Title: Bound by Your Touch (advanced readers copy)
Author: Meredith Duran
Publication Info: Avon June 2009
Genre: Regency Historical Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Ms. Duran’s sophomore try is even better than DUKE OF SHADOWS, and that’s saying a lot.

Plot:
Lydia Boyce manages all the affairs for her egyptologist father, so when some of his artifacts are exposed as fakes, she is determined to uncover the true villain and save her father’s reputation. Viscount Sanburne is the man who purchased the fake. Lydia accuses him of perpetrating the fraud. He is just as determined to uncover the truth. When a blue-stocking spinster and notorious rake go head-to-head, someone’s reputation is bound to be ruined.

Sanburne is plagued by guilt over failing to save his sister from an abusive marriage. As he accompanies Lydia to the darkest parts of the city in search of clues, she slowly discovers that the irresponsible rake has a deeper side to him. But she’s been burned before, and she hesitates to become another notch on Sanburne’s long list of conquests. They search the dark streets of London for the missing jewels with assassins hot on their heels. Neither is willing to risk his or her heart again.

Discussion:
An excellent adventure filled with rich prose, sparkling wit, and period details. Ms. Duran’s historic commentary makes this a book you can sink your teeth into. Clever and passionate, with a hero and heroine equally matched in stubborn determination, Bound by your Touch is sure to delight all readers of Historical Romance. (Especially fans of Loretta Chase!) I look forward to watching Ms. Duran’s star hit the New York Times best seller list and capture a RITA or two in the near future. Her third book is due in July: WRITTEN ON YOUR SKIN.

Title: Finders Keepers
Author: Linnea Sinclair
Publication Info: Bantam Spectra, April 2005
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <

Another smashing hit from Linnea Sinclair. Neither intergalactic intrigue nor universal destruction can stop true love. *happysigh*

Plot:

Trilby Elliot is a two bit trader with an antique trading vessel living on the fringes of society. What she lacks in polish, she more than makes up for in grit and brains. Though the Zafharin government and hers, the Conclave, have been a three year old truce, she isn’t happy to have an injured Zafharian officer crash land on her doorstep in a ‘Sko fighter ship – especially if the viscous ‘sko might be coming after him. She drags him to her sick bay and patches him up. He isn’t appreciative when he wakes. Instead, he tries to knock her out and take over her ship. Eventually they agree to combine forces to fix her ship and get back to civilization. If only her injured guest didn’t have his own agenda…

The man known as Rhis Vanur has classified and dangerous information, and his government needs it pronto. Someone in the Conclave Government is leaking secrets to the ‘Sco. He knows the untrustworthy ‘Sco will destroy the Conclave and come after the Zafharin next. Vanur is impressed by Trilby’s ingenious fixes for her ancient bucket of bolts and – despite his reputation as a heartless tyrant – finds himself growing fond of the quick-witted trader. That doesn’t mean he won’t do anything necessary to accomplish his mission, even if he has to kidnap her and sabotage her ship. With her friends missing and Trilby on a ‘Sco hit-list, Vanur can convince himself it’s for her own good.

After they return to the Zafharin and put the clues together, Vanur hatches a plan to uncover the traitor in the Conclave by reconnecting with Trilby’s suspicious ex. He isn’t using her as bait – per say – because he’ll be with her, protecting her with his life. The fate of the galaxy rests in their hands.

If only the ‘Sco didn’t have their own agenda…

Discussion:

I read very quickly, so all the unfamiliar names trip me up. Usually this prevents me from reading heavy sci-fi or fantasy, but I’m so very glad I stuck it out with Games of Command. After that book I fell in love with Ms. Sinclair, and my sophomore reading was no slacker. Ms. Sinclair’s plots are ingenuous and complex. Her characters are deep, layered and real. Finders Keepers had similar archetypes to Games of Command: the heroines are both independent rebels and the heroes are both unfeeling machines. Similar self doubts and similar interactions, but I loved them both. Games of Command is still my favorite, probably because of the Furzels and because Kel-Paten was so cute loving Sass from the beginning. Finders Keepers didn’t have a secondary love story like GOC, but it did have some great growing friendships between secondary characters. One complaint – heroes should NOT have mustaches. Ew.

