Nor Iron Bars a Cage by Kaje Harper

I love this book. I can't say that enough, I loved this book. Lyon came to life for me. First he was a sorcerer then a hermit. Lyon was trained to be a sorcerer, a profession that is dying out as magic seems to be vanishing and young men want more dashing jobs. It was during his training that Lyon learned what true evil was as he watched his beloved master become consumed by a dark power until there was nothing left. Fearing for his life and sanity Lyon fled in the night letting everyone believe he was dead. He found a small home and for fifteen years he lived as a translator and then the ghost from his past appears when Tobin, his best friend appears at his door and tells him he must do the bidding of the king. I could feel his fears as he took the first steps down the road all in order to help a friend in need.
There wasn't a lot of sex, in fact the sex that did happen wasn't in great detail but that didn't bother me. Granted I kept yelling at the book to hurry up and do it but that is beside the point.

I got to meet Kaje at GRL and I will admit I became a fan girl. I screamed out "Nor Iron Bars a Cage. I LOVED that book." So now I look like a crazy fan but that is beside the point.

Ghost of Alcatraz By Carol Lynne

The blurb made the book sound a whole lot better that it was. This is a very quick read, a little over 100 pages. It is a good idea, the prison of Alcatraz has been remodeled and now houses cyber criminals. Everything is going great when the first dead body appears. Now these are not hardened criminals in these cells but computer geeks so when a second and third body shows up the Warden knows he has problems. Jenson Black  calls for help and what he gets is a paranormal investigator. What is discovered is that the prison may be remodeled some very dark spirits still linger and those spirits are string enough to cause injury and even death to those on the rock.

For me it needed to be a longer book. I had a hard time getting into the story just because it was short and to the point, no building up, no getting to know and feel the stars of the story. This story would have been great had I had some feeling for the prisoners that where being murdered in their cell or if I would have had a stronger connection with Jensen, the warden who didn't know what to do to protect his men and the convicts yet at the same time had feelings for the investigator. It is a good Halloween quick read, and for that I would recommend it.

The Name on my Wrist By J.M. Snyder

I must say this was a very short story. I'm not even 100% sure I would call it a story since it was only 11 pages long. Does that make it more of a prose? How to review this without giving anything away. Well when I first picked it up to read I was expecting to need some tissues. It did come with a warning that this was very sad. Did I cry? Nope, Did I feel a tear forming? Nope. I didn't connect with anyone enough to actually want to cry.
This is a story of a man who is remembering his first love. It is when Vietnam was being fought and innocence was lost when those you love are called up in the draft. As I said it is 11 pages and that includes the cover  and all the other stuff that goes into the front of the book.

It is a free read at B&N though so I can't complain that much. If you want a five minute read by all means grab it up, if you want something that will make you grab the tissue box this isn't it.

Gilt By JL WIlson

I want to start out by saying I had never heard of JL Wilson before the RT convention. I picked up some of her swag and the book intrigued me so off to B&N I went to buy it. I wanted to love the book, the blurb made me want to love it. What happened was I simply liked the book.

Gem is plagued with gilt after her husband John dies in  fire. All she can think about is arguing with her firefighter husband  moments before he rushes into a burning building to save a small child, a fire where they both die. She can't help but wonder if maybe he was distracted by her angry words.

On the Anniversary of her husbands death she discovers the case is being re opened.  It is then that Gem finds out she can see the ghost of her dead husband. I know you would think this wa a ghost story but it isn't. It is more of a murder mystery with a ghost tossed in. Gem meets Dan whose wife also died in the fire. It is believed that the fire was started to cover up her murder. A little digging though proves that this is much more than a fire but something that has ties to embezzlement and a major crime family.

The book is good, I can't say it isn't. It does have moments when it really seems to drag out and I found myself saying "get on with it all ready". There is a romantic relationship between Dan and Gem but she never lets it go far because she is still carrying gilt over her husbands death and sees moving on as betrayng his memory.

I will also admit there were a couple of places that I grabbed a tissue.  If you like crime drama then by all mean grab this one to read in front of the fireplace on a nice fall day.

Been busy

I know I haven't been posting for a little bit but I have been busy with work. It seems like this is the busy season when it comes to candy. I am currently working six days a week and that along with working on my own stuff and judging some local things have kept me from reading all I should.

Don't fear though I have been reading and I will be posting more book reviews.

Fire Burn and Cauldron bubble. by H.P. Mallory

I have to say that on the whole I loved this book. Yes at times it did get a little drawn out but still I wanted to read more. When it ended I was heading to Amazon looking for book two of the series.

This is a book full of hot guys. Rand the warlock who has feelings for Jolie the witch he is training yet he refuses to act on them. Trent the werewolf who Jolie decides to date if she can't have Rand. Sinjin the vampire who is nothing but a flirt and we still don't know what his agenda is. Add to all this male sexiness an evil with by name of Bella who wants to rule the other world creatures.
 The story moves long fairly well, I find myself relating to Jolie as she struggles to come to terms with being a witch, being taken from her home and shown  world she didn't even know existed.

