Mariel suggested this week’s question

Book Gluttony! Are your eyes bigger than your book belly? Do you have a habit of buying up books far quicker than you could possibly read them? Have you had to curb your book buying habits until you can catch up with yourself? Or are you a controlled buyer, only purchasing books when you have run out of things to read?

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Book gluttony…ah, yes! I have this disease big time. I love books. They comfort me, but I buy too many. Each month I make a list of the books I’m interested in. I carry a small notebook in my purse where I jot down books which interest me. I usually list 10 to 20 books each month. I don’t buy all these books, but do buy at least 10 new books a month plus a few which interest me when I’m at the bookstore. I also read an average of 10 books a month–so I shouldn’t have much of a problem. Right? Well, the problem is that I have to be in the mood to read a book so even one I know I will probably like (after all I did buy it!) it may not strike my fancy right now.

Plus, at any point I have anywhere from 10 to 30 books checked out from the library. [Some are books I use for research. Right now we are thinking of getting a dog--our labrador died a couple years ago at the age of 14 1/2 years--and since it has been so long since we chose a dog I am researching. (Also I'm an incorrigible researcher!)]

I re-read an average of two books a month, too, so I probably don’t read half the books I buy each month. I own over 2,000 books. My goal this year is to cull the ones I won’t read again or may never read.

So–book gluttony…yes. I love books and I’m afraid if I don’t buy the book now it may not be available in another year or two–or I might forget about it! However, this year I’m being a bit more discriminating. Before I buy the book I think more about whether I will read the book right now. I have passed on a number of books I decided didn’t interest me enough. What about you? Do you buy too many books? Have you managed to cut back?

I haven’t read the books by Mankell, but they sound excellent and this series is one I’m excited about. I’m also a quarter Scandinavian so I’m looking forward to seeing the Swedish scenery in the series! If you aren’t able to watch the series on PBS the series is available online at the PBS site from May 11 to June 7.

I have a lot of books I’m excited about this month plus a few I didn’t get into my April list. At the top of my list this month though is Charlaine Harris’ next book in the Sookie Stackhouse series–Dead and Gone. I already have the book, but am waiting a few days to start it. I like to savor things for awhile. (For example, I will keep a special dessert for several days while I nibble on it!) I’m also excited about the second season of True Blood which starts in June.

Without further ado, here are my choices for May.

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The Perfect Poison

• by Amanda Quick
• Arcane Society series, #6
• Hardcover released April 21
• Putnam
• Historical Paranormal Romance
• “Plagued by rumors that she poisoned her fiancé, Lucinda Bromley manages to live on the fringes of polite society, tending her beloved plants—and occasionally consulting on a murder investigation…. the death of a lord has shaken Lucinda to her core. At the murder scene, she picks up traces of a poison containing a very rare species of fern. So rare, in fact, that only one specimen exists in all of England—and it was stolen from her conservatory just last month.”

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie

• by Jennifer Ashley
• #1 in series
• Paperback released April 28
• Leisure Books
• Historical Romance
• “The year is 1881. Meet the Mackenzie family–rich, powerful, dangerous, eccentric. A lady couldn’t be seen with them without ruin. Rumors surround them–of tragic violence, of their mistresses, of their dark appetites, of scandals that set England and Scotland abuzz.”

Always a Scoundrel

• by Suzanne Enoch
• The Notorious Gentlemen series, Book 3
• Paperback released April 28
• Avon
• Historical Romance
• “Lord Bramwell Johns, the second son of a duke, is an unrepentant scoundrel. Now that his two closest friends are disgustingly ensconced in domestic bliss, Bram is feeling strangely restless. And not even relieving London’s least deserving artistocrats of their ill-gotten jewels is enough—until the night he overhears an argument. It seems that Lady Rosamund Davies is about to be forced into marriage with a rogue even worse than himself.”

The Language of Bees

• by Laurie King
• Hardcover released April 28
• Bantam
• Mystery
• “In a case that will push their relationship to the breaking point, Mary Russell must help reverse the greatest failure of her legendary husband’s storied past—a painful and personal defeat that still has the power to sting…this time fatally.”

Vision in White

• Nora Roberts
• The Wedding Quartet, book 1
• Trade paperback released April 28
• Berkley Trade
• Contemporary Romance
• “Wedding photographer Mackensie “Mac” Elliot is most at home behind the camera, but her focus is shattered moments before an important wedding rehearsal when she bumps into the bride-to-be’s brother . . . an encounter that has them both seeing stars. A stable, safe English teacher, Carter Maguire is definitely not Mac’s type. But a casual fling might be just what she needs to take her mind off bridezillas. Of course, casual flings can turn into something more when you least expect it. And Mac will have to turn to her three best friends–and business partners–to see her way to her own happy ending.”

