Romance Books

As a fan of Francine Rivers' Biblical fiction, I hate to write anything less than complimentary but I have to say honestly this is not her best work. It seems like every other character in the book has had an abortion. I can think of other ways to drive home the point that abortion is a devastating experience other than having multiple characters disclosing their own personal stories about the exact same thing over and over again throughout the plot. The book was overall engaging, but a bit tiresome.

I loved this book! Working at a crisis pregnancy center as well as knowing girls who have gone through this situation themselves, I thought the book was acurate. As a Christian I thought the struggles between, her and God were very accurate too. Being a Christian doesn't mean happy all the time, but through struggles we question God, we doubt, we hurt, yet we trust in God to answer those prayers and trust Him enough to go to him when we are hurting the most. I thought the book was greatly written and the characters portrayed great. Ethan is a real guy...I see all the time. Her roommate thinks she knows the best for her but doesn't. Her parents want the "best" for their daughter yet they forget to deal with their own feelings and past. It was very real and I loved the book!

Atonement Child from Francine Rivers is a pivotal book dealing with the issue of abortion. At times, it has been criticized for not being realistic enough, but to those who've said that, they've missed the point. Though it was written in 1997 and some of the references might seem a bit dated, the message stays the same. If you were stripped of all your comforts; home, friends, future . . . would you still serve God? I read this book when it first came out, when Christian Fiction with issues was a new genre. I decided to read it again when it tumbled from my book closet. I'm glad I did.

What an amazing masterpiece. This book is what made me want to go into a career with girls struggling with teenage pregnancy. Such a hard topic but Rivers writes so well and depicts so perfectly the battle in Dynah's mind and heart. So honest. My favorite book!

I was very touched reading this book... for the second time. I love that it shows that no one has to be a victim, that God can carry us through anything... that He is faithful, even when we are faithless - because He can not deny Himself. I became connected to the characters, I felt their emotions with them... I felt emotions against some. In other words, this writing really drew me in, it was written wonderfully.
God's love is strong and powerful, and He is able to birth us all through the fire it we're willing.

each book out does the last one Lisa Jackson writes..look forward to each and every one and they are all keepers.

I have always been a Lisa Jackson fan, and eagerly paid top dollar at the airport for this book. I was disappointed and felt I had been cheated out of an ending. Since when are these novels "to be continued"??? Yes, it was tense and kept you guessing who the bad guy really was; but come on ... why leave me hung out to dry waiting for an ending that is expected in August 2009? What a dirty trick. I won't so quickly buy the next one.

I was shocked at how poorly written Lost Souls was I remember reading Shiver and how I couldn't put it down so engrossing were the lead characters but this book I was bored so quickly just couldn't get invested in the lead characters.

I think a big part of the problem for Lisa Jackson is that she is pushing out books so quickly she is passing up her writing talent just to get the books to reach the publishing deadline.

SUMMARY: The latest in Jackson's series revolving around the ever-expanding family of tragic heroine Faith Daniels finds Kristi Bentz, a secondary character from the previous installments, at the forefront. Recovered from a previous attack, Kristi decides to re-enroll at her alma mater, All Souls College, to further her aspirations of becoming a true crime writer. The fact that several female students have gone missing from the campus only intrigues her more.

WHY YOU'LL LIKE IT: Jackson has a knack for creating and developing likable heroines, and Kristi Bentz no different. As she was established in other books, it's nice to see her get a turn as a main character. Jackson endeavors to capture the gothic allure of New Orleans in these epic potboilers, and adequately succeeds.

WHY YOU WON'T: Despite the potential of this series, the plots have become formulaic and often ludicrous. How many serial killers can one family, disjointed or not, attract? Jackson's antagonists have become predictable and boring, whispering their bland threats into the ears of the reader, usually mixed with laughable profanity about his desire to violate sexually the protagonist; the killers are no longer distinguishable from each other and it's frankly impossible to care what their motives are or what drives them; it has become simply a matter of counting the bodies they leave in their wake until the inevitable concluding showdown. The romance scenes are pedantic and pejorative, and it's offensive to read the women of Jackson's novels become so besotted with their paramours that they become caricatures of themselves, not to mention the predilection the author has of shining the light of suspicion on said suitors, making her heroines' eventual submission all the more pathetic. Most aggravating is the heroines' penchant for putting themselves in harm's way (often planned) while not having taken the necessary precautions and thus requiring a man to ride to their rescue; regardless of self-defense training or that can of mace for which they never reach in time, it would be nice to see one of these women let someone know what they're up to and where they're going prior to racing off on a half-cocked 'mission'. The plotting is haphazard and shoddy, and the novel runs about one hundred-fifty pages too long with several redundant passages.