What's even better I at the moment amazon is offering this book for free on kindle. Head over there and get it, it's a very entertaining read and you will be hurrying out to buy the second book just to see what Sinjin is up to and if Jolie will finally make Rand understand you can mix business and pleasure.

Claiming Mariah by Pam Hillman

I had a hard time putting this book down and that is a rare thing for me.
 Mariah has been struggling with running the Lazy M ranch since her father died. Thinking she is doing the right thing after she finds out her father had stolen the money to buy the ranch she contacts his one time partner in mining. Slade Donavan and his brother Buck show up at the ranch showing the dead to the mine and claiming ownership of the ranch. Slade agrees to let Mariah and her grandmother stay at the ranch until his own mother shows up. Neither one expects to fall in love with the other and when Slade discovers cattle rustling going on the danger he brings to Mariah causes him to prove that love.
I don't read a lot of western romances but this one was a really good book. I didn't want to put it down and hated that I had to go to work because it meant I couldn't read. I hated that it ended, I wanted it to go a little further. I need a book with Buck finding his true love, I want to know more about Slade's mother and sisters. This is an author who I will read more of.

Beastiality By Shameek Speight

What can I say about this book. It was bad. I can't believe I actually wasted a dollar on it, I can't believe I actually finished it. I know it is a story, I know it is fantasy but make it somewhat believable.

A wonderful happily married couple move to San Diego, why? Because apparently it is the only town that won't discriminate against Bi- Racial couples. Trevor is a doctor, I'm not sure how long he has been out of medical school but long enough that he has money to spare and apparently no loans to pay off. His wife is Natalie and apparently she has money of her own from some business she runs. Natalie is lonely in the new town, she misses Chicago she wants a child. Trevor decides to get her a dog instead. What does she choose but a Great Dane, Pitt Bull mix.
When she gives more attention to the dog then her husband he decides to have an affair with the woman on the first floor.
It isn't long before the dog goes crazy, chews off Natalies cloths and rapes her. He does this repeatedly never letting her dress and forcing her to take him when ever he wants. This happens for several weeks and her husband never seems to check his voice mail or return home.

Apparently her calls to 911 are ignored because she does call for help but no one shows up.
Her husband finally does show up  and he tries to shoot the dog but misses and the bullet goes through the floor. Ironically the people who live below them don't seem to care about the gunfire upstairs.

This isn't some inner city apartment, this is a condo wroth models, doctors and so forth. Why no one calls for help, reports strange sounds or gunfire and why 911 doesn't respond to the call is beyond me. The story is just to unbelievable for words. The sex while plenty of it is the same sex over and over and over.

Don't waste your money on this book

The Beckoning by Christopher Savio

I loved this book. Yes it does have some POV changes and yes there are some miss spelled words but other then that I couldn't put the book down. I stayed up until one in the morning to finish it knowing I had to be up by four that morning.
Marissa is a shy girl who finds it almost painful to talk to boys. She has two great friends and her dog Max. Marissa has always been close to her parents who installed a love of history in her. After her father visits a plantation he becomes obsessed with it. He decides that the whole family must move to Mill Run.

Marissa isn't happy but has no choice. After arriving there strange things happen to her parents who become less and less like the people she knew and more like some glass eyed zombie. Then other things start to change around her...the town of Mill Run never changes, the same cars pass on the street, the same people sit in the diner. Then strange things happen in the house. Marissa runs across an old diary that tells of a demon that has taken over the house and Marissa knows it is up to her to save her family.

As I said once i was into the story I didn't want to put it down. The point of view shifting about half way through the story did bother me a little but I was able to move past it. The same with the few misspelled words, I was able to over look them. The story was fairly fast paced even though it made fighting a demon fairly simple. Still it is a young adult book and I believe most young adults along with adults will enjoy the story.

A home in the west

I have to say I love Amish Fiction. There is nothing more touching then the sweetness of a relationship without the need for sex. I love seeing a relationship bloom, sometimes against all odds. What I love and what this book is are two different things. I am aware this is a free short story but...I felt nothing for the people in the book. Yes the Amish took in a young boy and his mother. They lived among them, became one of the people. Of course this was told to me in a couple of short paragraphs. The same with a romance, the book didn't make me fall in love, it was more like reading a Sunday paper. The facts were given and a marriage created but nothing more then that.
Really if your looking for some sweet romance skip this short story, it didn't live up to its promise.

The Graveyard Speaks

The Graveyard Speaks by Hunter Shae is actually a pretty good short story, Jessica is a ghost hunter. She loves to find EB's and help them reach the next place of destination. When she is called in by a cemetery caretaker she discovers this EB isn't like all the others. So she sets out to discover who is haunting the grave of Meredith Spooner and why.

It is a short tie in story but don't let that stop you. It is a full and complete story, you wont need to read the others to know what is happening. I found it to be rather enjoyable and will be looking for other books by Hunter Shae.