To Beguile a Beast

• by Elizabeth Hoyt
• The Legend of the Four Soldiers, Book 3
• Paperback released May 1
• Forever
• Historical Romance
• “Reclusive Sir Alistair Munroe has hidden in his castle ever since returning from the Colonies, scarred inside and out. But when a mysterious beauty arrives at his door, the passions he’s kept suppressed for years begin to awaken.”

Silver Falls

• Anne Stuart
• Paperback released May 1
• Mira
• Romantic Suspense
• “Rachel is finally getting it right. After years of wandering, she’s married the perfect man and settled into the ideal life. But as her sleepy little town turns into a killing ground, she realizes that this new life might come at too high a price. Caleb Middleton says he’s returned home to set things right. But as her husband’s dangerous brother circles like a hungry wolf, poking holes in her perfect world, Rachel draws her young daughter in close. The rain and violence keep coming, and Rachel must decide whether to trust her dream life or her instincts…before the town of Silver Falls becomes her grave.”

Diamond Star

• by Catherine Asaro
• Skolian Empire series
• Hardcover released May 5
• Baen
• Science Fiction
• “Del was a rock singer. He was also the renegade son of the Ruby Dynasty, which made his career choice less than respectable, and gave him more to worry about than getting gigs and not getting cheated by recording companies, club owners, or his agent. For one thing, the Ruby Dynasty ruled the Skolian Imperialate, an interstellar Empire, which had recently had a war with another empire, the Eubian Concord. For another, Del was singing on Earth, which was part of a third interstellar civilization, and one which had an uneasy relationship with the Imperialate. Del undeniably had talent, and was rapidly rising from an unknown fringe artist to stardom. But, with his life entangled in the politics of three interstellar civilizations, whether he wanted that or not, talent might not be enough. And that factor might have much more effect than his music on the lives of trillions of people on the thousands of inhabited worlds across the galaxy.”

Dead and Gone

• by Charlaine Harris
• Sookie Stackhouse series, book 9
• Hardcover released May 5
• Ace
• Urban Fantasy
• “Except for Sookie Stackhouse, folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, know little about vamps—and nothing about weres. Until now. The weres and shifters have finally decided to reveal their existence to the ordinary world. At first all goes well. Then the mutilated body of a were-panther is found near the bar where Sookie works—and she feels compelled to discover who, human or otherwise, did it. But there’s a far greater danger threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings—older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves—is preparing for war. And Sookie finds herself an all-too human pawn in their battle.”

Seducing an Angel

• by Mary Balogh
• Huxtable Quintet, book 4
• Hardcover released May 19
• Delacorte Press
• Historical Romance
• “The recently widowed Cassandra Belmont, Lady Paget, has arrived in London during the social Season. But she receives neither welcome nor sympathy from society. Quite the opposite. There are questions surrounding the death of her husband, and rumor has it that Cassandra murdered him. Her son-in-law has used threats rather than law to cut her off without a penny. But she had dependents as well as herself to support. Her situation is desperate indeed when she decides there is only one way to save them all from destitution. She goes in search of a wealthy, well-connected protector-and she settles upon the Earl of Merton.”

Not Quite a Husband

• by Sherry Thomas
• Paperback released May 19
• Bantam
• Historical Romance
• “Their marriage lasted only slightly longer than the honeymoon—to no one’s surprise, not even Bryony Asquith’s. A man as talented, handsome, and sought after by society as Leo Marsden couldn’t possibly want to spend his entire life with a woman who rebelled against propriety by becoming a doctor. Why, then, three years after their annulment and half a world away, does he track her down at her clinic in the remotest corner of India?”

This Duchess of Mine

• by Eloisa James
• Desperate Duchesses, Book 5
• Paperback released May 26
• Avon
• Historical Romance
• “Wedding bells celebrating the arranged marriage between the lovely Duchess of Beaumont and her staid, imperturbable duke had scarcely fallen silent when a shocking discovery sent Jemma running from the ducal mansion. For the next nine years she cavorted abroad, creating one delicious scandal after another (if one is to believe the rumors). Elijah, Duke of Beaumont, did believe those rumors. But the handsome duke needs an heir, so he summons his seductive wife home. Jemma laughs at Elijah’s cool eyes and icy heart—but to her secret shock, she doesn’t share his feelings. In fact, she wants the impossible: her husband’s heart at her feet.”

My Forbidden Desire

• by Carolyn Jewel
• Sequel to My Wicked Enemy
• Paperback released May 26
• Forever
• Paranormal Romance
• “Alexandrine Marit is a witch in mortal danager. An evil mage craves the powerful, mysterious talisman that supplies her magic, and the only person who can keep her alive is a dark and dangerous fiend called Xia. With his fierce animosity toward witches, he’s hardly the ideal bodyguard. Yet as days turn into nights, she can’t deny the white-hot passion between them.”

