Sizzling Sixteen

My first Janel Evanovich book was High Five. My mom bought it at the grocery store in Thunder Bay Ontario Canada...needless to say, I read it. I didn't just read it, though. I devoured it whole. I laughed out loud so many times that my kids thought I was reading a joke book...Fast forward several years and my addiction to Stephanie has not wanned.

Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter, daughter, sometimes girlfriend of Joe Morelli, friend of Lula the former 'Ho, and would be lover of the hawtest man ever, Ranger...

This story started out quite slow and that is not usual for a Plum series book. I actually could have cared less if Vinnie was ever found. The best parts for me are always the banter with Lula and Grandma Mazur, and of course a book with Ranger AND LOTS OF RANGER IS BEST.

The dating situation with Morelli is currently in the "off" position, so I was very hopeful of each Ranger exchange. Also, I love to the count the black cars Stephanie goes through in each book. Only two..and the Mercedes is still going at the end of the book.

I read this one on the ferry to and from the mainland and I really enjoyed the second half of the book. The tempo picked up as did the silly factor, which is part of why I love Evanovich's books. The Metral and Hot Series are much the same. They are laugh out loud (LOL) fun and two women on the ferry asked me what I was reading and why I was laughing so hard.

A bonus for this book is Mooner. As many fans will recall, Moon Man saved Stephanie in the heart of Stark Street in a school bus a few books back. Ahhhh, that book had much Ranger too...Stay tuned for hopefully a Diesel book at Christmas and then Seventeen next summer.

Seventeen Again...Remembering Morelli and her first time on the bakery floor, perhaps. As for recommendation, a great series, but should be read in order for best results. Cheers

Reading through the Night...

Okay, I have been reading more here and there since I have a huge set of experiments at work to do and they have been taking up 10 to 12 hours of my day. Then the kids, the DH and housework...ugggg. I need a Demon...And boy does Malkom Slaine deliver!

Kresley Cole is the word-smith of the paranormal today. She has picked up the gauntlet set by the AG and then some. What I enjoyed most about this book DftD (Demon from the Dark for those not in the acronyms) was the fact that we know Malkom is tortured and abused by Vamps we do not have to hear every gory detail over and over. He does let us know how it affected him and Carrow has some insight and shares her feelings about his reactions and of course his "big confession" that he was a blood slave...these aren't spoilers per say...but onto the spoilers

SPOILERS


The whole story revolves over a three week time frame which I believe will overlap with Regin and Lanthe's stories as well (time will tell). All are held captive by the viscious mortal hell bent on destroying immortals. The mortals believe that the accession is all about immortals killing mortals...Wellll, as the immortals put it, we don't even notice mortals so there you go, let us free...The interesting part for me was that Lothaire asked for Malkom's alliance...WHY? Then the evil LD came by and told Malkom to get his wife. WHY? Makes me think that more people than even these two have plans for our beloved Vemon...

As for the love story, I enjoyed Carrow and Malkom. The idea that one person could be his Demon mate and his heart beat (vampire bride) was interesting. Malkom wanted so badly for Carrow to be the "one". But as we know, witches aren't bound to mates like many other immortals. The Valk's run to their mate, the vamps have a beating heart for theirs, demons release their seed, on and on, but the witches decide. This was a scarry thought to Malkom. But what of Carrow....

Carrow was motivated by love and not just any love...it made her do and forsake people that she would never have done. The fact that her torque wouldn't fall off after LD walked past said that she was not evil and possessed no evil.

My favorite part was the end...I love a big fight, a cat fight and an immortal gathering. I love when favours are called in and they remind you of the past love stories that you enjoyed reading....I highly recommend. 4 1/2 out of 5 <3

Reviews: Just a Hint Clint

I love this series. Jamie was of course the elusive character throughout and then when we got his book-well, I loved it. But Just a Hint Clint takes place before Jamie and is a great book on it's own or as part of the series. The plot is fast and enjoyable and it is fun to see Clint fall in love (and fall hard against his better judgement).
The story opens with your "standard" girl and boy set up by the family only they don't love each other. The boy in this case has fallen for someone else...someone who is linked with the mob. Unfortunately, he accidentally double crosses the mob leader and brother of his lover. Then, when his old flame goes missing, he assumes it has to do with the mob double cross. Instead of hiring a legitimate investigator, he hires Clint. The why of Clint's reputation is given later in the book, but our first meeting is hawt and he commands a room. What is a romance book without a little "BroMance"? Nothing, so enter Clint's buddies. The three go on a rescue mission, collect Julie Rose and bring her home. But, oh, wait, no...can you keep her a while until we find those who planned the kidnapping...so now onto the real story.
Julie Rose and Clint are a good match. She is smart, funny and a little edgy despite her very sheltered upbringing. Clint is the "bad boy" who is good at heart and falls hard for Julie Rose. In fact, I feel like he fell for her from her picture in the opening sequence of the book. One tough point for me was the continuous mentioning of her "plain features, non-descript appearance, flat hair... yada, yada". Well she couldn't have been that plain since she "stirred" Clint in less than 5 minutes. Love at first sight, yes, but love at first fondle??? Made me think that her photo held his interest, especially since he kept it with him throughout the book. Overall, a good read and even better with the series books. 8/10 Have a great read today!

Latest Reads....and Reviews

Let me start off by saying that I really and truly love the Paladins by Alexis Morgan. Some of the best Sci-Fi romance and bromance in those books. Her more recent books in the world of the Talions just doesn't have the same appeal, IMHO.

Why, first let me say that I enjoyed all three books so far, but I would not recommend this series to new reads. The plots are a bit slow there is a considerable amount of repetition. I am a smart woman, as are the other readers, we don't need to be constantly reminded of details, powers and skills. One mention is fine.

The first book was the best so far. I really enjoyed Sandor and the interplay between Sandor and Ranulf in their quest to "woo" Kerry is quite hilarious.

To quote another character (can you guess who and what movie?), "What you don't know about women is a lot." Both of these men grew in the first and second books. That was nice to be part of and share. However, I don't feel Grey did as much growing. I also had some issues with the motivations for all the characters. Piper is supposed to be this independent and resourceful person who took care of herself and her mother, but then in parts of the book is indecisive and weak. Can she really not understand that in a war there are warriors?

The one true and shining star of this book was Sean. I see and feel his motivation and his desire to learn and know about the Kyth. I see him as a real growth character and a chance to explore the Kyth traditions of training and becoming a warrior. Since Grey, Sandor and Ranulf are already trained and seasoned, we haven't seen this side of the process. We know of Ranulf's decent into madness and how Kerry saved him, but we don't see the training and dedication that brought him there. With Sean, I hope we see this and his struggle to pursue his dreams of being a Kyth warrior and find his HEA. 7/10

As an aside, I found 4 typos/grammar mistakes in this book and while I am certainly not perfect, I would hope that I had proof reading friends and editors that would pick these things up. I would love to get a job reading the galleys...How to get that job for books I would otherwise buy? Would save me a bundle...