Romance Books

I owned this book before, but my dog ate it so had to buy a replacement.I love the anita blake books, the are a great read.

I bought this for my husband as him and some of the other soliders he is working with have been reading this whole series while in Iraq. He has said this is the worst of the seris, a snoozer.

Anita Blake books in one sentence. Junk food reading for the goth scene; fun, addictive, and ultimately not a meal.

Sincerely,
Ira Carmel

I've read this series from book 1 (Guilty Pleasures) and have loved each book. Anita has become such a complex character and her supporting cast members are enigmatic and beautifully created. Yes, the books are much different than they were in the first few installments, but I don't believe that to be a bad thing.

Cerulean Sins carries on with a character introduced in the previous book (Narcissus in Chains). This character is Belle Morte, the vampire who turned Anita's boyfriend, Jean Claude, into a vampire. She also created Asher, Jean Claude's second in command. Both men are former lovers of Belle Morte. She is insulted (to put it mildly) that both Jean Claude and Asher chose to leave her, as she considers herself the most desirable woman/vampire in the world. Thus, she sends her second in command vampire to "visit" Jean Claude's territory. The troubles that this visit causes are the central plot in the story (and there's definitely a couple surprises). There is also a sub-plot involving a series of murders that Anita helps to solve.

Some readers of the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter books believe the series has gone downhill since Anita began engaging in sex with multiple partners as a result of a condition passed on to her from Jean Claude. This condition (called the arduer) causes the person to experience intense sexual desire until "fed". I don't believe this is a problem in the books, or just an excuse for Anita to have sex. I think this condition represents the only thing Anita has found that she can't yet control or kill. It's something she has to face head-on and must be patient with until she learns control. In the books leading up to Narcissus in Chains, where Anita first learns she has the arduer, there are references to her reliance on guns to control situations. I think the arduer is to teach Anita that guns won't solve all her problems. Plus, she's not having sex with random people on the streets and, considering the length of the book, I didn't feel there were too many sex scenes in this book. I never felt like I wanted to just get past the sex and get on to the plot, as I do with some books.

I think the Anita Blake series is still going strong and Laurell K. Hamilton continues to add new elements of surprise.

Honestly!!! all i read about in the anita blake stories is sex sex sex, that and tortured, cut up bodies, not to mention really BAD french. She started out as such a cool character, so lively, so real... someone with principals and limits... now she a raging, limitless, all powerfull sex junky who has every other character in the book boot licking!!! I'm sorry ms hamilton but you took a really good charachter and you messed her up completely. I will now finish the series because i am committed to it ( i bought them so i read them) i can only hope that this was (yet another) one time tragedy amidst a decent series.... *sigh*

Just the right amount of funny, sexy, and wit! I found this book in the most random of ways.
The main character is a hoot, as are all of her friends and surrounding characters in this book. I was in a book rut... seeming to read everything that sounded the same so this was a nice change. Am glad to have stumbled on this series. I will definitely have to read up on the continuation of it...
This book made me laugh, got me all hot and bothered, and again, laugh, laugh, laugh. You'll love it.

This book was recommended by a friend so although I rarely read fiction, I thought it might be a nice change.

Didn't like it. It's basically a romance novel with some quirky characters and a different type of story line. The main character gets fired, gets killed and turns into a vampire... one who can walk around in daylight. I did not like the main character as although I'm all for shopping and shoes, she got on my nerves. Maybe it's my age (over 50)

But I know people who rave about the entire series.

The day Betsy Taylor died started out bad (waking up late, sitting in gum) and got worse (getting fired from her job and then dying from a car wreck). Or maybe waking up in the morgue in a cheap pink suit and her step monster's tacky knock off shoes was it... Either way, she's not dead. As a matter of fact she's having trouble staying dead. She jumped off the roof of the morgue, stabbed herself with a butcher knife, drank a bottle of bleach, electrocuted herself, tried to drown herself and tried to get herself murdered by a group of would be rapists.

The only thing all of that resulted in was a hole in her shirt, a case of dry mouth, some bad hair and some dead rapists. Oh and the six year old who's mother she saved, telling her she was a vampire. Yeah, told by a six year old what she now is. Taking this information, Betsy goes back to her life and tries to get back to normal. It's not exactly normal, when a pair of vampires she meets insists that she is the foretold vampire queen, and that she is the one that will overthrow the current ruler.

Maybe she was better off dead...

I love this series and author, I highly recommend her if you're looking for a funny and chick lit look on vampires.