I cannot recommend Ms. Sinclair enough. Finders Keepers is definitely a…well…keeper!

Title: Marriage at the Millionaire’s Command
Author: Anne Oliver
Publication Info: Harlequin Presents, June 2008 (US)
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

This story overflows with heart and soul. Tender and passionate, moving and inspiring, I can’t understand why Harlequin insisted undercutting the book with that generic, boring title. None of the Presents line titles are unique, made as they are of marketing buzz words that apparently appeal to the reading public. But, really, how can they stick any old mix of millionaire/billionaire, secret baby, virgin mistress, forced bride and claim to do justice to the magic between the pages? This story is a must read for romance fans. It will leave you with that heart-bursting feeling of love, true love, and the conviction that happily ever after really can come true. Isn’t that why we read romance?

To be fair, I suppose I should disclose that I heart secret baby plots and am having a severe bout of babylust at the moment. It most likely is affecting my judgement, and causing this overpowering urge to make Mr. Wonderful read this book, in hopes he will catch my baby fever. Also, I downloaded a bunch of ebooks onto my computer and didn’t remember any of the back cover blurbs, so I was pleasantly surprised by the “secret” baby in this book. The unknown aspect made unwrapping the story that much more delicious.

PLOT: (This book debuted with slightly different character names in the Aussie/UK and US versions, as one can read in the varying synopses and notes on Ms. Oliver’s website.)

Carissa Mary is a struggling pianist who waits tables on the side to make ends meet. When her fiance breaks up with her, her stepsister convinces her to live a little and find a hot man to “tune her piano.” Carissa, still a card carrying Virgin at 26, screws up her courage and agrees. Cue hero, haunted songwriter Ben Jamieson who struggles with the recent death of his best friend. Jamieson is tall, dark and handsome and thoroughly sexy, as all good heroes should be. After one night of heart-stopping passion, Carissa runs home.

To pay the bills on the antique house her grandmother left her, Carissa puts out an ad for a boarder. Ben, seeking a place to crash for a few months for some solitude and soul-searching, where no one knows him, sees the ad and knocks on her front door. Mortified, Carissa only accepts him as a boarder grudgingly under one condition – hands-off. Neither can help the burgeoning attraction.

Seven weeks later something else is burgeoning. Carissa is terrified of caring for Ben because he’s said from the first he isn’t the sticking around type, so she throws him out without telling him her little secret. Ben, angry but willing to comply, intercepts a message from the OBGYN’s office and realizes he’s being duped. True to the title, the millionaire commands marriage. Both are too afraid of rejection and of love to admit to themselves, let alone each other, that there is more to the marriage than duty. Can their rocky relationship survive when tragedy strikes?

Every story has already been told. The difference is in the telling of it. Secret-baby plots are standard fare for the Harlequin Presents line (and we readers gobble them up like chocolate), but this book stands out in the beautifully descriptive storytelling. This is my first sampling of Ms. Oliver’s outstanding gift, but it has earned her a place as one of my favorite Harlequin authors.

This book took 2nd in Romance Writers of New Zealand’s Clendon Award in 2004.

Title: Strangers in the Night
Author: Kerry Connor
Publication Info: Harlequin Intrigue 1067, June 2008
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3

I was having some book apathy, not finding anything that cought my attentions, reading a few pages and tossing them aside, when I picked up (er…opened up the ebook file) Strangers in the Night by new author Kerry Connor. From the first page I was hooked. Pulled directly into a riveting plot with engaging characters, I didn’t put it down until the last world entered my enchanted brain. Ms. Connor’s deft writing style whipped me along in a way none of the other books I’d tried was able to do – making me forget that I was reading and instead making me lose myself in the story. Best of all: I never saw that twist coming. I am delighted to be surprised!

