Tuesday, November 1, 2011

October 2011: Reads + Minis! Lee Thomas, Ilona Andrews, Logan Belle

Hope you all had a great Halloween!!

I indulged this past October and read quite a few spooky reads. Well, I read lots of books period. Earlier this month I posted some recommendations from favorite Halloween reads I either read during previous months or previous years, but this last month I could not stop myself and kept on with the same theme. I also read a couple of great Christmas books. However what you will notice when you see the grades, is that I read quite a few good books. So my reading wasn't only on the plentiful side, it was also quite enjoyable for me for personally.

Here's my summary for the month:

Total Reads: 23 (+1 Re-read): Print Books: 5  ebooks: 19
Contemporary Romance: 4
Historical Romance: 3
Urban Fantasy: 1
Science Fiction: 2
LGBT: 13 (Spec Fic: 1  Mystery: 6  Gay Romance: 5  Young Adult: 1)
Young Adult: 1

Favorite Reads in October:
  • Scandalous Desires (Maiden Lane, #3) Elizabeth Hoyt: A
  • The German by Lee Thomas (LGBT Thriller/Mystery): A-
The German captured my attention with its bone chilling prologue set in Germany and once begun, I couldn't put it down. However, this fantastic thriller by Lee Thomas is set in a small town in Texas during WWII where two young men are found skinned and disemboweled with snuffboxes stuffed in their mouths and inside them, notes written in German. You can only imagine how the townspeople react, particularly since there is a small German community residing among them. However, it is when young Tim Randall and his friend Bum spy on Ernst, the German, see him having sex with another man and become convinced that he is the killer that things really turn ugly.

The German is an unforgettable thriller with plenty of tension, excellent pacing and characters. Thomas uses the small town's paranoia to build some incredible tension and keep the reader guessing as to who the killer is, giving The German that great edge that all good thrillers require. However, with its bone chilling prologue and a terrifying torture scene, there is also a strong horror edge to this story. Most importantly, through this suspense/thriller Thomas deeply explores individual and group reactions to different types of fear. Highly recommended.
Lots of Excellent B Reads:
  • Real Men Will (Donovan Brothers Brewery, #3) by Victoria Dahl: B+
  • Tis The Season To Be Sinful Adrienne Basso: B+
  • Silver Shark (Kinsmen #2) by Ilona Andrews (Sci-Fi/Romance): B+
I've been waiting for a continuation to this world ever since I read and loved the first novella Silent Blade back in 2009, and the Ilona Andrews team rocked it! I love the world building, the characters and the stories they've created for this science fiction romance set so far. 
In Silver Shark they continued as they began, with a strong female character who is equal to the male protagonist in strength, excellent plot, pacing and sci-fi details with romance and a passionate interlude that fits in with the story. In this second installment the only weakness for me came with the rather abrupt ending which then goes to an epilogue that doesn't include the two main characters. However, this sci-fi world just became better and even more intriguing. I can only hope that eventually a full length novel will come along. Now, that would really rock my world. :)
  • Coming Home by Victor J. Banis: B+
  • Flawless by Carrie Lofty: B
  • Sex, Straight Up (Those Sexy O'Sullivans, #2) by Kathleen O'Reilly: B
  • Unwrapped by Erin McCarthy, Donna Kauffman, Kate Angell: B
  • a+e 4EVER by Ilike Merey: B
  • The Back Passage by James Lear: B
  • Mummy Dearest (The XOXO Files, #1) by Josh Lanyon: B
  • Sort of Stranger Than Fiction (Petit Morts) by Josh Lanyon: B
  • Cherry Pie by Samantha Kane: B
  • Angels of Darkness by Ilona Andrews, Nalini Singh, Sharon Shinn, Meljean Brook: B-
  • One Less Stiff at the Funeral (Petit Morts ) Sean Kennedy: B-
And Some Interesting C Reads too:
  • Fallen Angel by Logan Belle (Erotic Romance): C+
Fallen Angel is the second book in Logan Belle's erotic romance series Club Burlesque. I did not read the first book Blue Angel, so I can tell you that I was a bit lost when it came to some of the characters and  exactly how they fit into the story, at least toward the beginning. However, Fallen Angel mainly focuses on Mallory after she decides to give up going to law school to concentrate on a burlesque career, and to earn extra money takes on a paralegal job during the day working for sexy Gavin Stone. In this installment, Mallory's unhappy with long time boyfriend Alec because he keeps pushing their sexual boundaries to include a third party. In particular Violet Offender a new performer in the club. In the meantime, Violet is really interested in Mallory (I mean really, really interested), and she plays the role of a manipulative, vampy, villainous dominatrix to a "t"!! I kind of liked Violet!

