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The Love of my Life <3

The Love of my Life <3

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Skin Trade

Finally! I have waited patiently to get my hands on this book :)


There is a human head on Anita's desk and it's real. She has yet to start her day by seeing her customers and now, with what little time she has, she has to think about the human head so nicely packed upon her desk. She knows that Vittorio sent it. Vittorio is a powerful master vampire (although he belongs to no city and is a serial killer) that had recently been responsible for the death of some local cop in St. Louis. She decides to call Las Vegas and tell them what she's just received from their little town.

However, it's worse. Vittorio had recently killed some of the Vegas cops as well as their local executioner (who's head is now on Anita's desk) and left her a nice message in their blood. The Vegas cops want to know why Vittorio is so interested in Anita. When she arrives in Vegas her reputation has proceeded her and not in a good way. Since she and Jean-Claude have decided to go public with the fact that she is his boyfriend her standing at work among the cops, SWAT, and fellow marshals has plummeted. Instead of someone deserving of respect with the highest kill count in the nation she is nothing but a harlot in almost every law enforcer's eyes. Not very nice, and Anita doesn't want to waste time with a pissing contest to win these boys over. Time is a ticking.

The good news is Edward (Ted), Olaf (Otto) and Bernardo will be joining her along for this mission - even though she'd rather not be anywhere near Olaf. When she meets the SWAT team she sees how impressive they really are; they've been doing their homework. Sgt. Rocco is a powerful physic just like Anita but just a different flavor.

Soon everyone begins to question the local weretigers, because one of the bodies was attacked by a were-animal but then they're also trying to find the missing link. Some of the bodies weren't killed by human of shifters. But what could have possibly killed those humans with so many sharp blades?

I am very disappointed in this book. She spent 486 pages with the action of the case and then in the last 10 pages it's solved. The ending was really anti-climatic! She's going up against one of the most powerful vampires (starting to rival Mother of Darkness) and wins?! Really? In 10 pages? UGH! I am just so bummed too about how the events played out in the final part of the book.

While reading this I could also tell that both she and Anita are starting to tire of this series. She often makes references, in Anita's voice, about how tried she is. That is to say, how tired Anita is of her job - and how her job is starting to interfere too much with her other life and vice versa. Is that a foreshadow perhaps of the end of the series? I would hope not because I very much love all the characters and love reading about them but there's only so many stories to write until they all begin to take on the same plot w/just some minor twists - and that means they've become dull.

All in all I'm not over the moon about this book. There have been some books in the past that she's written in the Anita Blake series that afterwards I was sad that it was over; it was like drinking you favorite beverage - although it's now gone it was delicious while the time lasted and left you happy. This book though, left me with a sour taste because it wasn't that good. Hopefully we will have some more books to come before she decides to pull the plug. In all fairness she has been writing Anita's story for some time.

1) Guilty Pleasures
2) The Laughing Corpse
3) Circus of the Dammed
4) Lunatic Cafe
5) Bloody Bones
6) The Killing Dance
7) Burnet Offerings
8) Blue Moon
9) Obsidain Butterfly
10) Narcissus in Chains
11) Cerulean Sins
12) Incubus Dreams
13) Micah
14) Danse Macabre
15) The Harlequin
16) Blood Noir
17) Skin Trade (Coming our June 2, 2009!!!!)

Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton. New York 2009

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Teaser Tuesday




Anyone can play along!
Just do the following :
1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from anywhere on that page.
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (be sure that what you share doesn't give to much away, you don't want to ruin the book for others.)
5. Share the title & author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR.


My tease:

"You mean you could lose control of the ardeur?" Bernardo asked.
"Yes," I said, and let the first hint of anger into that word.

Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton (c) 2009

One More Bite

Jaz Parks is back and ready to deal with the aftermath of killing Edward "Raptor" Samos. Now that he is dead there is a vacuum and the balance of 3 rival groups needs to be kept. The only problem is this time she has to protect one of his puppets to keep the peace and balance. Her mission takes her, Vayl, and Cole to the misty shores of Scotland were she is to protect a Coven leader from Bea who is a very powerful killing machine. However, before Jaz can so much as blink she finds that her father is along for the ride - something she did not agree too.

When the gang lands in Scotland they review their plan. A big ghost convention is meeting in the area and their cover is that they are all ghost hunters and are ready to market. As Jaz is talking to her dad they notice what they believe is a person and try to swerve around him, and when they look back to make sure he isn't hit - he's gone. When they arrive at the B&B they ask if anyone has noticed a ghost and the owner of the B&B tries to change the subject. Interesting . . .

