Mini-Review: Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater is a young adult (YA) fantasy book. I don't usually read YA, however after reading Christine's review for this book at "The happily ever after..." I thought this would be a book I might recommend to my niece, but one I should read first. Later when Tracy posted her own review at "Tracy's Place," I remembered it was already on my list and that I should get to it. Tracy was also generous enough to send me the book and finally this month, I read it -- thank you Tracy!

Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. When a mysterious boy enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of nowhere, Deirdre finds herself infatuated. Trouble is, the enigmatic and conflicted Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin—and Deirdre is meant to be his next mark. Deirdre has to decide if Luke's feelings towards her are real, or only a way to lure her deeper into the world of Faerie.

In Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception, Maggie Steifvater uses Celtic Faerie mythology to weave her fantasy world while keeping the setting strictly in contemporary times. Through Stiefvater's beautiful and engaging writing, the reader experiences this creative mythical atmosphere while enjoying contemporary characters, dialogue and events. I more than enjoyed the beautiful way she mixed and balanced both. I particularly loved the lyrical/poetic ballads she included as part of the story.

Deidre, a gifted but typical 16 year old teenager full of fears she must conquer, some overtime hormones coupled with romantic idealism and a certain rebellious streak, is the focus of the story with Luke, the dark hero, sharing that focus. Their adventure was a dark one as they battle the Faerie Queen and some rather cold and scary characters that are as fascinating as the atmosphere set by the writer. Being that this book is set in contemporary times, I did wonder how or why Deidre decided to go along with Luke while having reservations about him. I questioned her judgment during those times and had to suspend disbelief to continue reading their adventures. One of my favorite characters was James, Deidre's best friend, and I wish he'd had more page time.

In this fast paced, beautifully written story, Stiefvater keeps the reader turning the pages to see what happens next as the mystery builds. While this book felt different in many wonderful ways and I enjoyed it quite a bit, there were unanswered questions and some confusing answers by the time the abrupt ending came along. There are "cloudy" patches and open-ended threads in this story. An indication there's another book in the offing, and one that always leaves me wondering if the answers to those open threads will be in that second book. Having said that, I'll reiterate that this book was an enjoyable read for me. In my opinion, Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception is a book adults will enjoy and young adults will love. I'll personally recommend it to my niece. :) 

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Series: Faerie Series -- Lament (Book 1), Ballad (Book 2)
Released: October 1, 2008
Grade: B

Visit Maggie Stiefvater here

Review: Naked Edge by Pamela Clare

What do you do when desire drives you to the very brink?

The day Navajo journalist Katherine James met Gabriel Rossiter, the earth literally moved beneath her feet. Nearly killed in a rockslide while hiking, she found her life in the tall park ranger's hands. Although she can't forget him she thinks she'll never see him again. She is crushed when she recognizes her rescuer among the law enforcement officers raiding a sweat lodge ceremony one night, throwing her and her friends off Mesa Butte, land they consider sacred.

Gabe long ago swore he would never again lose himself to a woman not even one with long dark hair and big eyes that seem to see right through him. But from the moment he first sees Kat, the attraction he feels is undeniable. Appalled by what he has been ordered to do, he's determined to get to the bottom of recent events at Mesa Butte and to keep Kat safe.

But asking questions can be dangerous almost as dangerous as risking one's heart. And soon Kat and Gabe's passion for the truth and each other makes them targets for those who would do anything, even kill, to keep Native Americans off their sacred land.

The Naked Edge by Pamela Clare is a contemporary romance/suspense I've been looking forward to reading for a while now. I enjoyed some aspects of it, however not as many as I'd hoped. The above blurb summarizes the plot accurately.

In this book Pamela Clare addresses the fight Native Americans are waging against private owners and the government to keep their sacred land and to maintain their traditions. Clare uses Gabriel, a park ranger, and Kat, a journalist and I-Team member, to develop this part of the story. She also uses her ability to integrate the suspense and romance successfully -- this is something I find Clare does quite well.

As a man, Gabriel was deeply hurt and in the process damaged badly. From the beginning, he knew what he wanted from Kat as a woman and marriage was not it. I enjoyed his internal dialogue in this book where he upbraided himself for his base feelings and emotional cowardice -- if nothing else, he was honest with himself. I appreciated his growth in his relationship with Kat and liked the way his feelings moved from lust to love. The reader goes through the whole process with Gabriel. However, I did question his judgment when it came to his role as a protector in the suspense part of the story.

Kat is a character we met in previous books and one that turned out to be an absolute surprise -- at least to me. Kat is not the strong, confident woman I expected. Instead, she turns out to be a shy, vulnerable virgin -- or as Gabriel refers to her "extra virgin" (as in olive oil) -- for personal reasons, she has decided to wait until she marries to have sexual relations with a man. This sets up the conflict between Gabriel and Kat.

