Since I’ve been severely slacking off, what with the move and all, and I’ve read almost forty books since the last time I blogged about it, I’m going to have to break that down into manageable chunks and make multiple posts. I’ve read a very wide variety of things in the past few months. Still heavy on the vampires and other urban fantasy, but with a healthy dose of other things thrown in, too.

First up, is The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch. In case you somehow didn’t hear, this book is about a professor that is diagnosed with cancer and decides to give his last lecture on things he wants his children to know. This lecture ended up being taped, and it turned into this beautiful book. I read this just a short while after Mr. Pausch died, and I recommend everyone read it.

Next up, is Same Kind of Different as Me, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. This is another beautiful book. It’s a true story about Mr. Hall and his wife, who get involved in helping the homeless in Fort Worth, Texas, in the Union Gospel Mission, and the impact it has on their lives, as well as the lives they touch. Denver Moore is a homeless man from Louisiana, who grew up as a sharecropper and had no education. The Halls get very involved in his life. This is a very spiritual book, especially after Mrs. Hall gets cancer. I have to admit, I cried throughout the last part of the book. What made it especially touching to me is the fact that it takes place somewhere I am very familiar with, so I felt even more connected with it.

I read Silent in the Sanctuary, by Deanna Raybourn. This is the second Lady Julia Grey mystery. I haven’t actually read the first, but I really enjoyed this one, so I’ll definitely be looking for the other one. It’s set in Victorian England, and someone gets murdered in the MC’s family home. So, she has to work together with an old love interest to solve the mystery, with some of her family members being suspect. Lady Julia is feisty and opinionated, and I really enjoyed reading about her. She’s a strong, well-written character.

Then I read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt. Now, I’m pretty sure this was made into a movie (although I could be wrong), but I haven’t seen it. The book, though, I loved the book. I was drawn into it immediately. I think it was the Gone with the Wind reference at the beginning. How can any book that talks about my favorite book be bad? And I have to admit, I’ve been interested in Savannah since I read Gone with the Wind for the first time. The characters in Garden were so strong and vivid, vibrant really. I loved them. Especially Chablis! She was great. So colorful and wicked. And when the murder trial (the first one) started, that was it, I was hooked. Stayed up half the night reading to find out what happened.

Last up in this group is Mozart’s Ghost, by Julia Cameron. I enjoyed this book. It’s about a medium who has been burned in love before by men that can’t accept her gift, who falls for a pianist that moves into her building. The MC has more than her share of faults, being untrusting, very cranky, and saying ugly things to people. But I liked her. By far the most interesting character was well, Mozart’s ghost, who turned out to be quite a demanding, cheeky bloke (Sorry. Don’t know where the British accent came from.).

I’ve read quite several thrillers in the last couple of months. I hate to lump them all together, but it’s been almost two months since I read them, so I’m afraid the details are a little fuzzy to me at this point. (My apologies to the authors.) I read Michelle Gagnon’s The Tunnels. Pretty good book. Some really creepy scenes that take place in, of course, underground tunnels. I liked the added drama of a mysterious cult as well. Then I read Carolyn Haines Revenant. Frankly, the title of this made me think of horror movies, but I’ve probably just been reading too many vampire books. This one is a murder mystery where the bodies of women are turning up, all missing their ring fingers, and also with a veil. It had an unexpected ending, which is great, because I hate it when I guess who the killer is early in the story. I also read The Night Café, by Taylor Smith, and The Hunted, by Rachel Lee. The Hunted is about a reporter investigating the international sex-slave trade who ends up smack in the middle of the action, and has to depend on an FBI agent to help her out. Lots of action in this one, and it was a fun read. The Night Café is about a woman who takes a job as a favor to her sister, and ends up as a murder suspect.

I re-read Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love. I think this is my favorite book so far this year (And yes, this is the second time I’ve read it this year, too.) I was going through kind of a rough patch personally, and this book helped. Next up were Flirting with Forty and The Frog Prince, both by Jane Porter. These books have been on my TBR list for a few months, and when I got a gift card for my birthday, I decided to try them out. I’m glad I did. The Frog Prince was good. And I can relate to the MC’s dilemma of looking for a good man, then just giving up on focusing on living her own life. Flirting with Forty was great! I loved it. I mean, who doesn’t want to go to Hawaii on vacation and fall in love with a hot (and younger!) surf instructor? No one I know. This book made me so hopeful about my own life.

