Moving Target and Running Scared Re-read challenge

12/31/2009 09:31:00 AM / Posted by Kris / comments (6)

I re-read a few books this month. I decided to write about two books on my keeper shelves that I re-read this month. The first two books in the Rarities trilogy. They were both as great as I remembered. They get alot of mixed reviews because they are very heavy on details and the art side of things. I love that though, humanities was my favorite subject in college so I loved all the history technical stuff. the romance is good but in this series the story is more and the romance is more of a sideline.


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Product DetailsMoving Target (Rarities Unlimited Book 1) by Elizabeth Lowell
The troubling message from Serena Charters's late grandmother appears in a package containing four pages of a centuries-old illuminated manuscript -- a strange inheritance that hides many secrets...and has already cost many lives. Seeking answers, Serena turns to Erik North of Rarities Unlimited, a reclusive manuscript appraiser with a passion for the past. Without warning, they are thrust together into the center of a lethal firestorm that rages between two worlds -- one long dead, yet living on in an ancient text, the other chillingly alive and fraught with peril. In the blink of an eye, Serena and Erik have become targets of an unseen and determined stalker as they get closer to shocking revelations about Serena's legacy, the cold murder of an eccentric old woman in the heat of the Mojave Desert...and just how far a remorseless killer is willing to go. And now their only slim hope of survival is to keep moving.

This was my first ever romantic suspense book. I was a late bloomer for romance reading. This is not the first time I have re-read it but I still enjoyed it. It is not as HOT as some of the books I read now, but it has a great storyline. I love books that deal with the art/antiquities world. I will definitely be keeping on my shelf.

Product DetailsRunning Scared (Rarities Unlimited Book 2) by Elizabeth Lowell
In the scorching heat of the Southwestern desert, afrightened old man knows his time is quickly running out ... as the lethal secret he protects can be hidden no longer.Risa Sheridan knows everything about gold -- its mysteries, its allure, its perils. Her boss, Shane Tannahill -- owner of the ultra-successful Las Vegas gambling mecca, the Golden Fleece -- is addicted to the stuff. Now an ancient Celtic piece is being offered to Shane for his collection, with the promise of more to come, and the casino owner is hooked. But though she shares Shane's enthusiasm, Risa is wary -- because something about this particular artifact is mysterious and troubling, something that says "stay away." It is a voice that should be heeded, because soon people are dying all around them. And whether it's an ancient curse that has taken hold of their lives or the simple, murderous greed of unscrupulous adversaries, there is suddenly no place in the surreal, blinding glitter of Vegas for Risa and Shane to hide.

I think I like the first book more than this one, but i still enjoyed this one. If you did not like the first book then you probably will not like this one. It was same style of story and writing just different characters that you meet in the first book.

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Christmas and Ice

12/27/2009 03:41:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (1)

I hope everyone had a great holiday. My family and i are having a bummy day today around the house. It is great. Our holiday was great, and we had a fun time.
I got three books this year and have already finished one of them. Look at what i got :)

Product DetailsIce by Linda Howard
’Tis the season for mistletoe and holly, Santa . . . and suspense. And the gift that keeps on giving is Ice: premier thriller author Linda Howard’s breathless tale of a man, a woman, and a battle for survival against an unforgiving winter–and an unrelenting killer. Oh what fun it is to read.

Gabriel McQueen has only just arrived home on holiday leave from the service when his county-sheriff father sends him back out again with new marching orders. A brewing ice storm, and a distant neighbor who’s fallen out of contact, have the local lawman concerned. So he enlists Gabriel to make the long haul to the middle of nowhere, and make sure Lolly Helton is safe and sound. It’s a trip the younger McQueen would rather not make given the bitter winter weather–and the icy conditions that have always existed between him and Lolly.

But there’s no talking back when your dad is the town’s top cop. And there’ s no turning back when night falls just as Gabriel arrives–and discovers that the weather outside isn’t the only thing that’s frightful. Spotting strangers in Lolly’ s home–one of them packing a weapon–is all it takes to kick Gabriel into combat mode. And his stealth training is all he needs to extract Lolly from the house without alerting her captors. But when the escape is discovered, the heat–and the hunt–are on. And the winter woods are nowhere to be once the ice storm touches down, dropping trees, blocking roads, and trapping the fleeing pair in the freezing dark.

This is the one I have read already. I was not that great. It was an okay short story but definitely would not pay hardback prices for it. I would recommend getting a library copy of this and waiting for paperback, if that. There was nothing that was horrible about it but it was very blah and same old, same old. I would give it a 2.5 out of 5.

Product DetailsCovet (Fallen Angels Book 1) by JR Ward
Redemption isn't a word Jim Heron knows much about-his specialty is revenge, and to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charge with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. And failure is not an option. Vin DiPietro long ago sold his soul to his business, and he's good with that-until fate intervenes in the form of a tough- talking, Harley-riding, self-professed savior. But then he meets a woman who will make him question his destiny, his sanity, and his heart-and he has to work with a fallen angel to win her over and redeem his own soul.

Product DetailsPride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." So begins PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton - and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers - and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Can she vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read.

