The Reading Spot

A Bite to Remember by Lynsay Sands

This was a cute book, it was a nice light-hearted vampire book with some action in it. It was a nice mix and blend to keep me interested. If you collect this series this one is a good addition. The other books in the Argeneau series are Single White Vampire, Love Bites, Tall Dark and Hungry, A Quick Bite and then this one. The last two don't always get listed with the series because they are put out by a different publisher than the first three.

The world of Ms. Sands vampires is one of a different race that are descendants of Atlantis and are equipt with nano computers in their bodies that were created to repair dame to their bodies and then die off. Problem is that our bodies are constantly under attack from the sun and aging that the nanos never died like they were supposed to. They kept replicating but they feed off the the blood in their bodies so the nanos adapted the bodies to be able to consume the blood that they needed to do their job. Hence the creation of "vampires". I thought that that was a unique background for them so I enjoyed the books very much. For me, they are not Keepers but I would definitely check them out and i will continue to keep up with the series. The next book comes out in February called Bite Me if You Can.

Rule #1: Never get involved with someone who won't be there for you when the sun comes up.

Once bitten, twice shy, and sexy PI Jackie Morrisey wasn't going there again. Vincent Argeneau may be the hottest guy she's ever met, living or dead, but she's here to stop a killer from turning this vampire into dust, not to jump into bed with him.

Rule #2: Never kiss a vampire . . . it can be a pain in the neck.

Okay, so Vincent's had four hundred years to perfect his kissing skills, and he does look rather tempting when he runs around the house shirtless. He's also charming, protective . . . did we mention he can kiss? Jackie needs to be on her guard, or else she'll have to come up with a new rule: If you're going to fall in love with a vampire, make sure it's a bite to remember.

P.S. I forgot to say, I won books at the Writerspace paranormal Forum, I am so excited. I won galley copies (is that like an ARC?) of Extreme Bachelor by Julia London, The Burning by Susan Squires and Past Redemption by Savannah Russe. Yeah!!

Ill Wind, Heat Stroke, Chill Factor, Windfall and Firestorm by Rachel Caine

I have seen this series around for a while but had never read them so I decided to give them a try my hubby also picked them up and started reading them too. I enjoyed them for the most part. The first book was very good , but occasionally in the books after that it seemed very drawn out like she has to add in just one more obstacle to lengthen the story. I hope that she finishes the story with the next book. The books are really good, but Armeggedon just seems to be coming forever.

The series is about a woman named Joanne (books are told in first person), she has the ability to control the weather. But it is not as unique as you might think. There is a whole bunch of people who are the same and they work together, with the help of their genies, to divert many catastrophies that the average person never knows about. She gets herself in way over her head and now has to figure out how to get out without being killed or destroying the world.

The Untamed One by Ronda Thompson

This is the second book in the Wild Wulfs of London series. The first was called The Dark One. And I just realized while writing this that I never posted about that one. I will have to go back and post about it. Well, this one was pretty good. It is a historical paranormal. The family is cursed and the brothers refuse to marry and pass along the curse. (I have heard that before, like in almost every historical shifter book I have read.) I thought the story was good but the story line itself is overused. I did like the fact that the heroine herself is also an outcast because she is a witch. So that was a nice change. So it was a decent book, but I don't think I am going to buy it, I will grab the next one from the library as well.

Running from angry villagers and the man who ravaged her, the witch Lucinda flees into the forest to have her child. But Lord Jackson Wulf hunts her down, believing her death will break the family curse that transforms him into a monster. Instead of killing the witch, Jackson is moved by her beauty and desperate plight. And Lucinda seizes the chance to find safety for herself and her babe when a bargain is struck between this outcast woman and this doomed man-and sealed by their marriage in name only...In return for his protection, Lucinda has promised that her magick can free Jackson from his torment. But this pretty witch soon finds herself in danger of being seduced by Jackson's charms and pursued by the man who would see both her and her child dead. Can she trust a Wulf with her safety and the safety of her child? Can she trust her heart to Jackson? To surrender to a Wulf is a terrible risk, for love will either unleash the beast within the man....or finally set him free.


