Love Sucks / Cynthia St. Aubin

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Halloween Bingo

Hanna Harvey's life has changed beyond recognition in a very short time. She's divorced, living on her own with three cats, and working at an art gallery owned and operated by werewolves. Werewolves who insist that she's a werewolf too. Hanna refuses to believe this (despite her love of a good steak). Her boss, Mark Abernathy, keeps his cards close to his (drool worthy) chest, but finally reveals that Hanna is heir to an alpha werewolf line and that mating with an alpha male will trigger her transformation. Of course he then disappears, as he is prone to doing.

If that wasn't enough, Hanna, an art history major, has discovered how many famous artists are also werewolves and she can hardly contain herself. Despite this newfound delight, she is being determinedly and forcefully pursued by a crowd of hopeful male werewolves, all convinced that she will choose to mate them. Hanna has news for them, she is going to London to track down Abernathy and get the truth out of him.

Hanna's devotion to food, especially cheese, is amusing, as is her reaction to a crowd of men in hot pursuit. Her snark is fabulous as she deals with secretive men, drunken artists, jealous women, art shows, and threats to her life. And you have to know that Oscar Wilde would make an excellent vampire, yes?

I can see book 3 in my future. Abernathy is doing his damnedest not to take advantage of her, despite her current lack of control. I think I need to see how that works out for him.

I read this book to fulfill the Urban Decay square of my Halloween Bingo card. It is also number 21 in my 2024 Read Your Hoard Challenge.

Many Bloody Returns

 

3.5 out of 5 stars

This was a fun short story collection suitable for birthday reading. I enjoyed all the stories, but the highlights for me were the ones by P.N. Elrod, Tanya Huff, and Rachel Caine. For some reason, vampire tales delight me and these have the perfect mix of humanity and the supernatural. All of the authors found interesting things for their characters to be doing, none of it run-of-the-mill. I love Elrod's Jack Fleming, who is willing to take on a séance charlatan to prevent him from taking advantage of a grieving woman. I was reminded that I need to get back to Huff's Blood series to enjoy more of Vicki Nelson’s adventures. Plus I am encouraged to start Caine's Morganville Vampires series, which she seems to have given some interesting boundaries in addition to the regular vampiric limitations.

Special applause for the final story, by Kelner, whose vampire character, Stella, gets to play Nancy Drew and find out who is buried in her grave. For a first vampire story, I found it very entertaining. Plus I loved the title: How Stella Got Her Grave Back.

A nice birthday treat.

Love Bites / Cynthia St Aubin

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Book 17 of the 2024 Read Your Hoard Challenge

When one of your favourite authors expresses a favourable opinion of another writer's book, you take notice. When my library didn't have this one and it wasn't available via interlibrary loan, I realized I was going to have to part with some cash. I now declare that it was worth every cent. Next, I must turn my attention to ordering volume two.

So, what was it that I liked? To begin with, it's my preferred genre, urban fantasy. We get to watch our main character Hanna, who is navigating a bitter divorce, get a job to support herself and her three felines. But she soon starts having doubts about her boss, Abernathy—what the heck is wrong with him? Why won't he answer simple questions? How does he run a business without a computer or a cell phone? Why is his office such a tip? What's with all the torn, muddy, ruined clothing? Something's up, but she's still looking for mundane solutions.

My second reason for enjoying this novel was the mystery aspect. It seems that any woman who interacts with Abernathy soon turns up dead. Does Hanna work for a serial killer? How can she suspect this and still desperately want to see him naked? Is it just because it's been just her and the cats for months?

Third, there's a sexy detective, Morrison, who has definite opinions about Abernathy and they're not positive. But his jeans reveal a very nice ass, which she spends entirely too much time thinking about. Apparently he has been thinking about her too.

Fourth, there's the art gallery that Abernathy owns and that she, as his assistant, is trying to organize. Plus the collection of cantankerous artists who have studios there. They are a puzzling crew, but they do seem to produce desirable art.

It's a great opening salvo for the series. I got just enough information to hook me and enough of a cliffhanger to make volume 2 a necessity. I'll be heading to my local bookstore to order Love Sucks.

Sanctuary / Ilona Andrews

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Book 16 of the 2024 Read Your Hoard Challenge

So, yesterday I got an email from my favourite bookstore. Your order is ready. It was 3:30 pm. I checked their hours. They are open until 5:30. It is rush hour, but I should be able to do this thing. I hop in the car and head into the rat race. I've been retired for a while and this feels weird now. I pick up my books and battle traffic on my way home. I do the necessary tasks for the evening, then settle in with Roman.

