The Claimed (Sin Hunters #2) by Caridad Piñeiro

I had a hard time getting into this book but once I got about a third of the way in I couldn’t put it down.  I’m not sure why it was so slow for me at the start as I know this series and really enjoy it.  I do recommend it and look forward to the next installment.

Victoria is a light hunter.  Christopher is a shadow hunter.  The two should be mortal enemies.  But Christopher is trying to take his people back to a time when the light and dark weren’t so far apart.  Victoria is drawn to him despite her parents.  Can these two from different backgrounds come together and lead their people together for into a peaceful future?

Journey Race For Autism 5K Trail Run & Family Fun Walk

This brilliant, beautiful soul is my grandson Asher. He and others like him is the reason I will be doing the Journey Race For Autism 5K Trail Run & Family Fun Walk this morning. When you see a child that is different know two things. 1. Someone out there loves them and 2. Their life has enough trials without your ridicule. Use the opportunity to educate yourself and others. Okay getting off my soapbox now.

Black Magic and Savage Awakening (Alpha Pack) by J.D. Tyler

Black Magic is a novella that takes place between Primal Law and Savage Awakening.  It tells of an encounter between Sorcerer/Necromancer/black panther shifter Kalen Black and Dr. Mackenzie Grant and one of the ugly flying monsters we meet again in Savage Awakening.  This novella is the beginning of Kalen and Mackenzie's story, to be concluded in December 2012 with their full-length book, Black Moon.

Savage Awakening. In Primal Law wolf shifter Alric is left behind and captured.  The scent of pack mate Micah was picked up but he was nowhere to be found.  Rowan Chase is LAPD and Micah’s sister.  She has been searching for answers and with the help of an FBI buddy she gets a clue in the form of the packs compound in WY.  Not one to be left sitting on the sidelines Rowan inserts herself into the rescue mission to save Alric in hopes that she might find her brother as well.  Sparks ignite between Rowan and Alric as they work with the pack to save Micah, fight the ugly flying monsters, and deal with the crap happening to Kalen.  Lots of angst in this book but still worth the read.

Under a Vampire Moon (Argeneau 16) by Lynsay Sands

This one is for the fans.  Do not read this one first.  While some of the others can be read stand-alone this book cuts out almost all the backstory explanations and if you haven’t read any of the others you will probably miss out on a lot.  However, if you are like me, a rabid fan of this series, you will absolutely adore Christians and Carolyn’s story.  I read this in one sitting.  Like all the other Argeneau books this one has “an immortal” Christian meeting his life mate. Carolyn.  Carolyn is a recent divorce’ an escapee from a verbal and emotionally abusive marriage.  She thinks she is much older than Christian and is not the type to do a boy-toy.  With the help of Julius, Marguerite, and his Italian cousins Christian has to convince Carolyn that he is the one for her. 

With Ms. Sands trademark sense of humor, impeccable timing, romance and mystery this is another terrific addition to the Argeneau series. 

Lucky in Love (Lucky Harbor #4) by Jill Shalvis

I received an early copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.  I will tell you up front that I absolutely LOVED this book.  I think it is the best in the series so far.  

Ty Garrison is a former Navy Seal in Lucky Harbor while healing from injuries earned on the job.  Nobody seems to know much about him making him “the mysterious cute guy” on the Lucky Harbor Facebook gossip page.

Mallory Quinn is a nurse with a heart the size of Texas.  She and her fellow “chocoholics” Amy Michaels and new in town Grace Brooks discover Ty dizzy and disoriented from getting knocked in the head with a branch during a storm.  This just following a discussion in which Mallory had decided she was tired of being the “good girl”.  They call for 911 and when Ty thanks them Amy says he can pay them back by being Mallory’s date for the hospitals charity auction.  When he shows up Mallory decides she is going to take a walk on the wild side with Ty.  Ty states from the start that he isn’t the staying kind but Mallory figures she needs to shake up her life and Ty is just the guy to do it for her. 

This book is filled with Lucky Harbor charm and zaniness. Like the others in this series it is sweet and funny and sexy and just super.

Rock & Roll Homicide by R.J. McDonnell

I LOVED this book.  Murder, mystery, and rock & roll.  All mixed in with a healthy sense of humor.

