Romance Books

Simply addictive. Once you've finished you will be looking for your next Sookie fix. You'll feel like a starved vampire if you start reading this series.

in this third installment of The Sookie Vampire mysteries, Sookie's vampire boyfriend, Bill, has come up missing and Sookie and new "hunky werewolf" character Alcide go to Mississippi to try to find him. While there's a lot to love in book 3- revisiting old characters like Bubba/Elvis, or Sookie's interaction with Alcide and Erik, this book seemed to flounder a bit. I think my main problems with the book were the absence of Bill and the pretty much absence of any mystery storyline. In fact, I felt the whole "Mississippi" storyline was very underdone and not even resolved by book's end.

But in the end, as a Southerner, I cannot deny the overall charm and whimsy of the series. Which means that while I will try the rest of the series, I hope they get better than this one.

3 stars.

This is the third book in the series... By now you would think that Sookie would have learned her lesson but no. She allows herself to be pulled into situations where she just gets brutalized. Her it's probably a good thing that Bill has become her ex.. but the way things are going with Eric.. I really just want to smack some sense into that girl.
Also, I noticed it in the previous books and it's bound to pop up in later books since it is a series about southern folk but the racism that pops up in this series is just sad. I don't think there's one positive black character in this series that doesn't play into some typecast minor role. It's more than irritating...

How many times can an author recycle a love-plot that is only tepid from the start? Harris seems determined to find out.

Best book yet in the Southern Vampire series. Although I am dissapointed in Bill the vamire, you can not help but admire Sookie's strength and mental fortitude. Poor kid...it's amazing she's survived thorugh book III and hasn't let Eric or Bill bring her over. Already started Dead to the World and ordered all the books, I CAN'T wait to finish the series (although I will really miss these characters when I am done). Remember to keep checking HBO for the new series "True Blood" which will air this fall (hopefully) and is based on the Southern Vampire series.

Let me tell you about author that is versatile in the paranormal venue. MS Feehan is a master! As Nora Roberts is the queen of romance writing. MS Feehan is the ( I feel ) undisputed queen of paranormal. You did Ellie good.

I CAN SEE WHY SOME WOULD WANT MORE FROM THIS STORY REALLY ITS BECAUSE YOU JUST WANT MORE AND MORE AND MORE AND MORE. I LOVED IT AND OF COURSE I TOO WANTED MORE HOWEVER I RECOGNISE WHY I WANTED MORE. IF YOU HAVE NEVER READ A CHRISTINE FEEHAN BOOK START AT THE VERY BEGINNING AND READ ALL HER BOOKS THEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT. ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT FOR MS FEEHANS NEXT BOOK AND THE NEXT AND THE NEXT

I was utterly disappointed in this book. After waiting a year for this book to come out because the chemistry between Joley & Ilya was incredible in Safe Harbor, I was waiting for a spectacular book that delved deeper into their connection, why they had a connection, why all 7 sisters have the same sort of powers in limited form, why they have powers, and why, if #7 has the most power, are there 6 others with power?

Instead, I got a lot of nonsense about a mobster trafficking young girls to the white slavery market...where did that come from? A lot of new characters I could care less about, almost no interaction with the other sister, and still no answers.

This book was a mess. The only redeeming quality were the love scenes.

However, I would love to see a book about the Prakenski brothers if someone else could write it. I'm only going to wait for the last one because I don't like unfinished business, but that will be the last Feehan book I read.

Good "Drake Sisters" Book. But, very different from the rest of the series in that the Drake Sisters were barely in it until the very end. Gotta be honest for fans on the series, the ending scene with all the sisters together would make you not like them very much if you had not read the previous books. Dont let it fool you the other books are very good, you should definately read them. Illya is my favorite male characater in the Drake Sisters series (then Aleksandr, must be a Russian thing). I liked him as a well rounded character well written character, for good and for bad, (not so macho you want to go into the book and slap him, but just enough)and they way he stood up at the end for Joley with sisters was just a great. I dont understand why Aleksandr is not in the book at all since he is Illya's only friend, that would have been great. But you should definately give this s read.