I’ve redone it and am excited all over again about some of these April books. I’ve enjoyed the first two books in the Huxtable series (see February and March New Books) Mary Balogh wrote so this third book is an auto buy for me. Several others are on my list to buy right away while others may have to wait. What books do you plan to buy and read in April?

Paradise Valley

• by Robyn Carr
• Virgin River series, book 7
• Paperback released April 1
• Mira
• Contemporary romance
• “Marine corporal Rick Sudder is home early from Iraq — his tour ended abruptly on the battlefield. The carefree boy is gone, replaced by a man who believes his future is as bleak as his mirror image. But can the passion and commitment of a young woman who has never given up on him mend his broken body and shattered heart? As the people of Virgin River rally around Rick, another recent arrival tests the tightly knit mountain town’s famous welcoming spirit. Dan Brady has a questionable past, and he’s looking for a place to start over. He’d like it to be Virgin River…if he can find a way in. But he never expects to find it in the arms of a woman who was as much an outcast as himself.”

Blue Diablo

• by Ann Aguirre
• Corine Solomon series, book 1
• Paperback released April 7
• Roc
• Urban fantasy
• “Eighteen months ago, Corine Solomon crossed the border to Mexico City, fleeing her past, her lover, and her “gift”. Corine, a handler, can touch something and know its history—and sometimes, its future. Using her ability, she can find the missing—and that’s why people never stop trying to find her. People like her ex, Chance….”

Borderline

• by Nevada Barr
• Anna Pigeon series, book 15
• Hardcover released April 7
• Putnam
• Mystery
• “Drained and haunted by the killings on Isle Royale, diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and on administrative leave by order of her superintendent, the one bright spot in Anna’s life is Paul, her husband of less than a year. Hoping the warmth and the adventure of a raft trip in Big Bend National Park will lift her spirits, Paul takes Anna to southwest Texas, where the sun is hot and the Rio Grande is running high. The sheer beauty of the Chihuahuan Desert and the power of the river work their magic—until the raft is lost in the rapids and a young college student makes a grisly discovery.”

The Secret Wedding

• by Jo Beverley
• Georgian Romance series
• Paperback released April 7
• Historical Romance
• Signet
• “Home from a decade of war, Christian, Major Lord Grandiston wants to enjoy bachelor pleasures, but his father is wooing a rich woman on his behalf. Embarrassing, when he might already have a wife. Is Dorcas Froggatt alive, and if so, will she be his salvation or an even worse burden? He heads north to the industrial town of Sheffield to find out, but soon he’s on the run from the law with a woman who’s nothing but trouble, especially when they’re joined by a very peculiar cat.”

Turn Coat

• by Jim Butcher
• The Dresden Files, book 11
• Hardback, released April 7
• Roc
• Urban fantasy
• “The Warden Morgan has been accused of treason against the Wizards of the White Council–and there’s only one, final punishment for that crime. He’s on the run, wants his name cleared, and needs someone with a knack for backing the underdog. Someone like Harry Dresden.”

Curse the Dawn

• by Karen Chance
• Cassandra Palmer series, book 4
• Paperback, released April 7
• Onyx
• Urban fantasy
• “Cassandra Palmer may be the all-powerful Pythia now, but that doesn’t mean people have stopped trying to kill her. Most of the supernatural power players don’t want the independent minded Cassie as chief clairvoyant—and they’ll stop at nothing to see her six feet under.”

Longeye

• by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
• book 2
• Hardcover released April 7
• Baen Books
• Fantasy
• “Hidden from the human-inhabited world by the inimical magical device known as the keleigh, the Vaitura has become a subtle battleground where the once all-powerful Elder Fey strive against each other and the upstart Queen to regain ascendancy. Of all the Elder Fey it is Altimere who is strongest in magical kest and Altimere who is most devious. Pitted against Zaldore and her group seeking to manipulate the convelescing Ranger known as Longeye to foil the Queen and rule the world, Altimere dares to utilize the untested powers of half-human, half-Fey Rebecca Beauvally, recognized by the elemental denizens of the Vaitura as The Gardener. Now all plans must be rewritten: Becca breaks Altimere’s capricious dominion with the dangerous herbal help of Duainfey, but, weakened by the effort, is held against her will in service to the Queen by Meripen’s mysterious sea-lord cousin, Sian. Becca must escape the Queen’s retainers to regain control of her own fate.”

