Introduction:

I apologize that this is just a list of books. I thought I would have time to work on this post, but there was stuff I wanted to do that I had already put off doing earlier this week so I could work on favorite charters. After several attempts at writing something for yesterday’s topic, I just gave up: the bad thing about not writing reviews is that I was re-reading the books to refresh my memory and (hopefully) make better notes. My theme was favorite couples and guess who was couple #1? I spent more time re-reading parts of Magic Slays (and several other books) than actually taking notes. Not very productive.

There are two lists. I realized after I made my first list, it was just a list of “next in the series” books. I looked at my various wishlists and picked a few that caught my interest.

Looking Forward to: Next in Series Books
10. Blazing the Trail (Deborah Cooke) – 3rd and final book in The Dragon Diaries trilogy (Young Adult) (June 5, 2012)

09. Flashfire (Deborah Cooke) – 7th in the Dragonfire series (Paranormal Romance) (January 3, 2012)

08. Affairs of Steak (Julie Hyzy) – 5th in the White House Chef series (Mystery) (January 3, 2012)

07. Oracle’s Moon (Thea Harrison) – 4th in the Elder Races series (Paranormal Romance) (March 6, 2012)

06. Magic Unchained (Jessica Andersen) – 7th in The Final Prophecy series (Paranormal Romance) (April 3, 2012)

05. Sins of the Son (Linda Poitevin) – 2nd in the Grigori Legacy) (Urban Fantasy) (March 27, 2012)

04. Summoning the Moon (Jenn Bennett) – 2nd in the Arcadia Bell series (Urban Fantasy) (April 24, 2012)

03. Gunmetal Magic (Ilona Andrews) – 1st of Andrea’s series or Kate 5.5 or Kate 6?? (Urban Fantasy) (July 31, 2012)

(TIE)
These last two are truly My Most Anticipated Books. Had things gone differently, both would have been published years ago. It’s been a long time coming for both.

01. A Warrior’s Desire (Pamela Palmer) – 3rd in The Esri series. The first two books in this mini-series from Harlequin Nocturne came out in 2007 and 2008. Then the author sold two more series to other publishers (one of the series is her Feral Warriors). Between commitments and slot availability on the Nocturne publishing calendar, the last two books were delayed (she explained this on her forum). I’m so excited, I’ve read the excerpt several time already. (Paranormal Romance) (Jan/Feb 2012)

01. Star Wars: Darth Plagueis (James Luceno) – the book was originally scheduled to be released in 2008. In early 2007, it was pulled from the schedule. The powers that be had decided it wasn’t the right time to tell this story. Darth Plagueis is the guy Chancellor Palpatine is referring to when he’s talking to Anakin at the opera in Revenge of the Sith. He is Palpatine’s Master. It was a major let-down when I saw that it wasn’t coming out in 2008. I really wanted to read Palpatine’s backstory. I was so happy this summer when I learned it was back on the schedule. (Science Fiction) (January 10, 2012)

Honorable Mentions: Books that Caught My Eye

• Firelight (Darkest London) (Kristen Callihan) -  January 31, 2012.
• For Darkness Shows the Stars (Diana Peterfreund) – June 12, 2012.
• An Affair with Mr. Kennedy (The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard) (Jillian Stone) – January 31, 2012.
• Discount Armageddon: An InCryptid Novel (Seanan McGuire) – March 6, 2012

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I have a confession to make.

When it comes to book boyfriends. . .I’m monogamous.

You read that right. I only have one book boyfriend.

I can hear you saying, “Crazy woman! Why, with the smorgasbord available, would you settle for just one? The book-world is your oyster, girlfriend! We won’t judge.”

Yeah, I know. It’s just. . .I don’t know. It just the way I am, I suppose.

To me, “book boyfriend” implies someone who stays with you after you close the book, or he’s a central character in a series (like Harry Potter or Harry Dresden). I read a lot of romance series (paranormal or otherwise) this year. Oh, I may have fallen in love with the guy during his book — all those DarkRiver Sentinels, who can resist a damaged hero? — but they don’t stand a chance against the reoccurring hero.

I started more series that have reoccurring leads (new-to-me or debuts), but none have grown on me yet to the point of counting them as “book boyfriends”. Adam (from the Mercy Thompson series) has a slight edge, since he’s a shifter, but I don’t know him well enough. Bones (Night Huntress) doesn’t stand a chance: he’s a vampire and I’m picky about them. Jeff Martini (Katherine “Kitty” Katt series) is a hoot, but again, I just started the series.

