This is Jaclyn Dolamore’s debut novel, and I loved it. Nimira is a music-hall girl, also known as the slang “Trouser Girl” (I’m thinking with an Arabian flavor) for their dancing outfits. She is far from home after her mother died and her father fell out of favor with the high court in her land. Now in a foreign land, dancing and singing for two pence a show, she takes a chance on a handsome man who offers her a job. This job is to sing while a man-like automaton plays the piano. (more…)

Pisky wise woman Cordelia Tink can’t deny that she is attracted to Michael O’Connor, brother to the Pisky King. She also knows that nothing can ever come out of that attraction. Ever since that tragic day in her teenage years when she left her water nymph allure un-warded, she has sworn that she would never be intimate with a man. (more…)

Blair has lived in Moonstone Lake for many, many years, long enough to buy most of the land surrounding the town and keep it from being developed. A were pack arrives in town and begins to make threats to the witches who have owned the land for hundreds of years. Blair, her friends, and her boyfriend, Jake, (the town’s resident were- border collie) will do whatever it takes to protect the town from the big bad wolves. (more…)

Kelley Winslow is 17 years old and living on her own in New York City, trying to make it as an actress. When she lucks into a leading role in a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, she thinks her dreams are all coming true. Playing Queen Titania is more than she ever could have hoped. But chance encounters with a handsome stranger and a drowning horse in Central Park change Kelley’s life forever and set her on a very dangerous path.
(more…)

In the second book in the Rowan of the Wood series, Cullen’s life has not gotten any better. He is still struggling with the fact that there is a 1400-year-old wizard trapped in his body and his home life is still miserable. He feels angry all the time and just wants to be a normal kid again. When Moody, Fiana’s former companion, reappears with an idea about how to separate Cullen and Rowan, Cullen is all for it. (more…)

In a small hill country town in Texas, an illegal alien is missing and so are four teenagers. Just a coincidence? Keira Kelly does not think so. And what is with her vampire lover, Adam Walker? He seems to be off sex and a tad clumsy and weak lately. And why is her Change taking so long? She is more than ready to know what supernatural she is to become. Although she loves her wolf-shapeshifting brother and appreciates his help, she is tired of his babysitting her. (more…)

Omnibus was like stepping into a different world where magic is real and enchantment is an everyday occurrence. Each story delves into the world of myth and magic but in slightly different directions.

“The Birth of Spring” is an ambitious undertaking that simply sparkles with life. Ms. McGathy did an exceptional job of creating a story of how spring came into being. The descriptions of the land of Summer and the land of Winter are so real that you feel like you are there. You hope that our heroine Astara, the daughter of the Summer Queen, will be able to convince the Winter King to allow the wheel of the seasons to turn back to summer. (more…)

The Enchanted Faerie has the magic to help you find your true love – but it comes at a high cost and possible consequences. These are the stories of six women brave enough to pay the price and face what may come to get their hearts’ desires.

(more…)

Since she was small, Aislinn could see the fae, and since she was small, she has known the rules: don’t interact with them. All she wants is to be a normal seventeen year old: go to school, hang out with her friends, and be with the one person who makes her feel special, her best friend, Seth. But all that is starting to unravel beneath her feet when the faeries start persuing her and trying to speak directly to her. She can’t stop herself from feeling drawn to the wickedly handsome Keenan, the fae’s summer king who believes she is his queen. What path will Aislinn choose? And will Summer bloom once again, or will Winter’s chill take hold forever?
(more…)

Rosenwyn Tremain is an accountant and likes things that make sense. The exception to this is the tarot cards with the beautiful people on each card that her mother had made for her. There was a time when Rose could not start out her day without consulting the cards, but she has tried to distance herself from all things not easily explained.

Niall O’Connor is concerned with one thing only: protecting his brother and sister from the malicious Queen of the Faeries. If he has to do business with an evil druid to ensure their safety, then so be it.

Neither Rose nor Niall are prepared for the adventure that awaits them when their paths cross.

Rose’s mother had always warned her daughter to stay away from Cornwall and her father. When her job takes her to a tavern in Cornwall run by Niall’s brother Michael, she discovers that she is not the person she was raised to believe. She is the heir to the throne of the Cornish Piskies, a race of people that her father has imprisoned for years. To free her people and assume her rightful place as Queen of the Piskies, Rose must embrace her fairy side and leave her human life behind forever – and she will need Niall’s help to do it. But Niall is so concerned with protecting his own, will he be able to let go of past betrayals and open his heart to the woman who is his destiny? With a Fairy Queen bent on revenge and Rose’s father determined to destroy her, will their love be enough to triumph over evil?