I had read a lot of this story on the Andrews' blog. I still enjoyed it very much this time around. I loved Roman's menagerie of odd critters. I enjoyed the Andrews’ version of Slavic mythology. It was great to learn about Roman's personal history. The witches and volhvs entertained me during the Kate Daniels books, so this was like a favourite treat. I remember smiling when Roman flirted with Andrea as well as when he tangled with Kate. Kate holding his staff hostage. The family fight at the big conclave (the one to deal with the magic-eliminating device).

I always suspected that Chernobog was (as Roman explains to Finn) a dark god, not an evil god. There is no life without death. That's not evil, it's just a fact. I know certain folks of the Book Devouring Horde have a thing for Roman. (I'm more of a Luther fan, myself.) But I love and adore the Kate Daniels world and I am so glad to have added this novella to my collection. I reread it this morning. I am an inveterate rereader, so I have absolutely no doubt that I will read it many times in the future. Thank you, Ilona and Gordon, for adding to a beloved series.

Sweep With Me / Ilona Andrews

4 out of 5 stars

Thank you for joining us at Gertrude Hunt, the nicest Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, during the Treaty Stay. As you know, we are honor-bound to accept all guests during this oldest of innkeeper holidays and we are expecting a dangerous guest. Or several. But have no fear. Your safety and comfort is our first priority. The inn and your hosts, Dina Demille and Sean Evans, will defend you at all costs. [But we hope we don’t have to.]

Every winter, Innkeepers look forward to celebrating their own special holiday, which commemorates the ancient treaty that united the very first Inns and established the rules that protect them, their intergalactic guests, and the very unaware/oblivious people of [planet] Earth. By tradition, the Innkeepers welcomed three guests: a warrior, a sage, and a pilgrim, but during the holiday, Innkeepers must open their doors to anyone who seeks lodging. Anyone.

All Dina hopes is that the guests and conduct themselves in a polite manner. But what’s a holiday without at least one disaster?

A very fun novella, which I purchased while rounding out a book order that included a recipe book that I wanted very much. I’d read the story in installments online, but what fun to have it all in one book and be able to absorb it all in one evening.

I’m a true blue Ilona Andrews fan and I really enjoy the Innkeeper Chronicles, so this little offering was ideal for me. I always appreciate Dina and her gentle-but-firm ways of dealing with guests. Orro is a favourite character and we get to know him a bit better here, including getting to peek into his living quarters. And although I’ve always suspected it, we readers get to see why Orro has never left Gertrude Hunt Inn. Of course, Sean is right by Dina’s side, riding herd on difficult guests, taking interstellar assassins on field trips, and raining destruction on any battlefield he encounters!

I don’t know how many more of these adventures that the Andrews have inside them, but I’m hoping for many, many more. I never get tired of this world and we still haven’t a clue what has happened to Dina’s parents and Dina has yet to be reunited with Klaus, her brother (although he showed up at Maud’s beside at the very end of Sweep of the Blade). Fingers crossed for more Innkeeper Chronicles!

(There was also a teaser included for Emerald Blaze! I await it with impatience and anticipation.)

Timeless / Gail Carrige

4 out of 5 stars

Alexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, has settled into domestic bliss. Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London High society, living in a vampire's second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler who is prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Even Ivy Tunstell's acting troupe's latest play, disastrous to say the least, can not put a dampener on Alexia's enjoyment of her new London lifestyle.

Until, that is, she receives a summons from Alexandria that cannot be ignored. With husband, child, and Tunstells in tow, Alexia boards a steamer to cross the Mediterranean. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Lady Maccon can handle. What does the vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly expanding? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire?

I’ve really enjoyed this series, though I think that the first book was probably my favourite of the five. I’m looking forward to reading both Carriger’s Finishing School and The Custard Protocol series. I’m glad there are more books in this alternate history to look forward to!

With this book, the Alexia/Conall storyline may have reached the end of its natural life span. Not every thread is wrapped up, but that’s not always necessary or even desirable. Things that were amusing in previous books (Lord & Lady Maccon living in Lord Akeldama’s third best closet, for instance) are becoming less entertaining. Prudence makes up for that as she becomes a character in her own right (and that will make The Custard Protocol interesting).

