Mystique by Charlotte Douglas

Man of Mystery

            Desperate to learn the truth behind her sister’s disappearance, Trish Devlin changed her name and went undercover at the exclusive Endless Sky resort…the last place her sibling was seen alive. Once there, the mystery deepened as Trish found herself curious about – and high draw to – her private guide turned bodyguard, O’Neill. The enigmatic man insisted she had nothing to fear from the mountain hideaway, but strange sounds in the night and hazy apparitions convinced Trish otherwise. Now, as the passing days generated more questions than answers, Trish vowed to bring her sister home…and peel away the layers keeping her man of mystery just out of reach.

            This story is about Trish trying to find her sister and falling in love with O’Neill along the way. He runs the resort and helps her look for her sister. She is using a fake name but the essence of who she is shines through. Besides, she’s not the only one hiding her identity.

The romance is subdued but still there. I really feel like the qualities that make people glue themselves every Tuesday to NCIS to see what happens between Tony and Ziva is here in this book. There is romance, but it’s something that you have to be aware of to know it’s there. There is no sex in this book and I almost feel like that if there had been sex it would have been gratuitous, not needed, and in bad taste. This book did not need hot, steamy sex to carry it through. Sometimes that is the best thing that could be said about a book.

In a way this book felt like a really good first draft. There were so many aspects of the story that could have been expanded on and delved into that I was disappointed that it didn’t happen. Not to say that this wasn’t a good book, but it fell flat instead of expanding into this extremely awesome paranormal romance mystery. It had all the elements but just didn’t live up to what it could have been.

In general, I thought this was a really good book, even if I was disappointed. So I am rating it 3 stars.

Publisher: Harlequin

ISBN: 0-373-22852-X

Price: $3.94 (Wal-Mart sticker)

Montana Royalty by B.J. Daniels

Royal groomsmen in search of sexy Cinderella…glass slipper found in the line shack…

            It was cold, they were trapped…and Rory Buchanan had made love to a perfect stranger – and enjoyed it way more than she should have. But how was a regular girl from Whitehorse supposed to know the royal protocol for dealing with a fantasy one-night stand?

            It soon became clear that Devlin Barrow would slay any dragon for local girl Rory – a court full of nobles had even descended on the small Montana community. But this relationship was no fairy tale. Because someone was willing to kill to keep Devlin’s secret past from toppling the royal hierarchy. And with Rory pregnant with his surprise heir, her life was at stake as well.

            Rory was trying to find out information about her neighbors, who were trying to buy her out, when she meets Devlin. She saves him from freezing in the cold when a storm kicks up. They have a great night together but she knows that she can’t get caught with him so she lights out before he wakes up in the morning. They find each other again but he can’t get involved because he’s trying to find his mother’s killer.

            Everything ends up working out and there is no way to really sum it up quickly. I think that’s what I like the most about B.J. Daniels. The information packed into a tiny Harlequin romance is enough to fill most other books. This author knows how to keep the flow of the story with the romance and tension of the romantic suspense genre going so that the reader doesn’t think they are missing anything from a full length book.

            The idea of sex in this book are really important…but the actual sex scenes are sadly lacking. However, the romance is really good. So if you want an erotic novel, do not go looking here. If you want a romance with a bit of mystery, this is the place for you!

            There is one characters attitude that makes me think this character was based on a real person. The Princess Evangeline believed that everyone was out to use her. She was cold, mean, calculating, and in some ways, vicious. This sounds like a real person because her attitude and actions are so realistic. Even though she is almost a not really worthy to mention character, she is so vibrant that it’s hard not to think of her part in this story.

            I haven’t read the rest of the Whitehorse, Montana series by B.J. Daniels but I look forward to coming across them. Overall, I really liked this book. I was disappointed that it was too short for my taste. There was so much more these characters could have done! But in the end I am giving this book 3.5 stars.

Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue

ISBN-13: 978-0-373-69350-4

Price: $4.99 (cover)

Forbidden Touch by Paula Graves

            

One touch was all it took for the gorgeous stranger to penetrate his soul.

            He was a hardened former marine with a guarded past…until one touch from Iris Browning became his undoing. Thanks to the raven-haired beauty, reclusive millionaire Maddox Heller found himself back in the line of fire, chasing down an elusive killer who’d made Iris his next target. She claimed not to know why, and every instinct told Maddox to believe her. Still, trusting this virtual stranger seemed risky, especially as their relationship grew increasingly personal. Now, as ghosts from the past threatened to destroy the present, would one forbidden touch bring pleasure…or pain?