Gideon Ross is a cynical, world-weary bounty hunter called out of retirement to catch the man who killed his mentor–the one that got away. After years of escaping the rap for murders and illegal dealings, business mogul Price Chatlain is finally on trial for a murder with evidence enough to stick. His right hand man–who killed Ross’s mentor–has skipped bail and fled. Ross tracks him to Chicago, only to find that Taylor is hunting someone of his own. Allie Freedman is on the run for her life. She’s learned the hard way she can’t trust anyone after anyone who tried to help her has ended up dead. When Ross catches her she knows he’s either in league with her pursuers or about to become expendable. Ross doesn’t know if the woman is in league with Chatlain or not, but he knows he can’t let her go and he can’t help her if she refuses to tell him the truth. He’s set on bringing her back to New York despite her constant escape attempts, and he’ll do everything in his power to bring her back alive despite the two hired killers on their tail.

For a much better review of the TWILIGHT SAGA by Stephanie Meyer, check out Cleolinda Jones’ site. I was up till 2 AM laughing my arse off. She also has a fabulous review of the first 6 chapters of MIDNIGHT SUN, which is TWILIGHT from Edward’s point of view. Warning: major snarkage ahead:

Thank you for calling Cleolinda Industries! We appreciate your interest and/or concern.

If you would like to read a semi-academic discussion of the first Twilight book, please press 1.

If you would like to read a chapter-by-chapter commentary on New Moon, please press 2.

If you would like to read a chapter-by-chapter commentary on Eclipse, please press 3.

If you would like a primer on the Twilight phenomenon, please press 4.

If you are sick of hearing about Twilight, please run screaming.

If you would like to begin a three-part commentary on Breaking Dawn, ( please stay on the line )

Thanks to Tez Miller for the heads up!

TITLE: Breaking Dawn
AUTHOR: Stephanie Meyer
SERIES: Twilight Saga Book 4
PUBLICATION: Little, Brown Children’s Books, August 2008
GENRE: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
RATING: <3 <3 <3 <3

Breaking Dawn was an action-packed emotional thriller that kept me hooked from page one. Yes, I know some fans were upset, but I’m not one of them. Despite knowing every plot twist before reading the book, I was glued to the edge of my seat and read the book cover to cover in one sitting. My only complaint is that Ms. Meyer cut away during the good parts – you know what I mean.

Plot:

This is a three part novel. I shall not endever to write a review without spoilers. Anyone who has managed to avoid The Big Secret by this point is not someone who spends much time on the internet.

***SPOILER ALERT***

PART I: HONEYMOON (Bella’s POV)
ECLIPSE left us with Bella and Edward engaged and Jacob, heartbroken, fleeing as a wolf to roam the wilds of canada. BREAKING DAWN begins with Bella and Edward’s fairy tale wedding designed by Edward’s enthusiastic and clairvoyant sister Alice. Though no one has seen or heard from Jacob in months, he returns to Forks to stop in at the wedding and wish the happy couple felicitations. He snaps when he learns that Bella plans to sleep with Edward before becoming a vampire, knowing that it endangers her life. On that happy note, Bella and Edward set off for the Island of Esme for their honeymoon. Bella delights in her newfound sexuality, and decides to stay human for awhile longer so she can explore it. She’s worried that the first few years as a vampire she will be out of her mind in bloodlust and in no mood to make love to her husband. Edward is more than happy to wait. But their happy plans are thwarted when Bella develops food cravings, daytime sleepiness and a belly bump.

PART II: THE MONSTER IN THE ROOM (Jacob’s POV)
Jacob struggles with his heartbreak and his revulsion of Bella’s plans to become a bloodsucker. He suspects she has crossed to the dark side when she returns to Forks and refuses to see anyone, but when he bursts in on the Cullen family he finds something even worse: Bella is pregnant and the monster in her belly is quickly killing her. Jacob takes Edward to task, but finds an unexpected ally in the terrified father-to-be. It is Bella and narcissistic Rosalie who refuse to let Doctor Carlisle abort the deadly fetus. Edward is so troubled by Bella’s sudden desire to be a mother that he makes Jacob an offer. (If you liked the tent threesome in Eclipse, you’ll love this.) Jacob returns to his wolf pack with the news and Alpha Sam immediately decides the monster must be terminated, with Bella a casualty of war, causing Jacob to break off and start his own pack.

Bella’s half-vampire, half-human baby gestates in one month, during which Jacob and Bella are unexplainably drawn to each other. The tension grows. Bella goes into labor and Edward must fight to save her by turning her.