The irony? I loved my book boyfriend from the first book.

So, who is he?

Here’s some hints: The series has been around for five years. In that time, he’s walked through fire, literally, to help the heroine on two separate occasions. In the heroine’s own words:

No matter where I was or how much trouble I was in, he would come to get me.  He would demolish the city to find me. I didn’t have to go at it alone.

Here’s another hint:

How about this hint?

Still no idea?  How about this one?

Still not sure? Here’s one last clue:

My book boyfriend is Curran, Beast Lord of Atlanta. In Magic Slays, he tells Kate emphatically he loves her and that she’s more important to him than the Pack. After the events in Magic Bleeds, he’s more than ready to leave Atlanta and the Pack, if Kate would feel safer someplace else. And Kate really needed to hear that from him in this book.

Even without Gordon Andrews’ Curran POV shorts, I would still have loved him, but those little insights have both reinforced my understanding of him and added to it.  My favorite, so far, is Curran’s reaction to Kate in Bernard’s (a scene from Magic Bleeds).

So.  There you have it.  My contribution to today’s topic.  And in honor of Book Boyfriends, I present this “musical interlude”.  I originally wanted to go with Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero”, but the official music video, with Bonnie dressed as a Western schoolmarm and fleeing her burning house, just turned me off — and I couldn’t find another I liked.  Thankfully, I remembered this song, which works just as well.  ENJOY!

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Introduction:
I read a lot of paranormal, urban fantasy, and sci-fi, but when it comes to cover art, I tend to like historicals and certain contemporary covers.

My favorite color is pink and that’s something that will catch my eye first. I usually like the pretty gowns worn by the cover models, even if they aren’t pink. I could easily buy, every month, all of the books in the Harlequin Historical category line based on the cover art alone.

After my list is the list “Lulu” came up with, including “her” reasoning. Don’t forget to vote in “her” poll.

10. Buffalo West Wing (The White House Chef #4) (Julie Hyzy) – I’ve liked every cover in this mystery series, but this one is my favorite of the bunch (so far). The title banner looks pink, but it’s actually a red foil — very nice. I like the color contrast between the sky surrounding the White House and the red title banner. I also the love the little details — the food, the note on the fridge door, and the box of chicken wings (so pivotal to the story) can be seen on the bottom shelf.

9. The Dragon and the Pearl (Jeannie Lin) – This is a Harlequin Historical, a category line that tends to be dominated by Regencies and Westerns. This is neither.  This book is set in 8th Century China and I love it for its uniqueness. I think it is very elegant and I love her robe.

8. Body Thief (The Body #2) (C. J. Barry) – When I featured it in a Waiting on Wednesday in October, I mentioned that I thought it was sort of sweet and romantic, and that it reminded me of “Sleeping Beauty”. I like the fact that neither the tile or the author’s name is obscuring the couple.

7. Winging It (The Dragon Diaries #2) (Deborah Cooke) – The cover art for the third book in this trilogy has been revealed and I have to say this one is my favorite. The cover is a darker coral than the picture depicts. I like the swirls of pink (naturally) and the dragon on her shirt.

6. Nearly a Lady (Alissa Johnson) – Like Body Thief, I thought this was a very sweet, romantic cover. The couple is absolutely adorable together and I love the color of her dress.

5. The Girl in the Steel Corset (Steampunk Chronicles #1) (Kady Cross) – The book cover reminded me of the Luxe series covers: young women in gorgeous, flowing gowns. Then you notice her right hand and “steel corset”. Very pretty.

4. No Proper Lady (Isabel Cooper) – Like The Girl in the Steel Corset, at first glance this looks like a typical historical romance cover. Until you see the markings on her back. I do like the shades of blue and how the pink lettering contrasts with the blue dress.

3. Dangerous in Diamonds (Rarest Blooms #4) (Madeline Hunter) – I really love this dress, though it is not my favorite of the Rarest Blooms — that would be Sinful in Satin (it’s pink!). I just wish the author’s name didn’t overwhelm the cover. Nevertheless, I think it’s beautiful.

2. Heiress in Love (Ministry of Marriage #1) (Christina Brooke) – Pink. Very, very pink. I also liked the fact that the title and author’s name doesn’t overpower the dress.