            Iris came to the island of Mariposa because she was supposed to catch up with her college friend. However, when she arrived her friend had disappeared. With no one willing to believe her she started the search on her own and met Maddox. Soon he was helping her discover clues as to the whereabouts of her friend. Meanwhile she was trying to hide the devastating effect that his touch had.

            SPOILER ALERT: The big secret is that Iris is an empath. Not just a ‘oh I know what you’re going through’ but a real, you stub your toe and my toe hurts empath. It comes out that her friend had been recruited by these guys working with a bunch of ‘specially gifted’ people who, working together, could see and move things without being anywhere near the thing they want to move. They eventually find out that they had been recruited by terrorists posing as scientists.

            I really enjoyed the way that Paula Graves was able to make telekinesis, clairvoyance, empaths, and mediums seem more scientific and cool rather than edge of society weirdos. I do not have a prejudice against supernaturally gifted people, rather movies, media, and even books sometimes make them seem freakish. Paula Graves was able to take these ‘freaky’ things and make them seem cool. She did it in a way though that made you want to admire the abilities from a distance rather than wishing you had the ability. I thought this was great because it made it seem more real, somehow.

            The character relationship building was great. Even though they only knew each other a little while they seemed to build a solid relationship and it felt like they knew each other a lot longer than they did. This was great because it was a short book but it didn’t feel short. There was a lot of quality content packed into 250 pages so it felt like a longer, bigger book condensed down to the necessary story.

            Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I am rating it 3.5 stars.

Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue

ISBN-13:978-0-373-69313-9

Price: $4.99 (cover)

www.paulagraves.com

Cemetery Dance by Preston & Child

Journalist Slain…

            William Smithback Jr., a prominent New York Times reporter, was killed in a brutal attack last night in his Upper West Side apartment. His wife, Nora Kelly, an archaeologist at the Museum of Natural History, was injured as well. Multiple eyewitnesses identified the assailant as a neighbor in the building, Colin Fearing: a man who, by all reports, was dead and buried ten days ago. There are reports that FBI Special Agent Pendergast has taken an interest in the case, but no further…

            Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child know how to weave a mystery with the alluring figure of Agent Aloysius Pendergast. This story is one of intrigue because someone is making it seem like a zombie has risen from the grave, killed a reporter, and is attacking his wife. The question becomes is the zombie real?

            My grandmother talked me into reading this book. I generally do not like mystery novels and I will blame that on attempting to read Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes books do not reveal the how, why, and, in general, do not explain what happened at the end. This, however, is different. I am finding that most novels do explain their process in the end. Perhaps a better way to describe that is that they show you how they connect the dots. I NEED this!

            Agent Pendergast is a really fascinating character. Let me start by saying the main character (for the most part) in this book is Lieutenant Vincent D’Agosta. However, in the background is Agent Pendergast. I spent a good chunk of this book going ‘what is he doing?’ because he’s dinking around in the background. It all comes together in the end, but I was hooked with reading, not just because it’s a good story, but because I wanted to know what in the hell Agent Pendergast was doing.

            I wish I could say that Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child blended their writing seamlessly together and that I couldn’t tell the difference…unfortunately, I cannot. I can say that they almost got away with it. There were certain parts where it really did flow seamlessly together but there were other parts where you could tell that two different authors with two different writing styles were collaborating. However, I think that might also be because I am an aspiring writer myself. I look for those sorts of things. If you haven’t noticed it, don’t look for it. You don’t want to ruin the book by noticing something beyond the author’s control.

            I really did like the descriptions given in the book. I don’t know what dictionary they are looking at but I want it. The words used are not ones I usually read and that makes it interesting to me. I’ve read hundreds of books in my lifetime and to come across a book that makes me look up words is something to treasure. I do suggest that you have the internet or a dictionary in the house while reading. It’s not something that you need for every chapter…just every so often.

            In general I really liked this book so I am rating it 4 stars!

Publisher: Hachette Book Group

ISBN: 978-0-446-61869-4

Price: $9.99 (Cover)

www.prestonchild.com

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

Mercy’s life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman – the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack – has made her a stepmother to his daughter, has made her a stepmother to his daughter, Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy’s life. But on the edges of humanity, what passes for a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more…

After a car accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can’t reach Adam – or anyone else in the pack, for that matter. They’ve all be abducted.

Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. But she fears Adam’s disappearance may be related to the political battle the werewolves have been fighting to gain acceptance from the public – and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outmatched and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.