I decided to try this book because I was looking for something to tide me over while waiting for the Sookie Stackhouse book. I had a little bit of trouble with the first couple chapters. I thought, I'm not going to enjoy this at all. Boy! Am I ever glad I stuck it out. Once i got into it, I laughed and laughed. What an enjoyable read. I can't wait to read the rest of them.

I remember back when I had to hunt for my "romantic horror" pretty hard. Now the market is flooded. I avoided this one for a long time because it seemed like a joke. Well, it is, kinda. The author does have a voice that lends more towards the comedic side. But, I needed a change of pace and this certainly provided it.

My best advice is to try the first few pages over some coffee or tea in the bookstore if your Uncertain. Maybe it's not for you. Maybe you'll be drawn to it at a later date. Or maybe you'll find a sudden need to devour them all.

And... I can't help but picture Reese Witherspoon as Betsy. lol.

I have loved the sisterhood books and this one didn't let me down. I hope that Fern Michaels feel like it is worth makeing this and on going series. We missed the sisterhood also so thank you for these last four books.

HIGHLY RECOMEND THIS AND ALL OF THE SISTERHOOD BOOKS BY FERN MICHAELS. MEN PROBABLY WILL NOT CARE FOR THIS BOOK, HOWEVER, MOST WOMEN WILL ENJOY IT.
NT

Another good one in the









Another good one in the "Sisterhood" series, but than again I've enjoyed them all.

Great read. The story keeps your interest from the very beginning. I can't wait for the next book release.

As I completed this last installment of the series, I felt like I was saying good-bye to friends. Each of the women has now had their revenge. Never fear, Fern Michael's new series, "Revenge of the Sisterhood" is coming. Knowing that, I feel better about the ending of this one. I found myself laughing with the sisters, as well as shedding a few tears. Kathryn caught me off guard with the reason for her dislike of Spanish lessons for example. This is Yoko's revenge and her father is the devil himself.

This entire series has been fun, escapist reading. If you are looking for true crime and deep mystery, don't bother. But if you want to be entertained and have fun, by all means grab a chair at Myra's table and have a meal with the Sisterhood.

I liked it, but I didn't love it like I did the Aisling Grey series. First of all, I was never much of a Gabriel fan, he's very much the opposite of Drake who I adore. So in picking up Playing with Fire, I was doing it as a Katie MacAlister fan. I did like the premise though and May as a character is intriguing. But the relationship between May and Gabriel happened so fast, it was very much "I accept I'm your mate and we're together now". The conflict was outside the relationship not inside, and I prefer a little internal conflict. They are just too easygoing together, a problem I've always had with Gabriel.

However, unlike other reviewers, I did like the ending and how it it sets up the next book in the series, finally the storyline picked up and was moving toward something. Not sure what though, as there is an underlying mystery that is only vaguely addressed regarding outcast dragons. I'm more interested in that mystery than in Magoth, May's demonlord, who seems a bit silly and not at all frightening. I'm also intrigued by Kostya, the black wyvern, Drake's brother, I would very much like to read his story.

It took a lot of time for me to get through this book because for most of the book the romance did not interest me, it was a bit boring and bland despite Gabriel's inability to control himself during sex, it wasn't until the end that the relationship felt real to me. I'll probably buy the next book, but I won't devour it like I did the Green dragon series.

As a reading/writing teacher I make it a point to teach my students that EVERY STORY MUST HAVE three vital parts: the conflict, the climax, and the resolution. Despite the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the silver dragons (Gabriel--oh, la, la) I did not enjoy missing the ending of the story. Yes, the rest of the story was great--full of action and fabulous romance, but I believe lack of ending was a huge mistake on the author's part and deserved two stars off.

I thought it was a very good read, very smooth. The only thing I had a problem with is that while it's the first book in a new series, it isn't the first book in the over-all series. I felt like I was coming in on the middle of something that had been going on for a while, and I was struggling to figure out what was happening for the first half of the story. After a while, I just settled down and went with the flow. So it isn't the best as a stand-alone story.
Other than that major problem, in my point of view, it was a very nice book.

I have been a fan of Katie MacAlister for a long time. I bought her first
book and have been buying the others as they come out. I love the inclusion
of the silver dragons into the Guardian senario but I just have to admit
that I have a jones for the "dog" Jim or Jinn. He is a combination of a
smart rough talking Mickey Spillane type character and a scruffy yard dog.
He always has a smart alec type comment within his character as a genie in the
body of a dog.
Her books are always fresh and keep me wanting more. Keep the dog or genie or
whatever he is and just keep on writing. I will be ordering new books as
they come out.

