This Side of the Grave

Title:This Side of the Grave
Author:Jeaniene Frost
Genre:Paranormal Romance
Pages:357 (paperback)
Copyright:2011
Main Characters:Catherine (Cat) Crawfield;Bones
Supporting Characters:Vlad, Mencheres, Fabian, Don...etc etc etc to all of the other characters we love so much.

This Side of the Grave is the 5th installment of Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress Series and the 7th book in the 'Night Huntress World'. I started reading this series after picking up Death's Excellent Vacation, mainly to read Charlaine Harris' newest Sookie story, and finding 'One for the Money' a Cat & Bones short story taking place after the 4th book in the series, Destined for an Early Grave. Let's just say I was totally hooked.  I went back to buy the first 4 books and the 2 spin offs First Drop of Crimson and Eternal Kiss of Darkness. This was in January. Here's a little history on the series.


Cat and Bones met 7+ years ago when a younger Cat Crawfield was hunting Vampires. Bones is a Century++ old Master vampire who also happens to be a vampire bounty hunter.  When Cat kills Bones' target he kidnaps her for answers. Only after realizing that Cat herself is a half vamp does Bones offer to train her to suit both their needs. Soon Cat finds Bones irresistible, what with his chiseled cheek bones and the way his British accent purrs the word 'Kitten', who wouldn't.  The 2 are an unmatchable team but Cat decides leaving Bones is the only way to keep him safe...fast forward to book 2 and everything has changed. Cat now works for the government and Bones never stopped looking for her *sigh*. As to not give to much away I'll just say the next 3 books are a fast paced roller coaster ride of emotions (tears were shed) leading up to this new installment.


In This Side of the Grave, Cat and Bones are trying to prevent ANOTHER war from breaking out. I mean seriously this would be the 3rd. It seems the only way to do this is to once again enlist all of the friends we've met along the way, including Mencheres with recently turned Kira (Kiss of Eternal Darkness) Spade *sigh again* and his wife the Demon marked Denise (First Drop of Crimson) along with the glorious Vlad, hunky Tate, ghostly Fabian, Flesh Eater Dave and the ever fun Ian...to name a few. Although a group of Ghouls is hell-bent on using Cat as their starter fluid in this uprising she has decided that's just not gonna happen. With a little sneaky help from the famed ghoul Majestic (you'll have to read to believe), Cat just might beat the clock on her time limit...but just barely.

Expect a few tears, I always do, because Ms. Frost once again pulls on those heartstrings.  These books have fast become some of my favorites and I'd reccomend them to everyone who loves a great supernatural/paranormal story, in fact I already have. Read them you won't be dissapointed.

One last thing. Is it September yet?

Buy this Book--This Side of the Grave on Amazon

Catching Up!!

I've been sooooo behind on blogging my favorite books *shakes fists at the Holidays* so to play a little catch up I'll fill you in on what I've been reading.

First up Julia Quinn's Bridgerton Series.

 
This Historical Romance Series follows the 8 Briderton Siblings find love. It's spread throughout several years as Hyacinth, the baby of the family, hasn't even hit puberty when sister Daphne meets her Duke in book 1. I LOVED this series. Ms. Quinn takes you on the journey with the 4 Bridgerton boys and their 4 sisters. Anthony, Benedict, Collin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hyacinth with all capture your heart and you'll find it hard to pick a favorite. But here's my secret, I love a book that makes me cry so I'm partial to 'When He Was Wicked' (featuring Francesca).

These are probably Ms. Quinns most popular books/characters so look to her Website to view the second epilogues for these fan favorites. Enjoy!!


Next up is Michelle Rowen's
   Immortality Bites Series.

This Supernatural Romance series follows new vampire Sarah Dearly and friends battle all the wrongdoers and fang haters. With her older than dirt boyfriend/adoptive sire Thierry, 'I wanna be a vampire too' best friend, Slayer turned Vamp Quinn (Lady & the Vamp) and timid warewolf pet you'd think Sarah has enough to deal with. Unfortunately she's not that lucky...everyone seems to be after the sassy star of these books.