And of course, I read some vampire books. Big surprise, right? Just One Bite, by Kimberly Raye, is the latest in the Dead End Dating series. For someone who really doesn’t focus much on fashion or shoes, I really do like these books. (A little too much, apparently. After finishing this one, I had the almost uncontrollable urge to buy a cute pair of heels. And I don’t ever wear heels!) There was a lot of humor in this one, and of course, more of the delicious Ty. Then I read The Watcher, by Jean C. Stein. Please tell me why I read the fourth book in a series first? (Because my best friend loaned it to me.) It was good, though, and I didn’t really have trouble with jumping into the middle like that. In fact, I’ll probably be buying the other books in the Anna Strong series as well. And, last but not least, I read Love Bites, by Lynsay Sands, which is book two in the Argeneau Vampire series. I really love these books. There’s always some great humor in them, and the vampire men are always yummy. Eventually I’ll collect all of these. (Again, I started the series randomly, although in this case it was with books 7, 8, and 9. Go figure.)

This will probably be a short post, since I’ve read all of these books before except for two. I started re-reading Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books again for fun. I really love these books. I’m just in awe of Ms. Evanovich’s talent for humor. Seriously. These books inspired a desire in me to right something funny as well. (NaNo 2008, anyone?) If you haven’t read them, you should. The accident-prone, car-destroying heroine is fabulous, as are her love interests, Joe Morelli and the tempting Ranger.

I also re-read the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyers, in preparation for the fourth and final installment in the series, Breaking Dawn. These books really blew my mind when I read them the first time. I found myself just as sucked in on this read, like I had no idea what was going to happen next, even though I did. Everyone I’ve seen either loves or hates these books, and I weigh in firmly on the “loves” side. I went into Breaking Dawn hoping that Bella would end up with Jacob. (I love Jacob. Not that I dislike Edward, but I just adore Jacob. He’s so…cute.) I knew she wouldn’t, but I couldn’t help but hope. Without giving too much away, can I just say that I found Ms. Meyers’ solution to this conundrum acceptable? (Hey, if I couldn’t have what I wanted, could I at least be satisfied with what I got?)

I also read The Host, by Stephenie Meyers. Quite a change from the Twilight books, I must say. But I liked it. I cannot even fathom how difficult and strange it would be to have my mind in someone else’s body, and be fighting that body’s mind for possession. Oh, and trying not to fall in love with someone my body’s real mind loves. Very interesting read. I found the first third or so a little slow, but then I got into it. I hear there are supposed to be two more of these books, and if so, I look forward to them.

Instead of doing one huge post on what I’ve read since last time, I’m going to break it down into smaller groups. This one is the books I’ve read by Conestoga authors. I had already read P.C. Cast, Rachel Caine, and Deborah Leblanc, but Michelle Bardsley and Dakota Cassidy were new to me (though I had heard of their books).

I love P.C. Cast’s Goddess Summoning books. I’ve always liked mythology, and I love how these books combine it with modern day life into charming romances. Goddess of Spring is about Hades, and how a modern woman from Tulsa switches bodies with Persephone and goes to live in the Underworld to help the spirits of the dead. Of course she falls in love with Hades, but the Lord of the Underworld is a big stickler for honesty, and finding out she’s been lying to him puts a damper on things. She also has a great relationship with animals, and the “dread steeds” of Hades are devoted to her, which adds a great touch of humor.

Goddess of Light was also good. It’s about Apollo, who visits the modern city of Las Vegas and falls in love with an interior designer. His interfering twin sister is also with him, and of course she causes trouble.

My absolute favorite of the Goddess Summoning books so far is Warrior Rising. It’s about Achilles. Need I say more? Probably not, but I will. This is set during the Trojan war, and the siege of Troy. Hera, Athena, and Venus are tired of the never-ending war, so they decide to find a modern-day woman to distract Achilles. They settle on Kat, who is a counselor, but before they can proceed with their plan, Kat and her best friend Jacky are in a terrible car accident. The goddesses snatch up the souls of the two women, and put them into the bodies of a princess of Troy and her maid. Then the fun really begins. Two middle-aged women from Tulsa who are suddenly young and lovely Trojan maidens? Not only that, but in her first life, Jacky was African American, and now she’s white, which doesn’t make her all that happy (and also adds some hilarious moments). Kat must cure Achilles of his beserker rage to keep the oracle’s prophecy of his death from coming true. This book is one I will definitely read again. Probably quite soon.

