Posts Tagged ‘paranormal books’

I tried to get in some reading time yesterday, but again, it was intermittent. After a day of perusing stores for Christmas shopping (in which my husband bestowed upon me an early Christmas gift with a pair of True Religion jeans - they’re SHINY!), I took time during his “electronics shopping” to sneak in a few chapters.

I have read only one complete book so far this weekend (finished One Bite With a Stranger late last night), and while it was cute, it wasn’t a page turner. I think I will move on to  “The Host” today, as I’m hearing that it is actually really good, and I have more time to be fully engrossed in a story.

So onto my book review, before I start the next

 Ok guys! Here is the latest list - YAY books!!! (excuse my inner cheerleader )

NOVEMBER 2009

• The Mane Squeeze by Shelly Laurenston – release date: November 1, 2009
• Immersed (Prophesied) by Liz Craven – release date: November 1, 2009
• The Heat Chronicles, Volume 2 by Leigh Wyndfield – release date: November 1, 2009
• Encounters by Ann Somerville – release date: November 1, 2009
• Hedda’s Sword by Renee Wildes – release date: November 1, 2009
• Captive Desires by Diane Whiteside – release date: November 3, 2009
• Apocalypse Happens (Phoenix Chronicles, Book 3) by Lori Handeland – release date: November 3, 2009
• Taming The Beast by Heather Grothaus – release date: November 3, 2009
• Heart Change by Robin D. Owens – release date: November 3, 2009
• An Enchanted Season (Berkley Sensation) by Nalini Singh, Maggie Shayne, Erin McCarthy, and Jean Johnson – release date: November 3, 2009
• Wild Blue Under by Judi Fennell – release date: November 3, 2009
• The Road to Hell (Hell on Earth, Book 2) by Jackie Kessler – release date: November 3, 2009
• Shifting Plains (Sons of Destiny) by Jean Johnson – release date: November 3, 2009
• Born of Fire (A League Novel) by Sherrilyn Kenyon – release date: November 3, 2009
• Darkness Unleashed (Guardians of Eternity) by Alexandra Ivy – release date: November 3, 2009
• Crimson (Dead World, Book 3) by Jordan Summers – release date: November 3, 2009
• A Highlander Christmas by Dawn Halliday, Cindy Miles, and Sophie Renwick – release date: November 3, 2009
• Finding the Lost: The Sentinel Wars by Shannon K. Butcher – (Kindle) release date: November 3, 2009
• Winter Kiss: A Dragonfire Novel (DRAGON FIRE NOVEL) by Deborah Cooke – release date: November 3, 2009
• Thief of Light by Denise Rossetti – release date: November 3, 2009
• The Best Gift (Signet Eclipse) by Wendy Markham – release date: November 3, 2009
• Me and My Shadow (Silver Dragons, Book 3) by Katie MacAlister – release date: November 3, 2009
• Blaze of Memory (Psy-Changelings, Book 7) by Nalini Singh – release date: November 3, 2009
• Skin Game (Berkley Sensation) by Ava Gray – release date: November 3, 2009
• Real Vampires Get Lucky (Berkley Sensation) by Gerry Bartlett (paperback) - release date: November 3, 2009
• Heart Change by Robin D. Owens – release date: November 3, 2009
• One Hex of a Wedding (Chintz ‘n China Series) by Yasmine Galenorn – release date: November 3, 2009
• Heart of the Witch Alicia Dean – release date: November 24, 2009
• Soul of the Wildcat by Devyn Quinn – release date: November 24, 2009
• Immortal (Clare Point) by V.K. Forrest – release date: November 24, 2009
• Rion (Pendragon Legacy) by Susan Kearney – release date: November 24, 2009
• Dating Outside Your DNA by Karen Kelley – release date: November 24, 2009
• Dark Side of Dawn: The Nightmare Chronicles by Kathryn Smith – release date: November 24, 2009
• Lover Avenged (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 7) by J.R. Ward (paperback) – release date: November 24, 2009
• Undead and Unworthy (Queen Betsy, Book 7) by MaryJanice Davidson (paperback) – release date: November 24, 2009
• Scarlet Nights by Lucinda Betts – release date: November 24, 2009