BOTTOM LINE: Jackson is a talented author with many illustrious works to her credit; this is not one of them. She's in danger of becoming generic in a genre in which she was once a leader.

I think this was quite a good book, it kept you guessing on who the killer was. I like Kristi and her Dad, New Orleans Dectective Rick Bentz and I enjoyed how Kristi hooked up with a former boyfriend, Jay. All of the characters held my interest. I thought the book had a lot of twists and turns. I am going to search out more of Lisa Jackson's books.

I think that this was a very good read. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot. However, I think that for a story that took three books to get to the "battle", the battle should have lasted longer than a chapter. But, while I agree that some of her early stuff wasn't as seasoned as her newer books, I really did like this book. In the Garden is still the best by far!

Whoever said this book is unimaginative is CRAZy! This trilogy is probably the best I ever read. It has everything you could want, fantasy, love, war and a lot more. It ends just perfect. You are missing out if you don't read this series! The first book kindof focuses on two of the main characters but you will hear of the others a lot more in the following books. They are perfect. Nora Roberts is Fabulous!

I don't usually like vampire tales, but I must say Nora Roberts once again has caught me up in her story telling. She transports you from modern day to days of old in this trilogy. Even if your not that crazy about Vampire tales, try this one and the other two. They are a great to read.

This book and the two that followyed it were amazing. Not only did I love them but my Mom who very rarely reads could not put it down!!! I would suggest it to everone!

This one, and the other two in this trilogy pleasantly surprised me. I had no idea Nora Roberts wrote fantasy or paranormal romance. I'm an avid reader in this genre, and not into straight romance, so I've never picked up any of her books before. These caught my eye, and I'm glad they did. Very nice!

I suppose that I held a bit more of an expectation for this novel than usual because of the time it sat on my bookshelf until I found the opportunity to read it...and perhaps that added to my slight disappointment in it. Although Dunant writes with a mostly smart and rather seductive language, I found myself a bit tired of all the "modern" twistings and soap-opera antics by midway through the book. At times, the main character Alessandra speaks as if dictating passages of a sexually repressed sixteen year old's diary, and being wrapped up in her thoughts took me away from the whole feel and magic of the Italian Renaissance. I enjoyed the story, but I could not immerse myself in the true history, beauty and the art of the era, which I had hoped would be a large part of the novel's intrigue.

I read this book for a book club and it was really, really hard finishing it. I think I knew it was drivel at the very beginning but I like these women and wanted to go to bookclub. Does historical fiction just have a lower bar? We've also read Geraldine Brooks and the quality is just way below that of most of the other novels I generally read.

There is a very good negative review already here (last one with one star - Simone) so please read that one for a detailed look at all the inanities in this book. My biggest general gripe is that like many other "women's" books, I believe it has an anachronistic feminist slant. "The Color Purple" is another example of this genre.

This book should inspire me to write my own historical novel. Pick a picturesque setting, throw in some sex and lurid details - torture, dimemberment, plague, and rake in the dough.

This is a slow reading that may only interest those into Florence and Renaissance (actually this is redundant because almost nothing happened in Florence in the last 500 years and that town still prospers from the outcome of the Medici's years). I writing this about a couple of months after reading the book and I almost don't remember anything. The characters are forgettable. This is a book about style. Maybe a better option is Irving Stone's "The Agony and the Ecstasy". Even so, due to the fact that I cannot get enough of Florence (it is where I spent my honeymoon), I enjoyed reading this book.

Set in Florence, in the 1400's, Alessandra is an intelligent 14-year-old girl that is way ahead of her time. She loves art, and craves the freedom only given to the men of her time. Right before her 15th birthday, her father hires a young painter to decorate the family's chapel walls. Alessandra is completely dazzled with his abilities and somber personality. Unfortunately, her parents have arranged for her to marry an older man. The events that take place are astonishing. The author tells a wonderful story. She explores Alessandra's passions and downfalls, and does a great job of bringing this time in history to life.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a well-written, engaging, and intriguing novel. The plot is full of twists, so you are never sure what is going to happen next.