I had read Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires series, but not the Weather Warden books, so I picked up Ill Wind. I’m so glad I did. This is about a Weather Warden, Joanne, who’s running for her life. She has a demon taint and is accused of murder, so she’s trying to find Lewis, the most powerful Warden. Too bad she has to deal with Djinns, other Wardens chasing her, and a nasty storm that’s been following her for days. I was really excited to find out how many other books in the series are already out. And I just ordered the second one.

I had read one of Deborah LeBlanc’s books before (Morbid Curiosity). I was a little unsettled by it, and I hadn’t really planned to read anything else of hers. Then I sat in on one of her panels on paranormal investigation, and another on thinking outside the box. She mentioned a friend of hers who was convinced the house he’d grown up in was haunted, so Ms. LeBlanc went with him to check it out. That house wasn’t haunted, but the spoke to the contractor, and found out the house was actually half of a larger house. So, of course, she went to the other half of the house and spoke to the woman who lived there. Turned out that half of the house was haunted. And the story idea for A House Divided was born. Of course I bought it. The first couple of chapters scared the crap out of me (What can I say? I’m a chicken.) The two halves of the fictional house both end up on the same street. One of them is a beauty salon, the other a café. And something is trying to get the two halves together. This is a pretty good ghost story, with some cool twists. I couldn’t read it at night, though. Too afraid something was going to get me.

I bought Dakota Cassidy’s The Accidental Werewolf and Michelle Bardsley’s I’m the Vampire, That’s Why because of a panel I sat in on called Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (about mixing action with romance). I liked the things they had to say, so I bought their books (plus they had a pretty cool goodie bag). The Accidental Werewolf was pretty funny, about a makeup saleswoman who gets nipped by a werewolf when her ankle-biter dog attacks him. She’s in complete denial, even though her blonde hair is now brunette, and she has to shave her legs multiple times a day. Then she gets kidnapped, and everything just gets worse.

I’m the Vampire, That’s Why takes place in Broken Heart, OK, a small town with a high divorce rate which gets taken over by vampires. There’s a crazy vampire/werewolf hybrid running around “killing” people, except they turn into vampires. But at least having friends in the same situation as yourself makes it easier to deal with little issues like how to get your children to do their homework when you’re sleeping like the dead during the day. You should definitely read this book. I just ordered the next two books in the series.

So, a few weeks ago, my best friend and I went to Conestoga, in Tulsa, OK. (Okay, it’s been almost a month ago. What can I say? I’ve got a lot going on. Plus I procrastinate.) This is our second year to go, and we hope to make it a tradition. If you ever get the chance to go, I recommend it. It’s a good learning experience: not so big as to be completely overwhelming, but not too small, either. (Of course, it’s the only con I’ve ever been to, so take this with a grain of salt.)

I came back with a list of authors I want to try. Sitting in on panels listening to these people made me (in some cases) want to buy their books. In any case, here are my stats from the trip:

-number of authors at Conestoga I had already read: 8 (PC & Kristin Cast, Rachel Caine, Rachel Vincent, Marie Brennan, Deborah LeBlanc, Jeanine Frost, Shanna Swendson)

-number of authors whose books I bought there: 2 (Dakota Cassidy and Michelle Bardsley)

-number of authors my best friend bought there (and whom I therefore get to read): 3 (Patrice Michelle, Talia Gryphon, and Jaci Burton)

-number of authors I will buy: 5 (Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Ken Lorey, Mark Henry (OMG! The zombie lubrication teaser is enough to guarantee I buy his book.), Tiffany Trent, and Diana Gabaldon)

-number of authors I will probably buy: 2 (Melissa Marr, Steven E. Wedel)

-number of authors whose books aren’t out now but who will be in my TBR pile: 2 (Sarah Rhees Brennan, Devon Monk)

-author I was most impressed with: Jennifer Lynn Barnes. She seems so young when you first lay eyes on her. Then she starts speaking and you realize just how smart she is. (She’s even more impressive when you find out her education history.)