Helen Scott Taylor’s The Magic Knot is an enchanting and magical tale delivering a mix of romance and suspense in a captivating read. Her characters are wonderfully developed, and while you want to scream at the protagonists for being so blind to their true feelings, readers will not be disappointed with the conclusion of this story. I am very glad to hear that this is only the “first in a series of contemporary fantasy romances set in the mystical rural depths of England, Ireland and Wales.” I look forward to reading more from this gifted writer.

Back Cover Copy:
“HE’S A BIKER WITH AN ATTITUDE
What woman wouldn’t be attracted to Niall O’Connor’s soft Irish brogue and dark good looks? But Rosenwyn Tremain must find her father, and she isn’t going to let a sexy, stubborn Irishman and his motorcycle distract her. Rose’s intuition tells her he’s hiding something, a secret even the cards cannot divine. Her tarot deck always reads true, but how can one man represent both Justice and Betrayal?

SHE’S A WOMAN ON A MISSION
Magic. Niall’s body tingles with it when he finds the woman snooping in his room. Rosenwyn might believe she’s a no-nonsense accountant, but her essence whispers to him of ancient fairy magic that enslaves even as it seduces. Her heritage could endanger those he’d die to protect, but her powers and her passion, if properly awakened, might be the only thing that can save both their families, vanquish a fairy queen bent on revenge, and fulfill a prophecy that will bind their hearts together with…THE MAGIC KNOT”

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: Love Spell (January 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0505527960
• ISBN-13: 978-0505527967

To purchase a print copy of The Magic Knot click here.

To visit the author’s website click here.
To visit the author’s blog click here.

In this day of dozens of paranormal books, authors and series, it can be hard to find a series that is so well written with such great characters that you simply HAVE to get copies of them all and read them over and over. Patricia Briggs has achieved this with her Mercy Thompson series.

In a world like our own with a few subtle differences. Werewolves are out, sort of, and a young woman who was fostered by the wolves is trying to make her way in the world. Of course, there is the smokin’ hot Alpha of the local pack who turns her to mush every time he is around, her foster brother who is as always a bit of an outcast…oh yeah, and the vampire that has been looking after her most of her live. Yeah, okay, maybe not so normal.

Bone Crossed is the fourth installment of the Mercy Thompson series, we pick up just after the end of the last book Iron Kissed. Now as an avid series reader, I can assure you that you can pick this book up off the shelf and read it without reading through the rest of the series and not be lost. Anything that Patricia brings into this story from the volumes of the past she does a great job of summarizing in this story so that the reader has a seamless and painless experience. At the same time, she builds the tension between characters, develops other characters more and continues to move the story forward. Sounds like a hefty task but Ms. Briggs pulls it off seamlessly.

In Bone Crossed, Mercy Thompson finds herself in yet another bit of trouble. Still fighting her feelings for the local pack’s Alpha, trying to recover from the trauma of the last book, and the ever troubling task of finding a clean shirt to wear when mom shows up. Then you toss in a ghost with an issue and a vampire or two with some serious power struggles and you have a rip-roaring ride through the pacific northwest.

So, my friends I heartily invite you to pull up a comfy chair, curl up under your favorite blanket and settle in for a fantastic ride. This book captures the reader from the first page and carries you along with Mercy on this new adventure. A fantastic read, a great story, an awesome cast of characters: yep, it is all you need to keep you awake all night reading just like it did to me.

Book Stats:

• Hardcover: 309 pages
• Publisher: Ace Hardcover (February 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441016766
• ISBN-13: 978-0441016761

To purchase a print copy of Bone Crossed click here.
To purchase a Kindle copy of Bone Crossed click here.
Visit the Patricia Briggs Store to pick up all the books in her series and find other books she has written.

To visit the author’s website go here.

Valentino, a daylight hemosapien, is training to become a vampire cop for the Le Counceil Carmin. He has been training for over a century and his boss/trainer, believes that he is worthless. Valentino readily agrees with him.