Sarah Dunant's "The Birth of Venus" was gift as I prepared for my solo trip to Italy. The gift giver knew I enjoyed books of historical fiction. This story told in a colorfully real way the streets and lives of Italian life in another time that I almost read it entirely before ending my plane journey.

"The Birth of Venus" is a birthing of an intelligent and spirited girl into womanhood during the 15th century Florentine society - not a good thing especially since she is born into a family of money.

The author paints richly her characters and surroundings one feels they are truly living in that time. I found the book helpful as part of my novice adventure to Florence. Arriving I couldn't wait to get into the art history---walk the streets and feel the city.

Fun book to read. I love Jamie and Jeremy. I wish there was more of Elena, Clay and Nick in this book.

I had misgivings about a book from the POV of Jaime, as I did with those from Paige's POV, but I was pleasantly surprised and ending up enjoying the read. I loved seeing more of Jeremy, getting to know his character in more depth was wonderful, and Jaime herself comes across as a mature woman. This book is proof that Armstrong doesn't need her heroines to be twenty- or thirty-somethings with butt-kicking powers (much as Elena is my favourite). Jaime is forty-five, I believe? The way she handles the potential relationship with Jeremy was evidence of a mature woman's experience, and Jaime came across to me as very smart.

I love Armstrong's writing style. It brings to mind the style in Tanya Huff's "Blood" books. Snappy and well-crafted prose and solid characters have now made Kelley Armstrong one of my favoured authors. I hope to read much more from her in the future, and will henceforth bandy her name about to friends and acquaintances.

This book was fantastic, I couldn't put it down. If you haven't read any of this series, Women of the Otherworld, you should defiantly start.

This is book seven in the Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong.

I don't mean to gush, but as with most of the Otherworld books by Armstrong, I loved it. Armstrong has an interesting approach to serial fantasy; instead of having one character/point of view for the entire collection, the books have different narrators (some narrators have more than one book, some books have more than one narrator). This gives the individual books a sense of novelty -- Armstrong is very good at giving the narrators unique voices. In "No Humans Involved," (NHI) the narrator is Jaime Vegas, necromancer. I like to think of Jaime as a lovable but ditzy genius -- she gets herself into dire situations, but keeps a good sense of humor.

The plot and subplots of NHI are well developed and comfortably unpredictable. The returning characters hold true to their developed personas and the new characters add opportunities for story and character growth. The romantic/sexual interludes are HOT without being excessive or interrupting story flow. Conflicts/fights/battles are handled with enough detail to be believable without being gross.

I recommend this book (actually, the entire series) to readers wanting a strong supernatural story with 'real' characters, a balance of humor and drama, and with a healthy dose of seductive romance.

Jaime Vegas, who we originally met in Industrial Magic, is the narrator for this book in the Women of the Otherworld series. Jaime is a necromancer which means that she can communicate with the dead. In some books, like Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, a necromancer doesn't talk to ghosts, she raises and controls the dead. Hamilton's Anita Blake is that sort of necromancer. Jaime CAN raise the dead but it's not something she does routinely. In fact, though she knows it's possible, it's in NHI that she raises her first dead person.

The story begins with Jaime being invited to participate in a television special about "spiritualists" who claim they can talk to the dead. The show's producers want Jaime, and 2 others, to have a séance and find out who or what killed Marilyn Monroe. Jaime is the only one among the three who is actually "gifted." Things begin to go awry, however, when Jaime is pestered by a type of ghost she has never encounted. With the help of Eve, Kristof, Jeremy and a new character, Hope, Jaime helps these ghosts.

No Humans Involved was more of a page turner than other books. Armstrong more fully developed characters from previous books. Jeremy, for instance. The reader learns a lot about Jeremy and why he is the way he is.

At the risk of sounding too much like a fan, this series just keeps getting better and better.

Nora Roberts' Circle Trilogy is entertaining. I am not usually a fan of vampire stories, but the interesting mix of characters, as she develops them in the first book, caused me to want to read on. Because the first book seems to be filled with so much character information, it feels slow. Frankly, I might not have finished the first book as quickly as I did, except my daughter was insistent that I read the entire trilogy. She assured me that "it gets better". And, it did. The story began to flow in the second book and I couldn't put it or the third book down. An entire summer weekend was spent with an unending promise to myself of "just one more chapter." Book two and three are worthy of the time spent on book one. Again, once past the first book, which sets up books two and three, I can promise you an enjoyable read.