I am such a dragon fan I look for anything with the word in the title. That doesn't mean the characters don't have to be interesting or that I have to sacrifice an intriguing plot. Sorry, this just didn't hold my interest enough to even finish the book.

I used to be a big fan of the Anita Blae series, I started reading them around 16 and I loved the first 9 books. Those are the only ones I recomend period because it started to go down hill after Obsidian Butterfly.

I kept reading until Micah because I hoped that things would get better, not every book can be great after all. But then I bought Micah, hoping that we'd get some more background on him, that we'd be able to see why he is the way he is.

I spent my $14 dollars, I believe it was, and what I got was two or three pages of how Micah became a werelepard, surrounded by him and Anita talking in a hotel room, really bad sex, and her not doing the job she had come to PA to do, in the first place.

After that I never picked up another Anita Blake book and have replaced LKH were these other authors:

Stephenie Meyer- The Twilight series and The Host
Mary Janice Davidson- The Undead/Vampire Queen Betsy series and the Fred the Mermaid series
Kimberly Raye- The Dead End Dating series
Yasmine Galenorn- The Sisters of the Moon/Otherworld series
Colleen Gleason- The Gardella Vampire Chonicles series
Charlaine Harris- The Sookie Stackhouse series

All of them write vampires, but are worlds apart from LKH in that I happily wait for the next book, even if I have to wait a year for it. I gladly do so and they get my money because their writing is so much better. Maybe if LKH went back to writing one book a year and switched between the two series, she'd be able to write better books and see how crappy her books have gotten.

This short book was very disappointing. The plot was shallow. The climactic action was boring, compared to other books in the series.

Additionally, I felt that this book was little more than thinly disguised porn. I read waay too much about Micah's member and bedroom skill.

Micah (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Book 13) (Paperback)
by Laurell K. Hamilton (Author) "It was half past dawn when the phone rang..." (more)
Key Phrases: vampire executioner, protective circle, Marshal Blake


This book was a bit disappointing compared to her others. Very short. Almost like someone else wrote it from her notes.

(sigh) Laurell, what's happened to you? Is putting out a book a year draining you too much? There's no excuse for this.

Micah is a novella dressed up to look like a full novel. The plotline is barely there, the characterizations are shallow, and everything just seems wooden & unlikable. The book is actually just as cheaply done as anything else, as the spacing is overdone in order to stretch out a 100-ish page novel out into 300-ish pages. If this had been published as a short story I wouldn't have minded the barely there plotline or dull characters. But as a novel, let alone as an actual numbered book in the series? That's unforgivable.

I can only hope that eventually things will improve. As it is, this book contributed to why I no longer purchase her books anymore and why I no longer have read anything after this book.

That's it. Really. Were you expecting more? There isn't anything more. No, I'm not kidding.

MICAH is a very short novella put into book form to make Ms. Hamilton more money. And no, I'm not kidding about that either.

Thankfully, I like Micah, although I don't think there are too many more descriptions that the author can make up to describe his physical characteristics. He's not that tall, but he's big where it matters, is hotter than hot, and can have sex as often as Anita needs. Which, we all know, is basically any time she's not unconscious.

I'm glad I read it, because it's part of the series. But the only thing I learned that was new is how Micah became a wereleopard and what happened to his family.

That's it. Really. I tried to tell you.

I read the book cover-to-cover, and found it pretty easy to get through.

However, an easy read doesn't make for a good read. Throughout the entire novel I got the feeling that the author was trying to make young female readers wish they were rich and famous, and young male readers horny.

I loved the background of the vampires. An old myth revitalized.

The storyline was okay. Good enough for three stars. However, I found the character horridly put together. Maybe I just don't like high schoolers. If you don't have a problem with teenage drama to the extreme (with vampire-esque creatures thrown in) pick this book up.

Although not an absolutely terrible read...if you are looking for something along the lines of the Twilight series this is not it. I actually picked this book up at my local bookstore on the recommendation of the sales person. I asked what she would suggest after reading the Twilight series which I LOVED but this book doesn't even come close. So if you are looking for something now that the twilight series is complete, this isn't it.

