Reviews at Musings

My Reads

Today you can find my Weekly Reads post at Musings. It was a week with mixed results for me on the reading front. Some great finds, some disappointments -- but still reading, which is a good thing, right?

This Week's Reviews

Also at Musings you'll find my reviews for this week -- they were done as I read the books and were not scheduled.

You will find Silent Blade by Ilona Andrews, a Sci-fi Futuristic Romance short story, and Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins, a Contemporary Romance. Two very different stories and reactions from me. See you there!

Review: Silent Blade by Ilona Andrews

Old hatreds die hard. Old love dies harder.

On Meli Galdes' home planet, the struggle for power is a bloody, full-contact sport-in business and on the battlefield. For years her lethal skills have been a valuable asset in advancing her family's interests. She's more than earned her right to retire, but her kinsmen have one last favor to ask.

Kill the man who ruined her life.

Celino Carvanna's razor-sharp business acumen-and skills with a blade-won him the freedom to do as he pleases. There's only one thing he can't seem to control-his reaction to the mysterious woman who tantalizes his senses. Her eyes alone set his blood simmering, stirring ridiculous adolescent fantasies about breasts and honey. With a few words she dissects his soul. Who is she? And how does she slide so easily under his well-guarded skin?

It's almost too easy to draw Celino within the kill zone. Meli plans to revel in him in. Drink him in. Wring every drop of pleasure out of every moment.

And when she's sure he belongs to her, she will finally repay a decade's worth of pain-in a single, brutal dose of reality.

A Romantic Sci-Fi Futuristic short story by a favorite writer, Ilona Andrews -- how could I pass it up? I couldn't, of course. Silent Blade is not part of the Kate Daniels books or the upcoming series. Instead with this short story, Andrews gifts us with a complete romance set in a futuristic world--sharp, dangerous and sexy, we get more than just a glimpse of the world our characters inhabit.

Meli Galdes is biologically enhanced and has special abilities inherited through her bloodline. She is an oddity and perfect for her role as an assassin for her kinsmen. But Meli is tired of killing and all she wants to do is finish that last job and retire to her home and garden. Celino Carvanna's enhancements are different from Meli's but just as deadly. He is more than just a brilliant businessman. Celino is also the head of his family -- a super alpha, arrogant and unscrupulous man who is used to getting what he wants and whose fate has led him straight to Meli.

I loved Meli's character. In Silent Blade, Andrews gives us a heroine that is both a dangerous assassin and a vulnerable woman. Meli is the type of heroine I love in any romance -- a woman who is strong enough to love without becoming a doormat to the alpha hero or so strong that she makes him look like a wimp. Celino is an arrogant and ruthless alpha hero who is about to get his comeuppance, but he is also the type of man I like -- one who knows when to be aggressive and when to back off.

The world in which Meli and Celino live is developed so that we understand the reasons for their actions and reactions. We see both of them in action within their respective worlds -- Meli as an assassin and Celino as the ruthless businessman he is -- and learn their personal histories, but we are definitely not short changed when it comes to the romance or their intimate encounters.

This is a short story and I don't want to give away too much or take away from your enjoyment. I have no complaints about this read, except to say I enjoyed it thoroughly and wanted more. I give this one an A.

Visit the author here. Read an excerpt here.

Originally posted at Musings of a Bibliophile June 10, 2009

On Weekends and Urban Fantasy

I haven't managed to read much this week, real life has taken over. I'm getting ready for a long awaited four day weekend with family. My younger brother is coming to visit from Orlando and I can't wait to see him. It's going to be a weekend filled with testosterone, talk of Laker's basketball, Yankees' baseball, BBQs and camping. I'm looking forward to it!

I did receive Bad to the Bone by Jeri Smith-Ready yesterday and I started it. I've been looking forward to reading this book ever since I read Wicked Game. Can't wait to catch up with Ciara, Shane and the rest of the DJs at WVMP.

Did I tell you I don't usually read Urban Fantasy? Well I don't. Usually. But, this year I set a goal for myself to read at least three Urban Fantasy series and give them a chance--be open minded about them since I've never been a fan.

I didn't really choose this series, it kind of chose me, lol! I fell in love with Jeri Smith-Ready's writing when I read her Aspects of Crow fantasy series and well... I just had to pick up Wicked Game when it was released. I'm loving what Jeri Smith-Ready is doing with her vampires and her heroine. Different. Now, I'm hooked!

The second Urban Fantasy series I'm reading also chose me. I won an ARC for Angel's Blood by Nalini Singh. I happen to be a huge fan of her Psy/Changling series and just had to give this new series a try. Singh refers to this series as an Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance. So far, I would say it is. I love her writing, like the concept and her world building--Raphael the Archangel is lickable and I want him. So yeah, I'm hooked on this one too. Are you laughing at me yet?

My third pick? The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews I chose deliberately. KMont, from Lurv a La Mode has been pimping this series to me forever and since she has yet to lead me astray, I figured why not?

Well my friends, I picked up Magic Bites, the first book in the series and became a fiend! Yes, I did! I couldn't stop myself and just had to read the other two installments one after the other. I devoured Magic Burns and Magic Strikes within a couple of days. I fell in love with Kate, the shape shifters, Andrews' writing style and all that gorgeous mythology. Now, I have to wait a whole YEAR to read more about Kate and Curran. So, yeap! I'm hooked!

Good thing I only decided to read three Urban Fantasy series, don't you think?