The Shadow Wranglers

The Shadow Wranglers: Caleb by Sarah McCarty



Publisher: Berkley Sensation



October 2009



ISBN: 978-0-425-23057-2



Pages: 392







Allie can count on Caleb Johnson to come into her bakery every morning at the same time. Though she thought the attraction was mutual she is starting to wonder, since Caleb has never let her know for sure. She is about to admit defeat when walking home one night she is attacked by a wolf. Just when she thinks she isn’t going to be able to get out of this one alive another wolf saves her. There is something very familiar about the second wolf.



Caleb is very attracted to Allie but is hesitant to bring her into his dark world. Being a vampire that has been around for a long time he doesn’t think that Allie is strong enough for his world as a human. Now that his enemies have targeted Allie Caleb isn’t getting a choice anymore on keeping her out of his world. He is going to have to find a way to protect her from his enemies so that she isn’t hurt. Caleb may have been hesitant to have Allie in his world but now that she is there he isn’t about to let her go.



As Allie and Caleb work through their relationship they are going to have to figure out who is trying to attack Allie. It is now starting to look like there is a threat coming from more than just the werewolves that are the normal problem for Caleb and his brothers. It also looks like Caleb and his brothers are going to have to form some new alliances if they all expect to make it through this newest threat alive.



With all the danger around, Allie now has to deal with being a vampire herself and learn to use what powers she has to the best advantage. Which is a lot easier said than done since she is also very impulsive and Caleb has his hands full trying to get Allie to slow down and with dealing with the danger.







This is a very different take on vampires. This book combines vampires with cowboys and what you end up getting is some very hot vampires. This book starts out with a bang and just keeps on going until the very end. This is a start of a series that has a lot of promise to it. This story also has one very sarcastic heroine which makes for a lot of fun in this one.





I give this one 5 red roses

Instinctive

Instinctive by Cathryn Fox



Publisher: Heat



October 2009



ISBN: 978-0-451-22794-2



Pages: 270







Jaclyn Vasenty has moved to the small town of Serene so she can clean up her bad girl ways. She also is out to prove to her father’s board of directors of the family cosmetic company that she is the right person to take over the company. Serene isn’t quite what Jaclyn thought it was and she is finding it harder than ever to keep her desires in check. Now if she could just determine what is going on in this strange town it might help or it just might get her into a lot of trouble.



Slyck is a shape shifting panther that is just one of the paranormals that live in the town of Serene. Serene is actually the home of shape shifters, demons, vampires and witches and none of them like outsiders in their little town. Slyck feels that there is something very different about Jaclyn and he is starting to break the rules just to be with her and find out the truth about her. The one thing he never expected was what he is starting to feel for her and what is starting to look like is the truth about Jaclyn.



Things are brewing in the town and if Jaclyn wants to get out of town alive she is going to have to decide who to trust. Her instincts are telling her to trust Slyck. It is also starting to look like he is the only one that will be able to help her get out of town alive. Now they are going to have to trust each other and come up with a plan that will get them out of town. That just might be a lot easier said than done.





This story has a different take on paranormals that makes this one hard to put down. It is interesting to watch Jaclyn discover the truth about herself and her personal history and to see how she handles the things thrown her way. As you read you are constantly trying to determine what each character is up to and what will happen next. This makes for a very interesting read. The story moves along very smoothly and keeps your attention until the very end.







I give this one 4 red roses.

Velvet Haven

Velvet Haven The Immortals of Annwyn: Book One by Sophie Renwick



Publisher: Heat



March 2010



ISBN: 978-0-451-22918-2



Pages: 326





Bran is the shape-shifter king of the Sidhe. Bran has no use for mortals but unfortunately a curse placed on him makes them necessary to his magic and survival. Now he has to find out who is killing paranormals. All he has is evidence that the one doing it is using black magic and is killing them very brutally. Bran knows he has to go into the mortal world to find out more but he isn’t happy about it though he will do anything to protect his people.



Mairi is a mortal that is more than she seems. Mairi hasn’t had an easy life but her mother and her received help when they needed it. Mairi had help getting into college. Mairi became a nurse as a way to give back to others. Another way she gives back is to help trouble teens. Now one of those teens has been killed.