If you're looking for a fun little series that lacks a little spice in the *ahem* bedroom, this is one for you. I've actually really enjoyed all of Ms. Rowen's books I've read and I'm looking forward to reading her 'Living in Eden' series which the first 2 books are waiting for me on my bookshelf. 

If you're looking for more information on this series or any of Michelle Rowen's other series you can go to her website

Ben & Fran

I've been waiting for these 2 books for quite a while, but first you need a little background.  Katie MacAlister first introduced Francesca Ghetti and Benedikt Czerny in 2005, writing under Katie Maxwell for a young adult audience.  Unfortunately after 2 books in the series she was forced to put Ben and Frans story on hold until now.  I hadn't read either of the original books but lucky for us, they were re-released together in Confessions of a Vampires Girlfriend.

Title:Confessions of a Vampires Girlfriend (Got Fangs? & Circus of the Darned)

Author:Katie MacAlister writing as Katie Maxwell

Genre:YA Paranormal

Pages:348

Copyright:2005 & 2006 (re-release 2010)

Main Characters: Francesca 'Fran' Ghetti and Benedikt 'Ben' Czerny

Supporting Characters:Imogen Sorik, Miranda Ghetti, Soren Sauber

Got Fangs...Fran is 16 and would love nothing more than to be a normal teenager, but normal was never in the cards for her.  She describes herself as 6ft tall and built like a linebacker and it doesn't help that she can read your  emotions with one touch.  Although she's quite 'special' you'd never notice because she travels with the GothFaire her Wiccan mother works for. Yep, when you're surrounded by Moravians, mind readers and magicians being tall is nothing. That is until her friend Imogen's brother comes for a visit.

Benedikt just happens to be 300+ years old and has an appetite for blood. Fran knows he's a Vamp...ahem...Dark One...the moment they meet but she is surprised when she realizes they can read each others minds.  Ben is immediately aware that Fran is his Beloved (more on that later) but is willing to wait on Fran to grow up before they join.  The only thing Fran cares is that Ben is taller then her and she can touch him without passing out, that is until she finds out someone wants him dead.  With a not so little push from her mother, a new horse to take care of and a knee melting kiss, Fran decides to figure out who is stealing from the faire and who wants to stake her possible future at the same time.

Circus of the Darned...All Fran wants is to do is go on a date with her undead beau Ben. Too bad the fates have something else in mind.  Ben is keeping bloody secrets, Soren finds Tesla stolen and now the Valknut, Tibolt gave her for safe keeping has helped to inadvertently raise 12 long dead Vikings.  Vikings who expect "Goddess" Fran to get them to Valhalla... what's a girl to do. 

It takes several members of the Faire and a little mental shower scene to help Fran work out her problems, but in the end Ben still wants her, Tesla is home safe and sound and all her new bloodthirsty Viking friends have moved on.  She may have missed a first date opportunity but hey, she got some great advice and they have time....I mean Ben and Fran do have forever...right?

Buy This Book--Confessions of a Vampire's Girlfriend on Amazon

Title:In the Company of Vampires

Author:Katie MacAlister

Genre:Paranormal Romance

Pages:334
Copyright:2010
Main Characters:Francesca 'Fran' Ghetti and Benedikt 'Ben' Czerny

Supporting Characters: Imogen, Naomi, David and the 3 coolest Vikings warriors to ever walk the earth...again...Eirik, Finnvid and Isleif.

In the Company of Vampires finds our friend Fran in Oregon, confused and living with a girl named Geoff...and did I mention she hasn't seen Ben in about 5 years. Yeah, how could anyone stay away from Ben that long, especially someone who's supposed to return his soul.  Fran thinks she's content in the life she's made for herself. She's finished college and is about to take a job with her dad in California when someone kidnaps Geoff right off their doorstep and 3 Vikings, she knows to have been sent on, show up with plenty of weasel gold to go around. If that's not enough Fran can't seem to get in touch with her mother, could it be the God Loki has finally sought revenge on her after all these years?  After catching the first flight she could to Germany, Fran, Eirik, Finnvid and Isleif show up at GothFaire to search out the whereabouts of her mom.  Unfortunately for her (fortunately for us) Ben is there as well.  Although she's the one who initiated the breakup, when Fran catches a topless Ben (all the girls stand up and cheer) in the bed of another woman, her heart is absolutely broken. After all he claimed to Fran I'd be irked too. 