1. Lord and Lady Spy (Shana Galen) – Another pink cover. I liked this one better than Heiress in Love. I liked the dress more and I also like the hero — handsome and oh so serious looking.  Plus, neither of them is headless.  And did you notice her foot is lightly resting on a box labeled “explosives”?

~~ & ~~

Picking ten covers was a much easier process than picking yesterdays list — or would have, had I not used random.org for my favorite reads.   Even so, I did have a few moments of indecision on ranking, and I even made changes as I was explaining why I liked each piece.  This concludes my list.  Below you will find “Lulu’s”.

~~ & ~~

Lulu: Pink? Formal wear? She’s nuts! Who want to see that?! Here are my picks for Favorite covers.  What’s my theme?  Bare-chested men, of course.

10. Storm’s Heart (Elder Races #2) (Thea Harrison) – Great shot of his chest. Too bad it looks like the photographer didn’t center correctly and chopped off his head. I think it’s unfair that Tiago is headless. Dragos and Rune got heads. The djinn from the fourth book and the guy from the short story both got half a head — still better off than Tiago. Anyway. I also like his stance.

9. Kiss of Snow (Psy-Changeling #10) (Nalini Singh) – The long-awaited, highly anticipated book featuring Hawke and Sienna.  Impressive.  Pity it’s too close-in and the author’s name overwhelms the picture.  Actually, if her name was smaller, this would have ranked higher on the list, despite him being headless.  It is a very nice chest after all.

8. Dark Awakening (Dark Dynasties #1) (Kendra Leigh Castle) – Not a bad shot, even though he’s wearing a coat. The title and author’s name are out of the way, and even the tagline isn’t too distracting. However, the foggy, misty look makes things look fuzzy. The second book, Midnight Reckoning (due 1 January), has a better cover.

7. Dragon Warrior (Midnight Bay #2) (Janet Chapman) – Nice chest shot. However, the author’s name overwhelms the picture. I like that it also a “clear” shot — no fog, rain, snow, or misty-looking effect like the others.

6. Darkfire Kiss (Dragonfire #6) (Deborah Cooke) – Looking pretty good there, Rafferty. Title and author’s name are out of the way. Nice stance. However, Delaney (my fav!), Niall, and the new guy Lorenzo all have better covers. Still, your’s is way better than Erik’s.

5. Devil Without a Cause (The Devil’s Bargin #1) (Terri Garey) – Similar to Dark Awakening, but a much better execution.  Nothing’s obstructing the view of his chest: names, titles, taglines — all out of the way.  Nice stance, too.

4. Darkness Dawns (Immortal Guardians #1) (Dianne Duvall) – Another decent shot, despite the fact he’s wearing a shirt and standing at an angle — or sideways, if you prefer. The swirl graphic doesn’t overwhelm the cover and the title and author’s name are out of the way.

3. Raziel (The Fallen #1) (Kristina Douglas) – I had a difficult time deciding on how to rank this one.  Great chest shot, but the title and series name are displayed across it.  Compared to Dragon Warrior and Kiss of Snow, the words aren’t as overwhelming, so I felt it deserved to be ranked higher.

2. On the Hunt (Anthology) – This one wasn’t on the original list. Once I started writing about the covers, I found myself re-evaluating each one. I ended up making one of the initial picks an Honorable Mention and swapping out another entirely. I had to pick something to fill the slot vacated by the Honorable Mention. I passed on this one initially, but once I compared it to the others (and based on what I’ve written), I realized it deserves to be on this list. First off, he’s got a head! Okay, he’s missing his forehead, but still! Good chest shot, but the shadowing makes him look a little bruised. And the best thing: the names. Considering this is an anthology, and therefore has more names, it’s amazing that something didn’t get obscured.  Okay, his arm did.  But who cares about his arm?!

And Lulu’s Favorite Cover of 2011 is. . .

Red Heat (Men in Uniform #1) (Nina Bruhns) – I don’t have to say a thing, really, but I will. Impressive chest. Not a fan of tattoos. A simple one, like the one on his arm, I like; but the one on his chest seems as if it was just added to say “yes, he’s a Russian sub commander” (Nikolai does have this tattoo on his chest, so it’s accurate).  I wish the writing was a smidgen lower (do we really need to see the hat??), but I feel it is low enough to say it’s not overwhelming the view.  And this, my friends, is the cover I wish Kiss of Snow had — this could have been Hawke.