While I find de la Cruz's novel entertaining and more sophisticated than many other books in this genre, I can't move past the terrible butchering of the Latin language. The book leans on history strongly, which adds a dimension of authenticity to it, but it entirely fails in this regard. Every Latin phrase in the book is translated--however, the Latin hardly reflects the translation. It's as if de la Cruz had an English to Latin dictionary, and just pulled words out of it. That is just shoddy and lazy editing--any first year Classics graduate student could have translated the phrases for this book, particularly those at her alma mater (yep, Latin). The reason I find this so offensive is that de la Cruz immerses herself and her readers in a world that hinges on pop culture and decadence that young people find fascinating and that piques their curiosity. I would hate to think anyone's curiosity about a beautiful and historical language was driven by the equivalent of a cheap knockoff.

I am a vampire fanatic and this book breaks down all the myths that other books build, making it more real and really making you believe that vampires could exist. Excellent first book and if you love this one, read the sequel Masquerade. The third book will be coming out in October.

I picked up this book on a recommendation from an online source to be a good alternative to Twilight. However it reads like a fashion-concious thirteen year old girl with all the name dropping about designers and long descriptions and little action. Do we really need to go on for 3 pages about the exact length and shade of someone's miniskirt? The quasi-incest of the Frost twins?

I wish Mrs. De La Cruz would be introduced swiftly to a writing tutorial that is age-approriate for an adult writer instead of this "hehe" and "lol"-inspired nature of this book. I felt insulted while attempting to read this poor excuse for a pretty cover of a novel.

Ms. Kenyon owes me the time it took me to read this. The only minor positive things were the references to Greek Mythology - but I'm not sure they are correct. The sex encounters were fairly well done and one wonders where she gathered the material for those. The plot development was poor at best.
I'm happy to have this behind me. It was a struggle to slog through it.

I would sneak into my parent's library collection and borrow their huge volumes of hardcover Readers Digest books. The ones that held the intrigue of my young mind were all of the stories pertaining to Greek Mythology. Reading this book brought me back to that old childhood obsession. It was pure candy for a reader such as myself. I never give spoilers but I do wish to add that after I finished this book, I had an immense craving for a vat of melted chocolate!

I absolutely love the Dark Hunter series but this book was dry. The relationship between the story's main characters was poorly put together. I felt like I had to push myself to read it. I did enjoy the insight into Katra and how Kenyon did some back story into her idea of Atlantis. I love Tory and I hope Kenyon develops a good relationship between her and Acheron in his story. I suggest reading this book only for insight in further books but do not hope for a good read.

I liked dream-hunter. I laughed at Geary's sarcasm and the insults passed between Arikos and Solin. It didn't get five stars because it wasn't as great a read for me as some of Kenyon's other novels, but it was good. I am an avid Dark-Hunter series reader, so it was enough to tide me over along with the other dream hunter novels until the next Dark Hunter release. Keep up the good work Kenyon

Write on, read on.
N.M. Phillips

Prepare to sit for awhile--I did not want to stop--fell asleep reading it and dreamed about it !!It grabs you from the first and you live the story as you read it.

I'll admit, there's something about those SEALs that just make me hot! Every one I've ever read about is the ultimate Alpha, and Clint is no exception. And Morganna is the type of heroine that I love. Strong, capable, and willing to do whatever it takes. I'd definitely recommend this series to friends.

Reading this book makes me wonder just how much publishers are outsourcing work to India (a trend in book publishing). This particular book was either never copyedited (or at the least, not checked for consistency/continuity errors) or copyedited by someone with little to no experience. As reviewer TacP mentioned, the boook abounds with these kinds of errors (and like TacP, the constant flipping between Clint's background in the Army and/or the Navy drove me crazy). There's a willing suspension of disbelief, and then there's sloppy writing and/or editing-proofreading. Not to mention the numerous typos and grammar errors. This book suffers from them all. (One major sloppy error that struck me -- the last dramatic scene in the book, the "show down," has Clint staring into Diego's face. Which is odd, considering the Diego character is nowhere near the scene of this particular event. Roberto is. Inexcusable error.) If publishers want consumers to hand over good money for a book, the least they can do is have someone edit or proofread it before it goes to press. The book also suffers from trying to be a few different things at once, and failing. It's basically erotica (porn, whatever you want to call it) disguised as a romantic suspense. But if you take the book as a whole, there are 10 pages of porn for every 3 pages of actual story, which makes the book very unbalanced. The basic story (alpha guy sets out to rescue/tame/protect alpha-wannabe girl and whole lots of bad guys are standing in the way) isn't bad. I wish that side of the book had been better developed. Instead, the supposed plot of the book is just a weak backdrop for the author to serve up scene after scene of cliched erotica. It wasn't believable, or credible. The book might have been stronger had it been written as pure erotica, or pure suspense. A stronger writer can meld the two beautifully -- Anne Stuart does it marvelously well with her Ice series. This book is not of that calibre. I put books into three categories: retail buy, used book buy, library borrow. This book falls into the last category. Had I bought the book, I would have wanted a refund. I might give the first book a try, just because I'm curious about Reno and Raven. Maybe that book is better written and edited.