Ex rocker, ex mental health counselor, son of an Irish cop and new private investigator Jason Duffy is hired to find out who kill the front man of the Doberman Stubs.  The cops are going with the old stand-by that the wife did it. The more he investigates the more bizarre it gets and for Jason Duffy bizarre is relative. 

The Ugly Duckling Debutante by Rachel Van Dyken

A cute regency romance with a Cinderella spin.  I am not a fan of Christian romance (not being Christian myself) but I don’t think it took away from the story.  Having said that I doubt I'll be going out of my way to read anything more from this author.  But if you are into romance with a Christian theme you should check her out. 

Tall, Dark & Lonely, Without Regret, Tall, Dark & Heartless by R.L. Mathewson

These are the first three books of the Pyte/Sentinel series by R.L. Mathewson.  These are proof that not all self-published works out there are dreck.  The first book Tall, Dark & Lonely was a little long but I think that was mostly due to world building.  The characters are engaging and that’s what brought me back to buy the second and third books.  I look forward to seeing where the series goes from here.

No Dominion by C.E. Murphy

This is a story that was written for the fans of C.E. Murphy’s Walker Papers series.  This is the story of what happened to Gary (from his point of view) during Raven Calls.  Don’t read this if you’ve not read Raven Calls.  We learn quite a bit more about Gary.  I really enjoyed it and it was fun being a part of the Kickstarter campaign.

A Secret in Her Kiss by Anna Randol

Mari is the daughter of a Greek slave and an English archaeologist living in the Ottoman Empire.  Bennett is an English officer just done with the Napoleonic wars when he is given orders to protect Mari as she spies for the Crown.  Exotic locale, fascinating times, mystery, intrigue, and a love story.  What more could you ask for.  This is a very well written, fast paced story by debut author Anna Randol.  I will definitely check out future offerings from this author.

Play Nice by Gemma Halliday

This is a thriller by new to me author Gemma Halliday. 

Former assassin Anya faked her death to escape her past.  Fifteen years later she is living in San Francisco as Anna Smith.

Nick Dade is a gun for hire and he was hired to take out Anya.  But he isn’t the only one and he is less than pleased by that.

Nick is ready to take out his target, Anna, when someone else takes a shot at her.  He is pissed and saves her from the other assassin.  At least until he can find out who his competition is.

I liked Anna.  A strong woman trying to overcome her past and her training doing the best she can while on the run.  I’m afraid I didn’t get Nick’s motivations but I hope it will become clearer in the next book.

A Perfect Storm (Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor #4) by Lori Foster

While you might have been able to read the previous books (When You Dare, Trace of Fever, and Savor the Danger) stand-alone it is my opinion that you ought to read them before you read this. 

Arizona Storm hasn’t had an easy life.  Drugged out parents who sold her to a human trafficking ring and when she escaped from them she earned her living by robbing drug dealers or gambling.  She was recaptured by the human traffickers who then attempted to kill her as a lesson to any others that might try to escape.  She was saved by Jackson Savor in Savor the Danger.

Spencer Lark is a bounty hunter whose wife was killed when she stood against the human traffickers.  He knows about Arizona and her past.  They both have serious issues.

I like Arizona.  She is tough.  She is a survivor.  She looks at life from her own unique angle and doesn’t let it get her down.  I like that she isn’t perfect.  She is gorgeous but has self-esteem issues.   Spencer is alpha male protector.  HOT, sensitive and honest who could resist that.  

Believe It or Not by Tawna Fenske

Tawna Fenske is a new to me author.  I won this book in a sweepstakes and I am glad I did. As a Mother who often embarrassed her offspring I can entirely relate to this story.  

Violet reacted to being raised by her mother (aka Moonbeam the psychic) by leaving Portland, OR and moving to Portland, ME and becoming an accountant.  More than anything she wants to be normal.  When Moonbeam has an accident Violet has to come home and help out.  While taking care of Mom’s business she encounters Drew the owner of the bar next door that features male exotic dancers. 

