Affliction by Laurell K. Hamilton

8/10/2013 01:15:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

Affliction by Laurell K. Hamilton

It’s a typical day at work for Anita Blake, if your day job is raising the dead, and being a U. S. Marshal for the preternatural branch. One phone call changed everything. It was from the mother of one of her live-in boyfriends. Micah Callahan’s father was in the hospital and he was dying. Micah had been estranged from his family for years, but now, his mother wants Anita to bring the prodigal son home for a last good-bye.
Anita thinks it’s going to be a tearful trip down memory lane, until she learns that Sheriff Callahan was attacked on the job by a zombie. The bite is rotting him from the inside out, as if it’s turning him into a zombie while he’s still alive, but Anita knows zombies and they aren’t contagious. But something is killing Micah’s father, and he’s not the only victim. And there are the missing persons, far too many to explain away. While Micah deals with his family, Anita is pulled into a case so terrible she has to call for back up from friends and lovers that are no more human than the some of the monsters they’re hunting, and even that isn’t enough. Edward, Death himself, comes with badge and flamethrower to watch over his friend, Anita Blake, while she fights for her life and the lives of those she loves.


The Anita Blake series have been auto reads for me for years.  There was a point when the books were getting to be too many sex scenes to the point that there was not much story to the story, but she seems to have tapered that off a bit in the last few books which makes them so much better.  I had stopped buying them when she started going all sex and no story so I have been getting them from the library since then.  The last two or three I am tempted to buy because they were more story than sex.  This installment kept me interested and I finished in about 24 hours.  The case was interesting and her interaction with the locals is always colorful :)  It has a lot of twists and turns that Anita and company have to ponder over.  Edward has a big role in this one and did not creep me out as much as in some of the other books, maybe Donna is mellowing him a bit (if a sociopath can be mellowed).  In this book she interacts and grows in her relationship a lot with Nicky.  Jean-Claude only makes a brief but significant appearance.
I was glad that I read this book in the series, it moved the overarching storyline along as well as had a great case to solve.

July 2013 reads

8/01/2013 12:10:00 AM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

Well this month we started out with moving to a new house.  Then I went on vacation so that helped my reading log because I had many hours of sitting the car to read.  Later, my parents took the kids for about 4 days and I spent a bit of that just chilling out and reading :)

On my car trip I re-read Elizabeth Vaughn's trilogy of Warprize, Warsworn and Warlord.  Still great books!
I read a bunch of neat ebooks this month.
One Night with  Rock Star by Chana Keefer (sweet rocker romance with Christian theme, very good)
Stars, Love and Pirouettes by Roy and Alicia Street
The Princess Problem by Diane Darcy (cute, sweet contemporary fairy tale)
Markings by S.B. Roozenboom (very nice shifter paranormal)
Midnight Playground by Eliza Gayle (re-read)
Forbidden Forest by Tenaya Jayne (very good fantasy, looking forward to next book)
Tucker's Fall by Eliza Gayle
Try Me and Tempt Me by Olivia Cunning
Their Virgin Captive by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake
One Night Forever by Lisa Renee Jones
Ask For it by Selena Blake
Educating Ansley by Cat Johnson
Blood Seduction by Pamela Palmer
Pride's Prejudice by Misty Dawn Pulsipher (an excellent and sweet contemporary retelling of the classic.  Definitely recommend.)
Magic Bites (Kate Daniels Book 1) by Ilona Andrews (re-read)
Magic Burns (Kate Daniels Book 2) by Ilona Andrews (re-read)
Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels Book 3) by Ilona Andrews (re-read)

Because of moving and taking a vacation I did not get much from the library this month but I did read:
Forged in Steele (KGI Book 7) by Maya Banks
Dream Eyes by Jayne Ann Krentz

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June 2013 reads

7/28/2013 12:38:00 AM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh (great addition to the series, really liked it)
Fever (Book 2) by Maya Banks
Real by Katy Evans
Once Upon a Tower by Eloisa James (not so crazy about this one, the characters annoyed me towards the end.  Some of them redeemed them selves but this is definitely not my favorite by her)
Written in Red (The Others Book 1) by Anne Bishop (Could not put it down, loved it!)

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May reads

6/10/2013 10:37:00 AM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

well since the month is almost over and I am just starting this post, I may forget some of what I read this month.  So here goes...

Primal Possession (Moon Shifter Book 1) by Katie Reus
Alpha Instinct (Moon Shifter Book 2) by Katie Reus
Mating Instinct (Moon Shifter Book 3) by Katie Reus
Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson (friend's suggestion, great book)
Wolf with Benefits by Shelly Laurenston
Delicate Freakn' Flower by Eve Langlais (Fun book :)
Stroke of Genius by Emily Bryan

Apparently I was all about the historical and werewolf books this month.  All of these were very good, so I had a great reading month.

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Edenbrooke

5/27/2013 01:12:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

Marianne Daventry will do anything to escape the boredom of Bath and the amorous attentions of an unwanted suitor. So when an invitation arrives from her twin sister, Cecily, to join her at a sprawling country estate, she jumps at the chance. Thinking she’ll be able to relax and enjoy her beloved English countryside while her sister snags the handsome heir of Edenbrooke, Marianne finds that even the best laid plans can go awry. 
From a terrifying run-in with a highwayman to a seemingly harmless flirtation, Marianne finds herself embroiled in an unexpected adventure filled with enough romance and intrigue to keep her mind racing. Will she be able to rein in her traitorous heart, or will a mysterious stranger sweep her off her feet? Fate had something other than a relaxing summer in mind when it sent Marianne to Edenbrooke.