Honorable Mention
The Beholder (The Nightwalkers) (Connie Hall) – Pretty good chest shot, but his stance doesn’t help.  The title and name, though not as overwhelming as some, are a distraction because of it.  However, it is a full body shot that isn’t headless.  That, in itself, makes it worthy of mention.

~~ & ~~

Lulu: So, what do you think?  Who’ s list is better mine or Christina’s?  I created a little poll, so you can cast your vote anonymously.

~~ & ~~

Take Our Poll

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Introduction:

Hello! My name is Christina and welcome to my blog!  Before getting down to the business of sharing my Top 10 Reads of 2011, I thought I’d give you a bit of back-story about the list.

It started off as a list of 21 books that, to me, were 5-star books. Some had reviews, but most didn’t. After a few days of trying to whittle it down to 10, I gave up. I knew which book I thought should be #1, figuring out the other nine was frustrating. It seemed like it changed every time I sat down to look at it. Then I came across this event. At first, I passed on it, but then I got an idea, based on something I did back in 2008 (see paragraph 3). Naming the “personal demons” Bitsy and Lulu, back then, was unnecessary and spur-of-the moment. My idea for this week was to create a pair of imaginary hosts, personal demons, and have them deal with my inability to come up with a list by using Random.org. Yes, I did run my list through the randomizer (several times, in fact). It turned out to be very helpful. I was able to eliminate several books because they kept showing up in the top 10, displacing books I felt should have been closer to the top. I got the list down to 14 titles. I got all the posts set up as much as possible, ready for the actual lists. By this time, I was running into issues with book boyfriends and the other character-based list (cover art and 2012 lists were easy compared to the other three).

The problem with having imaginary hosts is that you have to write their parts as well as everything else — in other words, I was adding work to a situation that didn’t need the extra head-ache. I spent nearly the entire weekend of the 17th working on Day 1. . .and it still wasn’t done. By Tuesday, no progress was made so I decided to scrap Bitsy and Lulu from the project entirely. Well, almost entirely. The Top 10 remains random — the book in #1 slot isn’t the one I would have chosen. They also remain in two other spots: Lulu didn’t like my picks for cover art so she presented her own and set up a poll for visitors to vote on which they liked best — I had fun with this so I left the cover art and the poll; the second spot is the “musical interlude” (a YouTube video) they picked to amuse visitors while they were off sorting out my book boyfriend problems.

So. On with the list. . .

~~ & ~~

In the interest of full disclosure — I tweaked the list only once after randomizing it for the final time. The book currently sitting in the #10 spot was initially placed in the top 5. I would have made that book #9 or #10 (had I actually picked them) so I just did a one-for-one swap. Since the post was already set up for a countdown, I left it that way.

# 10. . .
Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy.
From my review in January —

This book is my favorite one, so far, in this series. The mystery and the secondary story lines really worked for me. Ollie has matured in her role as the executive chef. She’s gotten better at handling Peter Sargeant, the snobby and pompous sensitivity director, who constantly hopes she gets fired. Added to the mix is Virgil Ballantine, personal chef to the First Family. On several occasions, his actions either make Ollie look bad or puts her in a difficult position. Ollie handles each situation like a mature, reasonable adult. She is dedicated to doing her best, and doesn’t require the press and notoriety the others — people like Sargeant and Virgil — seek out.

Additional Remarks: It’s the fourth in the series and each book includes menus and recipes for dishes mentioned in the books!  The fifth book will be released on 3 January.

#9 . . .
Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin.
From my write-up in July —

“Raine reminded me of Kate Daniels in many was. She’s protective of those she cares about and she won’t sit idly by while others put themselves in danger because of her. Plus, she’s sarcastic.”

Additional Remarks:  It’s the first in the Raine Banares series.  One of the new-to-me series I will be continuing next year.

#8 is. . .
Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews
From my write-up in July. . .

“Love it. I liked that we got to see how Kate and Curran are coping with their relationship. I thought the dinner scene, the first few moments of it, had a “first date” vibe to it — shy and awkward. Very sweet. And who knew the Beast Lord was such a romantic.”

Additional Remarks: Still my all-time favorite Urban Fantasy series. The next book set in this world, Gunmetal Magic, is actually told from Andrea’s point of view. The authors stated on their blog that they had the Kate 6 story arc planned out and realized that they needed to resolve Andrea’s issues first before they can move the story forward.  The fact that the publishers went along with this book-detour speaks highly of their faith in this couple.  The next Kate-narrated book isn’t due out until 2013.