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Truly Madly

12/20/2009 08:23:00 AM / Posted by Kris / comments (4)

Product DetailsTruly, Madly (Lucy Valentine Book 1) by Heather Webber

Lucy Valentine is as smart as can be, as single as you can get, and so not qualified to run a matchmaking service. But when her parents temporarily step down from the family business, Valentine, Inc., it’s Lucy’s turn to step up and help out—in the name of love.

Plus, her rent is due.

Here’s the problem: Lucy doesn’t have the knack for matchmaking. According to family legend, every Valentine has been blessed by Cupid with the ability to read “auras” and pair up perfect couples. But not Lucy. Her skills were zapped away years ago in an electrical surge, and now all she can do is find lost objects. What good is that in the matchmaking world? You’d be surprised. In a city like Boston, everyone’s looking forsomething. So when Lucy locates a missing wedding ring—on a dead body—she asks the sexy private eye who lives upstairs to help her solve the perfect crime. And who knows? Maybe she’ll find the perfect love while she’s at it…


Very fun book. Won it from LibraryThing as an ARC, it comes out in February 2010. It is the start of a new series about a misfit in a line of matchmakers. Since this is the start of the series, the romance aspect is still developing fully. But we did meet the hero, Sean, and they make an interesting team. She has a vision of a dead body and solicits Sean's help in finding it, though does not give him any details. No one is supposed to know about her psychic abilities and she ends up outting herself while she is trying to help some people. The ending was great and I look forward to reading the next in the series.
Great light-hearted paranormal, I give it an A-.

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Shifting Plains

12/12/2009 01:07:00 AM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

I have another guest review up at Book Binge for the book, Shifting Plains (in the Sons of Destiny series) by Jean Johnson. If you want to see it check it out here. It is a great book, here is a bit about it.

Product Details
Centuries before the time of the Sons of Destiny, a female shapeshifter became the leader of the people of the Shifting Plains...

Tava Ell Var never really knew her mother, but she did know her tragic fate at the hands of a band of cruel shapeshifters-a history set down by Tava's father as a warning about life on the Shifting Plains. But after her father is murdered, Tava encounters a Shifterai warband fighting to rid the Plains of the terrorizing bandits

Shifterai leader Kodan Sin Siin is sympathetic to Tava's suffering, but he's determined to bring the wary young woman to the Plains. Because he knows her secret: She, like he and his men, is a shapeshifter. Once she joins them, he knows that she will see for herself the true fate that awaits her on the Plains, and most of all, lose her fear of his people. And, in time, he knows she will find her place is in their fight-and by his side.

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Thief of Light

12/10/2009 06:52:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

I have a guest review of Thief of Light by Denise Rossetti up at Book Binge here.

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In the subtropical city of Caracole, Erik the Golden is widely known as irresistible-his Voice an instrument of incredible pleasure. But the Voice is a curse as much as a blessing, for once Erik used it to steal a soul, and now he must pay.

Pruella Takimori McGuire is the business manager for the beautiful courtesans of the Garden of Nocturnal Delights. She deals in numbers, not Magick, and when Erik turns his charms in her direction, she sees only vanity, not a golden gift. If Erik cannot use his power to win Prue's heart, how can he truly possess her?

And all the while, a far darker power corrupts the foundations of Caracole-the Necromancer, who feasts on souls. When the Necromancer's hired assassin kidnaps Prue, Erik must harness his air Magick to recover the woman he has come to love more than life itself.

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November reads

12/03/2009 06:33:00 AM / Posted by Kris / comments (6)

Well, sorry for the late post. Since thanksgiving i have not been online much. A lot going on and my computer is dying so am trying to extend its life as much as I can.
20 books read this month; 12 of them were re-reads

A Bride in the Bargain
by Deanne Gist (B)
The Mountain's Call (White Magic trilogy Book 1) by Caitlin Brennan (C+)
Shadow Dance by Susan Andersen (re-read)
Letters to Kelly by Suzanne Brockmann (re-read)
A Man like Mac
by fay Robinson (re-read)
Mouth to Mouth by Erin McCarthy (re-read)
Mackenzie's Mountain by Linda Howard (re-read)
Mackenzie's Mission by Linda Howard (re-read)
Mackenzie's Pleasure by Linda Howard (re-read)
Bad Attitude by Sherrilyn Kenyon (re-read)
Born to be Bad by Sherrilyn Kenyon (re-read)
Tied Up and Tied Down by Lorelei James (A-)
Bengal's Heart (Breed Book ??) by Lora Leigh (B+)
Very Much Alive (True Destiny Book 1) by Dana Marie Bell (A-)
Beyond the Rain by Jessa Granger (B)
SEALed with a Promise (SEALed Book 2) by Mary Margret Daughtridge (B)
Firedrake (Dragon Knights Book 6) by Bianca D'Arc (B+)
One Bite with a Stranger (The Others Book 1; expanded version of Fantasy Fix) by Christine Warren (re-read)
Fur Factor (The Others Book 2) by Christine Warren (re-read)
Wolf at the Door (The Others Book 4) by Christine Warren (re-read)

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