I must say that I was glad to see Biffy settled into his new role(s). He’s made the shift from vampire drone to young werewolf-about-town quite successfully, found a new squeeze, and shown some career potential. I’ll miss him more than Alexia and Conall, I think.

Such a fun world and I look forward to future expeditions into it!

Changeless / Gail Carriger

4 out of 5 stars 

Alexia Maccon, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears; leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. So even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can. She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.

Remarkably fun! I love good Urban Fantasy and I’m coming to love the Victorian London steampunk type of that genre as well. I had to wonder at the end of the first book where there was for the author to take things--once the happy couple are married, you risk losing the tension in a series. So Carriger does the sensible thing, she devises problems for the happy couple.

What problems, you ask? Well, how about a mysterious loss of supernatural powers for vampires and werewolves? The unexplained movement of this crippling area of magical suppression. Lord Maccon sneaking off to his familial home in Scotland while his regiment lands on Alexia’s front lawn in London. Plus, Ivey Hisselpenny, Alexia’s BFF, has become engaged, but is in love with a most unsuitable man. Alexia, being Soulless, can cope with the werewolves more easily than with unrequited love.

Carriger leaves us with a mysterious ending--I will definitely be reading Blameless to see how she intends (or if she intends) to fix things up!

The Unkindest Tide / Seanan McGuire

4 out of 5 stars 

Hundreds of years ago, the Selkies made a deal with the sea witch: they would have the sea for as long as she allowed it, and when the time came, she would call in all their debts at once. Many people assumed that day would never come. Those people were wrong.

When the Luidaeg—October "Toby" Daye's oldest and most dangerous ally—tells her the time has come for the Selkies to fulfill their side of the bargain, and that Toby must be a part of the process, Toby can't refuse. Literally. The Selkies aren't the only ones in debt to the Luidaeg, and Toby has to pay what she owes like anyone else. They will travel to the fabled Duchy of Ships and call a convocation of the Selkies, telling them to come and meet the Luidaeg's price...or face the consequences.

Of course, nothing is that simple. When Dianda Lorden's brother appears to arrest Dianda for treason against the Undersea, when a Selkie woman is stripped of her skin and then murdered, when everything is falling apart, that's when Toby will have to answer the real question of the hour.

Is she going to sink? Or is she going to swim?

I can’t tell you how much I enjoy spending time in October Daye’s world--the land of Faerie right adjacent to our own world. Where Hobs, Pixies, and Brownies (among many others) inhabit the land and Mermaids, Selkies, and octopus-headed Cephali live undersea in the Kingdom of Saltmist. I keep meaning to find some books on fairy folklore to brush up on my fae identification skills.

This book features the Luidaeg (the Sea Witch) prominently. As one of the First Born of Faerie, she has awesome powers and anyone with any sense is scared witless of her. Except for our dear Toby, who has seen through the Luidaeg’s thorny disguise to the caring person on the inside. Controlled by a geas laid on her by one of her sisters, the Luidaeg is compelled to only tell the truth and to help those who request assistance, although she is allowed to charge high prices for that help.

This is the point where shit gets real if you are a Selkie--the Sea Witch is calling in their chips and calling on Toby to seal the deal. Toby has a soft spot for the Selkies--her first fiance was Connor, a Selkie. Selkies also straddle the line between humanity and the Fae, just as Changelings do, so Toby can relate to that too. The trick is to find a way to both let the Luidaeg keep her word and to let her be merciful.

Seanan McGuire’s inventiveness never fails to please me. I am so glad that the next book is set up in the plot of this one. Forget Finding Nemo, we’re going to be Finding Simon.

If I have any frustration with this series, its the constant irritation of October’s estranged daughter, Gillian. October has been rejected by her, her father & step-mother (who, curiously is also October’s grandmother) for reasons that seem spurious to me. Toby has saved her repeatedly and gets zero credit for it. I’m not sure where McGuire is headed with this particular plot line, but I’m sure it’s not random. OMG, I’m like a soap-opera fan, I must tune in to the next installment to see what happens.

Please keep writing, Ms. McGuire! I will keep reading.