Turbulent Sea was a great book!! Definitely one of the best Drake Sisters novels that Feehan has written. I love Joley's character and Ilya is hot!! I do wish there would have been a more in depth explanation about Ilya's background, but all in all, the book was great!

For those of you that gave a few thumbs down to the past 2 or 3 books by this author, don't give up! This is the "old" Faye Kellerman with lots of action and what ifs in it. This was a very good read and I recommend it. The storyline was quite realistic in this day and time. Hannah is a teenager with all the angst that goes with it. Cindy is a detective and "helps" Peter with a "cold case" that he was assigned.

I have loved all of the Faye Kellerman books--except this one. The characters were flat and the plot even flatter. It's as if she had to put this one out in a hurry. It took me 8 days to read it--I kept waiting for the plot to get interesting--it never did.

this book is boring, i had to skip to the end because it seemed there was so much filler. do not recommend.

Fifteen years ago, Dr Ben Little, a very popular school VP, was murdered execution style and found in the trunk of his Mercedes. The crime was never solved. One of the students whose life he touched is now a very wealthy woman. When she reads a current article in the newspaper about another man found dead in the trunk of his Mercedes, she believes the two crimes are somehow related. She offers a million dollars to the LAPD to take another look at the cold case.

The story follows Lt Peter Decker who is assigned the task of finding Dr Ben's killer through a maze of relationships that tie known associates to both of the murdered men. The story contains a lot of layers as the puzzle pieces come together.

This is the first book I've read by the author. I very much appreciated the mystery aspect of the story which was well thought out, and was surprised at the outcome. I also appreciated that triggers were pointed out to us during questioning of various people, giving us a better idea of what the detective got out of it, instead of having it explained to us afterwards.

I have read all of Faye Kellerman's books. This is the first one that I found boring. I thought that it was way too complicated and couldn't follow the characters and plot. I missed the family connections and traditions that were in her other books.
I thought the novel was too drawn out and had to push myself to finish it.
I was very disappointed.

Did I miss the memo that said this is the last book in the series? After reading all the other reviews I guess I must have! Maybe, because I didn't go into this book thinking it was the last, I wasn't as disappointed with it. I'm used to the fact that once an author starts making big money on a series it never wraps-up. (Christine Feehan, Sherrilyn Kenyon, etc.) They just keep adding new demensions and aspects that can keep it going forever if they choose. The fact that she didn't even touch on the main conflict with Ruth and her band of evil-doers tells me she's not done with this thing by a long shot! It's no accident that so many loose ends were left. Believe me, She's by no means done with the vampires or lycanthropes. Those storylines were left wide open! I think through those series we'll be seeing a lot more of our demon friends! She may take a hiatus from these storylines to expound on the shadowdwellers story (which I'm looking forward to) but she'll be back!

That being said, I actually liked the book pretty well. I did take off one star for the repetitiveness of the love scenes. the first one was great but, like a previous reviewer, I found myself skimming through the rest of them. I also thought there were parts that could have moved a little faster. But I've come to expect that from this author. I don't think this book was any different from the rest in the series in that regard.

All in all, this was my favorite book of the demon series. (I think Damien was probably my overall favorite, and that was about vampires and lycanthropes, although she at least brought Ruth into it!) She did a great job touching on what was going on with our friends from past books but not letting it overwhelm Noah and Kestra's story. (i.e. J.R. Ward in Lover Enshrined.)So if you've been a fan of this series I don't have to tell you to read this book, I'm sure you already have or will!

And for those of you that are worried she's ending the series without tieing up those loose ends, never fear! This series will never end! Like the rest, She'll just keep adding new demensions until it gets populer enough to start releasing them in hardback!

I thought for sure that this was going to be a really fast,exciting read tha would give Noah his Imprinted Mate and wrap everything up nicely. It was not. It was very sad, which was fine, but at times it just seemed to drag and then it abruptly ends with no wrap up at all. I'm very sorry that this was such a poor ending to what was a fabulous series.