#7 is. . .
Red Heat by Nina Bruhns
From my notes –

I wish I could remember which review I read that inspired me to get this book. As soon as it came in, I started reading it — though I had only intended to read chapter one — and couldn’t put it down. One of the things I liked a lot was that I couldn’t figure out who was sabotaging the mission — any member of the crew or scientific team could be the culprit. The author never made anyone seem too secretive or too obvious. I was surprised.

Additional Remarks: This is the first book in the author’s Men in Uniform trilogy. Nikolai’s demotion to captaining an old, barely-holding-itself-together submarine is reminiscent of Kelsey Grammer’s in Down Periscope, a movie that the author calls “one of the best submarine movies ever made.” (scroll down past the excerpt to see her comment and a clip)

#6 is. . .
Unchained by Sharon Ashwood
From my review –

While re-reading parts of the book, to refresh my memory, I really fell in love with the characters. Okay… I fell in love with Reynard. His dilemma, even knowing how it ends, still got to me. I really do like Ashe, now that she isn’t butting heads with Holly, thinking she knows better than her little sis. And Miru-Kai. A character like him just doesn’t just disappear without being heard from again. I wonder when and where we’ll be seeing him again. I hope the author has plans for him.

Additional Remarks: This is the third book from The Dark Forgotten series and won the author a RITA in the Paranormal Romance category. Unfortunately, Frostbound (the fourth book) was also the last. The author has announced a new series she’s contracted for with Harlequin Nocturne.

#5 is. . .
Tiger Eye by Marjorie M. Liu
From my review —

I liked Dela and Hari. They’re both good, decent people. Hari’s been through a lot, but it never destroyed his core ethics. There were a couple of times I agreed with Hari and the others when Dela seemed to be a bit blasé about her safety — but I also agree with her reasoning, that she couldn’t just hide under the bed all the time either.  I really loved this book. One of the things I wanted to learn about was Dirk & Steele itself: how Dela was connected to it, what was its purpose. The game barely touches on it. I also wanted to know more about Roland, too, but like Charlie from “Charlie’s Angels”, he’s only heard from, not seen.

Additional Remarks: This is the first book in the Dirk & Steele series. One of my goals for next year is to get caught up with the series. Within the Flames, the 11th book, was recently released.

#4 is. . .
Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh
From my notes —

If Visions of Heat re-kindled my interest in this series, then Caressed by Ice solidified it. I loved this book. It was different from its two predecessors because the roles were reversed: it featured a male Psy and a female changeling, a SnowDancer wolf this time instead of a DarkRiver cat. Judd is already out of the Net, though he’s still connected to his small family one consisting of his brother Walker, his nieces Sienna and Marlee, and nephew Toby. His problems center around his very deadly abilities and the safeguards in place to protect those around him should he break conditioning. Brenna has come a long way since her rescue in the first book, but she’s still not completely healed. She’s also dealing with two overprotective brothers who are not happy about her growing interest in Judd. Another difference is the fact that Judd and Brenna aren’t complete strangers. Judd has lived with the wolves for some time, and though there may not have been much interaction prior to her abduction, he probably knew who she was at least. I’ve become a fan of this author and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Additional Remarks: Caressed by Ice is the third book in the Psy-Changeling series. My goal this year was to read all the books before the most recent, Kiss of Snow, was published in paperback. I almost reached it. I had only one more to read. Next year, I hope to read her Guild Hunter series.

#3 is. . .
Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch
From my July write-up —

I loved this book! I loved Kitty! And Jeff! And Kitty’s parents! I wish I’d started this series sooner. Thankfully, I have the next two on hand.

Additional Remarks: This is the first book in the Katherine “Kitty” Katt series. And it’s another series I hope to catch up with in 2012.

#2 is. . .
Storm’s Heart by Thea Harrison
From my notes —

I might be in the minority, but I liked this book more than Dragon Bound and Serpent’s Kiss. As much as I liked Dragos, I know that Pia’s got an uphill battle on her hands. And Rune and Carling as a couple didn’t work for me. However, I thought Tiago and Niniane had more of a true partnership. Tiago may be a warlord and used to being in charge, but he was also more adaptable. He and Niniane actually talk about things, discuss the future and the problems they are facing.

Additional Remarks:  This is the second book in the Elder Races series.  Had I actually picked the books, Storm’s Heart would have been in the top five.  It is the book I used to swap out Buffalo West Wing.