The Shadow Cabinet / Maureen Johnson

4 out of 5 stars 

Rory and her friends are reeling from a series of sudden and tragic events. While racked with grief, Rory tries to determine if she acted in time to save a member of the squad. If she did, how do you find a ghost? Also, Rory’s classmate Charlotte has been kidnapped by Jane and her nefarious organization. Evidence is uncovered of a forty-year-old cult, ten missing teenagers, and a likely mass murder. Everything indicates that Charlotte’s in danger, and it seems that something much bigger and much more terrible is coming.

Time is running out as Rory fights to find her friends and the ghost squad struggles to stop Jane from unleashing her spectral nightmare on the entire city. In the process, they'll discover the existence of an organization that underpins London itself - and Rory will learn that someone she trusts has been keeping a tremendous secret.

I read this book to fill the Darkest London square of my 2019 Halloween Bingo Card.

I have rated all three books in this series so far at 4 stars, because I really enjoyed them. However, the first book still reigns supreme for me. This one, book 3, is better than the second one, but still not as much fun as book one. I miss the boarding school surroundings and Rory’s dread of field hockey. And Claudia. I miss Claudia.

Still, it’s a very good story, with suitably spooky Sid & Sadie waiting in the wings to use Rory’s talents. Plus the rather unappealing Thorpe, who now heads the team while Stephen is out of commission. I was happy to have Jerome reappear and he still has Rory’s back. Stephen is an unknown quantity at this point--after all that he has been through, will he be able to relate to Rory at all? I’m unapologetically on Team Jerome, but I’m probably in the minority on that one.

I’ll definitely read book four when/if it becomes available. I keep being surprised at how much I enjoy Young Adult literature, but I keep finding series like this one, which are well written, suspenseful, and deal with subjects and situations that interest me.

Slayer / Kiersten White

4 out of 5 stars

Nina and her twin sister, Artemis, are far from normal. It’s hard to be when you grow up at the Watcher’s Academy, which is a bit different from your average boarding school. Here teens are trained as guides for Slayers—girls gifted with supernatural strength to fight the forces of darkness. But while Nina’s mother is a prominent member of the Watcher’s Council, Nina has never embraced the violent Watcher lifestyle. Instead she follows her instincts to heal, carving out a place for herself as the school medic.

Until the day Nina’s life changes forever.

Thanks to Buffy, the famous (and infamous) Slayer that Nina’s father died protecting, Nina is not only the newest Chosen One—she’s the last Slayer, ever. Period.

I read this book to fill the New Release square of my 2019 Halloween Bingo Card.

If you were ever a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this is the book for you. And just like the Buffy television series, this book is about so much more than young women slaying vampires. This is a book about grief, about the misunderstandings that happen between parent and child as well as between siblings, about the agony of being adolescent and not feeling like you fit in.

But, once again just like the TV series, there is plenty of action complete with plot twists and turns to keep you reading along happily. I’m maybe not quite as enamoured of this series as I was of White’s The Conqueror’s Saga, but I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to reading the next book, Chosen, when it comes out next year. I’ll be interested to see how Nina chooses to make her status as Chosen work into a life that she has actually chosen for herself.

Angels' Blood / Nalini Singh

3 out of 5 stars 

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux knows she’s the best—but she doesn’t know if she’s good enough for this job. Hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, only one thing is clear—failure is not an option…even if the task is impossible.

Because this time, it’s not a wayward vamp she has to track. It’s an archangel gone bad.

The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other…and pull her to the razor’s edge of passion. Even if the hunt doesn’t destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just may. For when archangels play, mortals break…

I read this book to fill the Diverse Voices square of my 2019 Halloween Bingo Card.

This was fascinating in that Singh’s world varies so wildly from what I would have expected of angels. Lots of different cultures believe in them, but I come from an evangelical Christian background and let me tell you, the folks that I went to church with back in the day would have been quite shocked at these angels! Angels who casually drop the F-bomb in their conversation and make sexual demands of mortals. Not to mention that they are the source of vampires, something which the evangelicals that I know would likely consider to be heresy!

It’s refreshing to read something that takes an entirely new look at something which I thought I knew about. Just like her Psy/Changeling books, the main point of this book seemed to be getting Elena into a hot, romantic relationship. In this case, Elena is a Guild Hunter, who has a natural aptitude for rounding up errant vampires. The vampires are created by the angels and have signed contracts for a certain term of service in return for the near-immortality. If they skip out early on those contracts, people like Elena track them down.

Of course, Elena is fabulous at what she does and she draws the attention of the ultra-hot archangel, Raphael. This is both good and bad, especially since Elena can’t seem to keep her opinions to herself. Fortunately for her, Raphael needs her assistance enough to put up with her lip.

