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:

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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The year’s not over with yet, but with the holidays coming up and a list of things I still want to do (top ten list, challenge wrap-ups, goals for 2012, etc.), I thought I’d post this now and do a follow-up later, if needed. Plus, if I never get around to writing all the reviews, at least I have one post I can refer to.  The books are listed in the order in which they were read.

5 Stars

Buffalo West Wing (Hyzy, Julie) {16 Jan 11}
Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil (Karpyshyn, Drew) {6 Feb 11}
Unchained (Ashwood, Sharon) {26 Feb 11}
Queen of Shadows (Sylvan, Dianne) {14 Mar 11}
Song of Scarabaeus (Creasy, Sara) {23 Mar 11}
The Hunger Games (Collins, Suzanne) {6 Apr 11}
Visions of Heat (Singh, Nalini) {12 May 11}
Magic Lost Trouble Found (Shearin, Lisa) {21 May 11}
Caressed by Ice (Singh, Nalini) {22 May 11}
Mine to Possess (Singh, Nalini) {24 May 11}
Magic Slays (Andrews, Ilona) {1 Jun 11}
Renegade Angel (Castle, Kendra Leigh) {6 Jun 11}
Frostbound (Ashwood, Sharon) {13 Jun 11}
Red Heat (Bruhns, Nina) {22 Jun 11}}
Touched by an Alien (Koch, Gini) {30 Jun 11}
Dragon Bound (Harrison, Thea) {2 Jul 11}
Storm’s Heart (Harrison, Thea) {5 Aug 11}
Branded by Fire (Singh, Nalini) {15 Aug 11}
Tiger Eye (Liu, Marjorie M.) {4 Sep 11}
Blaze of Memory (Singh, Nalina) {18 Sep 11}
Bonds of Justice (Singh, Nalini) {23 Oct 11}

4 Stars

Black Wings (Henry, Christina) {4 Jan 11}
Blood Spells (Andersen, Jessica) {20 Feb 11}
Whisper Kiss (Cooke, Deborah {28 Feb 11}
Paying the Virgin’s Price (Merrill, Christine) {12 Mar 11}
Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Vaughn, Carrie) {19 Mar 11}
A Taste of Magic (Madison, Tracy) {31 Mar 11}
Bound by Shadow (Windsor, Anna) {11 Apr 11}
Darkness Dawns (Duvall, Dianne) {17 Apr 11}
Visions of Magic (Hastings, Regan) {24 Apr 11}
Beyond the Night (Ware, Joss) {29 Apr 11}
Secret Society Girl (Peterfreund, Diana) {1 May 11}
Halfway to the Grave (Frost, Jeaniene) {9 May 11}
Just the Sexiest Man Alive (James, Julie) {2 Jun 11}
Master of None (Bateman, Sonya) {5 Jun 11}
Stormwalker (James, Allyson) {11 June 11}
Cold as Ice (Stuart, Anne) {4 Jul 11}
Sylvester (Heyer, Georgette) {10 Jul 11}
Kiss of Midnight (Adrian, Lara) {25 Jul 11}
Marked (Naughton, Elisabeth) {31 Jul 11}
Hostage to Pleasure (Singh, Nalini) {8 Aug 11}
Blood Bound (Briggs, Patricia) {13 Aug 11}
Heiress in Love (Brooke, Christina) {20 Aug 11}
A Regimental Murder (Gardner, Ashley) {27 Aug 11}
Kindling the Moon (Bennett, Jenn) {2 Sep 11}
Kiss of Crimson (Adrian, Lara) {8 Sep 11}
His Majesty’s Dragon (Novik, Naomi) {17 Sep 11}
Murder with Puffins (Andrews, Donna) {20 Sep 11}
Sins of the Angels (Poitevin, Linda) {30 Sep 11}
The Brain and the Beauty (Eliot, Betsy) {6 Oct 11}
Shadow Kin (Scott, M. J.) {8 Oct 11}
Flying Blind (Cooke, Deborah) {11 Oct 11}
Black Night (Henry, Christina) {29 Oct 11}

3 Stars

The Painted Lady (Metzger, Barbara) {10 Jan 11}
Not Without Her Family (Andrews, Beth) {24 Jan 11}
The Lord and Wayward Lady (Allen, Louise) {30 Jan 11}
Persecuted (Childs, Lisa) {27 Mar 11}
Hot Mama (Estep, Jennifer) {15 Apr 11}
Darkfire Kiss (Cooke, Deborah) {29 May 11}
Jedi Twilight (Reaves, Michael) {17 Jul 11}
Pride Mates (Ashley, Jennifer) {24 Aug 11}
Passions of a Wicked Earl (Heath, Lorraine) {24 Sep 11}
Viper Moon (Roland, Lee) {29 Sep 11}
Serpent’s Kiss (Harrison, Thea) {6 Nov 11}

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Waiting on Wednesdays is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, featuring upcoming releases we’re eagerly anticipating.

I’m a big fan of Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels series, and I really like the world this couple created in their Edge series.