Even though Fran swears up and down she's done with Ben, she practically melts when he shows up in her trailer trying to explain he's never betrayed her.  With everything worked out, and the newer more mature Fran giving Ben a blessing to continue seeing Naomi (it's all an act you see), The Virgin Goddess Fran and her Viking Warriors start looking for clues.  With her days filled with mommy searching, God summoning, and of course weapon shopping you'd think Fran would be to tired for Ben at night...you'd be wrong.  In fact I'd have to say this book has one of my favorite sex scenes...probably ever.

Ok moving on...at first Fran is still skeptical about the whole Beloved thing (you see a Beloved is the one woman who can redeem a Dark Ones missing soul after taking the 7 steps in joining) but after realizing she truly does love Ben and him her she has Ben break into a hotel so they can take the final steps(Finally right?).  With that done, they're off in search of the illargi who has Miranda and also for Fran to meet her long lost half sister.

I'm not going to lie, I loved both books and I now realize why the people who had read the originals were so excited for the next chapter in Ben and Frans Saga.  Ben is probably one of my favorite male characters in all of Katie MacAlisters book, and that's saying alot (can we say Adrian, Kristoff, Christain, Baltic, Gabe, Drake, Paen...oh the list goes on and on). All and all...you need to read every book she's ever written.

Buy This Book--In the Company of Vampires on Amazon

Undead and Unfinished

Title:Undead and Unfinished
Author:MaryJanice Davidson

Genre:Paranormal Romance

Pages:296(hard cover)

Main Characters:Elizabeth 'Betsy' Taylor; Eric Sinclair; Laura

Supporting Characters:Jessica, Marc, Tina, the Ant, and Satan (yes you heard me)

Before I start rambling about 'Undead and Unfinished' I should let you know this post will have MAJOR SPOILERS! I can't help it! Also I'll start out with a quick recap of the last 8 books...stick with me!

...Where to begin? So Betsy Taylor is your average 30 year old ex-model/currently unemployed secretary who just happens to have a super rich best friend...and did I mention she wakes up a vampire. The last 8 books of this 'Undead' series were incredible, lets see if I can get everything across. Betsy is fired and then plowed down by a car on her 30th birthday (as if that's not bad enough already). Several days later she wakes up caked in makeup wearing a hideous suit and even worse shoes..thus begins the story. Since then she's found out the (a) she's the Vampire Queen fated to rule for 5000 years next to the hunka, hunka burning vampire, Eric Sinclair, who she initially hates to love. And (b) her hair will always look awesome. After her super rich bff Jessica buys a mansion on Summit Ave, Dread Queen Betsy, her King, his minion Tina, Jessica, and Mr. I almost jumped off a building Marc move in. Throughout the book we're visited by numerous ghosts, fiends, cops, werewolves and even a Zombie or 2. A couple books back...before her and Sink Lair get married but after the fiends kill Nostril...we meet Laura, she happens to be the daughter of the Devil and also Betsy's half sister (you'll have to read them all to really understand) and also see Betsy inherit a son/brother in BabyJon. Unfortunately over the course of 8 (did I mention awesome) books we see Betsy lose friends too, and here we are starting book 9. Betsy, Sinclair, Jessica and BabyJon are back from Cape Cod and we're (as in the devoted readers) ready to see what's in store for our favorite Vampire Queen....