I should reiterate at this point that I am not a huge fan of the romance genre. I like it when romance is included in strong mystery series (Deanna Raybourn) or in a fascinating fantasy world (Ilona Andrews), but Singh’s fantasy worlds just don’t speak very strongly to me. I like her stuff, but her plots are overly concerned with getting the heroine into bed with someone, not on her solving a crime, with bedroom time as a pleasant side dish. I persist in thinking of her work as more appropriate to the straight-up romance reader and less for the fantasy enthusiast.

Having said all of the above, I can see myself continuing on with this series, although not in the driven way that I read series like Hidden Legacy by Ilona Andrews or Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs

All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault / James Alan Gardner

Monsters are real.
But so are heroes.

Sparks are champions of weird science. Boasting capes and costumes and amazing super-powers that only make sense if you don't think about them too hard, they fight an eternal battle for truth and justice . . . mostly.

Darklings are creatures of myth and magic: ghosts, vampires, were-beasts, and the like. Their very presence warps reality. Doors creak at their approach. Cobwebs gather where they linger.

Kim Lam is an ordinary college student until a freak scientific accident (what else?) transforms Kim and three housemates into Sparks--and drafts them into the never-ending war between the Light and Dark. They struggle to master their new abilities--and (of course) to design cool costumes and come up with great hero-names.

Turns out that "accident" was just the first salvo in a Mad Genius's latest diabolical scheme. Now it's up to four newbie heroes to save the day, before they even have a chance to figure out what their team's name should be! 

4.2567891 stars

This was a truly fun book and I am so glad that I will get a chance to hear the author speak next month! I confess that I had never heard of him until he became a keynote speaker for the When Words Collide conference here in Calgary. I am so glad to have discovered him and his Dark/Spark series.

I am a great fan of fantasy, but when I originally read the blurb for this book, I had my doubts whether it was really for me. Once again, I am shown that I shouldn’t judge a book by [what is written on] the cover. I was only a paragraph or two into the novel when I realized that it was going to be a bunch of fun.

I especially appreciated the dialog--both between Kim/Zircon and her compatriots and her inner monologue. Then, there were things like vampires buying blood from human donors--not wanting to call it “blood money,” it becomes known as “trickle down.” Take that Ronald Reagan! So many things made me grin like a looney!

That’s the biggest reason, I think, that I enjoyed this book so thoroughly--I often struggle with written humour, but in this book I just GOT it. Maybe because the author is also Canadian, but I was amused by so many details. Because of course one Canadian hero is going to be a super hockey player and name herself after Wayne Gretzky. Ninety Nine became my favourite character and I am excited to see that she will have a starring role in the next book. And, yes, I have already requested it from the library and hope to have it in my hot little hands next week.

I am so pleased to have discovered this author! I can hardly wait to hear what he has to tell about his creations and his process. Just a month away!

A Study in Silks / Emma Jane Holloway

3.5 stars out of 5

London, April 4, 1888 ~ Evelina Cooper, niece of Sherlock Holmes, is ready for her first London Season - except for a murderer, missing automatons, a sorcerer, and a talking mouse. In a Victorian era ruled by a ruthless steam baron council, mechanical power is the real monarch, and sorcery the demon enemy of the empire. Evelina has secretly mastered a coveted weapon - magic that can run machines. Should she trust the handsome, clever rake who speeds her breath, or the dashing trick rider who would dare anything she would ask?

***The Summer of Sherlock 2019*** 


A very steampunk story, with an indirect connection to Sherlock Holmes. The author gives the great detective a sister, who has produced this niece before dying. The niece has been retrieved from her father’s side of the family, a circus family. That’s as in trapezes, not in family hysterics!

So it’s way out there, Holmes-wise. I can’t help but think that the author could have made up a famous detective of her own to fill in for the detective uncle and the story would have been just as good. However, it does tie into a late Holmes story, The Problem of Thor Bridge. This is obviously where Holloway got her inspiration for the Gold King, and the various steambarons who divide London up between them with their monopolistic business ventures.

There are clockwork devices and occasional magic, not at all the usual stuff of Sherlock Holmes stories, but it was a fun little romp and I’m looking forward to the next book. Our heroine, Evelina Cooper, will undoubtedly have to choose between her two men, circus performer Nick and blue blood Tobias. Having burned bridges with both of them in this volume, it will be interesting to see how the author ropes them back in during the next book.