I read this on the recommendation of a friend. I am very glad that I picked it up.  It is a very sweet romance (no sex) and a great story.  Marianne is a good, simple young lady.  She lost her mother a year ago and has been shuffled to her grandmother's house while her father grieves in France and her beautiful twin sister is having a season in London.  Marianne has made the best, in her mind, of having a beautiful, outgoing twin sister.  Marianne is quite lovely herself but gets outshined every time. So she decided at a young age to go a different direction from whatever her sister does so that she will not feel in competition with her.  She loves her sister and does what she can to not feel jealous of her.  She get invited to join her sister at a family friend's country home called Edenbrooke.  While she is staying there she has been tasked by her grandmother to "learn to act like a Lady" by watching the other "Ladies" there.  Thus begins her adventure and life changing events.  
I highly recommend this to those who enjoy sweet historical romances. This was Ms Donaldson's debut novel and I am eagerly awaiting her next book.

April 2013 reads

5/23/2013 10:43:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

Wow, so forgot to post this.  Well here goes.

I have been doing a bunch of Suzanne Brockmann reads so I would be ready for her latest and discovered that I had not read the previous Troubleshooters release.
Born to Darkness (Fighting Destiny Book 1) by Suzanne Brockmann (re-read)
Shane's Last Stand (Fighting Destiny Book 0.5) by Suzanne Brockmann
Beginnings and Ending (Troubleshooter Book 17.5) by Suzanne Brockmann
Breaking the Rules (Troubleshooters book 16) by Suzanne Brockmann

Domme by Default by Tymber Dalton (re-read)
Reluctant Dom by Tymber Dalton (re-read, makes me cry every time)

Wild Invitation (Psy-changling series) anthology by Nalini Singh (first two stories previously published in other anthologies, last two stories were new)

Wrecked by Shiloh Walker; good contemporary friends to lovers book

Dark Currents by Jacqueline Carey I look forward to the next book

March reads

4/07/2013 02:18:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson 7) by Patricia Briggs (library)
Rush (Breathless Book 1) by Maya Banks (library)
Highlander Most Wanted (Montgomerys and Armstrongs Book 2) by Maya Banks
The Duke and I (Bridgertons Book 1) by Julia Quinn (library ebook)
Chains by Shiloh Walker (re-read)


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Full Disclosure

3/27/2013 03:36:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson

Ann Silver is a cop’s cop. As the Midwest Homicide Investigator, she is called in to help on the worst of the cases, looking for answers to murder. Hers is one of the most trusted investigative positions in the Midwest.
 Paul Falcon is the FBI’s top murder cop. If the victim carried a federal badge or had a security clearance, odds are good he sees the case file or his guys work the murder.
 Their lives intersect when Ann arrives to pass a case off her desk and onto his. A car wreck and a suspicious death offer a lead on a hired shooter he is tracking. Paul isn’t expecting to meet someone, the kind that goes on the personal side of the ledger, but Ann Silver has his attention.
 The better he gets to know her, the more he realizes her job barely scratches the surface of who she is. She knows spies and soldiers and U.S. Marshals, and has written books about them. She is friends with the former Vice President. People with good reason to be cautious about who they let into their lives deeply trust her. Paul wonders just what secrets Ann is keeping, until she shows him the John Doe Killer case file, and he starts to realize just who this lady he is falling in love with really is . . . 


I really enjoyed reading a Dee Henderson book again, it has been way too long since I have read or re-read one of her books.  I really like Dee Henderson's style and characters that she creates.  I enjoyed the characters in this book but I also enjoyed the different kind of cop book that this was.  Most books where the main character(s) are cop(s) have a serial killer that they are trying to catch before they kill again or someone after them and are very suspenseful.  This one was not one of those.  These are two cops that have been cops for a while and have worked up the ladder and are portrayed more as what I would expect FBI and such who are not undercover typically do.  There are some intense moments followed and preceded by lots of paperwork, waiting, thinking and analyzing.  Now because of this it was a little slower reading than her usual books.  But I still found it a good read.

The two main characters are trying to build a friendship and then a relationship amidst working in two different states and very demanding jobs.  There was a lot they had to work through and issues they had to deal with while trying to learn each other and see if this was a relationship headed for marriage and that was nice to watch.  I liked that she brought the O'Malley books into the storyline, that was nice ;)
I would recommend this if you were looking for something different with a solid romance story to it.





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what if...

3/04/2013 06:38:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)


I have honestly had this thought before (a couple times).

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February 2013 reads

3/02/2013 12:09:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)

Some very good books this month.  Great additions to some good series.

Delusions in Death (In Death Book ???) by JD Robb  Great addition and also got the newest one from the library yesterday and am half way through already :)
The Seduction of Elliot McBride by Jennifer Ashley
Hot Ticket (Sinners Book 4ish) by Olivia Cunning
Midnight Playground by Eliza Gayle
Going Under (Bound by Magick Book 3) by Lauren Dane
Jungle Inferno by Desiree Holt (phoenix Book 1)


Re-read
Backstage Pass (Sinners Book 1) by Olivia Cunning
Double Time (Sinners book 3) by Olivia Cunning
Heart of Darkness (Bound by Magick Book 1) by Lauren Dane
Chaos Burning (Bound my Magick Book 2) by Lauren Dane



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Book Insomnia

1/26/2013 06:36:00 PM / Posted by Kris / comments (0)


I saw this on Facebook and just had to share it on my blog.  This is sooooo me.  I do this all the time.  Usually I can contain it until the weekend but when I get so involved in that certain book, I cannot sleep until I finish it.  The last one for me Tart by Lauren Dane.

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