Mallory on the other hand is quite frustrating as a character. She doesn't really know what she wants! She goes back and forth between burlesque and law a few times, and yes it's frustrating -- the woman is worse than a weather vane. She's upset with Alec because she suspects that he wants to continue having threesomes, but she'll have a go with another woman and constantly lusts after her boss. Hmm... yeap! So, what did I like about this book? Well, I love the burlesque world that Belle pulled together in this book. It really is intriguing, plus the secondary characters and circumstances had me going throughout the story. There's no way I will miss the next book in this series, if only to find out what Violet will do next and what's going to happen with the clubs! (Aphrodesia - Source: Kensington Publishing)
  • Critic's Choice (Petit Morts) by Josh Lanyon: C
  • Private Dicks by Katie Allen: C
  • Happy Endings by G.A. Hauser: C-
  • Clouds and Rain by Zahra Owens: C-
Re-read:

9 comments:

  1. Nice. You were busy! I have several of these TBR. The only one of these I did read was Scandalous Desires. Excellent book. I enjoyed it very much.

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  2. Good reading month... I have the Petit Morts to read and Mummy Dearest.

    a+e looks interesting, was looking at the before. Looks like you liked it... maybe I'll add to my buy list.

    How are you for meeting up next week for dinner? Would love to see you.

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  3. Lucky you!! A good month both in quality and quantity. Do you see me being green with envy? Yeah. AND you actually posted your recaps already. Sigh.

    Seriously awesome for you ;) The only thing is that we haven't read many books in common it seems. Perhaps this month!

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  4. I seriously need to get reading Scandalous Desires! I'm so excited it seems to be an A read all around (I'ven't loved her last three books).

    :D

    Thanks for the minis and the recap

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  5. Looks like you had a great month, with some fantastic reads!! Hope you enjoyed your reading this month!!! :)Elizabeth Hoyt is one of my fav. authors- so I definitely need to get reading that new one!!!

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  6. Phyl, Scandalous Desires was a great read for me! I'm glad you enjoyed it too. I read a lot more than expected in October. :)

    Mariana, I haven't read all the shorts in the Petit Morts series, but they are really great little reads. I'm enjoying them. Mummy Dearest was a fun read! a+e 4EVER is a really good graphic novel, I hope you enjoy it. Oh and dinner sounds great! Let's get in touch!!

    Nath, I was amazed at the amount of books, but most of all at how much I enjoyed them. I decided to catch up on my LGBT ( mainly on my gay romance reading) this last month. And hey! We did read one book in common, the Rick Riordan. ;P

    Alex! You have got to read Scandalous Desires! If you're enjoying this series, it is a must! LOL!!!

    Lover of Romance, I really did! And yes... if you love Hoyt, definitely get to this book, it's worth it. :D

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  7. WOW you sure have been busy, Hils! I really have to figure out a way to survive without sleep... it's the only solution I can think of. LOL.

    I want to read Hoyt's Maiden Lane series so badly. Everyone I know who reads her books simply adores them.

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  8. p.s. I'm eyeing your montage of books you are currently reading! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on ALL THREE of those books!!!

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  9. Christine, I WAS busy and really don't know how I read all those books. Well, I WAS off for a week and although busy, read quite a bit during that time. Slept late in the mornings. *g*

    You know I'm going to recommend the Hoyt series! I'm really enjoying it so far. And, yes! I hope to write something about all 3 books: the new NR romance, Heart of Steel (Yay), and I'm taking my time reading the UF anthology.

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