I would warn away the Sherlock Holmes purists from this series, but if you are into Steampunk paranormal romances, A Study in Silks is pretty decent.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone / Laini Taylor

3.5 stars out of 5

Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

An enjoyable young-adult offering in the urban fantasy genre. This is my first novel featuring angels (or seraphs, as this author calls them).

It is very much a Romeo-and-Juliet tale, as a striking male Seraph (Akiva) meets and falls for a mysterious young woman (Karou) who is associated with the Chimaera, the seemingly evil, rather animalian opposition to the Seraphs. It quickly becomes apparent to the young couple that they are on opposite sides of this eternal conflict and that their continued relationship will probably bring them buckets of trouble. But, just like the Montague-Capulet characters, these two cannot deny their feelings. 

The author actually does a remarkably good job of delaying the grand romance, all the while treating us to a wonderful depiction of the city of Prague. It was quite wonderful to see urban fantasy set outside of the United States. She also manages to make war look like the senseless waste that it truly is, all the while making us smile with gentle humour.

Despite the very steep cliffhanger at the end, this is obviously a tale where True Love will conquer all. I prefer a little more mystery than that, a little more uncertainty before reaching that conclusion. Still, I can see myself reading further in the series at some point in the future.

Middlegame / Seanan McGuire

3 out of 5 stars

Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story.

Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math.

Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet.

Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He’s not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: to raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own.

Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.

I’m reluctant to admit that I didn’t adore something that Seanan McGuire has written. And I’m pretty sure that it’s not her, it’s me. I love her October Daye, InCryptid, and Wayward Children series and I expected to feel the same way about this book. Unfortunately, I think I may have read it at the wrong time--maybe a re-read at some future date will leave me more impressed.

There were an awful lot of moving parts in this one, lots of details in a complicated world and plenty of characters to keep track of. For me, it took a long while to connect with the main characters, maybe ⅔ of the way through the book. Finally, though, I felt it reluctantly click into place.

This felt to me like an uneasy work, straddling the gap between the Wayward Children series and McGuire’s work under the name of Mira Grant. There are definitely more horror related details in this one that would be more at home under the aegis of the Grant persona. 

But, if you, like me, love McGuire’s writing, you should definitely give this one a try. The writing is every bit as skilled as her other works and the ideas are good. As I say, I think it was just me who wasn’t in the proper state to appreciate this one. Your mileage may vary.

Storm Cursed / Patricia Briggs

4 stars out of 5

My name is Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, and I am a car mechanic. And a coyote shapeshifter. And the mate of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin werewolf pack.

Even so, none of that would have gotten me into trouble if, a few months ago, I hadn't stood upon a bridge and taken responsibility for the safety of the citizens who lived in our territory. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. It should have only involved hunting down killer goblins, zombie goats, and an occasional troll. Instead, our home was viewed as neutral ground, a place where humans would feel safe to come and treat with the fae.

The reality is that nothing and no one is safe. As generals and politicians face off with the Gray Lords of the fae, a storm is coming and her name is Death. But we are pack, and we have given our word. We will die to keep it.

Mercy Thompson, the Witchcraft edition

When this book arrived at the library for me, I dropped everything and started to read. These books are always over too quickly and they leave me wanting the next installment NOW. Unfortunately, that’s not how these things work, but judging from the ending, there will be more volumes, so that’s a good thing.

This one had all the urban fantasy goodness--a little less of all the growly werewolves, much more Fae and Vampire fun. Although I have to say, not enough Stefan. Mercy needs to get that relationship mended, because I miss Stefan! Plus, I am intrigued by what happened to Wulfe during this adventure--further details are needed. But the witches & the goblins get front-and-centre roles in this book, something that was a-okay with me.

If you jumped in at this volume (number 11, holy cow), you would wonder what kind of mad-house you had joined. But as we slowly make our way from volume 1 to present, we’ve had time to learn about the Mercy-verse, making all the details seem much less chaotic. Still, if you’re not a die-hard urban fantasy fan, this book is not the book you are looking for.

I note that the next book, Smoke Bitten, will be published next year and there doesn’t seem to be a new volume of the Alpha & Omegaseries anticipated yet. I trust that there will be another one. Between Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews, I spend an awful lot of time on tenterhooks, waiting for the next book to appear. To facilitate smooth publishing schedules, sacrifices to the book gods will obviously be required (see, I’ve learned a thing or two from all those witchy scenes!)