Book 9, 'Undead and Unfinished', sees Betsy and Laura in The Mall of America...again. But we don't get to stay there long. After Betsy gets in a huge fight with Sinclair, she decides traveling to Hell with Laura beats staying in the house. After arriving and finding the Ant as Satan's right hand lady, the Devil herself (yes she's a chick) tells Laura she wants to retire and hand over the reins to Laura, but first Laura has to master time travel. With Betsy's help, Laura first pulls the duo back in time to the Salem Witch Trials and at that point I knew this wasn't going to be your average Betsy book. After Salem they visit 5 more spaces in time, where Betsy learns quite a bit more about her husband, Tina and most of all herself.

I don't want to give too much away, but lets just say that when Betsy gets home quite a few things have changed...one thing I LOVE is detective Nick being back and being nice!! Yippee! Another is the fact that Tina and Eric can finally be open about everything they know with Betsy. 

Although I had a hard time really getting into the book initially once the time travel started I could scarcely put it down. I feel, as a devoted reader, that's it's about time we fully understand Tina and Eric's past, as well as how they knew so much about Betsy before she really did. I loved how MJD did that. One thing I did not love...the epilogue. As soon as I shut the book I took off running for the computer. I'm not ashamed to say I pulled up other people reactions and several of them matched mine...freaked the heck out! My first thought was dear goodness don't tell me this is it, but after finding a post from MaryJanice herself I'm quite relieved. She says no this isn't the last book, not even close. She hopes to write several more that help clear up the hazy future we see in 'Undead and Unfinished' (I cry in relief). So now it's not a question of "what the heck was that ending?" but "How on earth can I wait for the next one?".



Dark Flame

Title:Dark Flame (The Immortals Series)

Author:Alyson Noel

Genre:Young Adult (Paranormal/Sci-Fi)

Pages:336

Copyright:2010

Main Characters:Ever; Damen;Jude

Supporting Characters: Roman; Haven; Myles; Ava

"Dark Flame" is the 4th book in Noel's Immortal series. Picking up where "Shadowland" left off, with Ever being a stupid, STUPID girl. As a recap, at the end of book 3 we know Ever is now an Immortal, thanks to Damen, her soul mate for the last 400 years. She has been reincarnated many times over, but just as Damen finds her again she's killed. So now Damen has shared his special 'Immortal juice' with her so he wont lose her again. Unfortunately the elixir hasn't made her smarter. I will give her the fact that she's still a teenager and has to learn, but come on girl!! In book 2 ,"Blue Moon", Ever has Damen drink something that makes it so the two of them can't touch...whooops! Then in book 3 she goes against the so called love of her life and turns her moody bff into an immortal after sneaky sleazy Roman threatens to kill Haven. Aaaaand that's where "Dark Flame" starts.

Ever, the braniac that she is, has tied herself to Roman. Well not literally, but close enough. A magick spell she used to tie him to her backfires and she's now drooling over him. Her (ominous tones here) dark side is all about it, but her heart and soul know Damen is what she truly wants. Now the kicker is, that's pretty much the entire book in a nutshell. The whole time you just want to yell at her to ask for help!! Instead she tries to fix her mistakes then just digs her hole deeper. She finally, FINALLY, requests a little help from Jude, mind you this if after she sends him to the Hospital! Again! And of course he offers to assist in what ever way he can. OK let me just mention that Jude has been in all her 'lives' as well, he's the...well I guess you could say other man. Now how do you think that makes Damen feel! Actually how does that make the reader feel! Here's this 16 going on 17 year old girl with dreamy Damen, adorable Jude, and sexy Roman all chasing her! Lucky brat! Anyways...this is not one of those all's well that ends well kinda books. Ms. Noel leaves us pretty much hanging again. And after Jude kills Roman (uh oh) Ever loses the only antidote to the little problem her and Damen have...you remember the whole no touching thing, right? Well in the end I'm depressed, still mad at Ever, still rooting for Damen and still wanting to run my fingers through Jude's dreadlocks. All in all it's a good read, no real loose ends are tied up but we do get to delve a little deeper into the world of immortals. I'm looking forward to the 5th installment which is scheduled to be released in winter of this year but until then, I'm just waiting.