PART III: WHAT IS EVIL? (Bella’s POV)
Bella wakes up to a whole new world: her senses heightened, her reflexes super quick, her thirst unquenchable. Fortunately she has a new superpower – remarkable self-control. Until it comes to her daughter – hell hath no fury like a mother crossed. She is less than pleased to find that Jacob has imprinted on her daughter and nicknamed the poor thing “Nessie” after the Lock Ness Monster. Nessie continues to grow at a rapid pace. A new threat grows: the Volturi have set their sights on eliminating the Cullens and seizing the gifted (mind-reading Edward and clairvoyant Alice). The Cullens must recruit their Vampire friends to witness that baby Nessie isn’t an illegal turned-child, but a real half-vamp half-human child, in an effort to stop the slaughter.

Discussion:

I’ve admitted before my love for knocked-up heroines and baby plots, but even my biological clock cringed at the description of the bloodsucking monster growing inside Bella’s stomach. The thing rips its way out of its mothers stomach using claws and teeth, always killing the mother in the process. It is a parasite. Gruesome. Even once she was born, I had trouble thinking “Awww cute! A Baby!” about Nessie.

The THEME of Ms. Meyer’s books is “Choice.” One can choose to be evil or good. The Cullens have made the choice to be “vegetarian” vampires and drink from animals instead of humans. Bella makes the choice to love Edward even though he is a “monster” and the choice to become a vampire. Jacob makes the choice to overcome his prejudices and ally with the Cullens. It’s funny though, that love isn’t necessarily a choice in Ms. Meyer’s world. Edward and Bella’s love comes across as fated and the werewolves’ imprinting is most definitely not a choice.

I also wonder at the end of BREAKING DAWN when the Cullens and Bella ally with their friend vampires who kill humans to feed. In my humble opinion, killing humans is evil and the Cullens’ friendship with human killers is an unspoken acceptance of their murdering lifestyle. The Cullens were in a difficult position, and beggars can’t be choosers, but it still made me feel slightly uncomfortable. One vampire did choose vegetarianism after the conflict, but only because he started dating one of the animal-drinking vamps from Alaska.

I really enjoyed reading in Jacob’s Point of View (POV) in part II of the book. His voice is distinct: a teenage male dealing with life-altering issues, a boy turning into a man. It added layers of depth to the novel.

I want to know what happens with Leah. She had so much pain and she never got a happy ever after. Her loose end was not tied up. I also wonder if Ms. Meyer has planned a future series with Nessie as the heroine. She set up a possible triangle at the end of Breaking Dawn. I could see it.

The series as a whole is a must-read, not only for an exciting and heart-wrenching epic, but also to understand a milestone in the Young Adult and Paranormal Romance Genres. A few romance-reading friends had difficulty with the pacing of the first book, but I would urge you to push through. The pacing picks up after TWILIGHT and the characters grab you by the heart strings and don’t let go. I would recommend this series especially to people who haven’t read many romance or fantasy novels as a way to get them hooked.

I look forward to reading future books by Ms. Meyers. Her adult horror book, THE HOST, is next on my To-Be-Read pile.

Title: Wild Thing
Author: Maggie Shayne, Marjorie M. Liu, Meljean Brook, Alyssa Day
Publication Info: Berkley Sensation
Genre: Paranormal Romance Anthology
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3

This book is a must read. Why? Because a) “Hunter Kiss” is the prequel to THE IRON HUNT, b) Meljean Brook is in it, and c) Ms. Shayne’s story is freakin hot. Lucky you, Wild Thing is going to be released in Mass Market Paperback in January 2009.

Four all-new stories of feral passion.

Wild passion, yes. But feral? Makes me think of “rabid dogs” for some reason. Ha. But moving on…

ANIMAL MAGNETISM by Maggie Shayne

Macy McNamara is a veterinarian with a dirty little secret: she can communicate with animals. Humans are a different matter, earning her an unfortunate reputation. Detective Jay Harris is a player. Women fall at his feet with little work on his part, so when he comes face-to-face with Macy’s cold shoulder, he finds a challenge impossible to resist. A victim’s dog is shot at the scene of a rape, and Jay brings the poor animal to Macy. She not only saves the dog’s life, but finds out details about the crime that only the dog knows. She must trust Jay with her secret and convince him to believe her if the serial rapist is to be stopped.

