The Duchess Hunt

The Duchess Hunt by Jennifer Haymore

Publisher: Grand Central

June 2013

ISBN: 978-1-455-52339-9

Pages: 416

Historical England

Simon Hawkins, Duke of Trent has been doing everything to restore the family name after all the scandals that plagued the family for decades.  Then Simon is called home when his mother disappears.  As he investigates her disappearance he ends up tangling with temptation.  Being close to the only woman he has ever loved makes things difficult especially since she is the last woman he should be desire. 

Sarah Osborne has spent her life longing for Simon. Sarah knows that she has no chance as dukes do not long for lady’s maids.  That conviction changes after one stolen kiss.  Now a passion has been sparked between them that is too strong to deny and could ultimately be her undoing.  As a forbidden romance begins between them, someone is out to destroy the duke and everything he loves.  Simon is now caught in a blackmailer’s web that could either destroy his family’s future or break Sarah’s heart.

This is another wonderful story that will pull the reader into it and tug on their heartstrings.  The characters are very well written and will have everyone rooting for Simon and his family and hoping the bad guys don’t succeed in their plot.  The story also has a really well written mystery that will have the reader wondering what will happen next.  This is the start of another series that will have readers clamoring for much more and hoping that each character will have their own happy ending.  This one is definitely worth reading. 

I give this one 5 red roses 

Earth United

Earth United by Bryan K. Prosek

Publisher: SynergEbook

June 2013

ISBN: 978-0-7443-1871-5

Pages: 239

Year 2200 Sci-Fi Futuristic

Jake Saunders is now a soldier in the Earth’s new military.  When he was twelve years old he witnessed the brutal death of his beloved uncle at the hands of a leader from another planet.  Unable to help his uncle then he has worked hard to get the revenge he has always craved.  Now that he is an adult and in the military he hopes to one day to have the chance to avenge his uncle’s death.  Jake finally finds the chance to get that revenge but he is finding that it might come at a higher price than he ever dreamed of.  Now the woman he loves, Diane Danielson, and his best friend Cal might pay the price for what Jake has always wanted.  Jake has to decide what price is too much to pay before he destroys those he loves and cares for the most.

Diane Danielson is the new ambassador for Earth.  Diane has worked hard to get where she is and to have this chance.  Everything changes when she and Jake find themselves caught in a government conspiracy that if they aren’t careful just might cost them their lives and the lives of those they care about. 

Diane and Jake are going to have to find out just what is going on and who is behind everything if they want a chance to save not only their lives but the lives of their loved ones and a future together.  They are going to have to decide just who they can trust because if they trust the wrong person they just might not make it out alive.

This is sci-fi book with elements of romance.  It is well written and the world building is so realistic that the reader has no problem watching the story come to life for them.  The mystery in this book will have the reader turning the pages to eagerly see what happens next and that will have them guessing as just who is behind everything that is happening.  The story give enough of the back story that the reader will never be lost as to what is happening.  This one has an ending that will have the reader hoping that there will be another book after this one. 

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses.  

Death and the Girl Next Door

Death and the Girl Next Door by Darynda Jones

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

October 2012

ISBN: 978-0-312-62520-7

Pages: 274

Contemporary, Paranormal Riley’s Switch, New Mexico

Lorelei McAlister is starting to accept the fact that her parents that disappeared ten years ago just aren’t coming back.  And while she misses them life must go on and she has her grandparents and best friends.  Being a sophomore she is finding that high school isn’t as bad as she thought it would be.

At least it wasn’t until the school loner, Cameron Lusk, started stalking her.  Every time she turns around Cameron is there.  Not to mention the fact she can find him outside her house night after night.  Things are further complicated by a new guy that comes to town, Jared Kovach.  Jared is tough and sexy and when he comes to school things change even more. 

Cameron and Jared despise each other instantly and Lorelei is completely mystified by the fact that it seems to be completely due to her. 

