The Battle for the Crown

What would you do if you found out you were pregnant and your uncle (being the King of Light and Illusion) raped you? And on top of that claims that the children you carry are his? Tough situation.

The book begins with Merry in the hospital - hours after getting out of the Faerie Mound. Since she is the first with child her cousin Cel should no longer be in line for the throne. But both courts will see to Merry's death - and now her guards, and her have to fight not only for her life but the life of her unborn. This is no simple task because they have been cast out from both the Seelie and Unseelie courts.

While Merry is in the hospital she gets a special visitor on near and dear to her heart - her brownie grandmother. Her grandmother is bewitched and attacks Merry, causing the guards to kill her grandmother and Marry to fight back at both courts.

Book 7 of the Meridith Gentry series, the battle rages on. Merry is so close to claiming the crown and protecting her guards.

Books in the series are :

1. Kiss of Shadows
2. Caress of Twilight
3. Seduced by Moonlight
4. Stroke of Midnight
5. Mistral's Kiss
6. Lick of Frost
7. Swallowing Darkness
8. Divine Misdemeanors

Wicked good

So I'm dusting off this poor lovely blog. I've read a handful of books, but did not post them. The first book I read was Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr.

Categorized in the YA section, its not a bad book. It deals with faeries and demons, love, and lose. I'm sure that young teens can feel what the main character feels for the depth of love is not that deep.

Aislinn has always seen the faeries - but told by her grandmother never to look directly at them and never to speak to them. Growing up she has never broken her grandmother's rules - ever, until one night. Keenan the Summer King approaches her - something the faeries never did and asks her on a date. That is the catalyst that will change her world forever. She now has to fight for her life, and the life of her human friend Seth, who's late announced love put a 'love triangle' twist to this book.

I became a little frustrated being inside Aislinn's thoughts when Seth was mentioned. The way she became so sap it frustrated me. It was like Stephanie Meyer and Twilight - in the sense it was almost sufficational love. At the mere thought of Seth she gets all gooey eyed and timid. psh. I did like the fast pace of the book - and how the Winter Girl stood up to the reached Winter Queen.

This is the first in its series.

The Series:

1) Wicked Lovely
2) Ink Exchange
3)Fragile Eternity

I'm trying to get my blogs short and sweet so bare with me as I try different writting styles :P

Wicked Lovely by Mellisa Marr (c) 2007

Death by Beauty?

What would you do if you could posses the key to immortal beauty? You'd have beautiful skin that glowed and you'd always look so youthful. The only downside? Well, your body would shut down completely in 5 years or less with the drug.

Eve is about to get married. Within a week she will be Mrs. Roarke. Other than death or being held at gun point the only thing more frighting is wedding stuff : flowers, dress size and color, vows. But Eve won't let her jitters get in the way....or will she?

Her friend Mavis has found a new love, an up and coming fashion designer named Leonardo. His designs are wild and eccentric, something Eve would never consider. However, she finds herself bare, and allowing Leonardo to get measurements all for her friend Mavis. Just as she's about to be finished with the whole ordeal a raging model comes in - clearly hyped up on something. She goes right to Leonardo - telling him to leave Mavis or face debt and a ruined career. For she is Pandora and can either make a man successful or ruin his career. But Leonardo is a teddy bear, and pegs Pandora to leave him be - he'll do whatever she asks so long as she doesn't ruin him.

Later they find Pandora's body - dead and her face way past recognition. With the spot light on Mavis, Eve has to fight for her friends innocence. Eve knows Mavis could never do it - but with the spotlight on Mavis - and the overwhelming 'evidence' that Mavis did it she has to fight the clock to prove her friend innocent. Does she beat the clock? Get married in time?

Books in the Series I've read are Brown, currently reading are Dark Purple.