Ghostland

• by Jory Strong
• Ghostland World series, book 1
• Trade paperback released April 7
• Berkley Trade
• Urban Fantasy Romance
• “In a post-Apocalyptic world where supernaturals have emerged from hiding, wealthy humans delight in decadence while the religious gain power through temptation. For the masses, fear reigns from birth to death, and the afterlife holds beings that only the bravest can summon—or dare to desire…”

White Star

• by Elizabeth Vaughan
• Star series, book 2
• Paperback released April 7
• Berkley
• Fantasy romance
• “In Palins, a land in the throes of upheaval, Lady High Priestess Evelyn leads a rebellion against an unjust usurper. But when she is taken prisoner by Orrin Blackhart, their clashing souls will be forged in desire, redemption, and glory…”

Killer Keepsakes

• by Jane K. Cleland
• Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series, book 4
• Hardcover released April 14
• Minotaur Books
• Mystery
• “Josie’s cheerful and helpful assistant, Gretchen, who turned up unexpectedly just as Josie was setting up shop in New Hampshire doesn’t show up for work one day. Surprise turns to alarm when a dead body is found in Gretchen’s home—and Gretchen is the prime suspect. Josie sets out to find the real killer, and using her knowledge of antiques, discovers long-buried secrets that help bring Gretchen safely home.”

Fragile Eternity

• by Melissa Marr
• book 3
• Hardcover released April 21
• Harper Collins
• Young Adult fantasy
• “Seth never expected he would want to settle down with anyone—but that was before Aislinn. She is everything he’d ever dreamed of, and he wants to be with her forever. Forever takes on new meaning, though, when your girlfriend is an immortal faery queen. Aislinn never expected to rule the very creatures who’d always terrified her—but that was before Keenan. He stole her mortality to make her a monarch, and now she faces challenges and enticements beyond any she’d ever imagined.”

At Last Comes Love

• by Mary Balogh
• Huxtable Quintet series, book 3
• Paperback released April 28
• Dell
• Historical romance
• “Margaret Huxtable has given her youth in order to keep her promise to her dying father to hold the family together until her sisters and brother have grown up. She gave up the chance to marry Crispin Dew, the man she loved, and suffered the pain of learning that he married someone else. But now her siblings are grown up, and her sisters are married. She is thirty years old and has decided that it is time she married too since the alternative is to be a spinster sister dependent upon her brother and sisters for the rest of her life.”

Storm Glass

• by Maria V. Snyder
• Glass series, book 1
• Trade paperback released April 28
• Mira
• Young adult fantasy
• “As a glassmaker and a magician-in-training, Opal Cowen understands trial by fire. Now it’s time to test her mettle. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan’s glass orbs, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers—particularly the mysterious and mercurial Kade—require Opal’s unique talents to prevent it happening again. But when the mission goes awry, Opal must tap into a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening. And the further she delves into the intrigue behind the glass and magic, the more distorted things appear. With lives hanging in the balance—including her own—Opal must control powers she never knew she possessed…powers that might lead to disaster beyond anything she’s ever known.”

We will spend a couple days at home–then on to Chicago for a conference, Madison to visit our younger daughter, Iowa to visit more relatives and finally home for awhile!

When we travel I get to do lots of reading (a favorite activity, of course!) I’ve read two books by Deanna Raybourn, Lois McMaster Bujold books, Mary Balogh books and Angels’ Blood by Nalini Singh among others.

I’ve also found an Australian tv series–McLeod’s Daughters–on DVD. I’m watching it on my laptop computer. I’ve watched the first three seasons of McLeod’s Daughter so far and I’m enjoying it although I think I’m going to like the first two seasons best. It’s an Australian western (2001-2009) filmed on location in South Australia near Adelaide. I like to compare the westerns of the U. S. and Australia as well as the real U. S. west. I’m learning new words and meanings–stuffed, G’day, ute–and many more!

Author: Susan Wiggs

Copyright: 2009

Publisher: Mira

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Setting: Small town (Avalon) in upstate New York

Part of a Series? Yes, #6 in The Lakeside Chronichles

Grade: B+

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I read a couple of Susan Wiggs’ historical romances a few years ago, but had forgotten about her even though I bought a couple more of her books over the years. When I read a review of Fireside I decided to read the book for the Contemporary Romance Challenge and I’m so glad I did. This is one type of contemporary romance I really like. I’m looking for more of Susan Wiggs’ backlist including all the Lakeside Chronicles series.

The book opens with Kimberly Van Dorn walking through LaGuardia Airport in New York in an evening gown after getting off the red-eye flight from Los Angeles. She is fleeing a traumatizing melt-down of her romance and career. She’s tired, cold, embarrassed and just wants to get to her destination–her mother’s home in upstate New York. She has an encounter in the airport with a tall gentleman (Bo Crutcher) who comes to her rescue when her high heeled shoes get caught in the moving walkway. She doesn’t look at it as rescue, however, and tells him to get away from her. This was a funny encounter and the whole scene with Kim in her evening gown is funny and sad and I could feel for her walking through an airport in an evening gown in the light of day.

