Be Still My Vampire Heart by Kerrelyn Sparks

3 in the Love at Stake series

Synopsis

One look at her was enough to stop his heart.......

If it was still beating. Angus MacKay has been undead for almost five hundred years and it's not often something, or someone, surprises him. Until Emma Wallace. The sight of this luscious agent from the CIA's elite Stake-Out team was enough to stop Angus in his tracks. But then he discovers that she's a vampire slayer, intent on killing the "monsters" who killed her parents. And it's Angus's job to stop her.

The only good vampire is a dead vampire. It's been Emma's motto since she committed her life to the destruction of these things. Now Angus MacKay wants to convince her differently.

Sure, he's a sexy Highland warrior who seems to have stepped off the cover of a romance novel, complete with brogue, kilt, and sword, but he's also one of them. And it's her job to kill him.

The war is on, but will it end in the destruction of one or both of them . . . or in total surrender to a passion for the ages?

~~~

My Opinion

Another great book in the 'Love At Stake' series. If you are looking for some great romantic vampire fluff this is a good bet.

The characters are great and it ties in with the last two books in the series, while at the same time, having the ability to stand on it's own.

Great storyline, great ending, all around great read!!

Heart-Shaped Box: A Novel by Joe Hill

From the Publisher
Sooner or later, the dead catch up . . .

Judas Coyne was a collector. The bizarre, the uncanny, the grotesque. A cookbook for cannibals. A used hangman’s noose. A snuff film. Many of these objects were gifts from the black-clad fans who made his metal band a legend and made him rich.

But not all. When his personal assistant told him there was a ghost for sale on the Internet, Jude knew he had to have it for his private collection, didn’t think twice. He should have. Jude has spent a lifetime evading ghosts -- of an abusive father, of the bandmates he betrayed, of Anna, the suicidal girl he loved and abandoned. But this spirit is different. This one means to chase him to the edge of sanity.

His new acquisition -- delivered to his doorstep in a black heart-shaped box -- is the restless soul of Anna’s vengeful stepdaddy. Craddock McDermott swore he would settle with Jude for ruining his daughter’s life. Soon, everywhere Jude turns, Craddock is there: behind the bedroom door; in Jude’s restored vintage Mustang; outside his window; on his widescreen TV. Waiting -- with a gleaming razor blade on a chain dangling from one bony hand.

If ever there was a case of caveat emptor, this is it . . .


My Opinion

What a fantastic ghost story. It has been a while since I have read a really good ghost story and this one was just what I needed.

Jude is a fading rock star who has not lead a very decent life. Marybeth is his most recent young bed warmer. As horrible as Jude appears to be, I really grew to like him and found myself rooting for him and Marybeth from the beginning. The beginning being when Jude buys a ghost off an Internet auction site. Having spent his life with a healthy interest in the occult and supernatural he does not hesitate to buy the ghost, but when the heart-shaped box with the old suit that the ghost is supposed to be attached to arrives, it brings with it what will ultimately be the ride of Jude's life.

With plenty of twist and turns this book is a non-stop action ride. I picked it up and could not put in down. Finished it in 24 hours, which is saying a lot! Well worth a read and you can see where Joe Hill gets his writing influence from his dad. Looking forward to more by this author.

#74 -- In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

From the Publisher
In the Forests of the Night is a lush, moody tale of vampires, witches, and shape-shifters. It’s the story of how one female vampire comes to terms with her inner nature and reclaims her rightful powers. From the first few pages, readers will feel themselves transported into this haunting world that rests just on the edge of our own.
Readers will also be interested to learn that this exciting debut novel was written by a teenager herself. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes found out that In the Forests of the Night was accepted by Delacorte Press on her 14th birthday! We caught up with this busy young author to find out the story behind the story.

My Opinion
Excellent book by a great young author. In this book we meet Rachel/Risika who has been a vampire for 300 years. The story jumps back and forth from the present, back 300 years when Rachel was changed. But the transition is smooth and works well to let us get to know Risika (as she is now known). We get a glimpse into a world where vampires can change shape, instantly transport and kill with just their minds. This is a dark story but a very powerful one. Well written and completely enjoyable. I really am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Among the Betrayed by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Shadow Children #3)

From the Publisher
What does it mean to save yourself?
