Celebrity in Death

Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts)

is the latest in her wonderful futuristic series about Lieutenant Eve Dallas (and hunky ideal mate Roarke).  It is an interesting book that reminds me of a house of mirrors because fictional life is being mimicked on film which is telling the story of one of Eve's cases.  Confused?  Don't be...it's a great read.  If you are not already a fan of the series, a movie is being made of one of Eve's more sensational cases and Eve and her counterparts have been invited to a dinner with the actors portraying them.  I love Eve's discomfort with the social butterfly scene because I can identify with her reluctance to present a false front when all she wants to do is be herself.  I also think that the author's ability to create that sense of deep and abiding love is one of her greatest talents and the following quote from this novel really appealed to me:

p. 195  “His girl, he thought as hands and lips began to stroke the first embers of passion.  His strong, complicated, and resilient girl.  He loved every corner of her mind, her heart, even when she maddened him.  There was nothing he wanted or treasured more truly, nothing he had craved or dreamed of in those dark, often desperate years of youth that was as rich or powerful as what she’d given him.
    He’d believed in love despite the lack of it in those early years, or perhaps because of the lack.  But it had taken her to show him what love meant, what it gifted, what it cost, what it risked.”



Sigh...these two people have been honed by the crucibles of their traumatic backgrounds but they have found each other.  Who could ask for anything more?  Well, his propensity to own the world and her ability to cut through bull-s**t doesn't hurt either, lol.

I love the creativity that is present in this series and can instantly be drawn into this world.  I am constantly laughing or sighing at the imagery created...Eve's new coat is a source of instant lust for several people in this book and who wouldn't want Roarke choosing one's outfit for the night?  Okay, enough gushing...go enjoy the book!  My review on Amazon is at this link under ELF2060.  I am always appreciative of a 'yes this was helpful' vote.

Grimm Tidings

Grimm Tidings by Shiloh Walker is being released on April 24, 2012.  It is a novella that is part of her series Grimm's Circle.  I don't have a lot of familiarity with the series but that will change as I am about to read several of the other titles in the series.  I was intrigued by the concept of individuals choosing to counter tragedies in their original lives by becoming kick-ass fighters who seek to protect unsuspecting human mortals from the demons who are coming to our world.  Each person becomes more than just a superior fighter, there also are other talents that become known at some point during their careers as Grimm.  There seems to be a nice blend of action and romance in these paranormal tales but I suspect that the fact that some are novellas will sometimes make the story a little too short for me...as was the case for Grimm Tidings.

My review:

Grimm Tidings by Shiloh Walker is a novella which is book 6 of her ‘Grimm’s Circle’ series that centers around the brave men and women who act as guardian angels for humans and destroy the demons that have entered the mortal world.  They can be identified by the mystical silver medallion with upswept wings that each wears.  Each Grimm has horrors and baggage from his or her background but most have learned to sublimate their issues and transfer that energy into becoming an expert fighter with the ability to dispatch demons efficiently and serve as guardian angels for the mortals they seek to protect.  Jacob is one of the older Grimm and is reluctant to take on the task of working with Celine, a relatively new Grimm who is unwilling or unable to release ties to her former life as a mortal human, to the extent that she has been through an incredible number of trainers.  Jacob’s talent for showing possible paths of a life often makes him uncomfortable but his attraction to the tormented Grimm in his charge drives him to try to help her heal in any way that he can.  His inner demons plus her issues may be just enough to destroy anything they could have together if they aren’t able to find a way to reach out to each other.

An intriguing glimpse into the lives of some of the Grimm with hints about the backgrounds of several of the secondary characters.  There is a bit of jerkiness to the story as the scene suddenly changes in a couple of areas and the ending is a bit abrupt but the characters are engaging and there are plenty of intriguing asides including a link to certain Dickensian characters.  An entertaining quick read.



This title was given to me by the author in return for an honest review

Dead on the Delta and Black Magic and, uh-oh, a new game!

Don't forget, Pocket After Dark provides a couple of e-books in their entirety on their site.  At this moment it is Dead on the Delta by Stacey Jay and Black Magic by Cherry Adair.  I admit that I am torn because I have so many books waiting and I don't really like being tied to my computer screen for so long....but even if you don't want to read the entire book there are also excerpts available for several genres, including Laura Griffin's Twisted, Julia London's The Seduction of Lady X, Delilah S. Dawson's Wicked As They Come, Stacey Jay's Blood on the Bayou, Meredith Duran's At Your Pleasure and Cherry Adair's Afterglow.  Visit at this link.