Valentino is running late for work as usual and is worried that his boss, Pogue, will get angry with him, again. He jumps in a cab with a driving corpse and heads to Pogues home. Ombre who is a liaison for the Counseil tells him that Pogue is missing and Valentino has been chosen to look for him. Ombre believes that the Very Bloody Marys have something to do with it.

During the night Valentino must not only find his boss and the Very Bloody Marys but he needs to figure out how. As the night goes on his To Do list becomes bigger and bigger.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. It was a nice change to have a bumbling vampire and watch him fight Vespa riding vampires. He tries so hard to make it look like he knows what he is doing but in the end it is all for not. The cast of extras were wonderful additions to the story. Saul a wizard who owns a cat that talks and is addicted to cat nip, a chef who is a coroner who works at a morgue/restaurant was hysterical. A worthy under dog story.

• Perfect Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Lethe Press; Reprint edition (June 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590210352
• ISBN-13: 978-1590210352

To purchase a print copy of The Very Bloody Marys click here.
To purchase a Kindle copy of The Very Bloody Marys click here.

To visit the author’s blog go here.

Full of strong women as heroes, this anthology contains twenty-one stories from a variety of genres, eras and worlds. From medieval times to other worlds and back to modern times, readers are served a buffet of paranormal offerings.

In Ragged Bones by Bruce Gehweiler we are given a glimpse into the paranormal happenings in the area surrounding the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge near Waycross, Georgia. When a local guide and his two clients are reported missing and two of them are discovered murdered, Sheriff Donna Fargo and her deputies face an evil never before seen in their small town. Involving locals and those long dead, the situation culminates in an explosive ending.

C.J. Henderson’s The Sum Of Existence features shapeshifter Meri’Ki and the foster uncle who raised her. Her origins revealed to her by uncle over years during her childhood, Meri’Ki must reconcile her past with her present and future. Doing so though, means a fight for the life of uncle as well as her own.

Virgin Territory by Patrick Thomas brings us a world where Fae are the norm and Earth is a myth. Daemor warrior Kande is hired to defeat a dragon that is terrorizing a village. Odd thing is that the dragon is requesting a virgin. Kande must decipher that little nugget of information and one way or another, persuade the dragon to go elsewhere. I must admit that this story was one of my favorites because of the characters involved and the twist at the end.

In R. Allen Leider’s Cher, Daughter Of Darkness we meet the daughter of Satan as she discovers her paternal parentage. Cher was conceived at a Hollywood party but as she was born a girl, she and her mother only became semi-famous and not the unbelievable success promised by her wayward father if she had been a boy. Submissive she’s not, so Cher hatches a plan to get her father’s attention and respect.

Purgatory by Danielle Ackley-McPhail is set in a women’s prison full of paranormal powers and characters. Power plays abound in the prison but our nameless heroine wants no part of it. She fights others only when they attack and refuses to participate in the usual prison hierarchy. This of course makes things worse for her but she stands her ground. Not completely damned yet, she still has choices. Will she choose to simply maintain or to lead?

Full of treachery, death, betrayal and even a bit of humor, this anthology has something for everyone. The women in these stories can kick some serious booty whether physically, magically or intellectually. I believe that some of the stories are shorts from various series so be sure to see if you are familiar with the contributing authors. This is also book one in a series so keep watch for the next book!

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: MariettaPublishing (July 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892669501
• ISBN-13: 978-1892669506

To purchase a print copy of Hear Them Roar click here.

To visit the submitting author’s website go here.

The second Bad-Ass Faeries anthology, Just Plain Bad has an additional twenty faerie stories ready to rip all of your preconceived notions of faeries apart. As in the original Bad-Ass Faerie, this one is also broken down into different categories of Fae and also has continuations of a couple of stories featured in the first anthology.

Under the Rebel Fae grouping, The Rescue of Mr. Spaghetti is by returning Bad-Ass Faerie author L. Jagi Lamplighter. ER doctor and mother, Clara has been the repeated victim of car thieves and Detective Mab is on the case. When she tells him that pirates stole her car, Clara is sure the detective will think her crazy. But when Mab tells her that he pirates are the worst of the supernatural scum in Faeriedom, she is the one who thinks HE is crazy. Because the car happened to contain Mr. Spaghetti, her autistic son Sammy’s doll, Clara is bound and determined to get her car back. But she’s not prepared to deal with what she finds when she takes on the investigation herself.