Fate's Edge (Ilona Andrews)

Title: Fate’s Edge
Author:  Ilona Andrews
Release Date: November 29, 2011 (Ace)
ISBN: 978-0-441-02086-7
Series: The Edge #3
Genre: Paranormal Romance

From Goodreads.com: Audrey Callahan left behind her life in the Edge, and she’s determined to stay on the straight and narrow. But when her brother gets into hot water, the former thief takes on one last heist and finds herself matching wits with a jack of all trades.  Kaldar Mar-a gambler, lawyer, thief, and spy-expects his latest assignment tracking down a stolen item to be a piece of cake, until Audrey shows up. But when the item falls into the hands of a lethal criminal, Kaldar realizes that in order to finish the job, he’s going to need Audrey’s help.

What book are you eagerly waiting for?

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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!

Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

Title: Magic Bleeds
Author: Ilona Andrews
Copyright: 2010 (Ace); 349 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-441-01852-9
Series: Kate Daniels # 4
Genre: Urban Fantasy
**** SPOILERS ****

From the back:  Kate Daniels works for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, officially, as a liaison with the mercenary guild. Unofficially, she cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to handle — especially if they involve Atlanta’s shapeshifting community. When she’s called in to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar on the border between the territories of the shapeshifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers there’s a new player in town. One who’s been around for thousands of years — and rode to war at the side of Kate’s father. This foe may be too much even for Kate and Curran, the Beast Lord, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family.

**** SPOILERS ****

1. Reason for choosing this book:
I chose this book because it’s my #1 favorite Urban Fantasy series.

2. Reasons for liking/disliking this book:
The characters. Kate’s a strong person, but she still can be hurt, both physically and emotionally. Same with Curran — Gordon’s Curran POV for this book illustrated how much Kate means to him.

Some observations/thoughts:

• After reading the prologue, way back before the book came out, I speculated that the reason Curran was a no show was due to loups. It was the first thing that made any sense to me. I never believed for a moment that he’d stand her up on purpose: he won a bet involving food and a scantily clad Kate — he’d been hauling rocks for weeks and he’s had plenty of time to fantasize about the evening. Nothing short of his duty to the Pack and injury/death would keep him from attending.
• Did Mahon have a hand in the two challenges that prevented Curran from going to Savannah? I can’t see him deliberately goading his people into challenging Curran — that would be throwing aways lives, plus one might have gotten REALLY lucky and beat Curran (I know, impossible, but still…). Yet, it seems too coincidental to be a random, unrelated thing.
• Even if Curran had gone to Savannah, some variation of the breakfast table conversation that takes place later in the book would have occurred — and with the same results.
• It’s good to know that I wasn’t wrong about Roland targeting the Pack because they’ve become too powerful. Makes me even more interested to know the details behind why and how Greg gained Friend of the Pack status. Did he know about Curran’s background?
• Aunt B explains it all. Again!! One of my favorite scenes in the book.
• Some interesting new characters: Barabas, Jezebel, and Naeemah. I wonder if we’ll be seeing Naeemah again in future books. And Grendel.
• Still don’t like Saiman. Still don’t trust him.
• Good to see Dali again.
• Great antagonist! And what a hoot. The scene in Kate’s apartment is great. Calling the apartment a hovel! Giving relationship advice. Too funny.
• Looking forward to seeing what happens with Andrea and the Order.

3. Reasons for recommending this book:
There’s a little of everything in it: action (okay, maybe more than a little of this), romance, humor, great characters (as I type this, I can’t help thinking about Peter Falk’s character in The Princess Bride movie — the book gets a number of mentions/references in Magic Bleeds)

Favorite Quote:
“We should clap or something,” Curran said. “She’s trying so hard.”
“Maybe we could scrounge up some panties to throw.”
– Curran, Kate

Rating:

LOVED IT !!

Started: 16 May 2010
Finished: 16 May 2010

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Other books in the Series:

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Disclaimer: I purchased this book.

Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews

Title: Bayou Moon
Author: Ilona Andrews
Copyright: 2010 (Ace); 447 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-441-01945-8
Series: The Edge #2
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Paranormal Romance

After helping Declan and Rose defeat Casshorn, William Wolf, a.k.a. Lord William Sandine, has spent the last two years working in the Broken (the real world) and living in The Edge.. Though he has his freedom to come and go as he pleases, William is lonely. Hearing from Jack and George, Rose’s younger brothers, only re-enforces the fact. So when the Adrianglian secret service comes to him with a mission to take down an old enemy, known as Spider, William jumps at the chance.

Cerise Mar is a native of the Mire, a swampy part of the Edge that borders Louisiana. The sprawling Mars family has been feuding with another clan — the Sheeriles — for decades. With the sudden disappearance of her parents, Cerise is left in charge of the Mars clan. It’s her duty to find out what happen to her parents, and take action against the responsible parties. Cerise is strong and capable. She’s an excellent swords woman and can use her flash in conjunction with her weapon. She’s smart and resourceful, too. But as strong and capable as she is, Cerise also feels lonely. Influenced no doubt by the examples of her loving parents and grandparents, Cerise would like to find someone she could love and who would love her in return, despite her eccentric family and their Mire ways.