-author I was most intrigued by: Sarah Rhees Brennan. Okay, so at first, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of her. Some of the comments she had were made in this almost-fake British accent (the comments that were her spoken thoughts). But the more I listened to her, the funnier she became. BTW, her blog is in the same tone, which I find hilarious.

-most interesting workshop: How To Write a Sex Scene Without Blushing by Diana Gabaldon. Quite funny, actually. Especially since her first piece of advice is to wait until after your parents are dead, so you won’t have to deal with that embarrassment.

-only book so far from a con author that I couldn’t finish: Key to Conflict, by Talia Gryphon. I tried. Really I did. I plowed through 150 pages before surrendering, and that took me a week! I just couldn’t find make myself care about the characters. A paranormal counselor, twin vampire brothers, a mysterious ghost, all of these things are great. But the writing killed it for me. There was way too much telling of events instead of showing (sometimes I know that’s a necessity, but in this case, not so much). And I felt so removed from the MC that I just couldn’t do it anymore. Although, now that I think about it, that ghost was the most interesting thing. I’ll have to make my best friend tell me what was up with him.

So, those are my stats from Conestoga. Sorry for blathering on for so long. I know it’s been a while since I blogged about what I’ve been reading, so I’ll have to break that down into a more manageable size. Soon, people, soon. I promise.

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.

Okay, it’s been about a month since I’ve posted on what I’ve been reading. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve forgotten some of the…details on some of these books. Terrible, I know. The sad part is, I’ve forgotten some of the details even on books that I liked! I’ll try to post more quickly next time. I promise. (You know, as long as I don’t get busy or distracted or…)

I read Frostbite, by Rachel Mead, the second in the Vampire Academy series. Liked it a lot. But I think Rose is a great character, strong yet flawed. She’s very impulsive, and that gets her in a lot of trouble in this book. Although for once, she’s not in the trouble all by herself. This book took an unexpected (to me) turn, and the death of one of the characters completely surprised me. Very enjoyable read, though, and left me eagerly awaiting the next one. (That would be sometime this fall.)

My mother gave me Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert, to read. I loved this book. It is a beautiful book. Since I read it, I’ve been recommending it to all sorts of people. Some of the things at the beginning of the book I could really relate to, when the MC realizes she doesn’t want to be married anymore. That’s a hard decision to come to, especially when you still care about the other person, and Ms. Gilbert did a wonderful job of conveying that to the page. It’s such a wonderful story about growth and change and exploration of new things. After her divorce, she spends four months in Italy, four months in India, and four months in Bali, Indonesia. While reading this, I yearned to be in each of those places (especially Bali). Everything just came to life so well! I felt like I was there. I’ve always envied people who just pack up and move to a foreign country on a whim, but I’m secretly way too scared to ever do that, so I have to live vicariously through books like this. I intend to read it again very soon.

Then I read Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin. This book started off a bit slow for me, but by about a quarter of the way through it, I was hooked. There’s a lot of power and magic, a lot of politics and power games. Great characters. I liked them a lot. I also liked the author’s voice. The whole book had a strong thread of sometimes subtle humor woven through it, and I found myself laughing several times. I enjoyed it enough that I just ordered the second book in the series.

Next up is Odd Hours, by Dean Koontz. For some reason, I never have any clue when a new Odd Thomas book is coming out. I just see it on the shelf and squeal with delight. I have read (I think) everything Dean Koontz has written, but two characters stand out strongly for me: Chris Snow (from Seize the Night and Fear Nothing), and Odd Thomas. I’ve been addicted to these books since the first one, Odd Thomas. How can you not love a character who not only sees ghosts, but has a relationship with the ghosts of Elvis and Frank Sinatra? How cool is that? This is an excellent read, and I stayed up until the wee hours finishing it.

I have to admit, I read Gone with the Witch by Annette Blair strictly because of the title. Since Gone with the Wind is my absolute favorite book, I had to give this one a shot. This is the second book I’ve read by Ms. Blair, but I’m not sure I’ll be reading any more. It wasn’t a bad book, and I’m sure it would have been helpful if I’d read the first two books in the trilogy first, but I was a little bit lost at times. The story just seemed kind of…jerky is the word that comes to mind. It progresses in fits and starts. I did like the MC, with her Goth clothing and in-your-face personality, but the story just didn’t quite work for me.