In Whiskey Sour by Skyla Dawn Cameron, we meet rogue Fae Juliette. A bartender, she had taken a customer home with her over a year ago. While some people regret their one night stands for a variety of reasons, Juliette had a very specific reason. Her one night stand, Toby, had infected her with lycanthropy. Now, as far as she knew, Juliette was the only werefaerie and wasn’t exactly jumping with joy about it. When Toby reappears and requests her help, Juliette realizes she has the perfect opportunity for revenge.

Under the Shadow Fae heading, we revisit some old friends from the first Bad-Ass Faerie book. In Danielle Ackly-McPhail’s story Within The Guardian Bell, we catch up with biker fae Lance and his love Suzanne. Still in danger because of his halfling status, Lance is attacked by gremlins while he travels back to Suzanne. Her latest gift of protection for Lance is a small bell that hangs from his motorcycle. When it is disarmed by the removal of the clapper, Lance must use ingenuity and his halfling powers to save the bell as well as his own life.

In the final category, Enforcer Fae, we find a new take on the traditional Rumplestiltzkin tale. Repostiltzkin by James Daniel Ross is one of my favorite stories from this anthology. Sixteen years old, a computer game geek and unpopular, Sam is shocked to find his mother arguing with a man who puts Sam in the mind of some sort of ancient goblin type. As Sam’s mother is unable to fulfill her end of a contract, Sam is taken as payment. He accompanies his captor throughout the day to make more pick ups. Some of their stops include the homes of his more popular classmates where no one else is taken, but valued traits or possessions are. Their last stop of the day is at the home of Janice, the most beautiful girl in school. To save her and her beauty, Sam must figure out the name of his captor to break the contract.

While I found some of the stories in this installment to be a bit more dark and violent than in the first, I still really liked it. There are a variety of stories with varying subjects and a person should be able to easily find something to like. Also, you don’t need to read the first book to read this one. There are a couple of stories that continue over from the first book, but they aren’t tied into the same story line. You can read this series in any order you wish without following a specific time line.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Marietta Publishing (May 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892669463
• ISBN-13: 978-1892669469

To purchase a print copy of Just Plain Bad: Bad-Ass Faeries 2 click here.

Books in the Bad-Ass Faeries series in the order they should be read:
Bad-Ass Faeries
Bad-Ass Faeries 2: Just Plain Bad

To visit the submitting author’s website go here.

Kaori Yuki is one of my favorite manga artists. Her work is dark, mysterious, and beautifully rendered. Her newest series, Fairy Cube, is no exception.

Ian Hasumi has a few secrets he keeps from everyone but his childhood best friend, Rin. Ever since he was little, Ian has been able to see fairies, which might have some connection to the wing image on his back – images that his father desperate tries to eradicate. However, Ian has another secret that he keeps to himself, that of his other, separate self that he calls Tokage. It turns out that Tokage is actually a lizard spirit trapped in a fairy cube. When Ian dies at the hand of his father, Tokage takes over. Ian can only watch helplessly as Tokage moves in on Rin. Vowing to stop Tokage, Ian gains the help of the mysterious Kaito and his fairy Ainsel. After a journey to another world, Ian is able to inhabit the body of a child. But will he be strong enough to save Rin and stop Tokage?

Kaori Yuki’s art is simply beautiful. Her characters, who are always attractive, show a wide range of emotion which helps to move the story along effortlessly. Her backgrounds are highly detailed, and heavy on screentones, which adds to the dark, mysterious atmosphere of Fairy Cube. The story itself, a dark fantasy, hooks the reader immediately and leaves them eager for the next volume.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC (May 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1421516683
• ISBN-13: 978-1421516684

To purchase a copy of Fairy Cube click here.

To visit the author’s website go here.

In Small Favor, book 10 of the Dresden Files series, Winter Queen Mab decides to cash in on one of the favors Harry owes her, the Knights of the Cross and their foes the Denarians are back, and the Three Billy Goats Gruff of nursery rhyme fame are trying to assassinate Harry for apparently no good reason (Sidhe court politics is offered up as a weak explanation). As usual, the odds against Harry are so long they have to be measured “in astronomical units” (pg. 250). As usual for Jim Butcher, this book is a hell of a good read.