Jacquelyn Frank has created a phenomenal series and Noah brings the fire and burn that concludes this part of the Nightwalker world with an explosive romance in epic grandeur. With all the Elemental Demons along with their mates, Noah takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride through passion and danger in blazing style. Ms. Frank brings new meaning to 'burning bed' when you curl up with the Demon King, and Noah is guaranteed to set your night on fire as you read his story. Her talent to create extraordinary characters and heart-wrenching romance is forever imprinted within the heart, soul, mind and spirit of the readers that have walked through the Nightwalker world with Jacob, Gideon, Elijah, Damien and now Noah. Noah by Jacquelyn Frank is a MUST read and one you do not want to miss. Enjoy!!

Jacquelyn Frank owes me for all the hours I spent reading this book. She also needs to refund my money. What a letdown. I was so looking forward to the epic showdown between Ruth and her entourage versus Noah and his gang that when I did not see it, I though perhaps in my haste I might have missed it. So I back-pedal and reread the chapters and still only found the same rehashing of that old love story where the great king/man turn idiot in the face of true love. There was absolutely nothing in 471 pages of this book that was not predictable. I feel that, at a minimum and after waiting all this time for this last book, the author owes the reader some closure on some of the more memorable characters and this book offers none. I really, really, really wanted to love it but I don't and after reading the excerpt of the first book in the Shadowdwellers series, I can safely say that Noah is the last book I will ever buy from this author.

Demon King, Noah is beloved by his subjects because he cares about them and protects them from their enemies. Although adulated by his people, Noah is also lonely as his closets friends are Imprinted (mated) and the woman he believes is his Destiny only appears in his dreams. He has never met her in person. Kestra shares Noah's erotic dreams, but she assumes the hunk she desires is a subject of her imagination only. Just as he decides to search for his dream woman in the real world, the dreams end and instead he has a horrific vision of the woman who is to be his mate being killed. With the help of the Enforcer's child Leah he bends time to prevent his beloved's death.

Kestra is taken to Noah's castle where she begins changing into a Druid. She begins to absorb his energy without which she will die. Surprisingly Kestra takes what has happened to her in stride, but a trauma from her past leaves her fearful of love although she has deep feelings for Noah and she believes strongly he loves her. As they work on their muddled relationship, they come under attack from vampires who want their Nightwalker blood to gain their powers. To survive they must join their powers in love, but Kestra remains fearful of loving anyone.

NOAH is a great paranormal romance due as much to the vivid world described by Jacquelyn Frank as well as the seesaw relationship between the lead couple. They make the realm with demons, vampires, and other ilk seem genuine in this well written character-driven saga. Characters from previous novels make appearances as Ms. Frank and her fans welcome them back inside of an engaging romantic fantasy with the emphasis on the romance.

Harriet Klausner

Sweet and well written. Easy to read. Loved the characters.
There are certainly flaws, but I easily forgave them because I was so engrossed by the story. Like many other reviewers, I was sad it ended and could not stop thinking about it for days after.

I may be too old for romances (I'm more in love with grandchildren than lost loves these days} but I read this book upon a recommendation from a friend and I appreciated the emotional power of this book. It reminds us of love found and lost over a life time. I would recommend it to anyone with an open heart. It is very moving.

I'll say it up front; the book is not perfect. There are a few moments of deus ex machina that stretch credibility - even for a time travel story - and a few sections where I wondered just where the author was going with the story. However, in spite of its flaws, I finished this more moved by anything I've read in a very long time. I fell in love with Henry and Clare early on, as the author's delicate prose sucked me in. I thought at first the 1st person/present tense, switching back and forth between the two characters, would be distracting, but it took no time at all to forget that was what she was even doing. Her voices at Clare's different ages were clear and distinct, and while I sometimes lost track of all the Henrys, I wasn't that bothered by it since frankly, Clare did, too.

I was entranced by the first two-thirds of the book, but the last third came with an ever-impending sense of doom, as the ending hinted at came barreling closer and closer. I read faster and faster, desperate to get to the full disclosure. I can't say that I regret it, either, in spite of the heartbreaking last few chapters. A keeper for my shelves, most definitely.

AMAZING! AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING. You will not regret buying this book. It is now my all-time favorite.