A Reason to Live by Maureen McKade

My second book by her, but first historical I have read by her. I read her book, Convictions right after I started this blog. I thought that it was very predictable, but I know a lot of others who really liked it. I heard many people at the RT board who really liked this one so I grabbed it. It was good. I liked the story line. I loved the fact that they spent time together getting to know each other before realizing that they liked each other, they sort of grew on one another. I liked that alot it was a nice change from instant lust and in bed together and the next day declaring love for one another. So that was very nice.
I liked the premise of the story, Laurel Covey is a nurse who after the war is traveling around to the families of the boys she took care of to deliver their last words and requests. Creede Forrester is one of those fathers' who lost a son in the war. He heard what she was doing and came to see if she could tell him about his son and then stayed with her for her protection while she travelled, much to her dismay. I will keep this one for a change of pace (for me) American historical it will be a nice variety for my library.

After the Civil War, a Confederate nurse seeks to comfort the loved ones of the men she watched die. And the father of a dead soldier-a rugged, weary, ex-gunslinger-will give her the sanctuary she so desperately needs.

Born in Death by J. D. Robb

Good addition to the series. Not my favorite of the series but it was a good installment. It is neat to see Roarke and Eve's relationship grow as the series continues. You never get that in the usual series because their story ends at the HEA. Even in most series (I typically read romance series which probably explains this) you might see the characters from the previous books, but they just make a small appearance and then are gone again. Eve has some issues, but she makes me laugh with her total not understanding of Mavis and the baby.

Eve Dallas has a grisly double homicide to solve when two young lovers-both employees of the same prestigious accounting firm-are brutally killed on the same night. It doesn't leave Eve a lot of leftover time to put together a baby shower for her buddy Mavis, but that's supposedly what friends are for.
Now Mavis needs another favor. Tandy Willowby, one of the moms-to-be in Mavis's birthing class, didn't show up for the shower. A recent emigrant from London, Tandy has few friends in New York, and no family-and she was really looking forward to the party. And when Eve enters Tandy's apartment and finds a gift for Mavis's shower wrapped and ready on the table-and a packed bag for the hospital still on the floor next to it-tingling runs up and down her spine.
Normally, such a case would be turned over to Missing Persons. But Mavis wants no one else on the job but Eve-and Eve can't say no. She'll have to track Tandy down while simultaneously unearthing the deals and double-crosses hidden in the files of some of the city's richest and most secretive citizens, in a race against this particularly vicious killer. Luckily, her multimillionaire husband Roarke's expertise comes in handy with the number crunching. But as he mines the crucial data that will break the case wide open, Eve faces an all too real danger in the world of flesh and blood.


Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

This was a decent young adult book. Not my favorite but not the worst I have read. For curiosity's sake, I am going to let my sister read it to get her opinion as well, from a teen POV.

Welcome to Morganville, Texas.
Just don't stay out after dark.
College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation, where the popular girls never let her forget just where she ranks in the school's social scene: somewhere less than zero.
When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life. But they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood.

The couple things that I do not like about the synopsis are that part of the reason that Claire is an outcast is that she is a genius, She is 16, a freshman in college, and taking all high level courses. She was accepted into Yale and MIT and such but her parents would not let her go that far away from home at 16. Instead they sent her to a town that is (unknown to them) run by vampires. Her roommates at the Glass house are Eve, Shane and Michael.

Dance of the Gods (Circle Trilogy #2) by Nora Roberts

Valley of Silence (Circle Trilogy #3) by Nora Roberts

I am going to comment about these as a whole just because I hate giving out spoilers for the most part and I already posted about the first book, Morrigan's Cross and I do not want to say anything that I did not figure out already while reading the first book. I really enjoyed the trilogy and of course we know that the good guys are going to win, but it is fun watching just how that comes about, and seeing who ends up with who and how. I would recommend them if you enjoy fantasy/vampire romances.