Over time, Harry Dresden has grown as a character without losing the essential Harryness he had at the beginning. As a reader, I wish other authors could do this with their characters as well as Jim Butcher does. Harry has learned from (some of) his mistakes in previous books and references them, providing a nice feeling of continuity. When Harry has a new toy or skill, there is often an explanation as to how he developed it during the down time between adventures, e.g. “The coil of steel chain in my coat pocket came out smoothly as I drew it, because I’d practiced the draw thousands of times . . .” (pg. 103)

This is a nice nod to realism in an otherwise unreal setting, but hundreds of references like this over 10 books have caused me to create a humorous picture of Harry’s incredibly busy life between books: he runs daily, trains his apprentice, crafts his own weapons and practices using them “thousands of times,” forms alliances with the little folk through weekly pizza donations, creates a meticulous miniature model of the entire city of Chicago and patiently imbues it with magical energy, studies, helps other Wardens, solves minor cases, shovels the walk for his neighbors in the winter, and presumably also sleeps, eats and bathes. He’s the hardest working Wizard in showbiz, and it pays off.

While Mab and the Billy Goats Gruff play a role, most of the action in this book comes from Harry working with the Knights of the Cross to thwart the Denarians and save two recurring minor characters (and through them, The World). The Fallen Angel/Denarian storyline is fascinating and I enjoyed revisiting it. It is a tribute to Butcher’s rich characterization that, on the way to work this morning, I saw a sign saying “Experienced Carpenters Needed” and first thought of Knight of the Cross Michael Carpenter and his family.

In every Harry Dresden book there is a moment of sheer audacity that causes the reader in me to say, “I can’t believe Harry (or rarely, another character) did that!” while simultaneously the writer in me says, “I can’t believe Butcher wrote that!” My favorite, which Butcher may never top, takes place at Chicago’s Field Museum in Dead Beat. Small Favor has its moment too (hint: there’s a helicopter). Like its predecessors, Small Favor is complicated, fun, action-packed, true to its characters, and full of difficult moral choices. This is a book that will cause you to stay up until 2 AM finishing it and will then stay with you for a long time.

Note: Readers who are new to Harry Dresden could read Small Favor and enjoy it, but it is well worth starting with Storm Front and reading the series in order.

Book Stats:

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Roc Hardcover (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451461894
• ISBN-13: 978-0451461896

To purchase a print copy of Small Favor click here.

Books in the Dresden Files series in the order they should be read:
Storm Front
Fool Moon
Grave Peril
Summer Knight
Death Masks
Blood Rites
Dead Beat
Proven Guilty
White Night
Small Favor
Turn Coat

To visit the author’s website go here.

To visit the author’s blog go here.

Anita Palmer is just about to turn 16 and everything about her life is wonderful. She is playing Juliet in a school production and is dating Evan, her Romeo. Evan plans a romantic boat trip on the eve of her birthday and that is when everything changes.

A freak accident leaves both teens in the hospital. Anita’s parents bring her a mystery birthday package that has been delivered to her house. It contains a book which tells the story of Tania, the 7th daughter of King Oberon and Queen Titania of the land of Faerie. When a mysterious young man visits her in the hospital, she follows him and is transported to the land of Faerie where she discovers that she is Tania, the Faerie Princess and she has been missing for 500 years. Torn between two worlds, Anita/Tania must decide where she truly belongs.

Frewin Jones has created a fantastical world full of magic, betrayal and intrigue. My 9 year old daughter read this book and passed it on to me telling me that I just had to read it too. The characters are well-developed and the storyline keeps you wanting more even after the last page has been read. This is a good thing as there are two more books in the series. Though the series is marketed as young adult, I highly recommend this series for older readers as well.

Book Excerpt: “Swept away into a court of magic and beauty, she discovers she is Tania, the lost princess of Faerie. Since Tania’s mysterious disappearance five hundred years before, Faerie has been sunk in darkness and gloom. With her return, Faerie comes alive again as a land of winged children, glittering balls, and fantastic delights. But Tania can’t forget Anita’s world, or the boy she loved there. Torn between two loves and between two worlds, Tania slowly remembers why she disappeared, and realizes that she is the only one who can stop a sinister plan that threatens the entire world of Faerie.”

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Eos; Reprint edition (January 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060871040
• ISBN-13: 978-0060871048

To purchase a print copy of The Faerie Path click here.

Books in The Faerie Path series in the order they should be read:
The Faerie Path
The Faerie Path #2: The Lost Queen
The Faerie Path #3: The Sorcerer King