Bo is also living in Avalon, the same town Kim’s mother lives in. They meet again when Bo shows up at Kim’s mother’s home looking for a place to live with his son. Kim’s mother Penelope has turned the large home she inherited from her parents into a boarding house. Bo was at LaGuardia Airport to pick up the son he has never met. He received an emergency phone call from his son AJ’s mother asking him to take care of their son. She has been detained by the Immigration and Naturalization Service and doesn’t have anyone else to turn to.

Bo is on the edge of finally getting into major league baseball playing for the Yankees. He was a baseball star in high school, but because of injuries never quite made the majors and now at almost 30 he might get picked up by the Yankees. Kim had worked for a PR firm in L.A. which represented athletes until the biggest client the firm ever had fired her and since he was her boyfriend also dumped her–all in one move. Bo needs media training and Kim agrees to help train him so he won’t have to leave AJ by himself in Avalon. Kim and Bo are attracted to each other and this throws them together making it hard to fight the attraction even though Kim tries…she’s sworn off athletes after all!

Susan Wiggs has a way of writing about her characters which made me feel I knew and liked them. She writes about the sad times, the bad times and the funny times with equal clarity. One of the best passages in the book is when Bo is getting “styled” so he can be photographed for his PR portfolio.

The salon smelled of perfume and hair dye and God-knew-what. Bo never knew you had to sit so long in the chair. The barber was a gay guy named Goldi (“with an i“) whose head was shaved, so there was no telling whether or not he actually knew what he was doing. Oh, and he wasn’t a barber, but a stylist….

Finger-scrunching referred to as “product,” followed by a humiliating shot of hair-spray. Hair-fricking-spray. If anyone had told Bo that a major-league career involved hair spray, he would have known they were joking. Except it was true. Hair spray.

His ordeal ended with the ritual removal of the giant plastic gown.

The author has captured Bo’s “voice” so well I feel I would know him if I met him.

Bo and Kim make a great couple. They’ve both been hurt and are cautious about love, but Bo’s honesty and goodness get under Kim’s skin and Kim’s talents, beauty and love for his son convince Bo she’s the girl for him. I thought Bo for all his initial misgivings about being a father slowly learned how to show AJ how he felt and by the end of the book was willing to make an ultimate sacrifice for his son. I did feel that despite all his earlier relationships with women which hadn’t worked he and Kim have a remarkably untroubled courtship.

I like the town and other characters which must figure into other books in the series. Susan Wiggs’ writing seems real to me. She writes about people I would like to know. The only quibble I have is that the town and people in it are “too good to be true.” Small towns are great places, but they’re just like anywhere else–not all good, not all bad. However, I’m willing to buy into the place because the people do overcome bad situations. The fact they overcome these things and grow in the process makes this a book to read to feel good about the world.

I hadn’t read any other books in the series, but didn’t have any trouble knowing what was going on. I’m looking forward to getting the rest of the books and enjoying reading more Susan Wiggs books.

What is really bad though is that my parents (who live in Oregon and are 86 and 88 years old) have both gotten sick, too. My brother and I finally talked them into going to the doctor today. My brother lives closer to them, but is still three hours away so we have to make do mostly with phone calls. They both still live in the home they’ve been in for almost 60 years, but most all their friends are dead and most other relatives are at least a half hour away. I live over half way across the country. It’s a hard situation watching your parents grow older. I visit as much as possible, but mostly I talk to them long distance. I know it must be scary and sometimes depressing to grow older–losing friends, hearing, sometimes health and knowing you might end up in a nursing home. My brother and I are trying to help without taking away their choices. I hope this illness doesn’t tip one or both of them into the “no good choices” column. I just have to trust they will get better.

The good thing for me about being sick is that I don’t feel guilty about reading so much. I’ve read five of Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga books and novellas in the last couple weeks. I’ve been haphazardly collecting the series for several years, but didn’t have the first books in the series. I finally found them and discovered a number of omnibus editions have been published. I’m collecting all the books in the series now and am happily reading my way through them.

I also just finished reading Firside by Susan Wiggs. I read it for the Contemporary Romance Challenge I am participating in. I will write a review for that soon. I hope I feel like writing reviews any day now!

A number of great books to choose from this month. These are the books on my radar screen. What are the books you want in March?