1. Naked in Death
2. Glory in Death
3. Immortal in Death
4. Rapture in Death
5. Ceremony in Death
6. Vengeance in Death
7. Holiday in Death
8. Midnight in Death
9. Conspiracy in Death
10. Loyalty in Death
11. Witness in Death
12. Judgment in Death
13. Betrayal in Death
14. Interlude in Death
15. Seduction in Death
16. Reunion in Death
17. Purity in Death
18. Portrait in Death
19. Imitation in Death
20. Divided in Death
21. Visions in Death
22. Survivor in Death
23. Origin in Death
24. Memory in Death
25. Born in Death
26.Innocent in Death
27. Creation in Death
28. Strangers in Death
29. Salvation in Death



Immortality in Death by J.D. Robb Berkley Books NY

On the Edge...

This book is AMAZING. Quite simply put. I will admit that I have read this series in a rather broken pattern: one book read in the beginning of the year, then another 7 months after, which caused me not to remember the plot or characters in the story.

I found with this book, my remembrance of the characters was quick, and by the second page I could remember the story line. This is her 7 book in the Meredith Gentry series. Many believe this to be her last book in the series, but she has on last (or so I believe) titled Divine Misdemeanors.



The story begins with Meridith in the hospital, finally bearing children. She is recovering for the Rape of her Uncle. While in her room, she sees a visitor who she has not seen in years: her grandmother. After talking with her grandmother, Meridith begins to realize that something is not right. What is causing her grandmother to act in such a way, that begins to put Meridith in trouble? The men around Merry and Merry notice a thread in their grandmothers hair, which is causing her to act un-normal. They take the hair out of her grandmother's hair, and she acts a little more like herself. But something goes terribly wrong, and the spell still has a hold on her grandmother. She lashes out at Merry, but the boys protect Merry and in the end kill Merry's grandmother. Merry calls kin slayer on Cair and goes with the Wild Hunt, to right a wrong.

Along the way they uncover a plot to kill another of Merry's men: Minstral the Storm God. As they rush to save him, Merry realizes that there are too many enemies even for her. Before she can completely save the storm god, she sees one of Cels guardsmen ready to attack Merry. She calls the Wild Hunt, hoping that they will kill Olwyen - even though they are too far away. Fearing for her life, she strikes out and stabs him in the leg. That does not stop him - so then she call her hand of power and bleeds him to death.

She now has to save all her men and get out, but it is not so easy trying to leave faerie. Can she save all her men? She has already lost her Killing Frost.

This book was excellent - I absolutely could not put it down, and had to read it all. I can not wait for her final book in the series but will be saddened that it will be over!! I highly recommend it and know that you wont be disappointed.

Other books in her series include

1. Kiss of Shadows
2. Caress of Twilight
3. Seduced by Moonlight
4. Stroke of Midnight
5. Minstral's Kiss
6. A Lick of Frost
7. Swallowing Darkness
8. Divine Misdemeanors (coming out October 29, 2009!!!!)

Swallowing Darkness by Laurell K. Hamilton. Ballantine Books, New York. 2008

What a Guilty pleasure it is indeed...

I've often found Laurell K. Hamilton's books are guilty pleasures to read. I love the way she describes the scenes and characters. Her descriptions are very vivid (at least in my mind) and full of details. As the series goes on, Anita grows and changes into what I think, is a stronger woman who is more sure of herself. . .And through the series meets a lot of cool people. The one thing that I find often odd is the majority of her men have long hair. I mean really? . . . a guy with hair down to the floor?! Please.

As said is this is to say, I never quite recall the beginnings of books. I remember the middle and even the end, and things in between but never the beginning. I have to bang my head on the wall, stand on my head, and hope that the beginning will come back.

So I'll say this, in the first part of the book (as close to the beginning as I'm gonna remember) Anita . . . oh heck. I can't remember. Perhaps it's due to the fact that I've been up since 5 and my brain is now completely mush....yeah sure, we'll go with that. But I'll sum it up in one nice little package.