I'm not sure what to say about this book. It's multi-layered and leveled--and so are my feelings about it. I would say for about the first 400 pages or so, I considered this novel something analogous to an old pair of comfortable shoes. I enjoyed it once I picked it up and got into it but it was rarely anything to which I looked forward....and it was always around and comfortable to go back to but certainly nothing flashy or exciting. That being said, the last hundred pages are terrific and you can't turn the pages fast enough. What impressed me the most is that the author did not, at the end, go for the cheap emotional fall out. It would have been very easy to manipulate the last pages into a tearjerker but it was handled in a very dignified way. To say more would approach "spoilerdom".

I'm not a science fiction fan at all and the whole concept of time travel is difficult to fathom. I guess I'm too much of a realist. I must say, however, the subject matter, time travel included, was handled very matter of factly and that speaks to the author's skill. In other words, I was not put off by it at all. I see almost no way one can come away from this book not caring about Henry and Clare and their circle of significant others. Actually, if the truth be told, I think a little too much of the book was spent on what was going on with different people at different times and probably could have been edited down a bit. I say this because at several points the novel started to ramble--although never boringly.

The one beef I may have is with the "Bridges-of-Madison-County" ending. To me, it seems highly impractical, if not unrealistic, that someone will remain so fervently in love with a person who is not around for many, many years--almost to the point that they exist only to worship at the "shrine".

It is my understanding that a movie of this novel is being made. It will be most interesting to see how they handle the time changes without confusing the audience. I will probably be the first one in line. Good book...and by and large, very well done.

I wasn't a very huge fan of Marked because it started painfully boring for me. My review for that book was very brutal. For redemption, though, I think that this book is a good light read. Ohhhh~ I like.

This is the 2nd book in the House of Night series by the Casts. It follows in the same vein as the 1st book. The writing is mediocre but the plot is fairly engrossing.

Zoey has only been at the House of Night for a little while yet she is taking over the most prestigious group in the school; the Dark Daughters and Sons. While she struggles to figure out how to make this group a positive one, she is still being haunted by vampire ghosts. She is starting to think things are not what they seem and something deeper and darker may be happening at school. Then there is her ex-boyfriend Heath to deal with and a super-hottie vampire that seems to have an attraction to Zoey; of course she is supposedly dating the drop-dead fledgling Erik, but how is Zoey to deal with all the love problems and the more life threatening ones?

This book just isn't written that well, and neither was the previous one. There is lots of teenage drama and a fair amount of action. Despite the poor writing the story is engaging and interesting to read. I really find myself wondering what will happen to Zoey next. Some of the drama with her boyfriends gets bit old and some of the plot is pretty predictable. Still, it kept my attention so I guess it must be an okay book.

Will I read the next one? Again, maybe if I can find it somewhere for cheap, used.
karissabooks.blogspot.com

Sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird is adjusting to her new life as a vampyre fledging at the House of Night. She's also learning the ropes on being a nurturing leader of the Dark Daughters. She is still dealing with Aphrodite, her biggest competitor and nemesis at the academy, but she soon learns that there is more to this rogue teen than meets the eye. However, things take a turn for the worse when a couple of football players from her old high school turn out dead. Who could be causing this? It is rumored that they are vampire killings, but neither Zoey nor her friends would do such a thing. If that wasn't bad enough, Zoey is happy with her boyfriend Erik, but is drawn to her ex-boyfriend Heath and intrigued with a hottie teacher with a knack for haiku. Oh, and is Neferet -- Zoey's beautiful and wise mentor -- all she appears to be? And what is happening to Stevie Ray, Zoey's best friend? Someone very close to Zoey will betray her. As the leader of the Dark Daughters, she will have to handle the situation on her own...

Betrayed, like Marked, is a dark and compelling teen paranormal novel. Zoey is a believable character, and her friends -- with the possible exception of the very caricatured "twins," Erin and Shaunee -- are three-dimensional and wonderful. The story takes a few steps away from the storyline in Marked. The most noticeable one is Erik as the main male character. Somehow it seems that the story will shift more toward Loren's direction as Zoey's possible male lead in her life. He does sound pretty hot, though the older teacher thing kind of creeps me out in a teen novel, even if it's one centered on vampires. I have no attachment to any of the male characters so far, so this is sort of a weak link for me in this series. The twists and turns are interesting, but I'm not thrilled with the cliffhanger type of ending. I do look forward to reading Chosen, but I probably won't crack it open for a while. If you're looking for a compelling YA vampire series (especially now that Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series is coming to an end), then this one's worth a try.

