Tuesday, September 8, 2009

...on a New Banner & a Thank You!



After a whole week of staring at the stock banner that came with the new blog template, I knew those three cute little kiddies reading just were not going to do it for me. Nope, I knew they were not going to make it past the first week. I couldn't look at the blog without staring at those three kiddies... they became an obsession of the worst kind -- I HAD to get rid of them! But what was I going to do? I'm still trying to make friends with HTML, never mind that I'm a total duffus when it comes to putting graphics together.

So I sent out a cyberspace distress call and what do you know? The graphics goddess herself came charging in on her mighty cyber-spaceship to save the day! She weaved some magic and ta-da!... in no time at all out of cyber-nowhere a new Impressions... banner appeared. A beauteous one at that!

So, I must thank Ms. Kenda Montgomery (known as KMont to us mortals) for weaving her graphics magic and coming to the rescue. I do hope that cyber-spaceship slows down long enough so she can see me waving my thanks... 

 (Note I made her a goddess who captains her own spaceship AND can perform magic) 

Review: Must Love Hellhounds by Charlaine Harris, Ilona Andrews, Nalini Singh, Meljean Brook


The Britlingens Go To Hell by Charlaine Harris

Batanya and Covache, two Britlingen Collective bodyguards are contracted by Crick to go to Hell. He needs to collect an object he stole from Lucifer but left there while escaping from imprisonment. Batanya is assigned this dangerous duty by her superior Tovis, who seems to be obsessed with harassing her. 

In this world, witchcraft is enhanced by science and the witches facilitate transportation for the bodyguards. Batanya, Covache and Crick battle their way through the dark and dangerous tunnels of Hell and on their way meet Hell's monsters, Amelia Earhart, Narcissus and two hellhounds. 

This is my first Charlaine Harris read and I'm afraid neither the story nor the writing grabbed my attention. The addition of Earhart and Narcissus to the story came out of left field for me and threw me out of the story. This novella was the weakest in the anthology for me. 

Angel's Judgment by Nalini Singh

In this pre-quel to Angel's Blood, we meet Sarah before she becomes the Director of the Guild of Hunters. Angel's Judgment is Sarah and Deacon's story. 

Deacon is the Slayer for the Guild. A position so secret, it is known only to the Guild Director and now to Sarah. His job is to hunt rogue Guild hunters -- those who kill vampires instead of returning them to their masters. In this story, Deacon and Sarah join together in the battle against a rogue who is killing vampires -- this right after Sarah is offered the position as Guild Director and comes under scrutiny from the Archangels. During their battles, they encounter an angel, vampires and of course Lucy, the hellhound. 

Sara and Deacon's mutual attraction and sizzling chemistry is apparent from the start. Their attraction is one that may conflict with their future professional relationship.I thought both the action and the romance were well done in this story. 

I liked the characters and the story kept my attention. We were not given as many details as expected about the Guild Hunter's world, although what we did learn was relevant. Elena and Raphael both make brief appearances and neither has much of an impact on the story.  A nice addition to this series, Angel's Judgment gives us a closer look and some added development to some important secondary characters in this UF/Romance series.

Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews

Magic Mourns is a novella related to Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels urban fantasy series. Andrea Nash is a knight in the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid and Kate's best friend. She's also a shapeshifter in denial. The story picks up a few weeks after Magic Strikes ends, while Kate is recuperating from her wounds and Andrea is covering for her at the Order. 

In Magic Mourns, Andrea and Raphael, the sexy werehyena who has been courting her for six months, embark in their own harrowing adventure. They battle the three-headed Cerberus, Hades' hellhound, and must figure out why he left the gates he's supposed to be guarding. In the process, Andrea must come to terms with her feelings for Raphael and with her own secret monster. 

This story is told through Andrea's point of view, a refreshing way of seeing this character story and adding further development. Here, as in other Kate Daniels books we encounter mythology -- this time of the Greek kind. Fast paced and full of action, Ilona Andrews delivers a complete story with a couple of characters I loved and some great action.  This story was a winner for me.

Blind Spot (A Guardian Novella) by Meljean Brook

In this novella by Meljean Brook, Maggie "Winters" and Geoff Blake are thrown together when Katherine, Geoff's sister, is kidnapped. Maggie's loyalty is in question as the two of them joined by Mr. Pup, a three-headed hellhound, take off after the kidnappers for the rescue. 