Soulless / Gail Carriger out of

4 out of 5 stars

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. 

First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire--and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

A cute paranormal romance, set in an alternate Victorian England, featuring steampunk elements, werewolves, and vampires. And really, if Victorian England doesn’t have werewolves and vampires, why would I read about it? Our heroine, Alexia, is soulless and therefore able to neutralize the magic (or excessive amounts of soul) that animate both of vampires & werewolves in this version of London.

This is kind of a modified Cinderella tale--Alexia actually has two gorgeous half-sisters, rather than step-sisters, and a mother who doesn’t value her unique qualities. They consider it punishment to stay home from various social events, but Alexia has somewhat reluctantly come to prefer her books and a good cup of tea. However, she is thrown into the company of Lord Maccon, the werewolf in charge of investigating paranormal oddities, and sparks fly. Her family’s idea of Alexia as an unmarriageable spinster may need some adjustment.

Bonus point for Lord Akeldama, a flamboyant vampire who chooses to be Alexia’s friend and confidante. He is tougher than he chooses to appear. Minus a point for Alexia’s sidekick, Ivy, who doesn’t get to talk to Alexia about anything besides men and her poor taste in hats.

There is nominally a mystery to be solved, but it comes to a conclusion almost as a side issue to the opponents-to-lovers romance plot. To some extent, I think the author might have been better served to draw out the couple’s courtship over two or three books, to produce more dramatic tension in the future volumes, but perhaps there is still enough oomph to carry the action forward for 4 more installments. I’m more than willing to give the next book a try, anyway.

Night Shift / N. Singh, I. Andrews, L. Shearin, M. Vane

4 out of 5 stars

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh delivers a smoldering story with Secrets at Midnight , as the scent of Bastien Smith’s elusive lover ignites a possessiveness in him that’s as feral as it is ecstatic. And now that he’s found his mate, he’ll do anything to keep her.

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews’ novella, Magic Steals , when people start going missing, shapeshifting tigress Dali Harimau and jaguar shifter Jim Shrapshire must uncover the truth about the mysterious creatures responsible.

From Milla Vane—a warrior princess must tame The Beast of Blackmoor to earn a place among her people. But she quickly discovers that the beast isn't a monster, but a barbarian warrior who intends to do some taming himself. 

It’s seer Makenna Frazier's first day on the job at Supernatural Protection and Investigations, and her first assignment is more than she bargained for when bodyguard duty for a leprechaun prince’s bachelor party goes every which way but right in national bestselling author Lisa Shearin’s Lucky Charms .

This was a fun little collection of urban fantasy/paranormal romance fiction. I especially enjoyed the Ilona Andrews and the Lisa Shearin contributions. Their writings are consistently on target with my reading tastes. The Nalini Singh story is also exactly what one would expect from her, a little too skewed to the romance end of the scale for my reading taste, but her fans will undoubtedly get what they are looking for.

The interesting offering in my opinion is the Milla Vane story--shades of Robert E. Howard! This is Conan the Barbarian meets his Warrior Princess version and they struggle for supremacy! (Not that Howard wrote weak women--and the limitations of his time meant that he couldn’t detail their physical relationship in his stories the way Vane does). It’s obvious that Ms. Vane has appreciated Howard’s work and probably Fritz Leiber’s as well, classics of the sword & sorcery genre. The major shift is that this story is told from a strong female point of view--Mala decides what she is and isn’t willing to put up with from her Barbarian-to-be. It could have fallen flat, but for me it didn’t. But if sex on the page makes you uncomfortable, you will squirm while reading this gritty story. Mind you, if that makes you uncomfortable, you will not have made it this far in the book!

The Andrews story details the romance between Jim Shropshire and Dali Haurimau, in delightful fashion. I had never liked Jim all that much in the Kate Daniels series, but I’m due for a re-read in the near future and will see him quite differently now (and I will see Hugh D’Ambray differently after reading Iron and Magic).

The Lucky Charms story by Lisa Shearin is the introduction to her SPI Files series. It might have been fun to have read it before plunging into The Grendel Affair, but she didn’t write in any details that were crucial to understanding that first novel. (Completely unlike Patricia Briggs’ Alpha & Omega series, where if you missed the initial short story, you ended up confused as heck during Cry Wolf).

