Author: debra

Hey everybody,

The Blurb:  Lovers. Warriors. Enemies. Legends. Damien and Sari. Their union became pivotal in Irin history. But to understand their ending, you must go back to the beginning. A young singer and a hardened warrior meet and mate, but their life is torn apart by violence, betrayal, and grief. Yet no matter how much pain and anger stain their lives, bonds in the Irin race cannot be abandoned. Damien and Sari will never truly leave each other, because those who are destined cannot be ignored.

The Staff and the Blade is a novel in four parts. It is the fourth book in the Irin Chronicles.

“She hates me as she loves me. Wholly and completely. Sari never does anything by halves.”

My thoughts:   I loved this book! The series is phenomenal. It is an epic story of love, angst, tragedy and triumph told over a period of hundreds of years. In my humble opinion only, I do not feel it is a stand-alone book as it is marketed to be. It is the fourth story in The Irin Chronicles (Books 1-3 previously reviewed).  I think it is advantageous to read one through three before reading The Staff and The Blade. Damien and Sari both are in the first three books and you get some good hints as to what happens to them. But, this world is complex and it helps to have an understanding of the various types of angels and offspring and the various points of view of characters in the world before reading Damien and Sari’s story. As a matter of fact, at one point, I went back to books 2 and 3 and re-read some of the notes/highlights I had made on my Kindle. This story is complex and spectacular and I will visit this world anytime the author wants to go there. I hope for many more stories in this series.

I highly recommend this series.

Happy reading,

Debra

Hey everybody,

I’m going to give a general review for the first three books of this series as I read them at the same time.

The first three books are titled:

1.  Maid for Love
2. Fool for Love
3. Ready for Love

This is a contemporary romance series following the stories of the McCarthy family and their friends on the fictional Gansett Island.  I started this series because I read and greatly enjoyed her “Fatal” series.  The Gansett Island is a great little place to visit.  The characters are well-developed and the story well-written.  They are enjoyable to read and I intend to finish this series as well when I get caught up a little bit with other books I am obligated to already.  Did I enjoy them as much as the “Fatal” books–they are too different to answer that.  “Fatal” had elements that I thoroughly enjoyed with the murder mysteries and the political angles, and “Gansett” are straight contemporary romances, but this series is quite entertaining in its’ own right and deserving of a look if you enjoy stories with a good romance in it.

Happy reading,

Debra

Hey everybody,  as always, first the blurb:

If she has her way…Willa Davis is wrangling puppies when Keane Winters stalks into her pet shop with frustration in his chocolate-brown eyes and a pink bedazzled cat carrier in his hand. He needs a kitty sitter, stat. But the last thing Willa needs is to rescue a guy who doesn’t even remember her…He’ll get nothing but coal in his stocking.

Saddled with his great-aunt’s Feline from Hell, Keane is desperate to leave her in someone else’s capable hands. But in spite of the fact that he’s sure he’s never seen the drop-dead-gorgeous pet shop owner before, she seems to be mad at him…Unless he tempers “naughty” with a special kind of nice…

Willa can’t deny that Keane’s changed since high school: he’s less arrogant, for one thing—but can she trust him not to break her heart again? It’s time to throw a coin in the fountain, make a Christmas wish—and let the mistletoe do its work…

My thoughts: I love Jill Shalvis and her stories! She blends a great mix of contemporary romance with some nice, humorous moments that can just make you laugh at loud! This is the second book in her Heartbreaker Bay series. This series is set around a group of tight-knit friends, their lives, their community and their loves. And some great pets are thrown in for good measure, especially this book.

Willa has had a tough way in life so far, but owns a fairly successful little pet store and helps other young people with problems. Keane is currently caring for his aunt’s cat, much to his and the cat’s dislike. He has to find a place to board the little creature during the day–thus he walks into Willa’s store. Willa dislikes Keane because he stood her up in high school, which of course, he does not have any memory of. Also, much to his dismay, the little creature immediately likes Willa and vice-versa. He does not understand this. However, he is intrigued with Willa, especially since she won’t tell him why she does not like him. Let the games begin. The characters are likable and the story is comforting, humorous and makes you smile. If you haven’t tried Jill’s work, you owe to yourself to read a story. This is a good place to start.  I also highly recommend her Lucky Harbor series!

Happy reading,

Debra

Hey everybody,

I want to review this series as a whole.  The books in the series are:

• The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride (previously reviewed)
• The Werewolf Meets His Match
• The Gargoyle Gets His Girl
• The Professor Woos the Witch
• The Vampire’s Fake Fiancee
• The Shifter Romances the Writer
• The Werewolf’s Christmas Wish (novella)
• The Vampire’s Valentine Surprise (novella)
• The Witch’s Halloween Hero (novella)

The premise for this series is fun.  Nocturne Falls is a small town that celebrates Halloween 365 days a year.  The thing is: the town is inhabited mostly by supernaturals.  Nocturne Falls is a town that allows them to be themselves without humans finding out that supernaturals exist.  Each story is a standalone but characters are seen throughout the series.  This is a quick, light and fun read.  Mostly fun–and I think that is really nice once in a while as a switch up between heavier stories.  These stories are totally delightful and I look forward to more in this series.  Ms. Painter has started another series also set in Nocturne Falls.  This is a cozy mystery series starring the character Jayne Frost–the daughter of Jack Frost (and the niece of Santa Claus).  I am looking so forward to this series also.  If you need a series that makes you smile, I recommend this one.

Happy reading,

Debra