A family secret that has been guarded and is only known by Colin, Savi, Katherine and Geoff is revealed. Maggie and Geoff discover each other's attractions while they race to save Katherine and prove Maggie's innocence.

I'm not familiar with this series and this is my first book by Ms. Brook. I found Blind Spot easy to follow and loved both the characters and world they inhabit. Ms. Brook's portrayal of Maggie and Geoff as both vulnerable and strong made them a winning couple for me. I'll be looking up the rest of this series. 

I usually read anthologies to discover new writers, to make decisions about a new series or to follow series I'm already reading. I discovered a new-to-me series I want to read, and loved the added development to two series I'm already reading.  Must Love Hellhounds was definitely a successful read for me.

You can find out more by visiting the authors:

Friday, September 4, 2009

Review: Head Over Heels by Susan Andersen

Who said, "you can't go home again?" In Veronica Davis' case, who'd want to -- especially when you hail from Fossil, Washington. But now she's back among the good-ol' boys who think she's fair game just because she's in a waitress uniform.

The truth is, Veronica's the boss -- at least until she can sell the family saloon and skip town again as fast as her feet can carry her and nobody knows that better than Cooper Blackstock. From behind the bar, the ex-Special Forces Marine sees all. And his undercover agenda has made the feisty boss-lady's troubles his own.

And her troubles are considerable, what with a family in turmoil, a pseudo-bartender with dangerous secrets, a murder investigation, and death threats. Though the town surprisingly rallies in support, it's still a good thing that Cooper will be there to catch Veronica if she stumbles -- if he doesn't start falling himself.
This is the second book by Susan Andersen I read and the better of the two by far. I'm not quite sure why I looked it up, especially since my first experience with an Andersen book was not a total success. I certainly didn't choose it because of the cover... but the blurb caught my attention and I decided to give it a chance. 

Veronica (Ronnie) and Cooper are both in Fossil, Washington for the same reason -- Ronnie's sister Crystal was murdered and her husband Eddie, who is on the run, is the suspect. Ronnie's return to town a few weeks after the funeral to see to her sister's business and to take care of her niece Lizzy is necessary, but something she's dreading for more than the obvious reasons. The truth is that Veronica left Fossil and didn't have any intentions of ever returning. She has a chip on her shoulders about working in the family saloon and the last thing she wants to do is set foot in the "Tonk" again. 

Cooper was hired to be the new bartender and manager of the Tonk by Marissa, Ronnie's childhood friend. He has his own secret reasons for being in Fossil and he's not about to let Veronica or his emerging feelings for her get on his way. Cooper is now renting a room at Crystal's home where Ronnie will be staying with her niece while in town. This set up throws them together and the stage is set for the romance and the nightly romps to begin.

This couple seemed to be big on making assumptions about each other. Early in the book Cooper assumed that Ronnie was just as trashy and easy as her sister, and I was glad that he got over those assumptions quickly. Ronnie on the other hand was big on judging Cooper by his looks and his job as the manager of the saloon... frankly, that went on for a bit too long. She seemed to see only what she wanted to see. Our heroine was not big on paying attention to detail. They both carried a lot of baggage from their childhood that needed to be resolved and turned out to be the biggest conflict between them. Neither seemed able to let go of pre-conceived ideas or old hurts. 

As secondary characters go, Marissa is the one worth mentioning and the best developed. She has her own romance going on in this book and as a widow with two children, some unique romantic problems. Although this story arc was interesting, it didn't really add to the central story. However, Marissa and Ronnie had that wonderful relationship and dialogue between best friends that can enrich a book. I loved the interaction between them and in that respect Marissa's character was a great addition.   

The murder plot was really kept in the background and it was not the focus here -- the romance was central. The resolution to the murder was used more as a device to reach that happily ever after. 

Head Over Heels had some excellent snappy dialogue I found very entertaining. Ronnie gave as good as she got and Cooper was no slouch either. As a couple, they had chemistry and I liked them together. This is really what kept me reading and the fast pace made it a quick read. Overall I found Head Over Heels to be a good read with a likable couple who worked for their happily ever after by getting to know each other in more ways than one. 

ETA: Sorry, this part was cut off the original post.