This is the seventh book in the Mercy Thompson series. She’s in trouble! Again! However, that is one of the many reasons I keep coming back to this series. I like Patricia Briggs’ writing style. I’ve only read two series by her; the Mercy Thompson series and the Alpha and Omega series. The characters are from the same world and are intertwined in places. Actually, this book plays off of something that happened in the book ‘Fair Game’.

I really like this book because it focuses more on Mercy’s role as step-mother and Alpha’s mate. This is a VERY different role for her. She’s usually considered the trouble maker…although I’d say that it’s more like trouble finds her than she creates it.

In this book, Mercy has to rely on her friends (no matter who they are) in an attempt to keep her step-daughter safe and to get back the entire pack. She discovers things about herself that in the normal realm of magic is next to impossible but because she is Coyote’s daughter, she doesn’t have to play by the rules all the time. It makes it definitely interesting to go against the rules when she is able.

Overall, I’d say this is a very good book. I’m just sad that these stories are almost too easy to read for me and then I have to wait for the next book to come out. I rate this book 4.

Publisher: The Berkley Publishing Group

ISBN: 978-0-441-02001-0

Price: $26.95 (Hardcover)

www.patriciabriggs.com

Delicious Sinn by Adrianna Dane

Two men, born with a Montana-bred sense of adventure. Neither stays, both leave to make their fortune. Each walked a different line, made different choices. Both ended up in Seattle. One a jaded and scarred rocker with no dreams left; the other a young photo journalist who has a gift for dealing with wild things.

Both men have secrets. But one night's chance encounter in a Seattle nightclub, will likely change their lives forever....

            This story is about Will hunting down Sinn. He wants him, has for a long time, and he finally has him in his sights.

            Yes, if you’ve caught on by now, it is a gay erotic story. I wish there was a sexier way to write that but homoerotic just sounds weird. So gay erotic it is. This is one of the few that I’ve read, so my knowledge of gay romance is limited.

            However, I was really amazed by how turned on I was by reading this story! I wasn’t expecting it to turn me off, but I expected it to only turn on males. I loved that as a female I was able to read this and get pleasure out of it.

            The style this was written in was good. It was like a mix of third and first person, if that makes any sense. It was third person in the sense that you understood everything that was happening but it was first in the sense that you could really feel the lives of the characters and their feelings. This was excellent for this style of story with the mix of BDSM (I think this is the right term because there was a power exchange) so you got the different feel of everything that was happening without becoming lost in detail.

            This was a relatively short story but complete. I feel confident in giving this story 4.5 stars. I really liked it and would recommend this for anyone who wants to read about BDSM, gay erotica, or just a decent romance!

Publisher: Dream Romantic Unlimited LLC

ASIN: B00A1TMGHU

Price: $0.99 (Kindle)

www.adriannadane.com

The Boy Next Door by Katy Baker

Melissa Smyth is enraged when her parents enlist the help of their next door neighbor to look after the house while they are away, not trusting Melissa to do it. Determined to prove she's in charge, Melissa decides to use all her feminine wiles to make her geeky neighbor regret his decision. But little does she know that Rory Thompson has ideas of his own. He's been travelling for the last three years and is geeky no longer. As these two old adversaries come together, who will come out on top? One thing is for sure - sparks will fly. 

            This story is only 16 pages long. Pretty much just a few chapters and it’s over. It is a really good start to a story though. I didn’t know it was 16 pages when I got it, so I got to the end and thought that maybe the whole story didn’t transfer. Nope, it’s just really short.

            So the basic storyline is that 19 year old Melissa is being left at home while her parents go out of town. They get the boy next door (recently home from somewhere else) to do things like clean the pool, mow the yard…that sort of thing. Melissa is mad because ‘they don’t trust her’. When Rory shows up, she is surprised that he’s not the little geeky boy that she used to be able to boss around. There was a power struggle, she dumps him in the pool and he pulls her in, and then they end up having sex. The end.

            So you can see where I was like “What’s next?” and then it’s over! Still it’s not a bad story. The only other thing to mention is that the title is different in different locations. Sometimes it was "The Boy Next Door" and sometimes it was "Banging the Boy Next Door". This makes it difficult to find but Amazon is really good about keeping track of that. In general I am rating this book 2 stars. It’s not bad but it’s not really a whole/complete story.

Publisher: Sold by Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

ASIN: B00CCH4WKI

Price: free on Kindle (usually $0.99)