What a great book. Sexy, Dominant, and intense. I enjoyed it to the very end. Can't wait to read More about the tempting SEALs.

Okay...first let me say that I absolutely hated Megans'Mark book 1 of the breeds series so I was very, repeat VERY hesitant to invest any more money into this author. Boy am I glad I did. I really enjoyed this book alot.

I've never really read anything that had this level of the bondage/submission stuff so I considered this a learning experience at it's best.

The relationship between Clint and Morganna was so hot it scorched the pages and the sex scenes, well they are smoakin' hot, to say the least.

I can honestly say that at times I laughed, at times I cried I even called my friends to read sections to them.

This is a great series and I can't wait to buy the next one! The SEAL aspect was what drew me into this series, I'm glad I gave in and tried it.

I enjoy a good romantic suspense novel, but if the romance is bondage, please make that clear on the back. I do not enjoy buying a book and getting home with a book I would have to hide from my son. I feel if it is this strong, shelve it with erotica or let the reader know up front what they are buying.

I love Karen Kingsbury's works...she's a God-sent to our generation. I'm always very inspired by her books and feel the presence of God every time I read her novels.

I'll recommend it to everyone, irrespective of your religion...just read and be blessed.

This is one of my favorite books of Karen's and I have a lot of her books. I highly recomend it. I couldn't put it down. This book is a must have. I can relate to the story very strongly.

THIS BOOK IS A MUST IF YOU HAVE READ A THOUSAND TOMMORROWS. I REALLY ENJOYED THE UP TIMES AND ALSO THE DOWN TIMES. IT IS VERY LIFE LIKE AND IF YOU HAVE EVER HAD A CHALLENGED PERSON IN YOUR LIFE YOU WILL RELATE TO THIS STORY.

Just Beyond the Clouds
Written by: Karen Kingsbury
Published by: Hatchette Book Group USA
ISBN: 978-1-59995-677-0

Reviewed by: Stephanie Rollins for ReviewYourBook.com
"A Book of Rebirths"
5 stars

I do not think that I am a very emotional person, but this brought me to tears each time I picked it up. I embarrassed myself by acting like a blubbering fool while finishing it over lunch at a small restaurant. The waitress commented that it must a great book. I replied that it was one of the best I have ever read.

In "Just Beyond the Clouds", Cody and his parents teeter between encouraging independence for Carl Joseph and wanting to baby him. Carl Joseph has Down Syndrome. Descriptions of the disorder are woven into the plot. I now have a profound respect for those with the disorder and their caretakers.

Carl Joseph's parents separated because of the stress of the disorder. They reunite as a family--stronger than ever. Cody has grieved over the death of his wife for years. He comes to realize that his deceased wife would have wanted him to keep on living and loving. Elle lost herself in love only to find her self left at the alter with 300 guests waiting. She eventually realizes that not every man is married, a jerk, or gay. Throughout the book, the only ones who have a clear grasp on love are Carl Joseph and Daisy, his Down Syndrome girlfriend.

Rarely do I come across an author that has so much God-given talent. "Just Beyond the Clouds" flows so smoothly, as if writing it was effortless. Each character is developed so well that the reader develops a relationship with them. I would really like a sequence to this. Grab a box of tissues and read!

This is a good story though the one thing that bothered me was Cody's reason for falling in love. On p. 294 it said that "part of his attraction for Ali had been her illness and that he might protect her, shelter her. She needed him..." and then a few paragraphs later the story went that Cody "wanted to shelter Elle, the same way he sheltered Ali (because of her broken heart)."

And Cody surely loved his brother Carl Joseph... How many times was it repeated, "I just love that kid." I just feel that this story was "told" more than "shown". He surely showed his love, but it was told that he did many more times than necessary.

It also just made me wonder why Cody had to love people that were weaker or needier than him. It seemed he had the classic rescuer complex.

I like Elle as a character. She is consistent in how she would react to a possible love interest in light of her being so hurt in the past.