Kat is half Navajo and half white and as a result of some heavy traumatic childhood experiences, she lacks confidence both as a woman and as an overall person. However, that's not the reason I say she's not strong, my problem comes with the fact that Gabriel spends most of the story rescuing Kat (I lost count), or you find Kat crying for one reason or another. After a while, the fact that she keeps putting herself in dangerous situations, the constant rescuing, and the crying almost did me in.

I also question Kat's qualifications as an investigative reporter. This is not a new problem when it comes to this series, I had this problem with another book. In my opinion, Kat is a poor investigative reporter indeed. She puts everything together at the end, but her methods are appalling and her abilities to work things out are next to non-existent.

The rest of the I-Team make appearances in this book as expected. Both Julian and Hunter played a part in the investigation and I really enjoyed both their banter and their contribution to the story. Clare works with both the expected and unexpected when it comes to the villains in this installment.

The suspense part of Naked Edge has an awfully dramatic ending that requires the reader to temporarily suspend desbelief. The romance between Gabriel and Kat although slow to develop has both erotic and tender moments. However, I must say that the end to the romance, like the suspense, was a bit over the top for my personal tastes.

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Suspense
Series: I-Team Series (Book 4)
Release Date: March 2, 2010
Grade : C-

Visit Pamela Clare here.

Review: Pleasure of a Dark Prince (Immortals After Dark Series, Book 9) by Kresley Cole

A DANGEROUS BEAUTY
Lucia the Huntress: as mysterious as she is exquisite, she harbors secrets that threaten to destroy her—and those she loves.
AN UNCONTROLLABLE NEED
Garreth MacRieve, Prince of the Lykae: the brutal Highland warrior who burns to finally claim this maddeningly sensual creature as his own.
LEAD TO A PLEASURE SO WICKED. . . .
From the shadows, Garreth has long watched over Lucia. Now, the only way to keep the proud huntress safe from harm is to convince her to accept him as her guardian. To do this, Garreth will ruthlessly exploit Lucia’s greatest weakness—her wanton desire for him. . . .

I was pleased to read Pleasure of a Dark Prince (Immortal After Dark Series, Book 9) by Kresley Cole. I enjoyed it. This is another paranormal series that I'm still enjoying, although some books in this series work better for me than others. I'm so glad Garreth and Lucia's story didn't let me down after waiting for it for so long. Garreth was such a wonderful werewolf character... not brooding or damaged like Lachlain and Bowen, he was fun! Lucia didn't stand a chance, lol! He was also tender and boy did he know how to persevere... not only because she was his mate, but because he learned to love her.

I thought it was interesting that in this story the dark chararacter, the character with the baggage, and I mean dark, drooling, and evil baggage, was Lucia. I liked that, and thought it made for a nice change. As a heroine, Lucia was brave and sexy, but more than a bit frustrating. I could understand her reluctance to trust, but after a while I thought it took her too long to do so. Through that lack of trust, she placed both herself and Garreth in danger and that poor judgment almost caused Garreth his life. However, I understood some of the reasons behind her hesitation and my frustrations with her character did not outweight the fact that I liked her.

The story is full of erotic, hot, sexually charged moments, and lots of sexual tension... and an adventure ala Tomb Raider/Raiders of the Lost Ark, taking place for the most part in the Amazon jungle. Lucia and Garreth's romance develops slowly on their journey up the Amazon river and that works -- they have some wonderful moments together.

Cole introduces some very interesting secondary characters in this installment and I wonder if she'll bring them back and how she'll work them into the storyarc. Cole did an excellent job of working the timeline of Pleasure of a Dark Prince into the overall story. The epilogue turned out to be the beginning of the next book and ended in one big cliffhanger.

Overall an enjoyable paranormal romance with lots of sexually charged moments and a couple with great chemistry, Pleasure of a Dark Prince is a great addition to this series. I do love the way Cole writes her werewolf characters. :)  I'll be reading Demon from the Dark, the upcoming installment in this series releasing August 31, 2010.

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Immortals After Dark Series, Book 9
Released: February 16, 2010
Grade: B+

Visit Kresley Cole here.

Review: Something About You by Julie James

Staying overnight in a luxury hotel, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde overhears a high-profile murder involving a U.S. Senator. Special Agent Jack Pallas is assigned to the investigation-the same Jack Pallas who still blames her for nearly ruining his career three years ago. Now the pair will have to put their rocky past behind them, focus on the case at hand-and smother the flame of their sizzling-hot sexual tension.

