Bam,

I’m so very happy. Yesterday a box came for me…with books in it! Kresley Cole’s latest arrived, along with something from Angela Knight, and the newest from Sloane Tanen who makes me laugh aloud. Of course, hubster said to me “Are you reading Peeps books?” If I was would it really matter in the grand scheme of things? As I have come to understand over the past nine months of living with the in-laws, the short answer is no. But for certain authors there is no short answer. My delightful segue brings us to A Vampire’s Claim by Joey W. Hill.

I am a big fan of Joey’s books and am well aware that they may not appeal to a wide audience. I reviewed The Vampire Queen’s Servant back in July ‘07 and sadly, never got a moment to write a review of Mark of the Vampire Queen. While VQS received a solid A, Mark neither equaled or surpassed the first book, and I was disappointed by the characters’ evolution and how the series wrapped. A Vampire’s Claim is not an unexpected continuation of Jacob and Lyssa’s story, but rather a focus on other characters inhabiting the vamp world.

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Bam:

Ghosts, magic and shapeshifters, oh my! If I keep repeating that phrase will I get through the books in time? First: that might have been the biggest box of books EVAR. Are you trying to make me go blind? Second: I am in the middle of busy season, but feel REALLY bad about not reviewing more often. Third: I am employing the lightning review technique used for the last box. Since there were so many books, I’d like to make sure I get through as many of them as possible, so everyone can share the love! Here we go again with Shuzluva’s Superfast Box Review!

Book: Heart Fate
Author: Robin D. Owens
Grade: D+

In Brief. The story of Tinne Holly and Lahsin Burdock is the 7th book in the HeartMates series by Ms. Owens. Clearly, I’m well behind the curve here since I haven’t read any of the previous books in the series. Lahsin is on the run from her husband as her powers are beginning to appear. She seeks shelter in a hidden corner of Druida City that can only be found by those truly in need. Tinne has just been forced to divorce his wife Genista and seeks refuge in the same hidden spot. Tinne knows that Lahsin is his HeartMate but can’t tell her for some reason that I wasn’t quite clear about, and I’m not spoiling anything here, because there is a list of characters and their relationships prior to the first page of the story.

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Bam,

Thanks for the box ‘o books. I am diligently (or making the earnest attempt at) reading everything. Since I received the new box, I decided it was high time for me to get together reviews of the old box. Man, that was a lot of books. I laughed, I cried, some were better than Cats. And some definitely were not. I couldn’t imagine writing full reviews for all of these, and seriously applaud those who do, because it’s just too overwhelming for me. So instead, here’s Shuzluva’s Superfast Box Review!

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Bam,

I can’t believe summer is officially over. Of course, I didn’t bother reading the entirety of an email sent out by our HR department, so I’m in business casual today and everyone else is in suits. I’m glad I set such a delightful example for all of the people that work for me. Of course, with summer over, I suppose I owe you a few reviews. Let’s start with the fabulous: Hostage to Pleasure.

Yes, yes, I’m a Nalini Singh fangurl. In the middle of this book, I actually had a serious fangirl moment and nearly embarrassed myself. I came thisclose to writing Nalini an email detailing why I loved the book and how happy I was that she has continued to develop fascinating characters in a series that has a choke hold on my attention. I think I might have been on hormone overload, but the Psy/Changeling series continues to fascinate and delight with complex characters, twisting plots, and strong continuation of story lines. As I’ve noted in every review, it is important that you read the prior books in this series. If you don’t you will be missing out on fantastic writing, characters, and important plot points.

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It’s another review!

Bam,

If you’re going to faint, make sure to set up the video camera so I can watch it later on YouTube. Ready for this? I’m actually reviewing another book, and in a semi-timely fashion. I’m sure you’re wondering how this could be possible, so I’ll tell you a dirty little secret: we’re slower than dial-up at work. While that’s not a good thing for me professionally, it certainly helps my romance-review hobby.

I admit to being a Kresley Cole fangrrrl. Her Immortals After Dark series is one I’ve been hooked on since the story of Myst and Nikolai appeared in Playing Hard to Get. The Lore, which is populated by nearly every mythical creature imaginable, is one of those universes I’d love to visit in my nonexistent free time.

With that said, you can guess that I liked the book. I managed to blow through Dark Needs at Night’s Edge in two days - record time for me lately - and immediately picked up Dark Desires After Dusk. Ms. Cole has a talent that I require in series authors: she writes about the same world, but her characters are definitely not carbon copies of each other with “wash, rinse and repeat” storylines. She manages to make her heroines strong and spunky with the right touch of vulnerability (thereby avoiding the Mary Sue death-spiral) and her heroes deliciously alpha, but self aware and fearful that they just might not be good enough. LOVE IT!

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