Lorelei gets the feeling the Jared knows something about her parents but what?  And what does Cameron mean when he says Jared can’t have her? 

This is wonderful story.  The twist to the Angel of Death makes this a very fun read and will have readers clamoring for more.  The story line is very interesting and will keep the reader guessing as to just what is going on and what each character has to do with everything that is happening.  The story also gives some really good twists that the reader will never see coming.  It will also have readers very happy to find out this is the beginning of a new series of books that will have them eagerly reaching and waiting for the next books in the series.  This is a Young Adult that is sure to please everyone and will have readers checking out other books by this author.

I give this one 5 red roses 

Fallen

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Publisher: Delacorte Press

December 2009

ISBN: 978-0-385-73913-9

Pages: 452

Contemporary, Savannah, Georgia

Luce Price feels like there is something very familiar about Daniel Grigori. Daniel has captured Luce’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at her new boarding school Sword & Cross.  He brightens up a place that has security cameras watching everything and cell phones are forbidden and the other students are screwups. 

Daniel Grigori wants nothing to do with Luce and does everything possible to make that very clear.  Luce isn’t willing to leave it alone.  She is completely drawn to Daniel and will do everything possible to find out why he won’t have anything to do with her.  Even if it kills her. 

This is the beginning a series that shows a lot of promise in the first book.  The story line is different and engrossing.  The characters are well written and will have the reader turning the pages just to learn more about the characters and to see what exactly is going on.  There is mystery that will have the reader wondering who the good guys and bad guys are.  With a few surprising twists this one will have the reader wanting to know just what is going on and what will happen next.  It will also have the reader eagerly grabbing the next on in this series. This is a Young Adult book that is perfect for everyone. 

I give this one 5 red roses 

Howl For It

Howl For It by Shelly Laurenston and Cynthia Eden

Publisher: Brava

September 2012

ISBN: 978-0-7582-7344-4

Pages: 315

Paranormal Contemporary

Like a Wolf with a Bone by Shelly Laurenston

Egbert “Eggie” Ray Smith is one of the most-feared members of the rowdiest packs in the South.  And once he kidnaps Darla Mae Lewis nothing is ever the same again.

Darla Mae Lewis couldn’t believe her luck when Eggie kidnapped her.  Sometimes a girl gets very tired of her family being overprotective of her.  Eggie has managed to start a pack feud and unleash Darla Mae’s instincts all at the same time.  Now Darla Mae can’t wait to see what comes next.

Wed or Dead by Cynthia Eden

Gage Ryder knew his human bride could be wild.  What he didn’t plan on was spending his honeymoon night trying to stay ahead of the hunters that are trying to finish him and his pack off.  He might have fun playing with hunters under different circumstances but not on the one night he was looking forward to.  Now Gage will do whatever it takes to uncover all of Kayla’s secrets and get to the truth.  He just has to make sure he doesn’t’ get trapped in his own seductive game. 

This is another great story from both of these authors and that are sure to make them both auto-buys for many readers.  Shelly’s story is sure to have readers in tears from laughing so hard and Cynthia is sure to have them in tears that the story is over.  This can be a very fast read for some readers but it is one that shouldn’t be missed for anything.  The stories pull the reader in and refuse to let go for any reason.  The characters are fun and engaging. 

I give this one 5 red roses 

The Immortal Rules

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

March 2013

ISBN: 978-0-373-21080-0

Pages: 443

Paranormal Futuristic

Allison “Allie” Sekemoto lives in a world were everyday is about survival.  Allie lives in what is known as the Fringe.  During the day Allie and her crew scavenge for food and at night any one of them could be eaten.  At times the only thing that keeps Allie going is her hatred of the vampires.  Vampires that see humans as nothing more than blood cattle.  All of that changes the night Allie dies and becomes one of the very monsters she has spent her life hating.