All in all, a pleasant and fun offering by four talented authors.

Hard Magic / Laura Anne Gilman

3 out of 5 stars

Welcome to P.U.P.I.—Private, Unaffiliated, Paranormal Investigations

A handpicked team trained to solve crimes the regular police can't touch—crimes of magic.

My name's Bonnie Torres. Recent college grad, magic user and severely unemployed. Until I got a call out of nowhere to interview for a job I hadn't applied for. It smelled fishy, but the brutal truth was I needed the work—so off I went.

Two days later I'm a PUPI—me and Nick, Sharon, Nifty and Pietr. Five twentysomethings, thrown into an entirely new career in forensic magic.

The first job we get is a doozy: proving that the deaths of two Talents were murder, not suicide. Worse, there are high-profile people who want us to close up shop and go away. We're sniffing out things they'd rather keep buried.

Looks as if this job is gonna get interesting. The only problem is, we're making it up as we go along….

I loved the basic ideas of this book--that magic would leave a signature and that a CSI-like team of people could solve crimes via their Talent. It has great potential. However, I felt like there should have been more action and less agony in this first volume. Bonita is a pretty good main character, but she does an awful lot of personal analysis (mostly about the men in her life). She desperately needs a female friend--someone to talk to so that the reader doesn’t have to listen to her inner monologue quite so often. Perhaps in the next book, but the only other female character in this one doesn’t seem to have good chemistry with Bonnie.

Still, I liked the book enough that I will look for the next volume. The trick is going to be finding it! My library doesn’t have it and I just happened to find this one at my favourite used bookshop. Looks like I will be using interlibrary loan once again.

I do think that the name of the magic community, the Cosa Nostradamus, is genius! Giving the impression of the mafia combined with magic, you realize just what the PUPI organization is up against. Add to that the mysterious Fatae, fae-like creatures, that exist in this version of New York, but haven’t been utilized to their full potential in this first volume. I do hope that they feature more prominently in future books.

That Ain't Witchcraft / Seanan McGuire

4 out of 5 stars

Antimony Price has never done well without a support system. As the youngest of her generation, she has always been able to depend on her parents, siblings, and cousins to help her out when she's in a pinch--until now. After fleeing from the Covenant of St. George, she's found herself in debt to the crossroads and running for her life. No family. No mice. No way out.

Lucky for her, she's always been resourceful, and she's been gathering allies as she travels: Sam, fūri trapeze artist turned boyfriend; Cylia, jink roller derby captain and designated driver; Fern, sylph friend, confidant, and maker of breakfasts; even Mary, ghost babysitter to the Price family. Annie's actually starting to feel like they might be able to figure things out--which is probably why things start going wrong again.

New Gravesend, Maine is a nice place to raise a family...or make a binding contract with the crossroads. For James Smith, whose best friend disappeared when she tried to do precisely that, it's also an excellent place to plot revenge. Now the crossroads want him dead and they want Annie to do the dirty deed. She owes them, after all.

And that's before Leonard Cunningham, aka, "the next leader of the Covenant," shows up...

It's going to take everything Annie has and a little bit more to get out of this one. If she succeeds, she gets to go home. If she fails, she becomes one more cautionary tale about the dangers of bargaining with the crossroads.

But no pressure.

Let me just warn you up front, that I am an InCryptid fan and cannot be expected to be too critical of my beloved series. I enjoy the Price family, in their weirdness and their oddly chosen purpose, to protect the cryptid species in their vicinity. I love the wide selection of creatures than McGuire has dreamed up for them to interact with and run interference for. I enjoy their opposition to and reluctant engagement with the Covenant of St. George. The Prices fight against prejudice in all of its forms.

I must confess that I miss the Aeslin mice. (Hail, cake & cheese for all!!) But I have a feeling that Annie will be able to rejoin the family fold soon and be reunited with her rodent worshippers. This is a consummation devoutly to be wished. In fine family style, Annie will be returning with a new adoptive family member and a potential spouse. Parr for the course among these crytozoological ninjas.

As long as Ms. MaGuire chooses to write these adventures, I will continue to read them. They are a wonderful little hit of fun, frolicking among the gorgons and bogeymen and traveling the ghost roads with likeable characters.

Now that the Covenant is fully aware of the Prices' existence in North America, the plot will no doubt thicken. I can hardly wait for the next story!