Julie James' Something About You is my first venture into a contemporary romance by this author. I have two other books by her on my "to be read" pile, but decided to begin by reading her latest release.

This is Cameron Lynde's story and how events around her, including Jack Pallas' reappearance, affect and change her life. James begins the story with Cameron staying at a hotel room where she's staying for the weekend while her hardwood floors finish drying. She's also attempting to relax after completing a grueling trial. After losing sleep due to the couple in the next room's loud sexual antics, Cameron unwittingly witnesses a murder by hearing it through the hotel room's thin walls. She also glimpses the murderer through the peephole on her room door.

When Cameron calls the hotel's front desk to complain about the noise, a murdered woman is discovered and she is plunged into a crime investigation. The primary FBI investigator turns out to be Jack Pallas, a man whose career Cameron suposedly ruined three years prior. The hostility between the two is tangible from their first meeting as is their attraction.

In this contemporary romance you'll find some excellent details when it comes to Cameron's job, that of an Assistant U.S. Attorney. Ms. James certainly took her time with that part of the book, although not so much that it became overwhelming. Cameron was a witty heroine with friends who liked her and she seemed to win those around her, well... all except Jack. What I liked about this heroine was the fact that she used her head and didn't show poor judgment throughout the story. She followed directions and didn't place herself or those who were guarding her in danger by taking unnecessary risks.

Jack was also a likable hero, he wasn't too alpha or too beta -- just right I would say. He knew his job and did it well. Jack definitely had reasons for resenting Cameron since he was kept in the dark about important facts to do with their pasts.

The "big misunderstanding" is used as a trope in this contemporary romance and once that misunderstanding is cleared up things move quickly between Cameron and Jack. However, that doesn't happen until the last third of the book. The first part of the book -- about two thirds -- is mainly taken up by the criminal investigation, secondary characters who come in and out of Cameron and Jack's lives, and some sexual tension between them. This couple's alone time was limited for a longer period of time than I expected.

Although we know fairly early who the villain of the piece is in Something About You, that part of the story is quite good. The villain was clever and the final conclusion was satisfactory.

Something About You is a good contemporary romance not focused entirely on the couple. The suspense takes a lot of that focus although that part of the book is well executed. The romance is slow to develop, but once it gets going it moves quickly and the chemistry between Cameron and Jack definitely takes off.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: None

Released: March 2, 2010

Grade: B

Visit Julie James here.

Mini-Review: Double Play by Jill Shalvis

Pace Martin is the ace pitcher for the Pacific Heat. He's got the arm, the experience, and the wins. He's also got the pain, the pressure, an the possible end of his career looming over him. The last thing he needs now is a distraction, even if it comes in the form of a tough, beautiful, tell-it-like-it-is writer who sees past his defenses.

Holly Hutchins knows a good story when she sees one, and the tall, dark, and slightly attitude-challenged Pace Martin fits the bill. But when she realizes there's more at stake than just a win, she starts to see the handsome, broad-shouldered jock in a different light.

Pace and Holly begin a seductive game, but in the face of unexpected betrayal and challenges, they'll have to find the courage to swing for the fences...

Double Play by Jill Shalvis is a contemporary sports romance. I've read a few category romances by Shalvis and enjoyed them, but this is my first full length Shalvis novel. Overall I would say this was a good choice.

Holly, our heroine in this book, is a writer-reporter writing a series of articles about a baseball team - The Pacific Heat. The hero is the Heat's ace pitcher, Pace Martin. Holly pretty much expects everyone around her to hide things or lie, but she doesn't come off as completely cynical or hard. On the contrary, I found her to be a likable character who makes tough choices when it comes to writing her articles, the team, and her relationship with Pace, but who doesn't hurt people to advance her career. Holly is also honest and up-front about what she's doing at all times. Pace is a pretty private man whose life revolves around baseball and his career. He could have been a self-centered athlete, but instead he is a giving, kind man.

As a couple Holly and Pace have some great chemistry. Shalvis can write some steamy scenes and she certainly didn't skimp on those in Double Play -- it's amazing what she accomplished with the kissing scenes in this book. In the process of reading this romance, I fell in love with a few of the secondary characters -- baseball players and some kids that are part of the story.

Research-wise, there are some major problems when it comes to the sports/baseball part of the story. So, if you're a baseball super-fan, or if you have a problem with flawed research when reading sports romance, this might not be the book for you. However, if that's not an issue for you as a reader, in my opinion this book is definitely good on romance.

Despite some minor personal frustrations due to the errors in baseball research, as a contemporary romance, Double Play was a good, fast read for me.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: Baseball Series, Book 1

Released: July 7, 2009

Grade: B

Visit Jill Shalvis here.