Going to Velvet Haven, the night club Mairi meets Bran she feels an attraction that she has never felt before. Mairi is the first mortal that Bran has ever been really attracted to and he is not sure what to make of this attraction. Soon they find out they have more in common than their attraction for each other. Someone is committing murders that are the same in both the mortal world and in Bran’s world. Bran soon realizes that they are dealing with two people that are working together so they will have all the magic they need to rule over both worlds.



Bran has to try to stop the murderers and deal with his feelings for Mairi. This becomes especially difficult since Mairi is the one mortal that give him more magical energy than he has ever been able to get from anyone before. There is another complication on top of the others Bran has an enemy from long ago who is trying to use Mairi to destroy him and the only way to stop his enemy is to stay away from Mairi, but Bran is finding out that is a lot easier said than done. With enemies all around them they are going to have to determine who they can trust so they will both come out of this alive.





This story has an interesting take on the Sidhe. The world building is very good and believable and comes to life for the reader. It has many twists and turns and you are not sure where the story will be going to next. The story takes the reader on a fantastic ride that you hate to see end. This is a fast pace story that will keep you reading until you get to the very last word.





I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

Don't Kill The Messenger

Don’t Kill the Messenger by Eileen Rendahl



Publisher: Berkley Sensation



March 2010



ISBN: 978-0-425-23256-9



Pages: 323





Melina Markowitz is a messenger for the supernatural world. Having to take items or messages between the different factions of the paranormal world isn’t always as easy as Melina would like. Her latest job just got even more difficult when the package she was delivering was stolen from her. Now she has to find it so that problems don’t start happening in her life. What she doesn’t need to deal with is an ordinary human police officer.



Ted Goodnight is an officer that is investigating the sudden outbreak of gang violence that seems to be worse than usual. What he doesn’t expect is to keep coming across Melina in his investigation. Now he just has to determine how she is involved and what he needs to do to protect her from what is going on. Their attraction is starting to get in the way of the investigation so they are just going to have to find a way to deal with it and work together to get to the bottom of what is going on.



Ted needs to get Melina to trust him so that he can find out the truth. That is easier said than done. When he finally starts to find out the truth Ted thinks he just might be losing his mind. Seeing Melina in action against creatures that couldn’t possibly be real makes Ted wonder just what Melina is and what he has stumbled into. Though the fact remains that Melina’s mentor was killed by what Ted saw so he knows it has to be real.



Melina knew as soon as Ted learned the truth about her she would lose him. On top of losing her mentor and Ted in the same night it is too much for Melina deal with all at the same time. She doesn’t know if she can handle anymore but she just might have a few more surprises in store for her. The biggest being that she just might be wrong about losing Ted though with what she has to deal with in her life every day she is not sure if that is good or bad. Only time will tell if they have the ability to survive what is coming.







This is different paranormal story that draws you in and refuses to let you go until the very last page. This is a great take on paranormal creatures that makes it a very fun read. The emotional highs and lows gets you rooting for Melina as she figures out the next moves to make to get out of this trouble alive. The author brings the world of paranormals alive with this one.





I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

Out Of The Storm

OUT OF THE STORM

BY JANET THOMAS

PUBLISHED BY ROBERT HALE LONDON.

ISBN 978-0-7090-8902-5.







This is the story of two sisters, Loveday and Kate Trevarthen. It is set in the year of 1901 in Cornwall. The sisters were born and reared on a farm, but they now have very different lives

Loveday was married at the age of seventeen to a local fisherman, Joel. They lived very simple lives but were very happy, both of them were longing for a child. Loveday had already lost two babies and now she was pregnant again and desperate to keep this baby. Joel was away at sea for months at a time and although she had kind neighbors and the sisters met as often as they could, Loveday was still very lonely in her small cottage by the harbour. One day when Kate was visiting her, Loveday had a fall and the baby seemed as if it would be born imminently, much too early. What happened that night changed Loveday’s life forever.

Kate had married at the age of twenty, very well, it was assumed, to Arthur Rosewarne . He was very rich and owned a large house on the cliff top, they had several servants. His Mother Maud lived with them and openly showed her dislike of Kate, she was never good enough for her beloved Arthur.