Forced to flee from the city she has always known, Allie’s only chance to survive is to pass for a human with a group of pilgrims in search of a legend.  A place that just might have a cure for the disease that has managed to wipe out most of humanity.  The disease that created the rabids, bloodthirsty creatures that threaten everyone, both humans and vampires alike.  Allie is going to have to decide just what and who is important enough to her that makes dying again worth everything. 

This is world of vampires that is very new and different.  The story comes to life with every word that is read and is not to be missed.  As the story takes place in the future the world is a very different place than the world is today but it still has enough of places of today to make it believable and very interesting.  The characters are well written and have enough personality to keep things moving along very well and still keep them believable.  This is one that the reader will be pulled in until the very last page.

I give this one 4 red roses 

Beautiful Darkness

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Publisher: Little, Brown

September 2011

ISBN: 978-0-316-07704-0

Pages: 503

Contemporary, Gatlin, South Carolina & Savannah, Georgia

Ethan Wate has always seen his small town as a place where everything is the same and nothing changes.  Then Ethan meets newcomer Lena Duchannes and everything in his life and town changes.  Lena has shown Ethan a secret world that has always been in his town but he never knew about until Lena came along. 

Then Lena Duchannes starts pulling away from Ethan and everything in her life after a tragic loss. 

Now Ethan is being haunted by dreams and visions and he has to make sense of them if he wants to help Lena.  Ethan is now caught in the dangerous network of underground passages that cross endlessly in the South.  It is also the place where nothing is as it seems.

Since Ethan has seen the darker side of his town of Gatlin nothing will ever be the same again.

This is the next installment of the series, Beautiful Creatures and it picks up where the first book left off.  It also continues a wonderfully told story that is sure to please all readers.  The mix of magic and non-magic worlds and how they affect each other is balanced perfectly.  This story is a wonderful mix of adventure and romance that will make it very hard to put down.  The way the characters have grown even in the short time between the first book and this one keeps the reader from ever wanting to leave this world. There is just enough humor to keep the story from getting bogged down in the darkness of loss and tragedy.  It will also have the reader eagerly reaching for the next book in the series just to see what Ethan and Lena will have to deal with next.  This is one series that shouldn’t be missed.

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses  

Repost - If I Were You

If I Were You by Lisa Renee Jones

Publisher: Lisa Renee Jones

August 2012

ISBN: 978-0-985-81700-8

Pages: 320

San Francisco present day

Sara McMillian is a school teacher that has inherited a storage unit from her friend when her friend decided to elope.  Now Sara finds herself with the task of trying to clean out a storage unit before the lease expires.  Sara finds herself uncomfortably going through a woman’s possessions and wondering where she went when she obviously took such care to pack up her items and store them.  Now Sara is left with puzzle that as she digs through this woman’s intimate papers and journals Sara finds she is unable to let the mystery go.  Soon Sara finds herself working in a prestigious gallery and starting to live her own dreams.  Suddenly Sara has met several men that could easily be the man that is written about in the journals she has found and read from the storage unit.  

Chris Merit is an artist that is more than Sara first thought. Not only is he rich, famous and successful but there is a dark side to him that Sara finds calls out to her more and more.  That side draws Sara to him and she finds that although she should probably turn away from him that no matter what she can’t. 

Sara is suddenly in a world where she is not sure exactly who she can trust or if she can trust anyone at all.  Intent on finding out the truth of what really happened to the journal writer she is going to have to find a way to maneuver through the world she finds herself in. And while Sara wants to trust Chris she is not sure if she really can or if he knows more about the writer than it seems.

This is a wonderful story that the reader will find hard to put down once they start reading it.  The plot has some wonderful twists that will keep the reader on edge until the very last page and beyond.  This story needs to come with one caution because this one has a cliffhanger that hopefully will have some answers in the next two books.  This book does not have an ending though it is sure to keep the reader eagerly counting down the time until the next book comes out so that the reader can find out just what will happen next.  This is a great suspense story that is sure to please.

I give this one 5 red roses

This is also on sale right now at Amazon