#1 is. . .
Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh
From my notes —

I loved the fact that both Mercy and Riley were Changelings, the first book where neither party is Psy (or part-Psy). I loved watching them try to figure out their relationship and how that will affect their standings in their respective packs

I liked Mercy. She’s a Sentinel, but she isn’t adverse to being mated and having children. She’s afraid that her dominant leopard will prevent her from accepting the mating bond. Now that Lucas and all the male Sentinels are mated, Mercy’s hard pressed to find a dominant male in the DarkRiver pack that can take her on. She’ll have to look elsewhere — or given into the temptation that is SnowDancer lieutenant Riley Kincaid.

Riley is the strong, silent type. He’s the calm, level-headed one, which is why Hawke made him the liaison to DarkRiver in the first place. He still suffers guilt for not being able to protect his baby sister Brenna, who he raised from near infancy after the death of their parents. Riley’s first instinct is to protect, something that Mercy baulks at — she’s fully capable of taking care of herself.

There are a lot of other things going on in the book — stuff the deals with the on-going plots concerning the Psy Council, the Human Alliance, and the Ghost. Plus, we get a bit more about Hawke and the situation with Sienna, and Sascha gets two very different surprises.

Additional Remarks: This is the sixth book in the Psy-Changeling series.  I fell in love with this series this year and that probably contributed to my problems choosing books for this list. Though Branded by Fire is NOT the book I would have chosen as #1, I was content to leave it in place when I randomized the list for the final time — same with Caressed by Ice.

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Event: Top Ten Week
When: 26 – 30 December 2011
Who: Several hostesses, so I just picked one to link to: Fiktshun
What: A daily event, where participants reveal their top ten picks of 2011 in several categories, and the ten books they’re looking forward to in 2012.  For more information and sign-up, visit the link above.

The schedule:

26 December – Top 10 I’ve Read in 2011 – Not limited to books published this year – The day where I reveal which books were my absolute favorites, which should be quiet the task as half the list is Psy-Changeling (okay, so I’m exaggerating a little…but there are 6 of them in the running!).

27 December – Top 10 Covers of 2011 -  Published in 2011 (whether you read them or not).  The day we all look at some pretty pictures and showcase any book published this year, but didn’t get read.

28 December – Top 10 Book Boyfriends in 2011 – From books read in 2011 – Stop by and find out who is, and isn’t, on that list.

29 December – Top 10 Characters of 2011 – Reader’s choice, so to speak.  It can be anything, as long as it’s character based:  favorite secondary characters, villains, heroines, etc.  I’m not sure what my list will be, since I have more than one idea.

30 December – Top 10 I’m Looking Forward to in 2012 – What all the Christmas gift cards/money will be spent on.  The optional part of the post will be any stats (number pages, books, etc) we might want to include.  Since this will coincide with a read-a-thon, I might hold off with finalizing my stats until the 31st.

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The list isn’t in any particular ranking order. I’ve tried to keep it in the order I read the books. A few even have reviews.

January

I started the year out with a new author and series to follow. . .

Black Wings (Christina Henry) (Madeline Black #1) – A quote from my review: “The story is nearly non-stop action. I found it hard to put down at times because I was caught up in what was going on and I wanted to know what would happen next. I will definitely be reading the next book.”

And the next book in a favorite series.

Buffalo West Wing (Julie Hyzy) (White House Chef #4) – A quote from my review:  “This book is my favorite one, so far, in this series. The mystery and the secondary story lines really worked for me. Ollie has matured in her role as the executive chef.”

February

The love of power. . .

Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil (Drew Karpyshyn) (Darth Bane #3) – A quote from my review: “I loved this book. It was so much better than Rule of Two. I’ve enjoyed reading the Darth Bane trilogy, having a Sith as the main character and rooting for someone who would ordinarily be considered the villain.”

and the power of love.

Unchained (Sharon Ashwood) (The Dark Forgotten #3) – A quote from my review:  “I fell in love with Reynard. His dilemma, even knowing how it ends, still got to me. I really do like Ashe, now that she isn’t butting heads with Holly, thinking she knows better than her little sis.”

March

The official start of  my reading roll.  It was also the month the bookshelf bingo game began.

From Austin, Texas. . .

Queen of Shadows (Dianne Sylvan) (Shadow World #1) – A quote from the game:  “The characters really made this book for me. Miranda was a strong character and I liked her a lot.”

To outer-space.