This book is part of a series:
Head Over Heels (Marine, Book 1)
Getting Lucky (Marine, Book 2)
Hot & Bothered (Marine, Book 3)
Coming Undone (Marine, Book 4)

You can visit the author here.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Summer 2009 Reads: July and August

My summer reading was not quite what I expected this year... I basically concentrated on finishing my reading for the M/M Reading Challenge in the month of July. As you'll see by my lists, I was also able to fit in some new releases, but not much else -- there were too many outside interruptions this summer for me. I'm hoping that September will bring a return to my usual reading and writing schedule.

July

1) Hidden Currents by Christine Feehan - D

2) What Happened in London by Julia Quinn - B+

3) Don't Tempt Me by Loretta Chase - B+

4) A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore - B-

5) The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan - A

6) Black Hills by Nora Roberts - B

7) Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh - A

8) Boarding Action by Angela Benedetti (Walk the Plank Anthology M/M) - B

9) Islands by Samantha Kane (M/M) - A

10) ePistols at Dawn by Z.A. Maxfield (M/M) - A

11) Out of Bounds by T.A. Chase (M/M) - B+

12) Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale (M/M)- A+

13) The Edge of Impropriety by Pam Rosenthal - A-

14) No Limits by Alison Kent - C

August

1) The Rancher's Rules by Lucy Monroe - B

2) Head Over Heels by Susan Andersen - Upcoming Review

3) Nightlife by Rob Thurman - B+

4) A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James - Upcoming Review

5) Moonshine by Rob Thurman- Upcoming Review

6) Dancing in the Moonlight by Raeanne Thayne - A-

7) Madhouse by Rob Thurman - Upcoming Review

8) Natural Disaster by Chris Owen (M/M) - B+

9) Shelter from the Storm by Raeanne Thayne - B

10) Slave to Shadow by Gavin Atlas (M/M) - B

11) Shy Hunger by Ginn Hale (M/M) - B

12) The Cowboy's Christmas Miracle by Raeanne Thayne - B-

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Latest M/M Romance Releases

Here are four of the latest M/M releases that caught my eye. These books became available at the end of August and I'm looking forward to reading every single one of them.

Damn Gorgeous by Jaye Valentine

Spencer Patterson writes "news" reports on paranormal phenomena for The Weekly Harbinger, a national tabloid magazine. He's had a lifelong love affair with all things supernatural, and having failed at serious news reporting, he eventually merged his hobby with his journalism degree and embarked on a tabloid career.

On assignment in the sleepy Massachusetts town of Fall River, home of the infamous Lizzie Borden axe murders, Spencer meets and falls for sexy Virgil Slade, lifelong resident and owner of a nearby bed-and-breakfast. Things are not as they seem. Virgil, with his hot body, sexy dreadlocks and usual tattoos, harbors a tremendous secret that turns Spencer's world upside down.

Available at Noble Romance.


Weather Rock is in a rotten mood from getting the runaround at City Hall, or it's Rig who's out of sorts from a bad day, the Jarheads know just how to cheer each other up. Rock, Dick and Rig know the best remedy for a case of the blues is some pizza, a few beers, and some hot lovin'... Can they get over what ails them together?

A Sip from Torquere



Dona Nobis Pacem by Willa Okati

Mute saloon keeper Donnell knows all about prejudice; he's had to battle it all of his life. He also knows how self-righteous and judgmental the people of the old west town of Nazareth can be, so he isn't surprised when he sees them spurn requests for work from a man who walks into town looking to be all but on his death bed. Donnell takes the man in and nurses him back to health, falling in love along the way. But is Donnell destined to have his heart broken?

Available at Torquere

Making It Up by TC Blue

When Dr. Thomas Paulson receives a cryptic phone message from his very first boyfriend's mother after ten years, he leaps to the conclusion that JJ -- Johnny Boudreaux-- is dead. His current lover, Alan, makes the same assumption. So imagine Thomas' surprise when he returns to his home town to grieve and discovers that not only is JJ alive and well, but is getting ready to marry Thomas' old girlfriend.

Live can be funny sometimes, and in the course of Thomas' visit he discovers a lot of things that force him to examine his own actions, past and in the present. He's made mistakes, but so has Alan who has flown to Oak Grove, Arkansas to try to help his lover and best friend. But Alan's interference makes things even worse, leading Thomas to believe that he's blown every chance at happiness he ever had.

Available at Torquere