Book Review: This Side of the Grave

Product Description

The highly anticipated continuation of Jeaniene Frost's New York Times and USA Today bestselling Night Huntress series, in which Cat and Bones face an enemy unlike any they've met before.
Danger waits on both sides of the grave.
Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they've triumphed over the latest battle, Cat's new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance...
With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing.  A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous "ally"--the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war. ...to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

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Review:
Jeaniene Frost begins book 5 in her Night Huntress series with Cat and Bones investigating the deaths of some masterless vampires. 
 
The bad guy this time around is Apollyon, a ghoul who strives to start a war between ghouls and vampires.   He tried to start the same war several hundred years ago when another half-vampire is born.
 
The most interesting twist comes when Cat requests aid from Marie Laveau.  No spoilers, but it’s fantastic!
 
Most of the characters we have been introduced to reappear to help the Red Reaper fight evil and prejudice and prevent a devastating war.  This is not a series you can easily pick up in the middle.  It’s best to read starting with book 1: Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 1)
 
Cat and Bones continue to grow together as a formidable team and an excellent couple.  In this installment, there is plenty of action and a bit of steamy sex.  There’s one explicit scene, although it’s not QUITE as steamy as Chapter 32 in book 2 (you know what I’m talking about if you have read this series!).
 
Sensuality: an explicit scene,  although that chapter is easily skipped if you prefer to not read sex scenes.  I plan on waiting a few more years before I let my teenage daughters read this series.
 
Rating:   4 stars

Book Review: River Marked

 

Product Description

Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She's never known any others of her kind. Until now.

An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River-one that her father's people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help...

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Review

River Marked begins with Mercy planning the wedding we have been eagerly awaiting for several installments. We see several characters from previous books who have really nice character development as well as meet some new characters I look forward to seeing in future Mercy books.

After the wedding, Adam whisks Mercy away on a surprise destination honeymoon. Needless to say, strange happenings begin immediately and Mercy and Adam encounter a deadly, mysterious supernatural adversary.

River Marked begins slowly but about halfway through, the action picks up and doesn't stop until the very last page. Patricia Briggs spins an engrossing tale that leaves you wishing the next book was in your hands already. 
While this book could stand alone, I would recommend reading it after reading the previous installments in order starting with Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1)   as it would be a more rich reading experience to know the backstory.  
 
Sensuality: a few fade-to black sex scenes and kissing.  I would let my teenage daughters read this. 
Rating: 4 stars

Book Review: Black Wings

Product Description:

As an Agent of Death, Madeline Black is responsible for escorting the souls of the dearly departed to the afterlife. It's a 24/7 job with a lousy benefits package.

Maddy's position may come with magical powers and an impressive wingspan, but it doesn't pay the bills. And then there are her infuriating boss, tenant woes, and a cranky, popcorn-loving gargoyle to contend with.

Things start looking up, though, when tall, dark, and handsome Gabriel Angeloscuro agrees to rent the empty apartment in Maddy's building. It's probably just a coincidence that as soon as he moves in demons appear on the front lawn. But when an unholy monster is unleashed upon the streets of Chicago, Maddy discovers powers she never knew she possessed. Powers linked to a family legacy of tarnished halos.
Powers that place her directly between the light of Heaven and the fires of Hell...
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Review:
I had never heard of this author and was browsing Amazon, looking for something new to read and this was in the recommendations part of the page I was on, thought I would try it and had a very nice surprise!  

Without giving too much away, Maddy has a lot going on in her life and when her new tenant moves in, her life becomes even more full: angels, demons, her cranky boss JB, her gargoyle, possessions, trying to save the city… It’s more than enough to make a girl question her sanity!  Maddy is a likeable heroine and the supporting characters are well-drawn.  Since this is the beginning of a series, we still have some unanswered questions about the world Maddy lives in and the author leaves much room for Maddy’s character growth, world development as well as supporting characters to explore. 

This is a different take on angels, demons and death.  The author combines a unique world and a few unusual ideas and creates an interesting world worth visiting again.  Suffice it to say, not everything is as it seems.   I Recommend this book and look forward to reading the next  in the series!
Sensuality:  a few kisses

Rating: 4 stars

Book Review: Pale Demon

Product Description:

Banned from the flight lists, Rachel teams up with tycoon Trent Kalamack, headed for the West Coast for his own mysterious business. Can a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car survive for over 2,300 miles?
And that’s not counting the assassin on their tail.

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Review:

Wow!    Kim Harrison really outdid herself with this installment.  The Great American Road Trip combined with loads of action, assassination attempts and bonding, not to mention Jenks’ brand of humor and swearing.  As usual, Rachel faces a set of unusual circumstances that would make a lesser woman shake in her leather boots and faces them head-on. 

Trent, Al, Ivy and Jenks all have a good amount of page time as well as fantastic character development.  Trent’s elf quest is an unexpected plot turn (didn’t see that one coming!) as well.  Rachel learns quite a lot about trust in this installment as well as some very important lessons about herself.

The bad guy, Ku’Sox, is a day-walking demon who wreaks havoc everywhere he goes.  Hold onto your seat as you read the book because it’s a wild, breathtaking ride you won’t want to end.  I highly recommend it for all Hollows fans and will be waiting very impatiently for the next Rachel adventure. 

If you have never heard of Rachel Morgan or the Hollows, there’s too much backstory for you to start with this book.  Pick up Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows, Book 1), and read all about the adventures of Rachel, Ivy, Jenks and the rest of the crew, making sure to have the next one in the series lined up and ready to go as you complete each one.

Sensuality:  Several kisses and some lustful thoughts but no sex.

Rating: 5 stars