I wasn't sure about them when i started the first book, but then, about 15 pages in I couldn't put them down!!!

Fantastic, Superb! Can I say more. Devoured Ann Rices's Vampire Chronicles, & these also! Love NR romantic/susoense thrillers! Hated to see it end!

Thank you for making that comment, because I just ordered the set believing it to be different from the Circle Trilogy and now I've ended up with books I've got home already! I'm disappointed by the confusing information.

Ilove Nora Roberts but these books were a bit "out there" and not as entertaining as previous books.

The story keeps getting better and better. I am already in the fourth one and I cant seem to keep the characters out of my head. I love it and Raven is amazing along with the great Sterling.

My Friends Bought All The Other Vampire Kisses Books For Me, Too! My Name Is Raven, I'm A 7th Grader, & I Loves Vampires! A Great Vampire Love Story Without The Gore!

they are back together and i'm so happy. the end made go out and buy the 3rd and 4th books i can't wait to read then and see what luna is up to.

This book was the best book in the series. I loved Jagger and it was filled to the brim with suspense. I give Ellen Schreiber 2 thumbs WAY up!

Please, please tell me this is a parody of the already laughable vampire romance genre. I could barely get through Stephanie Meyer's /Twilight/ without rolling my eyes, but this almost made me physically ill. Imagine a Harlequin romance meets the worst of Laurell K. Hamilton, witten by an emo 13 year old girl, and you might get an idea of what /Kissing Coffins/ is like.

Syntactially speaking, it was a snore. Very little variation in sentence structure or voice, and I would've found the vocabulary interesting somewhere in junior high. The author frequently name-drops goth culture icons (Hot Topic, Edward Scissorhands, Marilyn Manson, etc) like anvils, without any real effect, beyond proving herself to be a clueless wannabe.

Now, let's move on to the heroine, Raven (both the color of her flowing, silky tresses and deep soul): can you say Mary Sue? She never does anything wrong. She's always sweet, kind, and caring. Every non-attached male even remotely close to her own age (and one that isn't) falls hard for her; immediately. I mean, she's got the oh-so-pretty captain of the soccer team, her Gothic Guy, and a creepy, semi-insane vampire all dueling for her affection. And she claims to be such an outcast! Woe is her.

And of course there's the Love Intrest. Goth Emo Vampire Artist, Sterling. Her Gothic Guy (she actually calls him this), her Dark Knight. When he and Raven aren't staring soulfully into each other's eyes and professing their undying love for the fifth time that chapter, they're pining because fate hath cruelly parted them.

I've read hundreds of different books, which have inspired hundreds of different emotions in me: love, hatred, fear, grief, joy, and exhiliration. This one left me with only nausea.

Maybe I've just read too many crappy erotic romances lately, but Megan's Mark was a relief. Lora Leigh does an admirable job with her sex scenes, and I appreciated Megan's attitude. Braden is definitely alpha, and I especially liked how they came to terms with their similar personalities. And heck, I like sensual biting!

But when it comes time to explain important plot points, Leigh's narrative gets confusing. I found myself re-reading at some of the worst moments... I still don't understand how the plot resolved, actually. That said, I wasn't looking for an especially deep plot. It made for a good summer read.

Ok, I am not going to go into a rendition of the story, that has already been done. I was a little disappointed in this book, it was not one of Lora Leighs best breed books, but it still gets 5 stars for an amazing story. I thought the alpha female business was too much, Megan was too domineering. Overall I do recommend this book and I will be checking out the rest of this series.

This is Book 1 of The Breed series which is an offshoot of the Feline Breeds series. The Genetics Council used genetic experimentation to create humans with animal DNA, called Breeds. The Breeds were tortured, experimented upon and kept in captivity, but eventually escaped. The Council and other groups are trying to capture and/or kill them.

I liked the alpha male hero Braden who was a Breed with lion DNA. The heroine is Megan, a human with empathic abilities. She trained to be a police officer, but was too affected by the emotions of other police officers, victims and criminals to do her job. She would feel too much pain, fear, hatred, etc, which caused her to make mistakes on the job. Someone wants to kill her and Braden is sent to find out who. He is there to help her, but she won't help him help her. At first she doesn't even tell him she is an empath which is part of the mystery. Later, he wants her to practice blocking emotions with his help, but she refuses for awhile. She is hostile and angry toward him and others. I had trouble finding something to admire about her or feeling sympathy for her. The plot didn't interest me, described below. If a reader is looking for lengthy Breed sex scenes, I suggest the other Breed books. The ones in this book were similar, nothing new.