Things start to get more exotice for our Jaz. For one thing she keeps seeing Edward's face on passerbys and can't figure out why. He is dead . . .isn't he? Another reason is her father has started to become haunted and he won't tell Jaz all of the reasons behind the haunts. Also to make matters worse Brude, an old Welsh King, wants Jaz for his own personal hell army and isn't willing to let her go - but hopefully Jaz's spirit guide Raoul will help. Maybe.

This mission felt a bit quieter than most; it didn't have guns blazing and huge fights in many of her previous missions. This books also focuses more on Jaz and Vayl's increasing interactions and relationship tensions. I do like how Albert had more of a role in this book - and for once we got to peek inside the relationship that he and Jaz have.


This book was recommended to me by Darla D!

Books in this series:

5) One More Bite
6) Bite Marks

One More Bite by Jennifer Rardin. New York (c) 2009

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Getting Enough

Vera has had enough of her husband's cheating. She can't take it anymore. After years of putting up with his immoral behavior she decides to confront him. And how does she do this? At 3 a.m. with the lights blaring and shoving a pearl necklace in his face, a pearl necklace destined for one of his ladies. At first Sindey outright denies it, but then angered by his wife's words he shoots back that it's her fault. Her fault because she was too cold towards him. Her fault because she refused to come down from the morale high ground that she had made a house upon. Sindey is not the only one to blame. Vera would go out of her way to distance herself from him, from making rude remakes about him constantly, and hating the very air he breathes.

One night Sindey tells Vera to go ahead and cheat on him since he knows she has someone in mind. Vera finally decides to. What has she got to lose? She has much to lose, in fact. As she begins her affair with Boris (her niece's husband) she begins to realize that Sidney isn't that bad after all and she begins to look at her life in a different light. As she begins to changer her ways word gets out that she's having an affair and people can't wait to show her how two faced she is.
Can Sidney and her reconcile even in the face of a scandal?

This book was very interesting. At first Vera annoyed me immensely. How many times was she going to call someone a whore, and how many times was she going to call Sindey a cheater and keep hurling it in his face. I can't blame the guy; being married to someone who wouldn't even want to touch you? When Vera finally 'grows up' she sees herself in a new light as well as her husband. After that I grew to understand her a little bit more and grew to like her.

The story revolved around sex and how it affected relationships. There were some parts of the book were I was shocked (Vera and her brother had feelings for each-other that were 'abnormal' in our society's eyes), how often the word "whore" was used and there were other parts that made me stop and think: like the problem between Sidney and Vera. It was caused out of sexual frustration from both sides. Vera for not allowing herself sexual freedom and Sindey because Vera would often withhold. As Vera says, sex isn't all in a relationship - there has to be emotional growth too.

Getting Enough by Leonard Rosmarin (c) 2008

Friday, March 12, 2010

Soulless

This book was recommended to me by Darla D! Her review of this book is right here!


Britain during the time of Queen Victoria, oh how I would have loved to have been there! Ms. Alexia Tarabotti is something of an unusual person; she has no soul. This would concern most people but Ms. Tarabotti takes it in stride. She is also a spinster, which doesn't bother her the least. Her mother on the other hand is less than thrilled to have a spinster for a daughter who is also Italian. One evening Ms. Tarabotti, hungry and miffed that she cannot eat (even though promised there would be food at the party) goes to sit down and snack on some food but is attacked by a vampire!

She is shocked for naturally vampires do not do such a thing! This is a proper British society after all. As the vampire goes to bite her she places her hand upon him nullifying his vampire-ness, a trait which is only allowed to the preternatural (a term referring to her kind). After trying to dissuade the vampire who won't take the hint, Alexia mistakenly kills him. Just as the vampire dies Lord Maccon walks into the study and finds the messy situation. The vampire though is not from the local hive (as no hive would allow a half starved crazy vampire with no etiquette training to be about London). Lord Maccon, leader of BUR or Bureau of Unnatural Registry begins an investigation. The investigation begins to uncover some very unpleasant news that will drag Alexia into the supernatural world.

I just love this book! From the mannerisms of Ms. Tarabotti (she's not the typical Victorian lady - she has a mind and speaks out) to her interactions with Lord Maccon (again, not a feeble woman but one to be reckoned with) to the way that Victorian England is cast into a sci-fi world with floating dirigibles, werewolves and vampires (of high class and breeding no doubt!) this book just has it all and told so wonderfully. I must say that I had a lovely surprise when a certain character that I had written off as lame came back to be a key player. How delightful! My favorite character though had to be Mr. Akeldama! He was such a fun character to get to know and I quite liked his 'loud' style.

Books in this series:

The Parasol Protectorate Series

1) Soulless
2) Changeless (May 2010)

Soulless by Gail Carriger. New York (c) 2009