In the second book Zoey has finally settled in at The House of Night. She's got great friends, a boyfriend and she's the new leader of the school's top group. But there's something strange going on, she's seeing old students; students whose bodies rejected the change into becoming a vampire and are supposed to be dead. They don't look like they use to either, they're all pale white, their eyes glow red, nails are like claws and they smell like death. One of the new "ghosts" as she thought they were is her best friend at school, what's going on and who's behind it.

Loved this one as much as Marked and am looking forward to Chosen in March. Cried a little during the book, but it is well worth the read.

I had problems with the first book - mainly the anti-organized religion message & the high level of sexuality for the teen readers' age group. However, it was a fun story. I enjoyed it.

I read Betrayed hoping that the story would get better and the other stuff disappear. The opposite happened. More church-people-are-evil, and now Zoey is interested in a teacher. And there is a lot less story.

I mean a LOT less story. I kept putting the book down because it was so BORING. The characters who were cute in the first book are now just annoying. ("Easy" "Peasy" "Japanesy") Zoey is behaving out of character (how could she be interested in Heath again?). And all our understanding of who is a good guy/bad guy is thrown up in the air.

On the last, if that had been well done, it would have worked. The problem was it was badly done, obvious, and seemed like it was more for the effect than anything else.

I wouldn't recommend this book. I'm done with the series.

Note: I've tried to be cryptic but one comment may still have a SPOILER effect

The nature of this book reminded me of the working mom's version of Sex & the City. The style of the narration, the love affair with New York, the group of vastly diverse women who come together to support each other etc. If you liked the tone of that series (or the book), you will probably like this book (although even my eternally optimistic nature scoffed at rich-well-connected-generous-friends as plot devices who tend to swoop in with offers of loans and top-quality health care).

Still, had I read the book in paperback format instead of listening to the audio version, I would have more than likely given it 4 stars on the strength of Georgia's character alone.

What drove me to distraction was the use of atrocious accents by the narrator. Hearing this woman try to read dialog in character with accents ranging from Manhattan Socialite to West Indies to Scottish and, worst of all, attempting to sound like a suave 40-year-old African American man from Baltimore, took me completely out of the story.

The way she fell in and out of the West Indies & Scottish accents - getting some words spot on while others were mangled - was so irritating (and frequently comical) that I quickly found I was listening for the way the words were said & not hearing what the characters were actually saying.

I will probably read the author's new book, Comfort Food, but you can be sure I will get it in paperback.

Okay so I read this book after my daughter recommended it; she read it through tears and thought it was great. I read it quickly; so I suppose it was interesting and I wanted to see what happened, but some of the scenes were really contrived and unbelievable. For instance, if Georgia decided to take her daughter to Scotland to meet her great-grandmother, why would the trip have to be THAT SAME WEEK as when the kid ran away? Why wouldn't she plan instead to go in the summer, after school was over? I couldn't understand why she was in such a hurry to make the trip happen; nor why she took her newly found ex-friend with her. That made NO sense. Also, when they get to Scotland, to the rental car place; the instruction that the salesman gives them is backwards...paperback page 205...it's actually the DRIVER who's on the curb side of the street when driving in the UK.
The ending was not much of a surprise; sad, though. And the neat wrapping up of every character's life...baby born the same time as... and Cat getting a great apt, and somehow the knit shop gets free rent? Why? And let's not forget that had Georgia read either of those 2 letters she got from James at the time she received them, the story wouldn't have happened! Who gets mail and saves it without reading...what willpower? and for what purpose?? and she just happened to take the letters with her to Scotland?

I really enjoyed this book. It was entertaining to read. I wasn't looking for deep characters or classic literature. I'll pass it on to my mom.

This is a book that is both a quick read AND a book that has some amazing insights into how many women think and deal with their personal and public lives. I cared about the characters and felt a connection to each one in some area of their story. The clever ties between how to knit to how to deal with issues was unique. A good read!

