Anthology - Dark & Stormy Knights

A Questionable Client by Ilona Andrews
Kate Daniels is hired to serve as a bodyguard for Saiman. Apparently Saiman pissed off some members of the Russian Mafia by stealing something from them. They want it back and won’t stop at nothing to get it.

This was definitely the best story in this book. I love the Kate Daniels series and it was great to see how Kate and Saiman meet each other before she gets involved in the whole shape shifter world.

Even Hand by Jim Butcher
Johnnie Marcone protects a young woman and a child, who both has escaped some nasty swamp creature. She was captured when she got caught stealing information for her boss. Johnnie isn’t happy about it when he finds out and of course he will take advantage of the situation.

I never read the Harry Dresden books, but apparently this Johnnie Marcone character is from that series. Even though I didn’t know who Harry Dresden was, I enjoyed this short story. Maybe I need to check out the rest too.

The Beacon by Shannon K. Butcher
A hunter tracks down human beacons, which will lure evil creatures called Terraphages to Earth without knowing. He will assassinate them before these creatures’ breaks through the wall, but this time it’s hard. The beacon is a little girl with a beautiful defensive mother.

I know this author and I like her style, so I was happy to see that there was a story from her in this novel. It was good, enough to sparkle my curiosity to find some more books by this author.

Even a Rabbit will bite by Rachel Caine
The last dragonslayer has been summoned to train her last replacement before she can put her weapons away and retire. But the last dragon alive on Earth has some other plans for her and will make her job much more difficult then it should be.

Rachel Caine is already one of my favorite authors and she didn’t disappoint me with this short story. I would have loved to see this story more detailed, especially about the slayers past and the other dead dragons. But we cannot have everything.

Dark Lady by P.N. Elrod
Jack Flemming is a vampire and an investigator. A young woman came to him; she wants his help to clear her fiancés name and to keep her alive, during that process

The story was nice, but didn’t blow me away. I’ve read some other short stories by this author, but I have to be honest I’m not a fan. For some reason those story don’t appeal to me.

Beknighted by Deidre Knight
An artist / painter has to work together with a gorgeous, but dangerous man to free a knight in a painting, who has been haunting her dreams for the past couple of months.

I love Deidre Knight’s books and I enjoy this short one too, but for some reason I miss something. Maybe this story was too short and needed some more background to make it a terrific story.

Shifting Star by Vicki Pettersson
Skamar has been contacted by Zoe Archer, to look into these missing young girls. They both know that the Tulpa is after Zoe’s granddaughter and is now kidnapping young girls who have some similarity.

I shouldn’t read this part because I knew it was part of the Sign of the Zodiac Series and I haven’t read those yet. But I couldn’t resist myself and now I know that I cannot put it off any longer. I need to read the rest of the series soon.

Rockwood & Mrs. King by Lilith Saintcrow
A dhampir vampire hunter helps a young woman, who recently became a widow. Well at least she thinks she was, but now her dead husband comes back from the grave to hunt her dreams. She is about to find out that the world is full of creatures and her dead husband is one of them.

I’m already a fan of Lilith Saintcrow after I’ve read her Dante Valentine series and this story is no exception. The only downside; it was too short, I would have love to see more of this Rockwood and how he was made.

God’s creatures by Carrie Vaughn
Cormac is a bounty hunter, who kills creature for a living. He’s called in when a werewolf is killing some cattle and they want it dead before it will take human lives.

Another short story that’s part of a series, this time the Kitty Norville. Again I didn’t read the series, but I will check it out soon. This story made me curious to see what’s more out there.

Overall this anthology was good, the stories of Ilona Andrews, Rachel Caine and Shannon K. Butcher made it worth reading, and the rest of the novel was okay. I definitely need to check out some of the series.

Patricia Briggs - Silver Borne

Mercy Thompson has borrowed a Fae book from a friend and when she goes to return the book, the owner of the shop Phin has disappeared. First Mercy doesn’t think any of it, but then her gut is telling her something isn’t quite right about it. So she hides the books somewhere saves and didn’t tell anyone where it is. Her first priority is to find Phin and discover what is going on, but she knows her problems have only just begun.

Her best friend Samuel has been acting strange lately and Mercy is afraid to loose him. Apparently something happened and Sam is staying in his wolf form. Mercy knows she has to get through to him and convince him to change back to human before his father Bran finds out and decides to make the decision about Sam’s condition for her.