DECEMBER 2009

• Once Bitten (Zebra Debut)  by Clare Willis – release date: December 1, 2009
• Holiday with a Vampire III: Sundown\Nothing Says Christmas Like a Vampire\Unwrapped (Silhouette Nocturne) by Linda Winstead Jones and others – release date: December 1, 2009
• Veil of Shadows (Lightworld/Darkworld Series #3) by Jennifer Armintrout – release date: December 1, 2009
• Bound by Dreams by Christina Skye – release date: December 1, 2009
• Born of Ice (A League Novel) by Sherrilyn Kenyon -  release date: December 1, 2009
• A Mermaid’s Ransom (Kindle) by Joey W. Hill -  release date: December 1, 2009
• Scorched: The Dark Forgotten by Sharon Ashwood – release date: December 1, 2009
• Demon Bound (Black London Novels) by Caitlin Kittredge – release date: December 1, 2009
• Shades of Midnight: A Midnight Breed Novel by Lara Adrian - release date: December 29, 2009
• Half Past Dead by Zoe Archer and Bianca D’Arc – release date: December 29, 2009
• Eternal Hunter by Cynthia Eden – release date: December 29, 2009
• Wolf Tales 9 by Kate Douglas – release date: December 29, 2009
• Hunting Julian (The Gatherers) by Jacquelyn Frank – release date: December 29, 2009
• Street Game (Game/Ghostwalker) by Christine Feehan – release date: December 29, 2009
• Heart’s Blood by Gail Dayton – release date: December 29, 2009
• Bound By Sin (A Cin Craven Novel) by Jenna Maclaine – release date: December 29, 2009
• Fired Up: Book One of the Dreamlight Trilogy (Arcane Society Dreamlight Trilogy) by Jayne Ann Krentz – release date: December 29, 2009
• Scarletti Curse (Candleglow) by Christine Feehan – release date: December 29, 2009
• Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever (Jane Jameson, Book 3) by Molly Harper – release date: December 29, 2009

JANUARY 2010

• Come Hell or High Water: A Broken Heart Novel (Broken Heart Vampires) by Michele Bardsley – release date: January 5, 2010
• Smolder by Melina Morel – release date: January 5, 2010
• Inked by Karen Chance, Marjorie M. Liu, Yasmine Galenorn, and Eileen Wilks – release date: January 5, 2010
• Naked Dragon: A Works Like Magick Novel by Annette Blair – release date: January 5, 2010
• Bone Magic (Sisters of the Moon) by Yasmine Galenorn – release date: January 5, 2010
• The Taking by Erin McCarthy – release date: January 5, 2010
• Wicked Enchantment by Anya Bast – release date: January 5, 2010
• Death’s Mistress (Dorina Basarab, Book 2) by Karen Chance – release date: January 5, 2010
• Bitten By Cupid by Lynsay Sands, Jaime Rush, and Pamela Palmer – release date: January 12, 2010
• Beyond the Night by Joss Ware – release date: January 12, 2010
• What A Demon Wants by Kathy Love – release date: January 26, 2010

I have managed to finish this novel in a day (it is a fairly easy read), however I found my attention span waning many times throughout.

The story involves a potential “fairy” war, with Sookie a possible target, a separate murder mystery that Bon Temps faces yet again, some FoS discrimination against the newly outed Weres, and of course the usual “who does Sookie sorta love” drama.

A scene featuring a (typical – yet fun) argument with Eric:

“Can you doubt that I want what’s best for you?”

“I don’t doubt that you want what you think is best for me,” I said. “And I don’t doubt that that marches right along with what you think is good for you.”

Victor laughed. “She knows you well, Eric,” he said and we both glared at him. “Ooops,” he said, and pretended to zip his mouth shut.

Perhaps I am jaded due to all the deeply passionate romance novels I have been reading lately, but this one simply left me discouraged. While there was a touch of romance, I found Sookie to be simply too fickle. While I understand the underlying reasoning (her apprehension towards what her true feelings are vs. what might be influenced by her blood bond with Eric), the whole situation left me annoyed. I do commend the “independence” of the character (not giving herself completely over to love), and insisting on complete honesty (without any underlying ploy). Her wariness cannot be completely avoided considering the past circumstances. However, there doesn’t seem to be enough emotional connection with Sookie. Instead, she mostly just toys with him. Considering how she felt in book 3, and how Eric now remembers their time together, why must it continue to be so challenging? She apparently still feels deeply for him, and Eric seems to be grasping at any possible way to forge a commitment, yet her continued resistance to him seems unjustified (as if the author might be creating the delay for the sake of stretching out the drama in the series).

“You’re mine,” he said. Then he noticed my frown and amended his words hastily. “You’re only my lover. not Quinn’s, not Sam’s, not Bill’s.” There was a long pause. “Aren’t you?” he said.