So we have Anita, who raises the dead to help settle legal issues. She also slays bad vampires. One of her best friends is getting married and Anita in the D-D or Designated Driver. While on the way to the club Anita finds out where they're going - Guilty Pleasures. A famous strip club made up of humans and vampires and all the inbetweens. While there something goes horrible wrong thus causing Anita to fight for her friend's life. This fright brings her within a hair's breath of the Master of the City. So it's either Anita or the Master. She enlists the help of her good friend Edward and help from the local King Rat. But does she save her friends life? Her own? I'd like to say yes but......well then I'd be giving it away. I hope I didn't make this book seem lame. It's a wonderfully written book full of humor and suspense. I hope you'll enjoy it too :)

Her Series are...
(one's I've read will be in purple one's I'm reading will be in dark blue )

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 Deams
13) Micah
14) Danse Macabre
15) The Harlequin
16) Blood Noir
17) Skin Trade (Coming our June 2, 2009!!!!)

Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton. Ace Books New York 1994

Glory, Glory, Oh My!

This her second book in her "In Death" series. Its our second encounter with Eve and Roarke. But this time we'll meet a character than will become another of our favorites: Peabody.

The scene opens with the horrific death of a important and well known PA - Cicely Towers. She's found with a deep slice across her neck in a part of town that is known to be more than a little shady. But what could possible cause this wealthy and well known PA to be there?

As Eve starts to dig for the answers she digs up some history on Ms Tower's son: he was a big time gambler and very much in debt. Motive perhaps? The only problem for Eve on this case is the personal relation between Commander Witney and the Towers family. Now Eve has to navigate a narrow road between Lieutenant Eve and Friend Eve to Commander Witney.

As the murder investigation goes on, another prominent women is killed : this time a famous and up and coming actress. Yvone Metcalf was a bright and well known actress who took life easy and was a happy person. But someone didn't want her to be happy anymore. But who?

As the murder investigation continues, Eve believes she has the murder: Cicley Tower's son. When he is taken in to the interrogation room, Eve hounds him for the truth. Unfortunately for her she he is not the real murder - he's still on the lose. But who?

The relationship between Roarke and Eve grow stronger in this book. I do feel, and Darla has made me think more upon this, it does seem a bit rushed. This book happens after the DeBlass murder which happened in the winter. And in this book they've already moved in together. Even in real life would a couple move in together after (lets say) 4 months after knowing eachother, perhaps? There is a nice suprise for those of you who haven't read it yet that Roarke gives Eve. I am happy that they are together it reminds me very much of my relationship between me and my love :)

But my question: Why does Summerset hate Eve so much? I can understand in the first book, but in the second?

Glor in Death by JD Robb Berkley Books New York 1995

Back to the Beginning

So I find myself re-reading the "IN DEATH" series. This is a series I love so much! I find that in her earlier works, its much more action packed. The love b/w R and E is very new and raw, which means for us readers that we are more inclined to read it and not think "its getting stale".

The book opens with the death of a prominent young lady, the granddaughter of a State Senator. This young girl was killed with a weapon that you won't find in 2043 - a gun. Technology as it might be in the future is highly more sophisticated. There are flying buses and cars that can travel on land and in the air. Tubes that connect people to building - all in all the New New York is a pretty futuristic place.

Eve has to find the murder, and quick. Being the arrogant person he or she is, they leave a note at the scene "One of Six". Eve is paired with her good friend Feeney, who is in the EDD or basically special computers. All ready they are bogged down by the secrecy of this case: Code 5. Since Sharron's grandfather is the State Senator no information can leak to the press which makes it very hard for Eve. Within the second week another person is murdered - this time its a barely 18yr old. Both these women were LCs of Liecenses Companions - or harlots if you will. So far that information alone is connecting them. However Sharron's grandfather doesn't want the family name tainted with Lola's name.

At the funeral of Sharron DeBlass Eve sees Roarke - a stunning Irish man, with jet black hair and piercing blue eyes. They hold eye contact for one minute before a crowd comes in between them. Roarke and Eve then begin a relationship, and their relationship is then put under the microscope for the whole city of New York to look upon. Someone keeps framing Roarke and slanting Eve's ability to find the murder or muderes. When the third victim is murdered Eve goes into hyper-drive. As she goes to interrogate Roarke they find that the murder isn't as keyedin with Roarke as once thought.

This is a really good book, that hooks you into the series. It was deffantly a page turner for me :) I love reading the books and following the relationships of all the characters!

Naked in Death by JD Robb. Berkler Books, NY 1995