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I missed this February book:

The Better to Hold You

• by Alisa Sheckley
• Paperback released February 24
• Del Rey
• Paranormal
• “Manhattan veterinarian Abra Barrow has more sense about animals than she has about men. So when her adored journalist husband returns from a research trip to Romania and starts pacing their apartment like a caged wolf, Abra agrees to move with him to a rural mansion upstate in order to save her marriage.”
• A sequel to this book will come out in May of this year. Alisa Sheckley is a new author to me, but I’ve read some good reviews for this book so I’ll be on the outlook for it.

Temptation Ridge

• by Robyn Carr
• Virgin River series
• Paperback released March 1
• Mira
• Contemporary romance
• “Shelby MacIntyre has big plans – plans that include finding Mr. Right. Her dream man will have a clean-shaven jaw, creases in his pants and hopefully an advanced degree. What she gets is rugged Luke Riordan.”
• I like Robyn Carr’s writing and enjoy the characters she has created in the Virgin River series.

Silent on the Moor

• by Deanna Raybourn
• Third in the Lady Julia Grey and Nicholas Brisbane series
• Trade paperback released March 1
• Mira
• Historical mystery
• “Despite his admonitions to stay away, Lady Julia arrives in Yorkshire to find Brisbane as remote and maddeningly attractive as ever. Cloistered together, they share the moldering house with the proud but impoverished remnants of an ancient family-the sort that keeps their bloodline pure and their secrets close. Lady Allenby and her daughters, dependent upon Brisbane and devastated by their fall in society, seem adrift on the moor winds, powerless to change their fortunes. But poison does not discriminate between classes….”
• I just finished the first book in this series–Silent in the Grave–and can’t wait to read the second and third.

As Shadows Fade

• by Colleen Gleason
• Gardella Vampire Chronicles, book 5
• Paperback released March 3
• Signet
• “While Sebastian Vioget appears to be both the perfect warrior and lover to ensure the Gardella Legacy, Victoria cannot forget Max Pesaro – the former slayer still haunted by the vampire queen Lilith’s obsession with him. But it is Lilith’s obsession that may save all of humanity. Demons, enemies of both mortals and the undead, have found their way to earth. To defeat them, vampires and slayers must fight side by side. But Lilith wants Max in return for her cooperation; a small price for the world, but too high a price for Victoria.”
• This is the last book in the Gardella Vampire Chronicles. Each book has been excellent.

Angels’ Blood

• by Nalini Singh
• #1, Guild Hunter series
• Paperback released March 3
• Berkley
• Urban fantasy
• “Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux is hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael. But this time, it’s not a wayward vamp she has to track. It’s an archangel gone bad. The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other-and pull her to the razor’s edge of passion. Even if the hunt doesn’t destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just may. For when archangels play, mortals break.”
• I’ve enjoyed Nalini Singh’s first series–the psy-changeling series–and look forward to reading this one. Angel’s Pawn by Nalini Singh an e-novella set in the Guild Hunter world was released on February 24 and is available from her publisher’s website and other ebook stores.

Hunted

• by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
• House of Night series, book 5
• Trade paperback released March 10
• St. Martin’s Griffin
• Young Adult Fantasy
• “What if the hottest guy in the world was hiding a nameless evil, and all he wanted was you? At the start of this heart-pounding new installment of the bestselling House of Night series, Zoey’s friends have her back again and Stevie Rae and the red fledglings aren’t Neferet’s secrets any longer. But an unexpected danger has emerged. Neferet guards her powerful new consort, Kalona, and no one at the House of Night seems to understand the threat he poses. Kalona looks gorgeous, and he has the House of Night under his spell. A past life holds the key to breaking his rapidly spreading influence, but what if this past life shows Zoey secrets she doesn’t want to hear and truths she can’t face?”
• This is a very popular series.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

• by Carrie Ryan
• Hardcover released March 10
• Delacorte Books
• Young Adult
• “In Mary’s world, there are simple truths.
  The Sisterhood always knows best.
  The Guardians will protect and serve.
  The Unconsecrated will never relent.
  And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village….”
• This sounds like an interesting young adult book.

In a Gilded Cage

• by Rhys Bowen
• Molly Murphy mystery series
• Hardcover released March 17
• St. Marin’s Minotaur
• Historical mystery
• “Irish immigrant Molly Murphy and her New York City P.I. business are in the midst of a sweeping influenza epidemic and a fight for women’s suffrage that lands her in jail. Her betrothed, Police Captain Daniel Sullivan, finds her, but he hardly has time to bail her out, what with Chinese gangs battling for control of a thriving opium trade. The only consolation Molly can take from her vexing afternoon in the clink is that it made her some new friends among the Vassar suffragists—and brought her a pair of new cases.”
• This is a favorite historical mystery series of mine.

