It is written in a very juvenile manner which can be explained somewhat by the fact that the characters are all between the ages of 5 and 12 though even a constant reminder of this fact does not override the difficulty of reading something that is so jumbled.

There seems to be a hidden message that the author is trying to get across but it is really hard to decipher what it is in the jumbled ramblings of the main character.

The idea was good but the execution of the novel was not. Not sure if it was worth the time that it took to read or not.



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Bride of the Fat White Vampire (Fat White Vampire #2) by Andrew Fox

Bride of the Fat White Vampire by Andrew Fox

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



After morphing into 187 very large white rats in the name of self-preservation, Jules Duchon is back to his portly self, a member of that secret class of New Orleans citizens known as the undead. Though he would like nothing better than to spend his nights raising hell and biting flesh in his beloved French Quarter, duty calls when an exclusive club of blue blood vampires demands that the 450-pound cabbie find out who is attacking its young and beautiful members. Adding insult to injury, he has to enlist the help of a former foe: a black vampire named Preston.

What’s a vampire to do? Without the love of a woman to ease his pain, Jules isn’t convinced that his undead life is worth living. He doesn’t desire Doodlebug (she may be a woman now but Jules knew her back when she was just a boy) any more than he longs for Daphne, a rat catcher who nourishes a crush the size of Jules. No, only Maureen will do. Once a beautiful stripper with nothing but curve after curve to her bodacious body, now she is mere dust in a jar. But Jules will move heaven and earth to get her back . . . even if it means pulling her back from the dead.~~~~



I really enjoyed this sequel to the Fat White Vampire Blues. Jules is back and forced to investigate and solve a mystery involving both of the local clans of vampires. We are taken on a roller coaster ride as Jules and friends try to solve they mystery before it is too late. Loved the finale and hope that we see more of these characters in the future.



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