CAUTION SPOILERS:
A bad guy hires other bad guys to kill two breeds and Megan. Megan escaped the ambush. She and Braden return to the scene of the crime a couple of times trying to psychically figure out what happened. The bad guys chase them and there is a shoot out at the end. Most of the story seemed to be Megan stomping around being mad and not trying to do a good job in solving the mystery.

Sexual language: strong/erotic. Number of sex scenes: six, most were several pages long. Setting: 2023 small town in southern New Mexico and Virginia. Copyright: 2006. Genre: erotic paranormal romance.

For a listing of my reviews of other Lora Leigh books, see my 4 star review of "Tempting the Beast" posted on 6/30/08.

Fundamentally, this book lacks consistency.

At first it seems to be about two strong alpha personalities and the sexual battle royale between them. Braden is a Breed - a genetically engineered blend of human and lion, battle trained, superhuman, but ruled by animal urges. Megan is a tough cop with extensive military training whose incredibly strong empathic powers prevent her from working in teams, or in large cities...forcing her to live and work as a lone wolf. The early action-packed sequences between the two are all about their powerful sexual attraction building through a contest of wills.

And then Megan turns into a fragile weakling and Braden takes on the role of a tutor or protector. After Megan fearlessly investigates a murder scene and twice fends off mysterious Breed assassins (killing a couple of them along the way) her character does a 180. We are expected to believe that actually, she can't continue the investigation because she is so averse to exposing herself to painful thoughts and emotions. Suddenly it's Braden's job to push her forward and encourage her and tell her she can do it, while Megan cowers in fear and whines shrilly about how crippling her empathic abilities are. Braden is going to protect her and teach her and deliver some tough love, while Megan resists and trembles and cringes her way through it.

Sexually, the contest of wills degenerates just as completely. Braden seems at all times totally sure of himself and his desires, a guy who's confident in the bedroom because experience has told him that he should be. Megan thinks that oral sex is really risque and whenever Braden brings up even minimally kinky sexual scenarious she calls him a pervert. She's clueless and naive. There's no contest at all, actually.

The thing is, long after it's screamingly obvious that Megan is a pretty weak and fragile sort of person, most characters in the book continue to act as though she's the tough, independent heroine she seemed to be in the beginning - Megan herself included. While she becomes weaker and more subservient by the page, everyone around her claims that she's a "warrior" or "impossible to subdue."

Braden seems to think he's imposing his will on Megan via his violent, dominent sexuality - but that's a hoax too. Mostly because Megan's resistence is a sham, but equally because Braden is so concerned about respecting her and encouraging her to be a free and independent woman. The brutal, dominating animal is mostly talk - deep down, he's a supportive partner, an idealized and bland mate of the 21st century.

MEGAN'S MARK is ultimately so confused, with so many glaring contractions between who its protagonists actually are and what they are supposed to be, that it's hard to enjoy. The positive elements of the book - like the gross yet hot sex hormone Braden secretes from a gland under his tongue - are lost in the wreckage.

Megan Fields is cursed with an incredible empathic ability. Unable to shield herself from feeling the emotions of others, working as a Sherrif's Deputy in a small town in New Mexico has helped her keep her sanity. But the little comfort she has found is threatened after two Breeds are found dead and Megan finds herself being hunted by the Genetics Council for reasons unbeknownst to her. And it appears that Braden Arness may be the only one to save her.

One of the Genetic Council's biggest problems, Braden is one of the Breed Council's elite assassins. After the suspicious death of the Breeds in New Mexico, he is sent to uncover the truth and find out why Megan has been targeted. But little did he know that he would meet his Mate within the scorching heat of the desert. While he has never experienced the emotions involved in caring for someone, Braden is now overwhelmed by the sheer protective fury and determination to protect and shelter her from harm. But as the Mating Heat intensifies, so does the threat from the Council. And it would take their combined strength and power to thwart their enemies.

