Tag Archives: romance

Demon Crossings

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Demon Crossings

Having been abandoned in a mental hospital as a child for her strange visions, Grace now keeps to herself. Using her premonitions for a greater good, she works as a private investigator, locating missing children. When a strange creature crosses her path, causing her to crash her car during a simple search for a missing little girl, her life begins to take a turn. She suddenly finds herself immersed in old Norse myths with people who claim she is one of them.

Eleri Stone’s Demon Crossings is a lovely paranormal romance with a twist on the typical demons found in the genre. The story line progressed throughout the book, setting up possible subsequent books based on the well developed characters, which in all honesty, make the book what it is.

Disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

Deceiving the Protector

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Deceiving the Protector (Resurrection, #2)

Haunted and hunted by the man who claims to hold her sister’s life in his hands, Lia doesn’t want to be rescued. Tate has a job to do though, saving the wolf shape-shifters who are now hunted by humans. He is not one to be deterred from his cause, and when the two causes collide, tensions heat up. Dee Tonorio’s Deceiving the Protector is the second book in her Resurrection series. Not having read the previous book didn’t diminish the story, which has no trouble standing on its own. While many paranormal romances tend to be lacking, Tonorio has developed a rich fantasy world with shape shifters which only promises to increase in her future books.

Disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

The Sexy Husband Stalks His Prey: A Poem in Parenting

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I sit in the hallway outside the bathroom, my four children taking a bath

Quietly working on my laptop as they play under the guise of getting clean

I hear my husband sneaking up the stairs

His quiet commentary begins

“The sexy husband stalks his prey”

He makes it to the top of the stairs behind me

Reaches out his hand to my bum and says in a high-pitched voice, “Goose!”

I kiss him, his face smooth after shaving earlier in the evening

He looks at my kindle sitting next to me and says,

“Oooooo. Is that a time machine?”

I love that man.

2012 Topical Reading Challenges

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With all of the great reading genres available, it’s easy to skip over some of them. Check out these great topical reading challenges for 2012. Perhaps you’ll join me for some.
Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf

When Melissa at Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf didn’t see any witchy reading challenges for 2012, she decided to make her own.  The 2012 Witches and Witchcraft Reading challenge is for all books witchy, whether fiction or non-fiction. Anyone can read just one book, and all particpants will be entered to win a $10 gift certificate to The Book Depository! I’m starting with one and will see if I don’t bump up a level.


Do you like mystery and suspense? Join in Book City Chick’s 2012 Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge. There are so many sub-genres in the larger mystery category that I don’t think I will have any difficulty reading 12 novels for this challenge.

Feeling romantic? Check oy the Harlequin Silhouette 2012 Reading Challenge hosted Islandgirl Reads Romance. This challenge requires that you read one Harlequin book in each of 6 categories. This will probably be my most difficult challenge.

With books you can travel through time. Join Library of Clean Reads with the 2012 Time Travel Reading Challenge. I’m keeping it simple with a Surprise Trip (minimum of 1-3 books) and will see what else I read from there.

Do you have any earth based leanings or just want to learn more about earth-centered celebrations or history? Check out the 2012 Pagan Reading Challenge hosted by The Domestic Pagan. Just by celebrating the scientifically-based changes in our world during the year, our family reads several pagan books every year. You don’t have to be pagan to read pagan books or appreciate a large part of our history.

Looking toward the future, you could join The Dystopia 2012 Challenge at Bookish Ardour. Admittedly, this hasn’t been my favorite genre, but I was pleasantly surpirsed by some of the dystopian novels I read last year, stretching myself just a bit.

Finally, for those of you who love cogs and clocks, head over to Oh, The Places You’ll Go! for the Cogs, Clocks, and Mechanisms Reading Challenge 2012. Haven’t tried steampunk? Challenge yourself!

Tricks of the Trade

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Tricks of the Trade (Paranormal Scene Investigations #3)

Mystery, paranormal talents, and romance – Laura Anne Gilman’s book, Tricks of the Trade, has it all. The third in a series, not all of the characters are as well developed as one might like, but they may very well have been addressed in previous books.. Luckily, we do see some growth with the main character and some insightful thoughts into human nature. The book’s emphasis is on the ongoing investigations rather than on romance, providing more story line than straight romance novels. However, the multiple story lines jump around and are not as fully developed as they could have been. Overall, it was an enjoyable read.

Disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

Yours to Keep

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Yours To Keep (Kowalski Family, #3)

In order to keep her dear old grandmother from worrying,  Emma invented a finace, throwing in the name of one of her best friend’s in-laws on the spur of the moment. When her grandmother is scheduled to come visit, Emma must approach Sean, newly discharged from the army, and ask him to play along.

Shannon Stacey’s Yours To Keepis full of cliches, one liners, nosy relatives, and has an unbelievable set-up. That being said, it made me laugh out loud, which is something no book has made me do in quite some time. It’s a funny, light romantic comedy.

Disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

Seers

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Seers

Since surviving her brush with death in the car accident which killed her parents, Kate Bennet has been able to see auras. Her attempts at normality with the start of a new school year are thwarted by the new student who doesn’t have a typical aura and a man that no one else seems to see. It isn’t long before she learns that guardians and demons are real and that she is a seer.

Heather Frosts new book Seers, available this October, follows the typical YA romance plot – girl falls in love with incredibly handsome supernatural guy and has to fight for not only the right to be with him but also for her life. Patrick’s sexy accent is about the only redeeming quiality for me.

The concept of guardians, demons, and seers seemed underdeveloped. While the idea (demons versus angels) skirts a religious theme, no purpose was ever given for the existence of demons or angel,s and the only purpose of seers seems to be for the detection of the first two. The plot, while having the side supernatural theme, seemed to flounder around how difficult life is for Kate, who strings along her old boyfriend while pursuing her attraction to Patrick.

While the book is primarily written from the perspective of Kate, two single chapters are written from Patrick’s point of view, and the epilogue is written from the point of view of a demon. I can’t say how annoying this was to me.

Disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

The Goddess Test

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The Goddess Test (Harlequin Teen)

Debut author Aimee Carter’s new book and beginning of a new series, The Goddess Test (Harlequin Teen), goes on sale next week. The book pulled me in at the beginning, having been the teenage girl taking care of a mother dying of cancer. The concept of Greek mythology in modern day life is appealing and one that I enjoy.

However, the book left a lot wanting. The focus on Kate’s self-sacrifice over-shadowed any further character development, for either her or the rest of the cast of characters. Multiple twists in the storyline are abrupt without any foreshadowing too look back on, leaving the reader feeling that the author changed her story mid-book. The chosen tests are not connected to the subject matter and left me shaking my head at their inclusion.

I can only hope the author does some further development before the release of the next book in the series.

Disclaimer: A copy of the book was provided by HarlequinTEEN.