The verbal sparring between Macy and Jay is fresh and sharp. They make sparks, both inside and outside the bedroom. I love how neither is afraid to demand exactly what he or she wants from the other. Jay is a true gentleman: hot, chivalrous, protective. Yummy. “Animal Magnetism” was my first taste of Maggie Shayne, who is a finalist for this years RITA award in the paranormal category. I am definitely going back for more. This is why I love anthologies – I always find new-to-me fabulous authors!

PARADISE by Meljean Brook
Series: The Guardians, Book #3

Lucas Marsden is the leader of the vampire community in Ashland, Oregon. A string of vicious murders claims Olivia, his blood partner. Feeling overwhelming guilt at not being able to save her, he refuses to find a new food source and slowly begins to go mad. Selah, a guardian charged with protecting the world from demons, travels to Ashland on the trail of the killer. She teams up with Lucas to stop the murders, discovering that a demon is attempting to open a gate to hell by sacrificing the vampire victims. Selah is the perfect guardian, but perfection has a high price. She learns that compromise might bring her more happiness than that impossible-to-reach goal.

The beginning of this novella was slightly confusing, but the world building, as usual, was great. The love is hot. Lucas is a great hero, honorable, hot, considerate, hot, self-sacrificing. Did I mention hot?

HUNTER KISS by Marjorie M. Liu
Series: Hunter Kiss, PREQUEL

Maxine Kiss is a demon hunter, slaying those who possess humans and feed on misery. The Hunter’s job is to catch and kill demons who escape the prison veil to pray on humans on earth. She is protected by five small demons that appear as tattoos on her skin by day, and materialize at night. These protectors, her “boys,” have been passed down mother to daughter for generations. When they switch from mother to daughter it is a death sentence for the mother. Maxine’s own mother was murdered on Maxine’s 21st birthday. The boys ensure that the Hunter will have a daughter, by any means necessary. They are her only family, her life, and her death.

In Seattle Maxine comes across an unusual occurrence: possessed humans, which she calls zombies, are congregating, when they usually avoid each other. She finds the object of their concentration is a man with a flute. Grant is a former priest who can see and change the auras of people – he can even change demons, freeing them from slavery to their demon queen, Blood Mama, who lives beyond the prison veil. Some of the demons resent his power and are trying to kill him. Maxine saves his life, but Blood Mama tries again.

Told in the first person, this is a paranormal romance novella that is a prequel to an Urban Fantasy series. The love story between Grant and Maxine is not a part of the plot in The Iron Hunt. Grant is a wonderful hero, caring, understanding, compassionate. Falls in love in one day, and when told “even if we use contraception, I’m most likely going to get pregnant with a daughter, which will one day result in my death,” he says “cool. I like kids.” A unique guy, to say the least. lol.

WILD HEARTS IN ATLANTIS by Alyssa Day
Series: Warriors of Poseidon, Book 2

Bastien is a warrior for Atlantis, sworn to protect humanity against all threats, especially the vampires and shapeshifters. Kat is a half-shifter who cannot shift because her “gift” keeps her calm at all times, and aggression is needed to shift. When Bastien is sent as an ambassador to the shifters to convince them not to ally with the Vampires, his contact is Kat. They met before briefly, and both were struck by unrelenting passion. When they meet again, the passion sparks to life. Intensely. With much roaring. The villian is named Organos, and for the life of me I couldn’t stop calling him Oregano. Spices are evil. Mwuhahahaaha.

Title: Kushiel’s Dart
Author: Jacqueline Carey
Series: Kushiel’s Legacy, Book 1
Publication Info: Doherty, Tom Associates, LLC
Genre: Fantasy

Packed with Machiavellian intrigue and BDSM, Jacqueline Carey creates a fascinating adventure unlike anything I’ve read before. The world building is complex and layered: set in a world resembling Renaissance Europe, with detailed religious beliefs, an impressive cast of characters, and political and sexual machinations that will make your head spin. Her lyrical writing style is smooth and authoritative, like a storyteller spinning her craft before the fire.