While this is not my favorite among the Breed books, MEGAN'S MARK is certainly one of the most fast-paced and character-focused instalment in the series. The explicit sex scenes are there but the action is intense and you are in for a rollercoaster ride as Braden and Megan do their best to foil the Council's attacks.

But as much as I enjoyed this book, questions kept nagging at my head as I continued to read. Braden's ability to shield Megan from the overpowering effects of her empathic abilities wasn't fully explained. Then there is the part where Megan was described to be dropping her shields in order to unravel the truth. Now I thought that her biggest problem was her inability to block other people's emotion hence her self-imposed exile in New Mexico. Minor quibbles these might be, but I expect consistency.

If you haven't read any of her books before, allow me to warn new readers that Lora Leigh's men are Alpha to the max and she doesn't mince words when it comes to penning sex scenes. It is graphic and not for the squeamish. If you don't mind this, then you would enjoy Leigh's alternative world.

I have always enjoyed Stephanie Bond's books and had high hopes at the beginning of this series... unfortunately this latest book is disappointing. After waiting so long for the story to continue, this book felt like one long placeholder. Nothing of any relevance happens and the story just seems to drag on - as if the author is trying to stretch a short story over multiple novels. I found the book difficult to finish and just didn't care by the end.

Also, for a book touted as a "sexy mystery" the storyline offers nothing sexy (or romantic!) and the so-called mystery is a trite afterthought.

Hopefully the next book in the series will accelerate the story and unveil new information that will bring the excitement back.

This series is on my keeper shelf (along w/ my other Stephanie Bond books). Carlotta manages to surprise me every time. With the first book in this series, I knew who I wanted her to end up with. Now, I'm not so sure anymore, especially with the curveball (courtesy of Jack) near the end of the story. But it was fun to have the chance to learn more about Coop so I'm glad he played a major role in this book. And just when I think Peter is counted out, he steps up and does something amazing.

I am eagerly awaiting the next three and I'm sure from having read Stephanie's work since her Harlequin Temptation days that I'll be just as pleased.

I enjoyed the second book from this series, I was looking forward reading the third one because I wanted to know how it would end. But it never ends!! The author just wants you to keep buying and reading her books (good thing for public library). I was VERY dissapointed in the third book and I didn't finish the book, it became boring and started to drag.

I just love the entire Body Mover series and I'm so glad that there are 3 more books to look forward to. All these books are well written with witty dialogue and an extremely interesting storyline that progresses well with each book leaving the reader wanting more. All in all a very enjoyable read! BTW Stephanie if you read this Im secretly hoping that Carlotta will end up with Jack Terry ;)

I like Stephanie Bond books and this is a great story line, but when will this all end. The books keep you hanging. The stories are all off the mark of what should be going on, they just have enough in them to remind you of what they started with.

I love the whole series that Lindsay Sands has created with this funny and quirky family. The books make me laugh and hold my attention and care for the characters. I hope the series continues for a long time!

The whole series is great, if you haven't read one of her books, now is the time to start. They are very funny and you will quickly fall in love with the characters, the women are cool and the men are hot.

Leigh Gerard has created a nice life for herself after escaping her abusive husband, but she swears she'll never fall into the power of a man again. Just because she's attacked by a vampire and transformed doesn't mean she's ready to let some male, even a vampire male, take control of her life. But until she learns about the limitations of her new life, she's stuck with Lucian Argeneau, the vampire who saved her from the master vampire who turned her.

Lucian Argeneau became a vampire, immortal as he prefers it, back in Atlantis when he was infected with the nanobes that keep him healthy, attack anything that harms him, but that also create a need for blood to feed them. As one of the oldest surviving immortals, Lucian is responsible for enforcing the rules that keep immortals from exploiting the rest of humanity. And rogues, like the ones who turned Leigh, must be destroyed. What he isn't interested in is babysitting a new immortal. But when he's stuck with Leigh, and when he realizes she just might be his lifemate, all the rules change.

Author Lynsay Sands creates an interesting approach to the origins of vampires, explaining vampire capabilities and limitations by her nanobe theory. Her smooth writing and sense of humor make BITE ME IF YOU CAN a page-turning pleasure. The relationship between Leigh and Lucian is sexy and fun--especially the mental sex in the shower. Watching Lucian develop into a human person from a cold jerk is satisfying as well.