The Treasure Keeper

• by Shana Abe
• Drakon series, book 4
• Hardcover released March 24
• Bantam
• Fantasy
• “The drákon are at war, surrounded by an enemy they have every reason to fear. The sanf inimicus are no ordinary human beings but the most dangerous of hunters. They’ve sworn to exterminate the shape-shifters whose presence they now can detect, and they’ve already claimed a prize prisoner: Lord Rhys Langford.”
• I like this series and look forward to this new book.

Deadly Desire

• by Keri Arthur
• Riley Jensen, Guardian series, book 7
• Paperback released March 24
• Bantam
• Urban fantasy
• “Guardian Riley Jenson always seems to face the worst villains. And this time’s no different. For it’s no ordinary sorceress who can raise the dead to do her killing. But that’s exactly what Riley expects to find at the end of a trail of female corpses used-and discarded-in a bizarre ritual of evil. With pressure mounting to catch one fiend, another series of brutal slayings shocks the vampire world of her lover, Quinn. So the last thing Riley needs is the heat of the upcoming full moon bringing her werewolf hormones to a boil-or the reappearance of a sexy bounty hunter, the rogue wolf Kye Murphy.”
• I’m several books behind in this series, but hope to catch up this year!

Then Comes Seduction

• by Mary Balogh
• Huxtable Quintet series, book 2
• Paperback scheduled for release March 24
• Dell
• “In a night of drunken revelry, Jasper Finley, Baron Montford, gambles his reputation as London’s most notorious lover on one woman. His challenge? To seduce the exquisite, virtuous Katherine Huxtable within a fortnight. But when his best-laid plans go awry, Jasper devises a wager of his own. For Katherine, already wildly attracted to him, Jasper’s offer is irresistible: to make London’s most dangerous rake fall in love with her. Then Jasper suddenly ups the ante. Katherine knows she should refuse. But with scandal brewing and her reputation in jeopardy, she reluctantly agrees to become his wife. Now, as passion ignites, the seduction really begins. And this time the prize is nothing less than both their hearts.…”
• Mary Balogh is one of my favorite historical romance authors. I just finished the first book in this series and enjoyed it a lot. Two more books in this series will be published in April and May.

Magic Strikes

• by Ilona Andrews
• Kate Daniels series, book 3
• Paperback released March 31
• Ace
• Urban fantasy
• “Drafted into working for the Order of Merciful Aid, mercenary Kate Daniels has more paranormal problems than she knows what to do with. And in Atlanta, where magic comes and goes like the tide, that’s saying a lot. But when Kate’s werewolf friend Derek is discovered nearly dead, she must confront her greatest challenge yet.”
• I re-read the first book in this series earlier this year. This is a great urban fantasy series.

Smooth Talking Stranger

• by Lisa Kleypas
• Travis family series, book 3
• Hardcover released March 31
• St Martin’s Press
• Contemporary romance
• “Jack Travis leads the uncomplicated life of a millionaire Texas playboy. He makes no commitments, he loves many women, he lives for pleasure. But no one has ever truly touched his heart or soul. Until one day, a woman appears on his doorstep with fury on her face and a baby in her arms. It seems Jack is the father and this woman is the baby’s aunt. The real mother has abandoned the child to her more responsible sister. And now, Jack is being called upon to take responsibility for the first time in his life. With delicious romantic tension, characters so real they walk onto the page and into your heart, Lisa Kleypas delivers the kind of novel that makes you laugh, love; cry and cheer.”
• Lisa Kleypas is one of my favorite authors and this series is excellent.

Red-Headed Stepchild

• by Jaye Wells
• Paperback released March 31
• Orbit
• Urban fantasy
• “In a world where being of mixed-blood is a major liability, Sabina Kane has the only profession fit for an outcast: assassin. But, her latest mission threatens the fragile peace between the vampire and mage races and Sabina must scramble to figure out which side she’s on. She’s never brought her work home with her—until now. This time, it’s personal.”
• This sounds like an interesting urban fantasy and I like the title!

Title: Agent of Change
Authors: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Copyright: 1988
Genre: Science Fiction with romance elements
Publisher: Ace
Setting: Sometime in the future in a universe with many habitable planets. At least four species–Terrans, Liadans, the Clutch and Yxtrang–are inhabiting this area of the universe with varying degrees of discord.
Part of a series? Yes. The husband and wife team of Lee and Miller have written a number of books in the Liaden Universe. The early books are all about the Korval family–a powerful Liaden family. In some books characters from previous books show up, but usually only peripherally. Carpe Diem, however, is a sequel to Agent of Change. If you visit the above website you will find a suggested reading order. The books were out-of-print in the 1990′s. However, during these years people continued to talk about the books and by 2000 the books began to be reissued. The authors are now writing new books–some of them in the Liaden universe and some not.