Song of Scarabaeus (Sara Creasy) (Scarabaeus #1) – A quote from the game:  “I loved it.”  Science Fiction, with romantic elements.  Edie’s valuable because of her abilities and Finn is considered expandable because he’s a slave.  Both want to be free.

April

April was the month I finally got around to starting The Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) (The Hunger Games #1) – A quote from the game:  “I liked Katniss right away.  Her having to shoulder so much responsibility at such a young age, not one to trust others easily, or get too close to them emotionally.  I saw and understood how all that colored her thinking.”

A book with a different take on vampires. . .

Darkness Dawns (Dianne Duvall) (Immortal Guardians #1) – A quote from my review:  “Though [Sarah] wouldn’t last long going up against a vampire alone, she’s no helpless damsel-in-distress either. She save Roland’s life. She strong enough not to fall to pieces at the first sign of danger. She’s pretty good with a gun, having learned to use one while she was living in Texas, and she can definitely fight back — she stabs someone in the butt.”

May

In May, I read three books in Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series:

Visions of Heat (Bk #2), Caressed by Ice (Bk #3), Mine to Possess (Bk #4) – Though I had a lukewarm opinion of the first book in this series, I had intended to give the series another chance. I finally got around to reading the second book and was hooked! I literally scarfed up the next two as well. I plan to get caught up with this series, so when Hawke’s book comes out in paperback, I can just jump right in.

Also — a fantasy that read almost like an urban fantasy:

Magic Lost, Trouble Found (Lisa Shearin) (Raine Benares #1) – A quote from the game: “Raine reminded me of Kate Daniels in many was.  She’s protective of those she cares about and she won’t sit idly by while others put themselves in danger because of her.  Plus, she’s sarcastic.”

June

June was all about love!

Magic Slays (Ilona Andrews) (Kate Daniels #5) – From my comment on Goodreads: ” Love it. I liked that we got to see how Kate and Curran are coping with their relationship.  I thought the dinner scene, the first few moments of it, had a “first date” vibe to it — shy and awkward.  Very sweet.  And who knew the Beast Lord was such a romantic.”

Renegade Angel (Kendra Leigh Castle) – From my comment on Goodreads:  “I loved it. I felt it could have been a feature length book and I wonder if the author plans to write more set in this world. There were plenty of secondary characters that I would have liked to know more about.”

Frostbound (Sharon Ashwood) (The Dark Forgotten #4) – I’ve loved this series from the first.  Like the others, there is a strong family theme.  Lore and Talia are perfect for each other.

Red Heat (Nina Bruhns) (Men in Uniform #1) – As I stated in the June update, this was an unexpected read for me.  I got hooked from the first page.

Touched by an Alien (Gini Koch) (Katherine “Kitty” Katt #1) – I loved this book!  I loved Kitty!  And Jeff!  And Kitty’s parents! I wish I’d stated this series sooner.  Thankfully, I have the next two on hand.

And that’s it!

My “Santa” was Melissa (Must Read Faster) and she chose, from my wishlist, this book:

Thank you, Melissa! I smiled when I opened the box and saw the book. I just started reading the Night Huntress series, so it will be a bit before I get to her spin-off series. It will sit on the shelf for now, there for me to pick up, when the time comes.

Wow!  Two years already. Time flies, does it not? I have 220 posts, so that’s about 110 posts a year. Some other random facts:

• My post about These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer is still the most view book review post.
• “Mr & Mrs Darcy” is still the most common search phrase used to bring people here.
• With the third Kate Daniels book due in stores, there has been an increase in the number of search terms relating to the series popping up in my stats.   There has also been an increase in the number of views for each Kate Daniels related post.

I’ve been on such a reading roll lately that I’ve fallen way behind in writing/posting my thoughts.  I ought to be scribbling away, right now, before LOST comes on…

Actually…I loved the expression on the cat’s face.

And the Norse theme fits in with the book I am currently reading (Dark Crusade by Lori Devoti). No cats, though.

This should surprise no one:

Magic Strikes

Nor this one. Oooo. Another purple cover…

Dark Crusade

Another book by the same author as above:

Amazon Ink

The next two are by the same author (Pamela Palmer). Anxiously waiting to hear when Book 3 in The Esri will be released:

Desire Untamed

Sapphire Dream

Nalini Singh’s new series:

Angels' Blood

These I’ll order directly from Harlequin:

The Whispering Room

Silent on the Moor

Midnight Cravings