Ms. Carey came to visit us here in Sea-town for a reading and book signing of Kushiel’s Mercy, book 6 in the Kushiel’s Legacy series, which you can read about here.

A brief overview of a complex plot that spans 912 pages:

Part I: Training to Spy and Whore

As a child the heroine Phedre is sold into indentured servitude by her parents to the Night Court of the Blooming Flowers. She is raised in Cereus House, one of the thirteen courtesan houses of the Night Court, and at age ten the courtier and spy-master Anafiel Delaunay buys her mark. He recognizes that the red dot in her eye is not a defect, but a mark of the god Kushiel. She is the only living Anguisette, cursed to feel pleasure in pain. Delaunay trains her to be a spy and a courtesan, along with her fellow pupil Alcuin. At age 16 her virgin price is sold to an enemy of Delaunay’s, and she begins her career of pain and pleasure, using her Talents to procure information for Delaunay. After each assignation she is awarded a patron gift, which she uses to complete a tattoo from her tail bone to the top of her spine. When the tattoo is finished her indentured servitude will be over.

Part II: Slavery in Skaldia

After a huge betrayal, Phedre and her soldier-bodyguard Joscelin are sold as slaves to the Skaldi tribes of the north. Phedre uses her Talents to survive and spy, first on the small tribe and then on the new leader of the Skaldi, where she uncovers a plot for the Skaldi armies to overtake her homeland. She and Joscelin escape to warn the queen of treason and war.

Part III: Mission to Alba

Phedre, Joscelin, and Phedre’s childhood friend Hyacinth travel west to Alba to carry a message to the exiled king. On the way they are waylaid by a noble, and Phedre uses her Talents to persuade him to let them pass. In Alba, Phedre uses her Talents to persuade the twin rulers of the Dalriada to help the exiled king to reclaim his throne. Then they all sail back to Terre D’Ange to fight back the Skaldi.

Mythology: Love As Thou Wilt

Religion is very important to the citizens of Terre D’Ange and courtesans are an integral part of worshiping. The prophet Elua wandered the land with his Companions, making friends with nature and loving as he willed. Each of the Companions are worshiped for the way in which they followed Elua, with Namaah (a Mary Magdelene-like figure) ruling sensual love, Kushiel ruling pain, and Cassiel serving and protecting. At age 16, Phedre dedicates her life to serving Namaah. This means that when she has sex, paid or not, she is worshiping her gods. This takes love out of the equation and replaces it with religious zeal; a move I am personally uncomfortable with, but intellectually I accept it as an important part of her belief structure. Phedre sleeps with anyone and everyone: man, woman, slave lord, king. Only twice in her life does she ever choose her partner of her own free will. Though she singles out these choices as important events, she ultimately decides to continue to honor her vows to Namaah with multiple partners. The romantic in me was dissatisfied with this decision, even though I understand that she would be betraying herself to choose otherwise.

I personally wanted her to give up her whoring ways and live happily ever after with Joscelin. But this isn’t a romance novel.

Kushiel’s Dart pushed me out of my comfort zone, which is good for me. I grow too set in my ways. My reaction to the book was very similar to Ana of Book Smugglers, as opposed to Thea who chose it for her Desert Island Keeper. How are you, dear reader, to know what your reaction will be? Only by trying it for yourself. Those who like it, LOVE it. Ms. Carey is a new standard in the fantasy genre. Aspiring writers should take notes on the unique style of storytelling. Readers should challenge themselves to try something new.

Who knows? Maybe the next tattoo on Ms. Carey’s fan photo gallery will be yours.

Title: The Spymaster’s Lady
Author: Joanna Bourne
Publication Info: Penguin Group, January 2008
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Wow. Just…wow. Next time someone asks “What is good writing?” I have my answer: this book. Not good writing. Brilliant writing. Now that I’ve spent many months trying to write I can really appreciate good writing when I see it. Writing is hard. Good writing is really hard. Brilliant writing? A gift from the gods.