Ugly first--
The whole time I was reading this, I had a real sense of being manipulated by the author. There were just too many stereotypes and character interactions that stretched credibility to the breaking point. For example--is there any chance at all that you wouldn't recognize your very best high school friend 15 year later, no matter what physical transformation she'd undergone? I saw a distant acquaintance in line at the market after almost 25 years and knew her within seconds! And how is it that Georgia still had money problems after saying early on that she had enough to send her daughter to Harvard and then being paid $30,000 plus for Cat's two dresses AFTER that? There's more, but those were the worst.

Bad--
Did Ms Jacobs not have an editor? I noticed several spelling errors--and they weren't typos. Konked, anyone?

Good--
As jejeune as some of the writing, as most of the characters, and as utterly predictable as some of the plot points, I got up at six in the morning to finish this book. I wanted to know what happened. That's very good!

Cilla McGowan spent her childhood pretending to be someone she was not. She was a child star in a long running family television show. When the show was cancelled, she picked up other acting jobs, did a few CD's and cameo appearances, but it didn't take Cilla long to realize her acting career was over. With more relief than regret, Cilla tried several alternative careers until she hit upon the one that made her whole. She purchased rundown and forgotten houses, renovated them, and then sold them. She turned the neglected house back into a home.

The one house that Cilla wanted to renovate and turn back into a home was her grandmother's hideaway in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Janet Hardy was a Hollywood legend. She died by her own hand spending her final days at the farm.

When her mother, a failed wannabe actress, needed money for her latest production, Cilla talked her into selling the Shenandoah farm to her. Cilla needed to come to terms with the past before she could truly look to the future. Renovating her grandmother's home would do it.

While cleaning out the attic, Cilla came across a bundle of love letters kept by her grandmother. Janet had a lover the final year of her life, and the relationship did not end well. Did she really commit suicide or did the Grim Reaper have a little help?

Cilla was not the only one that knew the letters existed. The work site was repeatedly vandalized, workers and friends hurt, and hateful reminders of her years as an actress kept popping up. Cilla would not be intimidated. With her neighbor Ford at her side, they faced the demons of the past and the demons of the present. Cilla came to Shenandoah with plenty of baggage, but in dealing with her problems, she gains both strength and resiliency.

Tribute is both a romance and a suspense. Nora Roberts does a wonderful job of combining the two. It is a wonderful book full of unforgettable characters and a great story line. It's a lengthy novel, but an easy read. I loved it.

A beautiful, emotionally damaged heroine and a sensitive, handsome, talented hero. That about sums it up. Stock characters in a stock book. It was a pleasant way to pass a few hours, but just plain generic.

I never understood the connection between Cilla and her grandmother who died before she was born. The bad guys were just sort of thrown into a slow paced story that was basically that of an unfolding love. The end of the book was just tacked on. Why keep a secret for all that time, and then just blurt it out when somebody asks you. If the female bad person was so crazy, why wouldn't it have been seen before then?

The book was just not really worth it. Roberts is just coasting on her reputation.

The book kept you guessing...and that's good.
I have learned a few things about remodeling.
And flipping a house. The end of the book was great.
A big turn around. Good read.

I passed this book on to another reader because I found it not up to what I usually get from the first chapter of a Nora Roberts book,ie: suspense,a pull to continue reading and interest in characters. Frankly, I wonder ift Ms. Roberts had a silent partner in the writing of this book as it just doesn't reflect the Nora Roberts I have come to look forward to reading for many years. The book starts out dry and tedious. Sorry Ms. Roberts.

I'm not sure what to say about this book, it's definitely Nora Roberts but didn't read like a traditional Nora Romance. The story is based around a former child star named Cila who is trying to come to grips with her new life and leave her old one behind. A romance forms between Cila and Ford. Ford is the nice guy next door type who can be a bit annoying at times. So we have the quintessential free spirit and the puppet falling in love. I can't say there was anything I would point my finger at that I didn't like (I gave it 4-stars) It's just the overall Nora experience wasn't there. But I would vote for Spock as best supporting actor (those who read it know what I mean)

Editor of the highly recommended novel: Fates by Georgiou, Tino Fates (2nd Edition)