Grade: A

………………………….

I first read this book when it was reissued in 2000. I heard about the science fiction books written by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller for years before I was able to get my hands on them. I’ve read all their books since then. They were every bit as good as I had heard they were and very much merit a re-read. I think the earliest books are best, but I enjoy the later books, too. I’m happy–for myself and for the authors that they have new books being published. Two new books are scheduled to come out this year.

The characters and the world building are two of my favorite characteristics of their books. The relationships between the characters are all beautifully written and I love the world Lee and Miller create. The Liaden universe–especially the Liaden culture–is very complex. It unfolds gradually throughout the books. In this book we don’t find out a lot about Liaden because the book takes place on a distant planet or in space. However, we slowly learn about the political situation between Terra, Liaden, the Clutch and Yxtrang.

Near the beginning of the book a Terran ruminates bitterly about the rest of the universe:

“There seems to be a conviction among you geeks–all geeks, not just humanoid ones–that we Terrans are pushovers. That the power of Earth and of true humans is some kind of joke.”

and

“The Yxtrang make war on our worlds and pirate our ships; the Liadens control the trade economy; the turtles [the Clutch] ignore us. We’re required to pay exorbitant fees at the so-called federated ports. We’re required to pay in cantra, rather than good Terran bits. Our laws are broken. Our people are ridiculed. Or impersonated. Or murdered. And we’re tired to it, O’Grady. Real tired of it.”

This pretty much sums up the Terran view of the political and social situation–feeling sidelined, threatened, unimportant.

These books are written from the Liaden point of view. Val Con yos’Phelium is a Liaden spy and assassin and he completes a mission in the opening pages of the book. Miri Robertson is a retired mercenary sergeant, former bodyguard and on the run from an interplanetary criminal organization. Val Con is delayed leaving the planet when he finds Miri fighting attackers and helps her defeat them. They team up and try to find a way off the planet. Along the way they come upon members of the Clutch whom Val Con knows from his days as a first-in scout. Edger, the head of the Clutch delegation, named Val Con a brother when he was on the Clutch world. Val Con and Miri travel with the Clutch (who are great characters). Miri also meets up with her old mercenary unit on the planet. These are both huge coincidences, but the book is so much fun to read it doesn’t bother me.

This is space opera at its best. I love reading space adventure stories and this has a great romance built in as well. Val Con and Miri’s relationship is so well written. It develops slowly because both characters are wary, damaged, solitary individuals. They develop trust for each other and begin to understand each other. They’re both fighters and never give up. Both have a strong moral compass. Val Con is the most damaged of the two by his work as a spy and the training given him. We only begin to understand in this book what was done to him–but we see that Miri is the saving of him. As we read the books we see the unfolding story of the Korvals…great entertainment. I plan to re-read all these books this year.

Talk Me Down

Author: Victoria Dahl

Copyright: 2009

Publisher: HQN

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Setting: A small town–Tumble Creek, Colorado–in the Rockies

Grade: B-

………………..

This is my contemporary romance review for February. I’ve heard quite a bit of buzz about this book so I decided to give it a try. I liked parts of the book and disliked other parts!

As the book opens Molly Jennings has moved back to the small, isolated town of Tumble Creek she grew up in. I didn’t like her very much though I could understand reasons for some of her actions. I thought Victoria Dahl did a good job of showing why Molly reacted the way she did in various situations. Her parents always compared her with her older brother who was a gifted student. She has had a poor self-image though she puts on a good act.

Molly kept a major secret (her job as a bestselling erotic fiction author) from everyone (including her family) and I could understand why she did that with most people, but I felt she should have talked to Police Chief Ben Lawson (long-time family friend and current love interest) before she did. He was the main reason she kept the secret and she knew how he felt about secrets and publicity. He had personal reasons to abhor secrets and publicity (from his childhood) plus a police chief serves at the pleasure of a mayor or city council. They don’t like bad publicity either. I thought it was selfish of Molly to blindside Ben the way she did.

She also kept the problems she was having with a former boyfriend in Denver from Ben for too long. I felt she was manipulative, too. She manipulated Ben into situations that caused him public embarrassment. I liked Ben–he was the strong, silent, honest type and I felt he cared for Molly. However, in the latter part of the book he and Molly both some bad decisions.

I liked Victoria Dahl’s writing. For example, she has a knack for writing comedy. The “trick or treat incident” was classic. (Molly thought a little girl was dressed like a princess. When Molly calls her a princess the little girl starts crying and forcefully tells Molly she is not a princess! I could relate to that since one of my daughters dressed up as Peter Pan one year and everyone thought she was Robin Hood.)

However, though I liked the writing, I didn’t like Molly very much–she would never be my best friend!