Author: debra

Books

Dark Carousel by Christine Feehan

debra

Hey everybody, first the blurb:

Blurb:  The moment Charlotte Vintage walks into his club, Tariq Asenguard’s blood is set on fire. The ancient Carpathian had given up hope of finding his lifemate, but now he will do anything to make Charlotte his own. What Tariq doesn’t know is that Charlotte is using herself and her best friend as bait—to try to draw out the bloodthirsty killers who have already murdered Charlotte’s brother and mentor.
 
Charlotte is familiar with Tariq. Not only is he one of the richest and most eligible bachelors in the city, but he’s also a renowned collector of old carousel horses, which Charlotte restores. Their shared passion opens Charlotte up to trusting him with her life and with the desire she can no longer control. But it also makes her vulnerable to a centuries-old curse that will unite her and Tariq in a war against the enemies of humans and Carpathians alike.

My thoughts: I have been reading the Dark Series for a long time now and I will admit to having been disappointed in recent books. I felt the writing was very repetitive and overused. I felt the sex scenes were concentrated on too much and the characters were lacking in development. My biggest complaint was that the last books did not (in my opinion, only) add anything to the overall story arc.

However, with Dark Carousel, I believe Ms. Feehan may be back on track. Tariq and Charlotte are great characters, although I felt their romance happened a bit too quickly. Insta-lust is fine, but insta-love just doesn’t work for me–it needs time. However, what appealed to me in this book was we really received a story and a good story at that. Vadim Malinov is as evil as Xavier ever thought of being, his torture of the innocents was traumatic and you felt their trauma in the story, yet you also felt the hope that other characters had that the victims would heal from it. Developments in this story can proceed through several books to come, I think. As I was well on my way to saying a sad farewell to this series, I have to stick around for a while yet after this book.

Happy reading,

Debra

Books, great reads, Reviews

The Bird and the Sword by Amy Harmon

debra

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Hey everybody,

The Blurb:  Swallow, Daughter, pull them in, those words that sit upon your lips. Lock them deep inside your soul, hide them ‘til they’ve time to grow. Close your mouth upon the power, curse not, cure not, ‘til the hour. You won’t speak and you won’t tell, you won’t call on heav’n or hell. You will learn and you will thrive. Silence, Daughter. Stay alive.

The day my mother was killed, she told my father I wouldn’t speak again, and she told him if I died, he would die too. Then she predicted the king would trade his soul and lose his son to the sky. My father has a claim to the throne, and he is waiting in the shadows for all of my mother’s words to come to pass. He wants desperately to be king, and I just want to be free. But freedom will require escape, and I’m a prisoner of my mother’s curse and my father’s greed. I can’t speak or make a sound, and I can’t wield a sword or beguile a king. In a land purged of enchantment, love might be the only magic left, and who could ever love . . . a bird?

My thoughts: I loved this story. This is the first book by this author I have read and I want to read more from her. This story is her first venture into the world of fantasy, I understand, and I think she did a great job. I found this book because it was this month’s book in the online book club I belong to.

Lark is a 5 year old girl when her mother is killed in front of her and her voice is gone. She is rejected by her father, yet she grows into a loving, caring person. Tiras is the king of Jeru with a secret. This book contains fantasy, magic in a mysterious world, betrayal and interesting characters, a council of lords that helps to provide additional angst to the story. The story also has a medieval feel to it. The author has spun her world building wonderfully. I have heard good things about this author so I plan to try some of her other writings.

Happy Reading,

Debra

Books

Fatal Identity by Marie Force

debra

Hey,

I met Sam and Nick and their co-workers/friends about 3 weeks ago and I have completely devoured the series to date!!  Ten novels and a prologue short story and I cannot wait for the next entry into their lives.  I have enjoyed these books–the murder mysteries are well-written and I love the setting of D.C. (I’m a political junkie so I would!) They were quick reads for me but overall, tightly woven stories of a couple that I have grown to enjoy.

The blurb:  As the first anniversary of her marriage to Vice President Nick Cappuano approaches, Lieutenant Sam Holland is dreaming of Bora Bora—sun, sand and a desperately needed break from the DC grind. But real life has a way of intervening, and Sam soon finds herself taking on one of the most perplexing cases of her career.  Government worker Josh Hamilton begs Sam to investigate his shocking claim that his parents stole him from another family thirty years ago. More complicated still, his “father” is none other than the FBI director. When a member of Josh’s family is brutally murdered, Sam begins to question how deep this cover-up goes. Is it possible the revered director was part of a baby-napping ring and that others involved are also targets? With a killer intent on deadly revenge and her team still reeling from a devastating loss, Sam’s plate is full—and when Nick and their son, Scotty, take ill, is her dream of a tropical anniversary celebration in peril too?

My thoughts:  As stated, I have devoured this series. It has everything I could possibly want in a story (except a vampire! but that is another story!!). It has a wonderful cast of characters, lead by Samantha and Nick, along with their  respective staffs and I have enjoyed it more as we go along. That is not to say there are not issues in reality. For instance, the murder mystery in this book (although interesting)–I felt was a little unrealistic in the original event 30 years ago.  However, I still don’t think it took away from how much I enjoyed it.  Also, Nick becomes Vice-President and Sam declines Secret Service so she can maintain her job. This would not happen in reality. The 12 year-old boy they adopt is practically perfect in every way. No 12-year old boy is perfect!! LOL But I read fiction to escape reality so I am more than willing to forego this in order to read these stories and enjoy this wonderful cast of characters!

Happy Reading,

Debra

 

Books, great reads, Mystery, Reviews, Romance

Fatal Frenzy by Marie Force

debra

image

Hey everyone,

The blurb:  Lieutenant Sam Holland is on leave, recovering from an attack that shook her to the core. With no case to distract her, she’s trying to stay busy—even voluntarily meeting with her new White House staff. But it’s not enough to keep the horrific memories at bay, and her family is worried…especially her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano.  Nick is dealing with his own demons where his wife’s safety is concerned, losing night after night of sleep as he works to make sure what happened that day will never happen again. The pressure is building inside the Cappuanos’ marriage, and something’s got to give before Nick takes the oath of office.  When two college girls go missing in the midst of inauguration madness, the chief of police needs the one cop he can count on to find them and save the Metro PD from disgrace. In a case full of ugly twists and turns, Sam will have to confront her past and find her strength again…before it’s too late.

My thoughts:  A very good entry in this series. Frenzy is a proper title for this book. Sam is trying to recuperate from the attack she suffered in the prior book and is on leave. She is trying to pull herself together, talk to the department’s therapist and trying to decided whether to go back to work. All of this in the middle of Nick’s inauguration. The murder mystery again is interesting and at times heartbreaking for our crew of detectives. The entire cast of characters are here and one of them finally finds some news out that should have been told to her earlier. Another hit in this series!

Happy Reading,

Debra