Then I read Dark of the Moon by Susan Krinard. I loved the time period this book is set in, with speakeasies and flappers, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the vampire mythology. Not that it was anything outrageously strange, I just couldn’t get too into the book to really care what happened to the characters.

Another surprising find I made was Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen. Another wonderful book, and pretty far from my usual genre. (Definitely doesn’t qualify as urban fantasy, although it was probably many little kids’ fantasies.) This book is about the circus life, behind-the-scenes during the Prohibition era. Very nicely written. The story is told in flashbacks of the circus life interwoven with scenes from a nursing home in the present day, where the MC is a 90-year-old man. I finished this in less than a day. Thank goodness work wasn’t busy, because I literally could not put this down. Even the minor characters are hugely memorable, with the elephant, of course, stealing the show.

Then I read Tess Gerritsen’s In Their Footsteps. This is a re-release of one of Gerritsen’s early novels. Good story, excellent mystery, kept me guessing the whole time. (Okay, I did figure out who the killer was, but it was only a few pages before the climax.)

The last two books I’ve read are series novels. Blood Noir, by Laurell K. Hamilton stays true to the Anita Blake series. I had some trouble getting into it at first, but then I got sucked in. (Note to self: must learn how to write short chapters with lots of actions to keep readers riveted.) This book focuses on Jason and Anita going out of town together to visit Jason’s dying father. Jason happens to be one of the minor characters that I love, so I was pretty excited about this. And I did hear Ms. Hamilton do a reading of the first chapter of this book last summer, so I knew it started off pretty steamy. Fortunately, there was more plot than sex in this book, and that keep me turning the pages far too late into the night.

And last, but not least, is From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris. I really think I like this series even better than the Anita Blake series. Sookie is a great character. I love Sam. I love Eric. There’s always some new and unexpected development going on, and I’m usually just as shocked as Sookie is when it happens. This book has a lot going on, from a werewolf turf war to a vampire coup, not to mention some pretty big revelations for Sookie. You should rush right out and buy this!

I actually branched out a bit recently, and read something besides the urban fantasy I’ve been devouring lately: Private Arrangements, by Sherry Thomas. I haven’t read straight romance in a long time, but I kept reading about this book on Kristin Nelson’s blog, and decided I had to read it. I’m glad I did. I loved the heroine, she was completely ballsy and unapologetic about trying to marry to better herself, and I found the hero strong and engaging as well. The story switches back and forth between the present, where the couple have been married ten years but have resided on separate continents the entire time, and the past, where they met, fell in love, and got married. I was so desperate to find out what had happened to drive them apart that I kept skipping the present chapters! (Then, of course, I had to go back and read them to find out what was going on.) I thought the writing was quite well done, and to me at least, the story wasn’t predictable at all.

One of my newest finds (and I know it doesn’t really qualify as new, except to me) is Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series. I read the first one, Vampire Academy, in less than a day. I couldn’t put it down. I loved the idea behind the series, with the half-vampire dhampir as guardians for the “good” vampires, the “Moroi”, against the “bad” vampires, the “Strigoi”. Excellently done. A YA book ( I think), but I liked it a lot. The MC, Rose, is great. She is one of the dhampir guardians-in-training. She’s flawed, and she knows it, and she’s struggling to overcome those flaws to protect her best friend, Lissa. Meanwhile, she gets a crush on her mentor, Dimitri, all the while a plot to terrorize Lissa is going on. I liked that book so much I immediately bought the second one, Frostbite. Um, I stayed up quite late to finish that one. It was a great read as well, with a group of Strigoi attacking and killing the royal Moroi. So, the entire academy relocates to Colorado for the Christmas holidays. Dimitri is interested in someone besides Rose, and Rose’s legendary guardian mother shows up, resulting in some not-so-bonding moments between mother and daughter. I really recommend both of these books, and I’m eagerly anticipating the next one.

I read Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, by Maria Acosta. It was amusing, although for a long time, I didn’t have much more idea of what was going on than the MC did. Interesting take on vampires, though, and some pretty memorable minor characters. I liked the Latina MC a lot. There’s not a lot of ethnicity in the urban fantasy genre. Well, not a whole lot. I have read and loved the Vampire Huntress series by L.A. Banks, but I can’t think of any others off the top of my head.