Let me chose a paragraph to illustrate:

The noisy town of Dover stretched above her with its stone houses stacked one upon the other up the hill and the castle above everything. Around her, gray green water washed the pilings, splashing tiny explosions of light, spinning bubbles of silver and snow white. In baskets of fish, the scales shone in iridescent ripples. (172-173)

Brilliant imagery. The heroine is French and I can hear her thinking in French, with cadences and word order in the French way. When the characters switch into German it is the same – though the words are technically English the language use is not. Truly impressive mastery of linguistics. The characters are Brilliant too – complex, detailed. They suck you in and make you fall in love with them. Bourne engages all your senses: your tastes, smells, sights, sounds, touches… your heart.

See how she describes Annique’s spy roleplaying like a garment, repeating the imagery in the next paragraph. It’s awesome.

She took another deep breath and let the role close around her like a familiar garment…. Hid beneath layer and layer of soft foolish Harlot, she waited. (p14)

Plot:
Annique Villiers is a master spy during the reign of Napoleon, trained to lie at her mother’s knee and raised on the battlefields of France. She is one hell of an awesome heroine. When she finds herself in a French prison with two English spies, she concocts an escape and frees her enemies too, tossing her right out of the frying pan and into the fire. Abandoned by her people, injured, alone, Annique must outwit those who hunt her and try to escape the most perilous clutches she has found herself in yet – those of British spymaster Robert Grey.

I dare not give you a full summary for fear of ruining the plot twists. Read the Smart B*tch review or the Dear Author review for more in depth analysis. All I can do is drool. I adore this book. It is going on my list of all-time awesomeness. I CANNOT WAIT FOR BOURNE’S NEXT OFFERING!!!! (My Lord and Spymaster to-be-released July 2008)

Series Title: The Black Dagger Brotherhood
Author: J.R. Ward
Publication Info: Penguin Group
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3

So why haven’t I been blogging this past week? I’ve fallen head over heels in booklust with J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood. Could. Not. Put. It. Down. Fantasized about it when trying to sleep. It sucked me in like Diana Gabaldon‘s Outlander Series did, and OMG I want MORE. The problem with fabulously addictive series like this is that I feel bereft when I finish the last book. I’ve spent every waking moment reading and dreaming about the characters, and then all of a sudden it’s over. I’ve lost my lover. I simply cannot wait for the next book to come out. June? Freakin’ far away.

I wouldn’t recommend this book to just anyone, however. It’s violent. Even more so than Sherrilyn Kenyon‘s Dark Hunter series. Also, the series got more violent and incredibly kinky as it progressed. If the first book had been as crazy as the fifth one, I don’t know that I would have read the rest of them. The third and fifth books had heroes who had been terribly abused in the past, and both were attracted to pain as a result. Squicky. Fortunately Ward stressed that the two people involved LOVED each other. Whatever floats your boat.

I really liked the unusual dialog and thought the writing style was awesome. I live under a rock and have NO idea how real bad boy gangstas talk/act/dress. So the hang up Smart B*tch Candy had with the series didn’t register for me. I had some problems following all the slang and acronyms. It took me five books to figure out what POS means. Like I said, I live under a rock. And all the extra “H”s got tedious.

I agree with the Smart B*tches that Butch and Vishous would have made a great couple. The boys had more sexual chemistry than the chicks they ended up with.

Mythology: always my favorite part. In this series Vampires are a separate species from humans – you’re either born one or you’re not. (except in special circumstances.) Vampires must drink the blood of a vampire member of the opposite sex to survive. Human blood is too weak. Vampire puberty hits around age 25, after which the vampire must drink blood and can no longer go out in the sun. Many die during the transition. Males transform overnight into giant muscle-bound bad-asses.

Male vampires bond with their lovers by marking them with a special scent. Bonded males are hella aggressive and over protective. Female vampires are only fertile once every ten years, and many die in childbirth. I would love to read an essay on reproductive mythologies in paranormal romances. Christine Feehan‘s Dark Series has a similar high child mortality for vampires, with an accompanying drastic shortage of female vampires.

The vampire mother goddess is the Virgin Scribe. Her evil opposite is the Omega, who creates an army of undead humans (lessers) to kill off the vampire species. The purpose of the Black Dagger Brotherhood is to protect civilian vampires from this evil threat.

Book 1: Dark Lover

The story of Wrath, the Chief.