It was in a time when women had little or no rights and the suffragette movement was becoming wide spread in England.

Kate had wonderful clothes and jewelry and it appeared that her husband adored her but was that true? Was Arthur the gentleman he would have everyone believe he was?

On the night that Lovelday gave birth there was a terrible storm and a ship was blown on to the rocks, everyone on board was lost, or so it was assumed.

This story has several twists and is a very enjoyable read; it is something a little different, told with obvious knowledge of the era and the local area.

I award this book 4.5 Red Roses. AS

Her Darkest Hunger

His Darkest Hunger by Juliana Stone



Publisher: Avon



April 2010



ISBN: 978-0-06-18077-7



Pages: 373





Jaxon Castille had only one goal in his life for the last three years. He wants to find Libby Jamison and make her pay for her betrayal that managed to get his cousin killed on a mission. It seems that Libby has dropped off the face of the earth and he hasn’t been able to find her. That is about to change and Jaxon thinks he is about to get his revenge. What he finds when he finally locates Libby is not at all what he expects and it makes him wonder what is going on. It also makes him take a second look at what he feels and gives him a chance to find out the truth.



Libby doesn’t remember her past. All she knows is that something bad happened to her and she keeps trying to remember so that she can find out more about herself. Now a man who says he knows who she really is has come into her life but she is afraid to trust him. Libby can’t believe that because of her someone has died, but since she can’t remember she doesn’t know what to believe or if she is being told the truth. All she knows is that people who say they were once her friends don’t seem to like her and cannot stand the sight of her.



Jaxon knows someone is after him. Not having time to check where the information on Libby came from just might get him killed. It seems that someone decided to help Jaxon find Libby just so they would be together when someone tries to kill them. Now it is a race to get Libby’s memories back and find out the truth of what really happened three years ago before the people that are after them catch up and manage to kill them both. Both Jaxon and Libby’s worlds are about to be turned on their axis and only time will tell if they are going to be able to get over what they believed to be the truth of what happened to them both and what the real truth is and be able to overcome what happened. The biggest question is going to be if they are going to be able to survive their enemies or if their enemies are going to win.





This is a great shape shifter story that keeps the action and story line moving quickly. With all the different twist and turns this one takes you never know what is going to happen next and you don’t see the ending coming. This story has some very surprising twist that keeps you turning the pages just to find out what the answers are.





I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

The Healer

The Healer by Sharon Sala



Publisher: Mira



April 2008



ISBN: 978-0-7783-2544-4



Pages: 329









Jonah Gray Wolf is on the run from a man who wishes to use Jonah’s special talents for himself. Jonah has made very sure that he has never gotten close to anyone because he knows that if he does that person would be used against him like his father was ten years ago. Jonah stops in Little Top, West Virginia because winter is coming and he needs a place to stay and earn some money before he moves on again.



Luce doesn’t trust easily and her only true companion is her dog, Hobo. Luce has a stalker that she knows is getting more and more dangerous. Trying to get help from the sheriff didn’t do her any good so now she knows that this is something she is going to have to take care of for herself. What she doesn’t expect is to find someone that is willing to help. Now she just has to decide if she can trust Jonah. Jonah helps Luce when Hobo gets caught in a trap. Hobo doesn’t let anyone near him but Luce only now he is fine with Jonah which goes a long way to helping Luce trust Jonah.



What neither Jonah nor Luce expected was the attraction that they would feel for each other. Now they are going to have to find a way to get rid of the threats to both of them so they will have a chance for the future. Getting rid of Luce’s stalker ends up being the easier one of the two problems and taken care of quickly. Now they just have find out whom Jonah’s enemy is going to send after him this time and make sure that they don’t succeed because Jonah knows that this time they will use Luce against him and he knows that if he lost her he wouldn’t survive it.





This story really pulls you into the world of the characters with some twist you don’t see coming. You get to watch Jonah and Luce as they work through all that is going on gets you rooting for them to overcome all the obstacles in their way. With some great secondary characters that help this story come to life. This one is hard to put done once you start to read it.





I give this one 4-1/2 red roses