Nina Idi – a third child in a society where families are allowed only two children – has been betrayed by the boy she loved, and arrested by the Population Police for exposing other alleged third children. Angry and confused, Nina knows only one thing for sure: She is innocent of the charges. But now she is faced with the most difficult choice of her life: Get three other prisoners to admit they are shadow children and be spared herself, or refuse to cooperate and be killed.

The options are clear. The choice, Nina discovers, is not….

My Opinion
Another good read in the Shadow Children Series.

This book centers around Nina, who was arrested in the last book. She is imprisoned as a traitor who has betrayed the Third Children along with Jason.

Now she is forced to befriend and betray three other Third Children in order to save her own life. But how can she betray them, when like her, they have done nothing wrong besides be born.

This book follows Nina as she and the group of three other children manage to escape from the prison and head back to Hendricks school, where Nina thinks that they will be safe.

But nothing is as it seems and Nina soon wonders who is lying to who.

#72 -- Among the Impostors (Shadow Children #2) by Margaret Peterson Haddix

From the Publisher

OUT OF HIDING. INTO DANGER.

Luke Garner is an illegal third child. All his life has been spent in hiding. Now, for the first time, Luke is living among others. He has assumed a deceased boy’s identity and is attending Hendricks School for Boys, a windowless building with cruel classmates and oblivious teachers. Luke knows he has to blend in, but he lives in constant fear that his behavior will betray him.

Then one day Luke discovers a door to the outside. He knows that beyond the walls of Hendricks lie the secrets he is desperate to uncover. What he doesn’t know is whom he can trust – and where the answers to his questions may lead him…

My Opinion
This was another good book in the Shadow Children Series. After the events of the first book, when Luke’s friend Jen is killed trying to lead a rally to denounce the fact that third children are illegal, Luke is offered the opportunity to have a fake id and leave home. He accepts, knowing that he can not spend the rest of his life hiding out in the attic of his parents house. He is given the identity of a Baron boy who was killed in an accident and sent to Hendricks school for boys.

Luke tries to adjust to his new identity. He tries to fit in with the other boys, but after spending the first 12 years of his life hiding, it is overwhelming to be surrounded by so many other boys all the time. So one day when he discovers a door leading outside and he sneaks out. He discovers a spot in the woods near the school where he can be alone and visits it frequently. Until one day he discovers that he is not the only one sneaking out. There is a group of other boys who sneak out and meet in the woods. A group of other third children like himself. Luke discovers the meaning of friendship, loyalty and betrayal, but he also discovers a way to make a difference in the lives of other third children.

#71 -- Among the Hidden (Shadow Children #1) by Margaret Peterson Haddix

From the Publisher
Luke has never been to school. He’s never had a birthday party, or gone to a friend’s house for an overnight. In fact, Luke has never had a friend.
Luke is one of the shadow children, a third child forbidden by the Population Police. He’s lived his entire life in hiding, and now, with a new housing development replacing the woods next to his family’s farm, he is no longer even allowed to go outside.

Then, one day Luke sees a girl’s face in the window of a house where he knows two other children already live. Finally, he’s met a shadow child like himself. Jen is willing to risk everything to come out of the shadows—does Luke dare to become involved in her dangerous plan? Can he afford not to?

My Opinion
This was a fantastic start to this series.

In a not to distance future, overpopulation and years of droughts have devastated the world’s food supply. The Government has taken over and declared that it is illegal for any one family to have more than 2 children.

When they start building new homes near Luke’s house he has to go into hiding because he is a third child. His parents are poor farmers and are terrified that Luke will be discovered and taken from them, so he is forced to stay in the attic and has limited interaction with his family. One day while peeking out of the attic vents he sees a face in one of the new house’s windows that should not be there. Another Third Child like himself, could it be? He decides that he has to find out and one day after weeks of planning and waiting he sneaks out and over to the neighbor’s house. To his surprise he discovers another Third like himself, a girl named Jen. Jen lives a very different life than Luke as her family are Barons, one of the elite in the new world order, but she still has to hide as it is illegal for even Barons to have more than 2 children.

What follows is a growing friendship between shy, timid Luke and outgoing, determined Jen. As Jen plans a Rally for all of the Shadow Children that she has befriended via an Internet chat room, Luke becomes concerned for her safety. What will happen when Jen leads a march on the President’s House with other Shadow children, demanding that they be allowed to come out of hiding?