I devoured Don’t Hex with Texas, by Shanna Swendson. Can I say again how happy I am that I discovered this author and this series? They are wonderful. Wonderful, I tell you. I can’t say enough good things about them. I loved so many things about this book. I’m from a small town in Texas, so I loved the setting (and Ms. Swenson brought it to life so well!). The whole curious/protective-family thing I could completely relate to as well. There’s quite a bit of action and mystery, along with some events that seem like the sort of unfortunate occurrences that happen in my life. And there’s plenty of Owen! You should definitely read this book (and the others in the series).

Jeanine Frost’s second book, One Foot in the Grave was another book I eagerly anticipated. And this book definitely lived up to all the anticipation! I love the new Cat, a kick-butt secret government operative. She’s tough and can compete with the bad boys (which is always a draw for me). I liked Bones even more in this book than the first one. There’s a pretty good mystery going, with someone trying to kill Cat, and her mother goes completely mental when Bones shows back up in the picture. I found myself seriously wanting to slap that woman several times. If you haven’t read this series, run right out and buy both of them (the first one is Halfway to the Grave).

The last couple of books I read took me less than two days total. Dead Girls Dance and Midnight Alley, by Rachel Caine. I literally could not put these books down. I liked the first book, The Glass House, and was thrilled to find out there were two more out. I took Dead Girls Dance to work (fortunately it was a really slow day), and finished the entire thing in maybe two hours. Yes, it was that good. These books are YA, so they’re not difficult to read, but I like them a lot. Claire has some series run-ins with her nemesis, Monica, in Dead Girls Dance, with Monica fawning all over her and trying to be her friend because Claire now has the Protection of the Founder. Needless to say, Claire isn’t impressed. Then one of the vampires ends up dead, and Shane is under suspicion because of his dad. (Okay, maybe that’s in Midnight Alley. I read them back-to-back, so the plots sort of run together in my mind.) There are a lot of surprises in these books, and Ms. Caine has a knack for cliffhanger endings. Well, not really endings, per se. She just resolves the main conflict of the book, has everything wrapped up nice and neat, and then throws out a completely enthralling new bit just as she writes “The End.” This left me desperate to get my hands on the next book immediately. Speaking of which, I have to go now. Have to find out when the next book in this series comes out…

I’ve been reading a lot of vampire stuff lately. A lot. I finished up the other two Lynsay Sands books in the Argeneau series, Vampires are Forever and Vampire, Interrupted. I like that series a lot, and I’ve always enjoyed reading related stories, so the idea of stories based on a whole family of vampires is pretty cool. I definitely intend to get the rest of the series.

I read Bad Blood, by L.A. Banks. I’ve read her Vampire Huntress series, and enjoyed those, but I liked this one even more. The MC is a strong, kick-butt-and-take-names military girl, who just so happens to be a shadow wolf. There’s a lot of action in this book, and the werewolves…well, they’re just not nice. I’m looking forward to the next book.

Next up is Rogue, by Rachel Vincent. Loved it. Loved the first one, Stray. I hated how this one ended, however. It just stopped! I wanted to run right out and buy the next one, except, oh yeah, it isn’t out yet. As a reader, I hate it when the book just stops (as opposed to ending). As a writer, I think “Wow. I wish I could get my readers hooked in like that.” Rogue has a good mystery, lots of action, and some surprising character developments. You should definitely read it.

Embrace the Night, by Karen Chance, is the third book in the Cassie Palmer series. This is an excellent series. The MC is interesting and accident-prone. In fact, she’s like a magnet for trouble. Her sidekick, the ghost Billy, is great, too. She’s always getting herself into some sort of predicament. I hope this isn’t the last book with these characters.

I read Shanna Swenson’s Once Upon Stilettos and Damsel Under Stress. Can I just say how jealous I am of this idea? I think the concept is great, and really original. I love all the little details, like the gargoyles being the security system. The MC, Katie, is always entertaining. She’s so doubtful of herself, but she always manages to come up with something to save the day, even if it’s purely accidental. Some of the things in these two books had me laughing out loud and thinking “That’s the kind of thing that would happen to me.” (Except for, you know, the whole magic thing.). The supporting characters are great. Owen, who’s too smart for his own good and way too shy. Rod, who uses glamour to make himself look hot instead of putting any effort into his personal appearance. And of course, the CEO, Merlin. Can’t wait to get my hands on the next one.