I have gotten a bit tired of my zoo because the creators have gotten a bit out of hand with their creations...yes, it is nice to be able to stock dinosaurs but now there are extinct and imaginary creatures as well as hybrids and the darn thing takes forever to load and then crashes frequently.  I had temporarily discontinued most of my word games and recently saw the ad for a hidden object game called "Gardens of Time" which is evidently popular on Facebook (which I still haven't joined...more on that another day).  I love hidden object games but do tend to get frustrated easily and then there's the whole bifocal thing...whether to peer nearsightedly at the screen without my glasses or not.  It is fun so far, although I have a few too many Egyptian artifacts in my garden already...I may have to reorganize one of these days...

Intruder

Intruder by C.J. Cherryh is auspicious thirteen in her Foreigner series.  Forgive the obscure reference, numerology figures greatly in the alien society highlighted in this series which details the difficulty of attributing human mores and behavior to beings who are quite different.  Bren Cameron is virtually the only human that most of the atevi on this world have interacted with.  He has had to learn an incredible breadth of detail to operate smoothly within the ritualized society that exists in a world that lacks a great number of technological advances yet is incredibly complex.  The delicate balance between the territories is constantly in contention and never more fragile than now, when it seems that the bulwark of the Assassins Guild which has heretofore mediated most conflicts in a 'civilized' manner is undergoing its own reorganization which often involves fatal intervention.   Bren is also handicapped by the fact that his size is akin to that of an atevi youngster and most of the food is high in alkaloids that would be fatal to humans.

I was particularly entertained by the antics of young Cajeiri who has had his horizons broadened by tenure in space amongst other humans, supervision by his great-grandmother who is a grande dame in her own right and an extremely canny manipulator, association with Bren and his own curiosity and propensity for exploration.  Despite the fact that he is heir to one of the most powerful beings on the planet, many of Cajeiri's actions are dictated by his youth and frustration with the restrictions placed upon him.  His gradual maturation is reflected in his interactions with his bodyguards but he is still young enough to scheme to obtain a pet, similar to children everywhere.  His defense proposed to the mother that he has little rapport with gives glimmerings of his growth as a diplomat and bodes well for his ability to distill the teachings he is receiving.  My review is under ELF2060 at this link.  As always, a 'yes this was helpful' vote is appreciated.

Shine!

Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready is going to be released next month!  If you haven't read this fascinating young adult trilogy and you like compelling paranormal stories, you are in for a wonderful treat.  The first book, Shade, and the second, Shift, are emotional and fantastic reads.  I will post my review of Shine as soon as I can carve out enough time to read it!

My Goodreads reviews for Shade link and Shift link



If you have never read the adult vampire series by this author you should also try her WVMP series that starts with Wicked Game 


I was lucky enough to obtain some bookmarks that have the beautiful cover of Shine on them (thank you Jeri!) and I am willing to share them with the first three people who leave me a comment asking for them if they leave a valid e-mail address so I can contact you privately about obtaining a snail mail address.  This will be the first time I have tried this so please be patient with me!

Web scavenger hunt and another giveaway to remember

If you have some time on your hands and a desire to learn about new authors and their works, visit the Night Owl Reviews site and enter their Spring Fling hunt.  Don't be dismayed, there are a lot of questions to fill out...you might want to copy and paste a list of all of the questions so that you can work on them over several days.  It's a great way to learn about new books to read and when you get tired you can wander around the rest of the wonderful site and read about lots and lots of new titles!  Please click on this link and happy hunting!

A big thank you to author Stacey Juba who has organized a giveaway on Amazon on April 13...13 books for Friday the 13th!  That should help you superstitious people think more positively about the date (-:

Please click on this link to see the list and remember to visit it on Friday the 13th!

Stacey has also notified her readers that there is also a promotion to 'Give Your Child a Free Kindle Book (or 15 of them)' being held on April 19.  Please click on this link for more information.  (revised link April 16)

Happy reading!

Bared to You...Adults only please

Please only continue reading if you are over 18!

Bared to You  by Sylvia Day is an erotic and strenuous read.  The searingly carnal encounters between two people who are emotionally stunted sweep the reader along on a roller-coaster ride of angst and satiation.  Gideon Cross is used to having everything go his way but can't quite figure out what to make of the seductive yet insecure Eva Tramell.  There are sometimes creepy manipulations perpetrated that reflect Gideon's determination to 'win' and Eva can't quite grasp her sense of self-worth and overcome past traumas but somehow they find a way to complement each other...sometimes.  There's no true resolution by the end of this book but given the emotional upheavals that mark this story, the reader needs a break before continuing with their story.  My Amazon review (under ELF2060) is at this link.  A 'yes this was helpful' vote is always appreciated.