Curran (Kate Daniels) by Gordon Andrews, Ilona Andrews

Curran by Gordon Andrews

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Not short story, novella, or standalone, but collection of scenes written by Gordon Andrews as a companion to our Kate Daniels series of books. These scenes illustrate the point of view of Curran, the Beast Lord of Atlanta and are provided in gratitude to our readers for all of their support.

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Loved reading these little snippets from Curran's POV on events that happened in the first 3 books of the series. Great companion piece to the books!!



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***Kindle Edition

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

Secret Life of a Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Nothing's sexier than an man who can keep a secret.

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.

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Another good read in the Love at Stake series. Jack is a newer character who has not been heavily featured in previous books, but it was fun getting to know him as well as speculate about who will fall in love next. lol I vote for Conner. He needs to have his own book!





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Unwrapped by Nina Bangs, Claudia Dain, Shirl Henke

Unwrapped by Nina Bangs

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


For every woman who has better plans than sitting on Santa's lap, who fantasizes about washboard abs instead of a bowl full of jelly--here are hot and happy love stories for the holiday season.

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This was a great Christmas romance read. All three stories were well written with lots of fun, romance and even a little steamy action. Perfect for a last holiday read.





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Wolfsbane and Mistletoe by Charlaine Harris, Toni L.P. Kelner , Kat Richardson, Alan Gordon, Carrie Vaughn , Patricia Briggs , Dana Stabenow , Nancy Pickard, Karen Chance, Keri Arthur, Rob Thurman

Wolfsbane and Mistletoe by Charlaine Harris

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The editors of "Many Bloody Returns" deliver the perfect howl-iday gift, with new tales from Patricia Briggs, Carrie Vaughn, and many more.

"New York Times" bestselling authors Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, Keri Arthur, and Carrie Vaughn—along with eleven other masters of the genre—offer all-new stories on werewolves and the holidays, a fresh variation on the concept that worked so well with birthdays and vampires in "Many Bloody Returns."

The holidays can bring out the beast in anyone. They are particularly hard for lycanthropes. Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner have harvested the scariest, funniest and saddest werewolf tales by an outstanding pack of authors, best read by the light of a full moon with a silver bullet close at hand.

Whether wolfing down a holiday feast (use your imagination) or craving some hair of the dog on New Year's morning, the werewolves in these frighteningly original stories will surprise, delight, amuse, and scare the pants off readers who love a little wolfsbane with their mistletoe.

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Very much enjoyed this anthology of Christmas werewolf stories. Of course with the line up of authors here I am not surprised. There were some great takes on Santa -- From Santa Claws(an evil werewolf hunting monster) to Santa (the Saint of many things, including werewolves (poor Rudolph though). A few vampires and lots of different weres made these stories wonderfully entertaining!



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

All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


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 . . .

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Really enjoyed this story of Ian and Toni. I enjoyed meeting the new and improved Ian and watching him fall in love with Toni. I was especially pleased that this book did not contain the usual angst of the two main characters not realizing that they were in love, or finding some annoying reason whey they could not be in love. No kidnapping of the main characters by an evil nemesis to have to be rescued. Nice romance for the holidays!!



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The Undead Next Door (Love at Stake #4) by Kerrelyn Sparks

The Undead Next Door by Kerrelyn Sparks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Three signs that something is very different with your mew man:

1. He sleeps all day...which would be annoying except he's so attentive at night.

2. He's attacked by sword-wielding assailants, yet insists he can handle it on his own.

3. He never seems to age.

Heather Westfield has always lived a quiet life, but that all changes when she helps a very handsome, very mysterious stranger. There's something not quite right about Jean-Luc, but still, she's never been with a man so charming, so attractive...so wonderful. Now if only a murderous villain wasn't after them, they might get their happily-ever-after.

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It has been several years since I last read a Love at Stake book but I had not problem remembering the characters and the previous story lines. I adore a little sappy romance now and then and this book works perfectly. Jean Luc is a wonderful main character and his devotion to Heather and her daughter is wonderful. Enjoyed the story, the cast of characters from previous books and the future possibilities.





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Sugarplums and Scandal (Love at Stake #2.5) by Lori Avocato, Dana Cameron, Mary Dahiem, Suzanne Macpherson, Cait London, Kerrelyn Sparks, Mary Daheim

Sugarplums and Scandal by Lori Avocato

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


SUGARPLUMS AND SCANDAL brings together the best of romance and mystery in one delightful collection of Christmas tales. In the expert hands of six of Avon's best storytellers, the holiday season takes on an air of love and scandalous surprises Filled with Christmas miracles, romance, and suspense, this will make the perfect gift for both romance and mystery fans. Each author brings their own unique voice and characters to the collection, as well as their fan followings.

All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth - Lori Avocato

The Lords of Misrule - Dana Cameron

The Ghost of Christmas Passed - Mary Daheim

Partners in Crime - Cait London

Holly Go Lightly - Suzanne Macpherson

A Very Vampy Christmas - Kerrelyn Sparks
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Originally I was only planning on reading Kerrelyn Sparks Love at Stake story -- A Very Vampy Christmas, but since it is December I decided to go ahead and get in the Christmas mood with a little Holiday reading.

I have to say that I was not too impressed with the first 3 stories in the book. It was very apparent that the characters in the stories were from series that I have not read and that caused the short stories hard to follow. I really felt like I had missed a lot and jumped into the stories in the middle of something.

However the book was redeemed by the last 3 stories. I quite enjoyed the stories by Cait London, Suzanne Macpherson and Kerrelyn Sparks. They all read great as stand alone stories and had interesting story lines and likable characters.



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The Seer (Truesight #2) by David Stahler Jr.

The Seer by David Stahler Jr.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Young Jacob Manford grew up in Harmony, a blind boy raised in a colony of citizens dedicated to blindness as a way of life. Stricken with sight at thirteen, he escapes to the futuristic city of Melville, only to discover he has traded one hostile community for another.

Jacob's sight introduces him to a thrilling new world--vast landscapes, glittering skyscrapers, and flying machines--but he is unsure if he has finally found a place to belong. Will Jacob ever find what he is looking for?

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While I enjoyed the first book in the Truesight series immensely, I found myself having a hard to time with this sequel. It follows Jacob as he leaves Harmony in search of Delaney. We do get to see some of the world outside of Harmony which was interesting, but I felt like the book started taking a different path in plot. We went from Jacob's struggle with his new sight and the implications that it brought to his way of life, into a more supernatural type heading, that to me did not really fit with the plot of the first book.

No question that you need to read the first book in the series to get anything from this sequel, but I have to wonder where the next book is going to take us.



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