This is really a very scary and sad story about a not so unbelievable future. I look forward to continuing the series.

#70 -- Replay by Ken Grimwood

From the Publisher
Jeff Winston, forty-three, didn’t know he was a replayer until he died and woke up twenty-five years younger in his college dorm room; he lived another life. And died again. And lived again and died again – in a continuous twenty-five-year cycle—each time starting from scratch at the age of eighteen to reclaim lost loves, remedy past mistakes, or make a fortune in the stock market. A novel of gripping adventure, romance, and fascinating speculation on the nature of time, Replay asks the question: “What if you could live your life over again?”

My Opinion

This book came highly recommended and I was not disappointed.

Jeff Winston is a 43 year old man who dies of a sudden heart attack, to wake up moments later as his 18 year old self with all of his memories of his previous life, including his painful death, intact. As it becomes obvious to him that he has his entire life to live over again he ponders the how & why of what has happened. He uses his knowledge of the future to place some well timed bets that make him wealthy and he lives his life over again, much differently than the first time. Right up to that moment 43 years later when he dies again, and wakes up again as his 18 year old self.

As he is faced with the possibility of a never ending cycle of lives he ponders those questions that we have all faced. If you had it all to do over again with the knowledge of what was going to happen how would you do it. Would you change your life? Would you try to stop tragedies that you know the world was going to face?

During his second or third cycle of life he encounters another person who replays, Pamela. As they meet and compare notes about there lives and the puzzle of their replays, they begin to fall in love.
They develop an enduring love that carries them through a cycle to be remembered and sought out in the next cycle. Each cycle is different. They use their knowledge of the future to try to affect change, but it is not always successful.

Unfortunately in their search for answers they become aware that their cycles are becoming shorter each time. Before they know it they are losing years of the cycle and coming back later and later into their lives. What will happen when they have no more time left between cycles? When they face that last cycle that they will not return from?

It is a very thought provoking book. What would you do if you could do it all over again?

This is a great video about this book. Take a few moments to watch it --

#69 -- He Loves Me, He Loves Me Hot by Stephanie Rowe

From the Publisher
Her heart may be in the right place...but her soul belongs to Satan. Being Satan's most infamous minion is the only life Becca Gibbs has ever known. But now she's restless, sick and tired of stealing souls, and ready to break free on her own. Unfortunately, this gig isn't like any other job. Its first rule: Walk out on the Devil-and kiss your life good-bye.
Nick Rawlings is the last of the Markku, a race of fighters that broke from Hell to pull for the good. When his sister goes missing, and her ransom is the death of Satan, Nick's more than willing to take on the fight. The first step? Getting the devil's sexy right-hand helper on his side. The second? Well, if he can take his eyes-and hands-off of her, he's sure he'll think of it...



My Opinion
I absolutely love these books by Rowe. They are such fun quick reads and the characters are fabulous.

This book centers around Becca who we have met before in the two previous Rowe books. Becca is a Rivka. Is in fact Satan's right hand Rivka. But she hates her job. Hates her life really since she does not have one of her own. She lives off of Satan's life force and has to obey his commands. But she does her best to thwart Satan as often as she can and she has spent the last 100 years trying to figure out how to break free of him.

Nick Rawlings is the last of the Markku, the first servants of Satan who managed to break free and live there own lives amongst Mortals. He is also half healer, so he has the ability to feel the emotions of others as well as share his emotions with others.

When his younger sister is trapped in a Hell blister with a time limit on her life, he seeks out Becca, Satan's best Rivka, to try to convince her to help him kill Satan. Of course if Becca allows him to kill Satan then she dies too! Unless she can use Nick to figure out how to break free, since he is the last of the Markku.

Since they each have their own agendas and need to use each other to accomplish them, they work together. Of course that starts the sparks flying and when you combine sex with intermingled emotions, boy do the sparks fly!! lol

It is a fun adventure as they try to break Nick's little sister out of the Hell blister while trying to keep Becca alive and set her free. There is also the introduction of a new character, Paige, Becca's new apprentice. She is quite annoying at first but she does tend to grow on you. Good thing too since the next installment in this series centers on her, 'Sex & The Immortal Bad Boy'.