Brother Darius asks the head of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Wrath, to help his half-human daughter Beth through her transition. Wrath refuses, but when Darius dies in a car bomb Wrath decides to honor his brother’s last wish. Beth has been brought up in foster homes and knows nothing about either her parents or vampires. Wrath inducts Beth into the Vampire life while the lessers start kidnapping and torturing civilian vampires. Wrath and Beth fall in love. Wrath decides to ascend the throne, a position he avoided for the last few centuries to the detriment of the vampire population, with Beth as his queen.

Book 2: Lover Eternal

The story of Rhage, the Charmer.

Brother Rhage’s charming male-slut persona is a cover for his darker side – a dragon lives within him. His biggest fear is that the beast will break out and hurt the vampires he cares about. He meets Mary, a human, one night when she shows up at the secret brotherhood compound as a translator for a mute pre-transition male vampire, John. (Neither Mary nor John know about vampires at the time, and their memories are wiped clean after the brothers interview John.) Rhage can’t get Mary out of his system, and he’s not the only one – the beast wants her too. Mary is dying of cancer. They fall in love. Rhage must bargain with the Scribe Virgin for their future.

Book 3: Lover Awakened

The story of Zsadist, the Lost Soul, and the only brother missing an “H”.

Zsadist, kidnapped at birth, spent a century as a blood slave, where his humanity was stripped through repeated rape and torture. After his twin brother Phury saved him and he joined the brotherhood, he is still a mean MoFo who scares everyone and everything. Then one day he meets the vampire Bella, who, the-Virgin-only-knows-why, is attracted to him. When she gets captured by the lessers, he saves her and she works down his barriers until he can’t help but make love, sweet love, to her. He needs some serious psychiatrist action, but a little sexual healing goes a long way. The lesser who captured Bella and becomes obsessed with her is one sick f*ck. He makes Zsadist look a-okay boyfriend material. This book is Very Violent. Zsadist reminds me of Zarek from Sherrilyn Kennyon’s Dance with the Devil. Is there some unwritten rule that Lost Soul characters need to have names that start with “Z”?

Book 4: Lover Revealed

The story of Butch, the Warrior.

Butch is a human ex-cop who got thrown off the force for being overly aggressive with a suspect one-too-many-times back in book one. He gets adopted by the brotherhood, despite his human status, and falls in love with Wrath’s ex-wife, the virgin vampire Marissa. Marissa is thrown out of aristocratic vampire society and vows to live life on her own terms from now on, which gives her the freedom of loving the blue-collar human. Butch has always been an outsider, and when the brotherhood discovers that Butch has a vampire ancestor he opts for turning, despite the high chance of mortality. Butch and Marissa have some ansty self-esteem issues, but they figure them out eventually. You’re too good for me. No, you’re too good for me. No, you are. No, you.

Butch is a character that I didn’t really get, maybe because he kept changing his personality. Once adopted by the brotherhood, the blue-collar ex-cop jumps into Gucci like it’s going out of style. I had no idea who most of the brand names he wore were, and though I live under a rock, I did go to an ivy league school. A fashionista I am not.

Book 5: Lover Unbound

The story of Vishous, the Professor, and the bisexual bondage lover. Oh, brother.

This book had at least three major story lines going on, not counting the subplots. It is the weakest of the books, but I’m so committed to the characters and story by this point that I don’t care. I. Need. To. Know. What. Happens.

The lessers take a vacation while the great vampire mother gets her virgin sacrifice crazy-megalomania on. Vishous is in a funk: His future-telling powers have dried up and he is in love with his mated roommate, Butch. He lets out his frustration with a little, ahem, S&M. After getting shot, he ends up in a human hospital and falls immediately for his human surgeon. This is silly. It should take him a little longer to fall in love with her personality, not just her body smell. The Scribe Virgin shows up and announces that she’s his mommy-dearest and that he must now marry 40 virgins and procreate for the good of the race. Getting weirder? Um, yeah. It gets worse, but I don’t want to ruin the ending for you.

Book 6: Lover Enshrined

The story of Phury, the best friend.

Brother Phury, who spends his life trying to take care of everyone else, steps up once again when he volunteers to take Vishous’ place by marrying the Virgin Scribe’s Chosen. I can’t wait till this book comes out in June.