If you like Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery you should enjoy this offering by Tawna Fenske

The Mane Event, The Beast in Him, The Mane Attraction, The Mane Squeeze, Beast Behaving Badly, Big Bad Beast, Bear Meets Girl by Shelly Laurenston

As a fan of G.A. Aiken’s hot and humorous Dragon Kin series I was delighted to find that G.A. Aiken is another name for Shelly Laurenston. Shelly Laurenston writes sexy, funny shifter stories. I have just finished reading all 7 books in her Pride series.  Each book is funnier than the last.  My new favorite shifter is a bear.  These books are not for deep thought (although they do at times touch on serious subjects).  They are for fun escape with some seriously sexy shifters and snappy, snarky dialogue.  The characters from earlier books aren’t forgotten and you get to see them in supporting roles in each subsequent book.  I suggest you read them in order or you may not catch some of the running gags.  

The Mane Event

The Beast in Him

The Mane Attraction

The Mane Squeeze

Beast Behaving Badly

Big Bad Beast

Bear Meets Girl 

On the Verge of I Do (Dynasties: The Kincaids #4) by Heidi Betts

I am a fan of Heidi Betts blog.  http://heidibetts.com/wipsandchains/  and while she may never forgive me for getting the title of the last book of hers I reviewed wrong (in my defense there were a lot of similarly titled books out at the same time) she is responsible for me coming back to read Harlequin’s short and sweets. 

On the Verge of I Do is the fourth in a series and I’ve not read the others.  It does well as a stand-alone but would probably be better if you’ve read them all.  On the Verge of I Do tells the tale of Kara and Eli.  Eli is to marry Laurel, Kara’s older sister.  Kara is an event planner and has been in love with Eli forever.  Planning Lauren and Eli’s wedding has been a little slice of hell for Kara.  When Laurel breaks off the engagement Eli discovers that he is relieved and when he next sees Kara he figures out why.  

Alpha & Omega: Call Of The Hunt (4 in 1) by Patricia Briggs - Alpha & Omega, Cry Wolf, Hunting Ground, & Fair Game

Alpha & Omega: Call Of The Hunt (4 in 1) by Patricia Briggs - Alpha & Omega, Cry Wolf, Hunting Ground, & Fair Game

This is a four in one omnibus put out by the Science Fiction Book Club and although I’d owned and read the first three to have all four in a hardcover at a reasonable price was worth it.    These books are a spin-off from Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series.  Bran, The Marrok (head of all the werewolves in America), has two sons.  Sam the doctor who we know from Mercy and Charles Bran’s enforcer this series revolves around Charles and his mate Anna.

Alpha & Omega – this story was first put out in the anthology On The Prowl.  Anna had been changed violently and against her will three years ago.  She has been abused by her pack since day one as they try to convince her she is a submissive wolf.  She isn’t.  She is something special, an Omega.  Anna reads an article detailing the death of a boy that Anna has seen in the hands of her pack leader.  She calls The Marrok who informs her that Charles is on the way to investigate and could she pick him up at the airport.  Charles is taken with Anna from the start but the abuses by her pack make her skittish.  Charles cleans up the mess that is the Chicago pack and claims Anna as his mate.

Cry Wolf – Anna starts to learn about being a werewolf and and Omega.  She and Charles grow closer. We meet “The Moor” Asil an old werewolf who lost his Omega mate two hundred years earlier.  Charles is still recovering from being shot with silver in Chicago when there are reports of werewolf killings in the Cascades and Charles is the most capable of finding and stopping the killer.  He and Anna take off after the killer in the snow. 

Hunting Ground – Charles and Anna are now officially mated.  They go to Seattle as Brans representatives at a conference to work with the European werewolves about the American werewolves “coming out”.   

Fair Game – Since the American werewolves “coming out” Charles has been busy.  Infringments of the law cannot be condoned and if the local Alpha is unwilling or unable to take care of the problem Charles is sent in to do the deed.  The violence and deaths are taking a toll on him and he is closing himself off from Anna and everyone else.  In a change of pace assignment designed to give Charles a break Anna and Charles are sent to Boston to help the FBI find out who is killing werewolves.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this series.  I had to re-read all the stories to get to Fair Game.  Now I want to go back and re-read the Mercy series.