I decided to try some new series I’ve been hearing about, so with that end in mind, I read The Devil Inside by Jenna Black. Interesting premise. I haven’t read much with demons lately, so this was a nice change of pace. I like the MC, who is definitely flawed (and knows it). She’s an exorcist who has been possessed by the ruler of Hell, except she doesn’t know it, and the demon isn’t strong enough to control her. She gets caught up in the struggle for power in Hell. Her demon, Lugh, is pro-human, and the opposing factions are trying to burn her alive to destroy Lugh. Lots of action. I intend to buy the next book in the series. A note of warning: some of the sex in the book could be a little disturbing to some people. I consider myself open-minded, but I was caught off guard a little bit when they went to the exhibitionist (for lack of a better word) demon club.

My next foray into a new series was Magic Bites, by Ilona Andrews. This book had an entirely different vampire concept. And I did not like these vampires at all! Yuck. Strong heroine with lots of mystery surrounding her, which is probably the main reason I’ll be reading the next book in the series, just to find out about her. My favorite character was the Beast Lord. I thought he was great.

Last, but far from least, is Glass Houses, by Rachel Caine. This book sucked me in from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down. It had a ton of things to interest me. First of all, it’s set in a small Texas town. How many vampire stories have you seen with that kind of setting? It’s got a goth girl who’s making fun of the vampires, evil b*tches after the MC, Claire, a nice mystery line. Pretty much everything you could ask for. Claire is a super smart sixteen-year-old who graduated early but her parents wouldn’t let her go off to any of the big schools just yet. So she goes to this small university, and gets on the bad side of Monica, the big dog on campus. And Monica tries to kill her, so Claire runs away from the dorm, and ends up in a cool, Gone with the Wind style house, where she meets Eve, Shane, and Michael, who try to protect her. The vampires in this story are mostly bad, as near as I can tell, and give their protection to families in town in return for blood donations. You should definitely check this book out! I’m getting the next book this week!

Okay, seriously, how sad is it that I didn’t quite get that all of Kim Harrison’s titles in the Rachel Morgan series were Clint Eastwood movies? Bad, right? I mean, I recognized The Good, the Bad, and the Undead, and Dead Witch Walking, but the others? Not so much. I was really wondering about the title of this one, too, until someone pointed out the connection to me. Duh. The Outlaw Demon Wails. But the book was good. Except for the part where she stubbornly didn’t bring Kisten back from the dead. (Not that I thought she would, but I admit to nursing a faint hope.). I have enjoyed all the books in this series, and I can’t wait until the next one comes out. Rachel is a flawed character, but one I’ve very attached to.

Then I read Darkling, by Yasmine Galenorn. Interesting book. I haven’t read any of the others in the series, but I liked this one. To be honest, I bought it because of the cover art. That picture really caught my eye (it was the braids), and I picked it up and read the blurb. That convinced me completely. I like all the different creatures that are in the book, and I really like the idea of the baby gargoyle. That’s too cute.

Then I read Enchanted, Inc., by Shanna Swendson. I loved this book! I couldn’t put it down. It was great. The whole set-up blew my mind, and the MC was fabulous. I really liked Katie. And Owen. We can’t forget Owen. I’m buying the rest of these books this week.

I also read The Kitchen Witch, by Annette Blair. It was good, parts of it made me chuckle, but it was a little too…romance novel for me. I know that sounds bad, but I don’t mean it that way. I was just hoping for a little more from it. I’ll probably be reading more of the series, though.

Howling at the Moon, by Karen MacInerny was a great find. I enjoyed the breezy style and voice of the book. The characterization was great, and by the end I felt like I knew Sophie personally. I found myself snickering all throughout the book, too. I mean, an undercover werewolf who worries about her purse when she’s forced to change? And getting caught in her wolf shape with pantyhose on? That was pretty funny, even when she wasn’t griping about her gorgeous best friend.

I just finished The Accidental Vampire, by Lynsay Sands today. Couldn’t put it down. I laughed out loud several times while reading this. Poor Elvi. She thinks all the myths surrounding vampires are true (No eating, must wear black, sleeps in a coffin), and when her best friend places a personal add on her behalf, the vampires who respond let her in on the truth. The scene where she finds out she can eat was hilarious, with her first demands being cheesecake and chocolate. Now there’s a vampire after my own heart!