A relationship discussion initiated by a guy. This was different, if I went by stories I’d heard from the other barmaids.

The first half of the book bored me somewhat. It felt like a day to day list of Sookie’s activities (with the occasional bump in the road to shake things up a bit). Perhaps Ms. Harris had not exactly resolved where she wanted the book to go, but the feeling I got from the first part was that it was a writing warm-up session, by the way of a wordy day to day account of Sookie’s life.

She wakes up, she has coffee, she contemplates her roommates, she goes to work, someone gets in a fist fight, someone is drunk, she goes to bed (I was frequently disappointed here…as night time is the right time for surprise sexy vampire visitors, but alas, there was mostly no “nookie” for Sookie – tee hee!). Next day starts, she wakes up, tans, there’s a murder or two, some investigations, she goes to work, and on and on. Every once in awhile, Sookie has potentially meaningful conversations with other characters, but we are frequently left indifferent, as her erratic ruminations always seem to interrupt the flow between her and others.

By the middle of the book, I was somewhat satiated. I was not convinced, however, that Sookie’s apparent nonchalance towards Eric, suited the atmosphere of some of the scenes. 

“This is best,” he whispered, and his voice had that accent I caught occasionally, that hint of a time and place that were so far distant I could not imagine them. “This is the best,” he said again. “This is right.”

I will admit that I am partial to Eric. I suppose that Ms. Harris may have steered us towards rooting for him as Sookie’s true love. I do suspect that the author may be changing her stance on this, which given my affection towards these characters, and Eric himself, leaves me feeling frustrated.

Don’t get me wrong, I will always anxiously await, and eagerly read, any book continuing the Sookie Stackhouse series, however, after the anticipation of the release of this book, I have been left nonplussed (just as I was in the last book – more of the same). My favorite books in the series are 2 and 3, but as a whole, other than the last two installments, the series has been great! The flirtation was fun, the romance and even the love triangle was exhilarating. There was love, along with action and danger, and these books were THE guilty pleasure that I could not resist. I feel that the series is ebbing. While the danger is still intense, and the enemies still abound, Sookie’s casualness is starting to irritate me…

• Any Way You Want It (read my review here)
• I Want You To Want Me (read my review here)
• Demon Can’t Help It (read my review here)
• What A Demon Wants (guess it’s not a Trilogy anymore And this particular book merges somewhat with The Young Brothers series – remember Jude?)

Newest releases (in stores now):

• Lover Avenged (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 7) by J. R. Ward
• Demon Can’t Help It by Kathy Love
• Burning Wild by Christine Feehan
• Eternal Moon (Moon, Book 10) by Rebecca York
• Forbidden Nights with a Vampire (Love at Stake, Book 7) by Kerrelyn Sparks
• Bloodline by Maggie Shayne
• On The Prowl by Crystal Jordan
• Enchanting the Beast by Kathryne Kennedy
• Bride of the Wolf (The Shadowmen, Book 4)  by Jennifer St. Giles
• Edge Of Danger (Primal Instinct) by Rhyannon Byrd
• Eternal Craving by Nina Bangs
• Salt and Silver  by Anna Katherine
• The Mage (The Sons of Destiny, Book  by Jean Johnson
• The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers by Angie Fox
• The Vampire’s Quest (Silhouette Nocturne) by Vivi Anna
• You’re So Vein (The Others, Book 7) by Christine Warren
• Dream Warrior (Dream-Hunter Novels) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
• The Immortal Hunter: A Rogue Hunter Novel (Argeneau Vampires) by Lynsay Sands
• Angels’ Blood by Nalini Singh
• Passion Unleashed (The Demonica Series) by Larissa Ione
• Desire Unchained: A Demonica Novel (The Demonica Series) by Larissa Ione
• Secret Life of a Vampire (Love at Stake, Book 6) by Kerrelyn Sparks
• Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane) by Jaye Wells
• As Shadows Fade: The Gardella Vampire Chronicles by Colleen Gleason
• Bled Dry: A Tale of Vegas Vampires by Erin McCarthy
• The Thirteenth (Vampire Huntress Legends) by L. A. Banks
• Some Girls Bite: A Chicagoland Vampires Novel by Chloe Neill
• The Vampire’s Bride (Atlantis, Book 4) by Gena Showalter
• Forbidden: The Temptation by Samantha Sommersby
• Twilight’s Kiss  by Marly Mathews