Mercy’s relationship with Adam is going well, except that one of more members of the pack are trying to break the mating bond or even trying to kill Mercy. Will Mercy be able to resolve all her problems or is she going to loose her best friend Sam and her mate Adam?

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs is the fifth novel in her Mercedes Thompson series. I have to say she did it again; each book in this series is getting better and better.

Mercy Thompson seems to be growing in each book, every time she’s challenged with new things and every time she’ll find a way to protect the ones she loves.

Her relationship with Pack leader Adam is finally growing into a real relationship. They are dating and she takes a permanent place in his pack of wolves. But there are some members who aren’t to happy that she, a coyote, joined the pack and will stop at nothing to get her out and even jeopardize Adam’s place as a leader.

They have to find a way to discover those traitors and deal with them before the pack is falling apart.

In the meantime Mercy tries real hard to make her friend Sam see, that his life isn’t over and that it is worth fighting for. She needs him by her side to rescue Phin out of the hand form his kidnappers and try not to get caught herself.

If you haven’t read this series yet, then I would recommend it to you. It will have you addicted in no time; the books will lure you into a world full of shape shifter, vampires, faes and other creatures. You won’t be disappointed.

Leslie LaFoy - The perfect desire

Isabella Dandaneau and her cousin Mignon each inherited half of a treasure map. Isabella wanted to work together with her cousin to find the treasure and split the treasure, but Mignon refuses. So Mignon leaves New Orleans to go to London, where she believes is the hidden treasure. But the only thing Mignon finds is danger and death. So Isabella travels to London to collect her cousin’s things, hoping to find the other half of the map before someone else does.

Barrett Stanbridge is tired of his parents match making, so he pick up this beautiful lady at the theatre, knowing she isn’t looking for a husband, but just one night of passion. After the sensual night he is accused of murder, when his mistress is found dead in an alley near his home. He doesn’t know how to prove his innocence, but then this mysterious lady shows up on his doorstep with an offer he cannot refuse.

The perfect desire by Leslie LaFoy is a lovely historical romance novel, if you love strong determined young women and stubborn men, mixed up with danger, then this is the novel for you.

Isabella Dandaneau is a strong heroine, who you will love the moment you meet her. She married young and was widow shortly after that, when her husband died in the War. In order to survive this war, she became a spy and she knows her way around dynamite too.

Now she’s in London and hope to strike an alliance with Barrett Stanbridge to find the missing half of the map. Their partnership proof to be the perfect combination, and piece by piece they find the map. But Mignon’s true killer is still after Isabella and will stop at nothing to get what he wants…the treasure.

The attraction between Isabella and Barrett is huge, but both are afraid to admit it. Isabella thinks she’s not good enough for him, because of her simple past and she doesn’t want to be a replacement of her cousin. Barrett believes Isabella would never be with a man, accused of murder and also has a scandal in his past.

But Barrett’s two friends will do anything to clear his name and if that means pushing him into Isabella’s arms, well then that is just that.

The perfect desire was the first historical romance novel I read in a long time and I have to say I needed the distraction after reading all the paranormal romance and urban fantasy. This novel was definitely good; it made me realize that I need more of those on my reading list, between all the others.

Jeaniene Frost - Eternal kiss of darkness

Mencheres is one of the oldest vampire around and he recently discovered that he has nothing to life for anymore. He lost his ability to see the future, so in order to save his vampire family line, he merged them with the family line of Bones, who he sees as a son. So if something happens to him in the near future, he knows that his vampires and companions are taken care off. His life is in danger, because his Uncle Radjedef will do anything to destroy him, so he can have Mencheres’s powers, powers he believes belong to him.

Now Mencheres is facing a pair of ghouls who think they can torture a four thousand year old vampire with their simple silver-blades. He cannot believe his eyes when a human woman steps out of the darkness and tries to save him. Now her life is in danger when the ghouls attack her, Mencheres knows he needs to save her and hopefully erase her memory before he sends her home.

Kira Graceling is a private investigator and cannot ignore a cry for help. So when she walks home one night and hears some evil laughter and some screaming in an a banded warehouse, she calls for back-up, get her gun and see if she can help the victim. She never imagined to come across some ghouls, who are trying to kill her and a very old vampire who save her life, and then kill the ghouls by just looking at them when their heads exploding.

Mencheres takes Kira home with him to see if he can erase her memory of their existence and be on his way. But nothing is as easy as it seems, because it appears Kira is immune to their kind hypnotising and after he sends her home he cannot forget her.

Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost is the second novel in her Night Huntress World Series and I have to say it out loud, she did it again. Jeaniene Frost wrote another amazing novel in this vampire world we love so much.

I knew Mencheres was a powerful vampire, but I have to be honest that I didn’t have any high expectations of his book, because he wasn’t one of my favorite characters in the Night Huntress Series. But after reading his book I have to admit I was wrong about him, he was amazing.

Kira is a strong, smart and independent woman, who will go after the things she wants. She even tries to support her sick sister in every way she can. I believe Jeaniene Frost did a great job with Kira; she’s the perfect partner for Mencheres. She’s determined to make him see that everything happens for a reason and not to give up.

Radjedef is the real threat to Mencheres, as his Uncle he truly believe that Mencheres powers belong to him and he will find a way to get those powers, even if that means using his position as a Guardian to their kind. Radjdef is also responsible what will happen with Kira, because he thinks he will have Mencheres on his knees.

I love the fact that we saw some of the characters out of the Night Huntress Series, Cat and Bones made their appearance and my favorite vampire Vlad. I really hope he will get his own book too in the near future.

This novel is another fabulous one by Jeaniene Frost; it’s full of the thing we love the most, strong powerful vampires, smart courageous women and a bunch of fabulous friends who will have your back no matter what. I cannot wait to see what will happen in the next book.

Alexis Morgan - Vampire vendetta

Seamus Fitzhugh is a vampire medic and the last of his clan, since his half-sister died. He knows something is odd about her death and he will do whatever it takes to have his vengeance on those who are responsible. So that journey takes him to the estate of his enemy vampire clan leader Rafferty O’Day, but before he meets his enemy he comes across a young dying woman, who needs his help.

Seamus rescues the young woman Megan Perez, who is a hybrid vampire, from poisoning. But that is not all; it appears she’s also the cousin of Rafferty’s wife, Joss. Because Seamus saved Megan life and kept her newborn baby safe, Rafferty hires him to serve as the new medic in his clan. That is the opportunity Seamus was waiting for, a way to get close to his enemy, a way to get his revenge.

Vampire Vendetta by Alexis Morgan is a fantastic novel; it will lure you into a world where danger, vengeance and starting a new life are very high on the list.

Seamus Fitzhugh gave up everything to get close to the one he believes is responsible for his half-sister death. In order to do that he needs to get inside his enemies clan and work from the inside out. But soon Seamus will learn the truth about what really happened.

Megan Perez is a hybrid vampire, who just gave birth to a baby girl. She’s running from the child’s father, who plots to kill her and raise their child on his own. She meets Seamus when she arrives on the doorstep of the safe house, where he’s staying. It appears she has been poisoned and he is her only hope to survive.

Seamus does everything in his power to keep his true identity hidden from Rafferty, Joss and Megan. But the more he spends time with Megan and her baby, the more he sees that revenge will not solve anything. He knows he has to come clean with his past to have a nice future.

I love Alexis Morgan’s Paladins & Talions Series and I couldn’t help myself for trying this Silhouette Nocturne novel. It’s a great book to read when you wan to escape the real world for awhile and just enjoy yourself with a book.

Jessica Bird - The billionaire next door

The three O’Banyon brothers had escaped their abusive father and their childhood home, when the opportunity was there for them. The youngest brother Billy was offered a football scholarship, the oldest brother Mac joined the army and middle brother Sean received his scholarship to Harvard. They had sworn to each other to never look back.

Lizzie Bond rented the first floor apartment in Eddie O’Banyon’s building since she finished nursing school. Despite the bitterness in the old man’s eyes, Lizzie couldn’t walk away from Eddie when he needed her help. So she made sure that he ate, took his medication and cleaned his house from time to time. So when Lizzie come home one night, it was shocking to hear he had died.

When Sean O’Banyon receives a phone call of his father’s passing, he is relieved, finally they prayers have been answered and they were finally free. Sean wants to get his father’s stuff out of the apartment as soon as possible, so he can sell the place. He knew it would be hard to go back to his childhood home, but he couldn’t imagine that the nightmares would come back. The only good think is meeting Lizzie, but does she mean everything she says or is she one of those women who’re obsessed with his money.

A Billionaire Next Door by Jessica Bird is the first novel in the O’Banyon Trilogy and a terrific book.