Cerise and William’s paths cross while traveling between the Broken and the Edge. Cerise thinks that William is a Weird blue blood and believes he doesn’t stand a chance in the Mire. When things go wrong on the trip, they end up having to cooperate with each other, and each learns there is more to the other than each initially thought. A mutual appreciation for each others’ skills and abilities develops and, from there, a deeper attraction grows. Their timing couldn’t be worse for exploring a relationship. As much as William wants her, he doubts whether Cerise would want to be his mate. It doesn’t help that she might misconstrue his motives — Spider has taken an interest in her and her family and William doesn’t want her to think he’s using her to get to Spider. As for Cerise, she’s been burned before, and carrying the burden of responsibility for the Mars clan isn’t making things easier.

Comments:  As much as I loved the other books written by this couple, I struggled with this one. “Struggled” may not be the right word. I went days without reading it, and then I would only read a few pages before putting it down again. It isn’t the characters. I actually loved both Cerise and William better than Rose and Declan, and my favorite parts of the book are scenes with just the two of them. Cerise’s family was interesting and I liked several of them. I thought Spider with a great antagonist and I wish there had been more of him in the book — in some cases, spending too much time with the villain is a bad thing, but I don’t think this would have been the case with Spider. Oh, and I absolutely loved the courtroom scene.

Ilona is a great story teller. Even when she’s just relating something funny about her family, the pets, or life in general on her blog, I enjoy her writing. It’s been a real head-scratcher trying to figure out why this one didn’t hold me like the rest (the only reason my thoughts on Magic Bleeds hasn’t been written up yet is that I have a very bad habit of either going off on tangents or reading the book, not writing anything coherent). I did have a hard time picturing what Spider’s henchmen looked like, so in my mind’s eye, William and Cerise were usually being attacked by vague-looking things — not the least bit scary or threatening. I’m sure that’s just me, though, because that will happen with other books that I love (still not sure if I’m imagining the warrior form correctly when I read the Kate Daniels series).

So, in the end, there were many little things I truly loved about the book, but I can’t really articulate what wasn’t working for me. I plan on reading the next book in the series.

Started: ??
Finished: 31 October 2010

Rating:

Enjoyed it!

Disclaimer: I purchased this book.

The meme is hosted by Reading at the Beach.

The rules are very simple: spotlight a book written by an author whose first or last name begins with the featured letter. Include the book cover, title and author, a synopsis, and link(s) to retailer(s). If it’s a book you’ve already reviewed, link to the review. Return to Reading at the Beach and leave a link in the comments.

This week’s letter is: I

This week pick: Ilona Andrews — Bayou Moon

Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews

What the book’s about: Set in the same world as On the Edge, it features William, a wolf changeling, who is recruited by the Weird’s secret service to eliminate one of it’s greatest adversary, and hopefully prevent a war between two rival nations in the Weird. Cerise Mar, a native of the Mire (the bayou), is trying to find her parents and stop her family’s land from falling into the hands of a rival clan. Their paths cross and William learns that the man who’s responsible for taking Cerise’s parents is the same man he’s hunting. Much blood shed will ensue before William and Cerise get their Happily Ever After (it has a strong romantic story line).

Why this book?: It was inevitable. I’m a fan of her Kate Daniels series and I really liked the first book set in The Edge. I’m approximately 100 pages into it, and it looks like it’s going to be better than the first.  It’s also the longest book Ilona and Gordon have written. It comes in at 447 pages, not including the Magic Slays teaser (Kate #5).

Note: The link below is to Fantastic Fiction, which has a variety of purchase options (including on-line secondary markets) for the US and UK.

Bayou Moon (Andrews, Ilona) at Fantastic Fiction.

Teaser Tuesdays asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Please avoid spoilers!

Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews

The teaser:

To the left, a skinny woman in booth decorated with a velvet painting of Elvis muttered non-stop to a pair of macaws in a cage. The birds, wet from the damp air, huddled together and probably plotted to kill her if the cage was ever opened.
– from page 36, Bayou Moon (Ilona Andrews)

Why I picked this book: My current read.  And because it is written by a favorite author who usually has a bit of humor in her books.

Your browsing through your feed reader (or whatever) and you come across a book cover for a book that’s not out yet, but the couple on the front looks just like/reminds you of characters from a totally different book??

It happened to me recently.  I was just minding my own business and suddenly, there they were:

The hero had short blond hair and well-muscled.  The heroine had long brown hair and it looked like she could wield a sword.   It was them. . .

Kate and Curran.

The cover reminded a little of the scene in Magic Strikes, near the end of Chapter 27. They just defeated a silver golem and both are wounded. Kate chews him out and Curran swoops her into his arms and asks if she had been worried about him.

Here’s the book cover. Cassie Ryan’s Seducing the Succubus. Added to the wishlist.

“Kiss me and I’ll kill you,” [Kate] warned.
“It might be worth it,” [Curran] said softly.