I finished up the Tess Gerritsen’s duology (sort of), with Thief of Hearts. The MC in this story is the brother to the MC in In Their Footsteps. This was a good, quick read, with some funny moments. I kept picturing the MC as the brother to Rachel Weiz’s character in The Mummy, for some reason.

I’m not much for anthologies, since I like to get really involved in my stories, but I enjoyed My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding, edited by P.N. Elrod. Several of the stories were good, but my favorite one, hands down, was Dead Man’s Chest, by Rachel Caine. I’m a fan of Ms. Caine’s Morganville Vampire series (all of her work that I’ve read so far), so combine that liking with Captain Jack Sparrow (Well, that’s who it sounded like to me.), and the result is a really great story that sounds like one of my own personal fantasies. Really enjoyable.

Next up was Dagger-Star, by Elizabeth Vaughn. I’m not sure if I’ve read anything of Ms. Vaughn’s before, although the quote from Anne McCaffrey caught my attention. Being a fan of that author, I decided to give this one a whirl. Good story. Strong writing, interesting and well-built world. I liked Red, the MC, a lot, and the author kept me guessing about what, exactly was behind her red gloves throughout most of the story. To be honest, I was so curious about that, I probably would have finished the book even if had sucked. But it didn’t. Not at all. Definitely a recommendation.

Then I read The Hobb’s Bargain and When Demons Walk, by Patricia Briggs. Boy, am I glad they re-released these books (And with such great covers, too!) It would have been a shame to miss two great stories like this. The Hobb’s Bargain is about the return of magic and magical creatures to the land, and the troubles a village has fighting that as well as a group of raiders. There was a pretty big unexpected development (to me, anyway) with the MC and the hobb. I really enjoyed this story a lot. When Demons Walk was great. I loved Sham, the MC, and I’d be happy to read about her more, if Ms. Briggs should ever be so inclined. Some funny stuff with Sham, who’s a thief, playing the part of a high-society mistress. Those scenes made me laugh out loud. And I did manage to guess who the demon in disguise actually was, but only about five seconds before Sham did.

I read 90 Minutes in Heaven, by Don Piper. Very good book. Very moving. If you’re looking for a little bit of hope or encouragement in your life, you should read this.

I read the first two books of three interrelated stores by Brenda Novak. I’ve never read Ms. Novak before, but these two stories were a pleasure. Trust Me and Stop Me. I’m looking forward to the last one, which comes out next month. I get on a suspense run every now and then, and these two books kicked another one off. The two MCs helped start The Last Stand, a group that helps victims of violence. Both of them were victims of violence in the past, and that past comes back to haunt both of them.

You can’t go wrong with Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, and Fearless Fourteen was no exception. Great read. Couldn’t put it down. Had me laughing hysterically several times. The potato bazooka was funny. Gramma Mazur as a goth on-line gamer was hysterical. Ranger wasn’t in it quite enough to suit me (but he never is). And I have to say, the “Shazam!” part cracked me up.

I devoured the fourth book in Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampire series, Feast of Fools. Devoured. Couldn’t put it down. Why, oh why, does the next one not come out until January? Why? As much as I love these books, it drives me insane how they stop right after some big bombshell has been dropped. This story revolves around the power struggle between the Founder and her father, Mr. Bishop. Claire’s parents are involved in the whole mess, which just makes things worse, and Monica is back to her witchy, Claire-hating ways. I just want to smack her in this book! Love Shane, of course, and Michael and Eve. Lovely book. Wonderful series. I just love YA fantasy!

I finally got Armed and Magical, by Lisa Shearin. I’m loving this series! Raine is a great character, struggling with a lot of unexpected power dumped on her by a “soul-stealing rock”. It seems like all the bad guys in the world are after her. Someone is kidnapping spellsingers, and someone close to her just so happens to be the most powerful new spellsinger around. Which makes Piaras a target, of course. And Raine’s determined to protect him, rescue the other spellsingers, and break the bond between herself and the Saghred. Not to mention flirting with disaster while juggling Tam and Michael. Great read.

Then I read Love Walked In, by Marisa De Los Santos. This is a beautiful book about a woman who desperately wants to be in love with her charming, Cary Grant-ish boyfriend, when his unmentioned daughter shows up because her mother has had a breakdown and abandoned her. Cornelia comes to love Clare, and also comes to some other hard realizations about her life.

Last up is Last Known Victim by Erica Spindler. The cover copy got me for this one, since it takes place in New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina. For the last twelve years, since my first visit there, I’ve read anything I could get my hands on about that city. I love it there. (Which is a good thing, as I’ll probably be moving there soon.) I enjoyed all the little details about the city. Ms. Spindler brought it to life very well, especially the scenes during Katrina’s immediate aftermath. It matched up with the stories I’ve heard from my dad, who did relief work there. The story itself kept me guessing. I never figured out who the killer was. But I did feel…distant from pretty much all of the characters. I never got too close to any of them, too into their heads. Apart from that, it was a good read.

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