The gist of the trilogy goes like this:
The Goddess Morrigan has selected six people to be her leaders for her army against the vampires to save mankind: the sorcerer (Hoyt), the witch (Glenna), the warrior (Blair), the scholar (Moira), the shape-shifter (Larkin), and one that is lost (Cian). Of course, this ends up being three guys and three girls. They have three months to train before the final battle against Lilith and her army of vampires. Each part of the trilogy is one month. The first month is them finding each other and learning to work together. The second month is dedicated to training and the last month is in the land of Geall where the final battle will be, and they spend the month training the people of Geall to fight for their lives.

Conspiracy Game by Christine Feehan

I think that I like this book the best out of the series so far . Enough so that I am debating going and buying the rest of the books (Shadow Game, Mind Game, Night Game, Conspiracy Game). I have not bought them yet because I was not sure if I wanted to collect this one, but I am definitely rethinking that decision now. I stopped collecting the Dark books because they were all starting to sound the same to me, but I haven't seen that trend in this series yet. The story line was fast paced to keep my attention and it kept me guessing as to how far the story was going to continue in this book. I really enjoyed it a lot.

GhostWalker Jack Norton is a genetically enhanced telepathic sniper on a mission to rescue his brother in the jungles of the Congo. Then he meets Briony, a beautiful rebel on a mission of her own-and hiding secrets that a shadowy enemy would kill to discover.

The back cover did not say much so I am expounding.
Briony (unique name, it is some kind of plant or flower) was one of Whitney's experiment girls who was actually adopted out to a circus family. She was diagnosed as autistic when she was a toddler because she was always crying and would not let anyone touch her or get close to her. But she is like that because she has extreme empathy that makes it painful for her to be around people. But for the love of her family she gets up everyday and performs her flying act with her brothers at the circus.
We meet Jack (and his twin brother, Ken) in the previous books and hear about his reputation as a kick-butt sniper and as a deadly quiet man.

Sorry I have not posted in so long. The kids have had the flu and colds. Then my dh took me out for the weekend (kid-free) for my birthday (had a great time, went to the Ringling Museum in Sarasota). But he made me promise not to bring any books with me for the weekend because he wanted it to be just us and me not distracted. So it was hard, but I did it. But I have lots of other books to post that I have read in the meantime (Dance of the Gods, The Untamed One, Southern Comfort, Reason to Live). But here is the next one.

No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole

Good book. I think I liked the A Hunger Like No Other better, but this one will be a buy for me. I had heard some iffy reviews of this one so I was wary but I did enjoy it. You definitely have to have read the short story from Playing Easy to Get to follow the series because a lot is explained in that story. You have a very strong heroine who has not felt emotion in centuries, is now feeling them (it is almost like a female Carpathian, but she is cursed/blessed that way instead of genetic) and does not know what to do about it. For the first time in a very long time she is unsure and second guessing herself. The Hero, Sebastian, is more of a beta hero. He is not a doormat or anything, but he is not a domineering alpha male (I am man you do what I say! type character), so that was a nice change of pace. He was willing to compromise and follow her lead in order to get and keep her and keep her happy.

A soldier weary of life . . .

Centuries ago, Sebastian Wroth was turned into a vampire -- a nightmare in his mind -- against his will. Burdened with hatred and alone for ages, he sees little reason to live. Until an exquisite, fey creature comes to kill him, inadvertently saving him instead.

A Valkyrie assassin dispatched to destroy him . . .

When Kaderin the Cold Hearted lost her two beloved sisters to a vampire attack long ago, a benevolent force deadened her sorrow -- accidentally extinguishing all of her emotions. Yet whenever she encounters Sebastian, her feelings -- particularly lust -- emerge multiplied. For the first time, she's unable to complete a kill.

Become competitors in a legendary hunt.

Paperback Writer issued a challenge to write an e-story and then make it a free story on your site. The challenge was taken up by many authors and here are the results, check them out here.