BITE ME IF YOU CAN does have some editing issues. Leigh comes from Kansas City, Kansas, but the city Sands describes sounds a lot more like Kansas city, Missouri (Sands is a Canadian so perhaps this mistake can be blamed on American editors who should have known better). Some word misuse also pulls the reader out of the story. Likewise, I think we need more explanation of why Leigh is special not just to Lucian (although the coincidence of running into his lifemate by chance could also be explained) but why she has the powers she has against other vampires. Morgan's almost suicidal fascination with Leigh could also be explained more fully. BITE ME's flaws didn't keep me from enjoying this intriguing re-telling of the vampire romance.

The 6th book on the Argeneau family saga is about the most cantankerous, grumpy and oldest members of the family - Julian Argeneau. He has lived centuries, well 3500 years to be precise - and is one of the original survivors of Atlantis before it fell. He lost his wife then and children and has lived alone - his only purpose in existence is protecting the Argeneau clan and ensuring their safety.

His latest mission revolves around eradicating "rogue" immortals (vampires) that have turned against the human race. That leaves Lucian with a rep of an unfeeling and rude SOB. After being having lived so long - he has seen everything, been though everything and experienced everything. He hasn't gotten lucky in almost 1800 years! And he is not about to - that would only distract him from his goal - terminate rogue vamps and being vigilante for his family!

Leigh Gerard is walking home from her restaurant late in the evening, when she is approached by a fellow co-worker Donald (Donny). He lures her into the clutches of a vicious rogue vampire - Morgan, who has been turning mortals to start his own sect of followers. Morgan bites Leigh, gives her his blood and takes her to his lair until she has turned.

Lucian and two of his men have scoped and staked out Morgan's nest. As they rush in to "clean out the nest", they kill most of the vampires in residence and burn the house, rescuing Leigh in the process. Unfortunately, Morgan and Donny have managed to slip away.

When Leigh is literally "dumped" on Lucien's lap - he has no choice but to take her his sister-in-laws house to Toronto and in turn dump her with Marguerite. Only one problem, Marguerite is on her way to Europe and can't stay to care for a "baby-vamp" while she is turning. Lucian has guarded his rep throughout the centuries. He is known as the most ancient, ruthless and kick butt immortal in the Argeneau clan and he is not going to let his rep slip by caring for a baby vamp!!!

Stuck with Leigh through her turning - he remains in Marguerite's house. After a few hilarious incidents where he is forced to do "menial" labor, he realizes that he can't read Leigh's thoughts and it is an indication that she is his life mate. After being alone for so many centuries - it is at first hard to believe that she has come along.

After Leigh realizes "she's not in Kansas anymore", she finally accepts that she has been turned into an immortal. She is constantly badgering Lucian with questions about their race - which of coursed annoys him to no end.

Leigh is delightful - with a great heart and wonderful sense of humor, she slowly begins to thaw and chip away at Lucian's frozen and insensitive heart and breaks through his defenses - in the most endearing way! Oh, did I mention that she can kick butt just like Lucian - after an abusive husband there's no way in hell she is going to be dominated and mistreated by anyone - EVER!

In the style of Sands previous novels - the content is beautifully developed and you'll find yourself swallowing this book at an expediential rate!! Complete with witty humor, sexy scenes, fantastic plot, great characters and sub-characters and a great family besides - this one is not to be missed! Julian - you can bite my neck any time!!!

I have to agree with a previous reviewer - the reason I had not picked up this series was due to the corny book titles with the silly cartoon-ish images on the covers. I sheepishly agree that I have "done missed out" on a great series which now I have to feverishly catch up on and am now reading out of sequence! HEY - don't judge a book by its cover - for sure!

Since I made the mistake of not reading these in order here is the way you might want to engage them:

1. A Quick Bite- Lissianna & Greg
2. Love Bites - Eteinne & Rachel
3. Single White Vampire - Lucerne & Kate
4. Tall, Dark & Hungry- Bastien & Terri
5. A Bite to Remember- Vincent & Jackie
6. Bite me if you Can - Lucien & Leigh
7. The Accidental Vampire - Victor & Elvi
8. Vampires are Forever - Thomas & Inez
9. Vampire Interrupted - Marguerite & Julius

I couldn't get myself to read this book. I couldn't read more of twenty pages before I got bored and put the book down with no intention whatsoever of ever picking it up again. In fct, I'm hopping I can return it to the library I bought it from.

Sorry to offend fans or the writter herself, but this book wasn't for me, definitely.