Sean O’Banyon already appeared in the Moorehouse Legacy series and I already thought he would be an interesting character. I was right, he is a Wall Street genius and you could say he’s a playboy. He’s enjoying life and the attention of beautiful women.

Lizzie is the opposites, she’s been working two jobs to pay the bills, supporting her mother and save more money for her education. When she meets the right man, then she wants it all, marriage, the house and children.

When Lizzie and Sean meet each other for the first time, they are both sceptic about each other. Sean thinks she is a gold-digger, that she’s after his father’s money and maybe even after his wealth, like every other woman in his life. Lizzie cannot believe Sean didn’t care about his own father. But when both of them discover the truth, they cannot ignore the attraction between them any longer.

I truly enjoy this book and I’m hoping that Miss Bird will write about the two other brothers soon.

Jessica Bird - A man in a million

Madeline “Mad” Maguire has given up on love, after she’s being betrayed by two ex-lovers. But she’s always convinced that there is someone out there in the world for her. So when she meets Spike Moriarity, she knows he could be the one. But can she convince him to giver her change, after he finds out about her miserable love life.

Spike Moriarity has some secrets from his past too and when he meets Mad he cannot stop thinking about her. He believes he isn’t worthy of her and knows that a chance with her is way out of his league.

But Mad needs a partner to accompany her to a family gathering and she asks Spike to go with her. He agrees to go with her, because he knows her siblings aren’t very nice to Mad, so he feels obligated to protect her. The more they spend together, the deeper their feelings go for each other, but will their new found love survive when Spike’s past come to surface and the interfering of Mad’s family?

A man in a million by Jessica Bird is the last novel in the Moorehouse Legacy Series and I have to say it’s fantastic. The book has kept my attention from page one till the end of the book.

We all met Spike in the first novel when he appears on the scene as Nate Walker’s business partner and he never left. I already knew that this guy would be the “bad boy” with the golden heart and it turns out that I was right.

Mad isn’t a stranger either, she appeared in Alex Moorehouse’s book, where she was introduced as one of his sailing buddies. From the moment Mad and Spike meet each other, sparkles were flying around. They were attractive to each other, but didn’t quite think the other would be interested. Their relationship has a rough start, but they’ll find a way to trust one another and from that moment it’s great to see two people fall head over heels in love with each other.

I truly can say this was the best book in the whole Moorehouse Legacy Series and both character weren’t even part of the family. I know there is a book about Sean O’Banyon too and I cannot wait to see what Miss Bird has in store for him.

Jessica Bird - From the first

Alex Moorehouse almost lost his leg in a sailing accident, but that is nothing comparing to some others on his team. He lost his best friend because of it. Now Alex is recovering from several leg operations and is staying at the family Bed & Breakfast. But Alex doesn’t really care about his sisters’ feelings; he’s just staying in his room feeling sorry for himself and only drinks alcohol and taking his pain medications. There is a lot of guilt inside of him, for not saving his best friend and especially because Alex had fallen in love with his best friend’s wife Cassie from the beginning.

Cassie is now a wealthy widow with her own company and she knew all along that her husband was cheating on her when he was away with his sailing team. Of course Cassie is sad about his death, but already knew her marriage was over. She needs to move on, so she accepts the Moorehouse sister’s offer to renovate the family Bed & Breakfast. When she’s over there it will give her the opportunity to visit Alex. She always felt attractive to Alex, but because she was married and he always avoided her, she thought he didn’t like her.

From the first by Jessica Bird is the third novel in the Moorehouse Legacy Series and just like the other two books it was easy to read.

I have to be honest, I didn’t really like Alex Moorehouse in the beginning, and you could say I believe he was a selfish bastard. Alex left his family years ago, in the time his two sisters and grandmother needed him the most. After his parents died Alex left as quickly as possible, knowing his sisters would take the burden to run the family Bed & Breakfast. Now he’s back injured and is putting another burden on their shoulders, his recovering. The only thing he can think off is his secret love for his best friend’s widow, not about helping his family.

But I adore Cassie; she is strong and very determined. She knows what she want in life and isn’t afraid to go after it. Just the way she’s facing her feelings for Alex and she doesn’t take no for an answer is so fabulous to read. I was glad to see that she was able to turn Alex around and make him face his actions and make up some lost time with his family.

This book wasn’t as great as the other two in the series and I know that it has something to do with the fact that I didn’t like Alex that much. He was a real pain in the butt some times. But the balance between Cassie’s enthusiasm and Alex’s stubbornness made it a nice book to read.