The Judgment By Beverly Lewis

This is book two in the Rose trilogy and I have to say this one is so much better then the first book. Rose is engaged to be married to Silas but her heart still longs for Nick. Still she reminds herself what a good upstanding man Silas is. When her father reveals a few things about her intended she has to rethink her love for him.

Hen is still arguing with Brandon, both refusing to give an inch to compromise. I do find this line a bit annoying. I keep wanting to yell at hen to wake up and sniff the coffee. She is demanding it is all her way or now way and seems upset that her husband  refuses to give into her every demand.

this book moved a lot faster then the first one. Beverly Lewis was back on her game and once again was able to produce a heartwarming Amish romance which somehow makes life among the Amish seem like it would be a wonderful way to live.

Haunting: The Dusty Chronicles

Haunting: The Dust Chronicles book one  by BJ Sheldon.
I have to say I loved this book. Yes it is a young adult book but I really didn't feel as if it was. The writing was fast pace  and the book truly drew you into it.
Dusty and her family move int the family farm house after the death of her uncle his family. Dusty is the youngest  member of the family and a little shy but thanks to Kristi, the girl who befriends her on the first day she becomes friends with most of the school.
Dusty starts to have dreams that seem so real, dreams of a young man not much older then herself. Jack was a soldier in Korea and can't seem to remember what happened to him. Soon Dusty realizes thee is more to her dreams as Jack begins to haunt her. Jack needs Dusty to help him remember how he died and why he is still on this realm. What Dusty discovers though puts her own life in danger.
I will say again, I love this book. I couldn't put it down. I was glad I didn't have to go to work the next day because I spent the night trying to finish it. This book is something parents can let their pre teens and teens read, no sex in this book but there is some quick kissing. I can't wait for book two.

Miss Shannon in Louisiana

Miss Shannon is Louisiana by Gloria Dayle is a book I can't say if I really enjoyed or not.

Miss Shannon is a Domme, she loves to keep her men named and on a sexual edge. After one of her subs sets up an account for her she opens an institute where the sexual differences between people will be studied.

She arrives in Louisiana with her boys Tim and Johnny and her sub female Stacey. The rest of the book is about getting the house ready to be turned into the institute, the men work naked, even the ones she has recently hired. I found it odd that men were willing to come into an interview and strip. Then again I don't know a lot about the lifestyle so maybe they do.

There is plenty of sex in some form or the other and the book seemed to move from one sex scene to the other but the variation wasn't all that much in my opinion.

Oddly though even though I was becoming bored with the book and it's only 180 pages I do find myself wanting to know what happens when the institute is actually up and running.

Heaven Sent: A Channeling Morpheus short

Heaven Sent: A Channeling Morpheus short by Jordan Castillo Price

What I didn't know when I read this short was it is apparently like a chapter between books or maybe a bonus chapter. I can't say it wasn't good, it makes me want to go look up the books that go with it.
I was lost though. I didn't understand who the vampires companion was, why he thought he could get vampirism from sex.

If you know the series you will love this short. If you haven't ready the series you will be lost

Learning the Ropes by Kim Dare

Learning the Ropes is the first book of Kim Dare's that I have read and i have to say I really enjoyed it. I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked it up having never read a book of this type. Oh I have read plenty of BDSM books but never one that centered on the leather lifestyle.
Floyd job is to write up an ad campaign for Mr. Ingram's club. What Floyd doesn't want to admit, even to himself is he is turned on by all the scenes in the club and the whole lifestyle in general. He is a natural Submissive and for an odd reason Pete Ingram is instantly attracted to him. The problem is he needs to get Floyd to accept the part of him he has been denying for so long.

The book isn't long, it's a fairly quick read under 100 pages. If I had to find a flaw in it I would say I just didn't like the name Floyd. Other then that I really enjoyed the book and I'm heading to Amazon to purchase more by this author.

Mexican Drug Cartel Chronicles

This book is badly edited. The grammar is horrid, the spelling is horrid. It is like reading a book by someone who has never written in English. I'm not sure if that was to make it sound more authentic or not. For showing life inside the family it really did nothing.

The story starts with a teen age boy who hangs around outside a party until he see's a couple expensive vehicles pull up. He notices some really well dressed guys get out and go inside so he decides to go in too. Well apparently they were rival drug cartel members and when the area members get wind they come in and take all the males at the party. They are given a choice to join the cartel or die. Most want to join the cartel anyway because it's good money.

If you want to know what it's like in the cartel this book isn't it. If you want to know how he felt about killing or just being a member this book isn't it either. It is a really fast read though so I will give it points for that. If your looking for a book that would help you research cartel life, skip this one

The Thorn By Beverly Lewis

I actually had problems getting into this book which is a bit odd because I love not only Amish romance but Beverly Lewis is one of my favorites.

This book centers around Rosie and her family. Her sister Hen has married an English man and turned her back on her heritage at least until she notices how worldly her five year old daughter has become. Wanting to share her upbringing with her daughter though causes problem int eh marriage for Hen and her Husband.

Mamma Emma was injured in a buggy accident five years ago. No one truly knows what happened but Emma is no longer able to walk. Rose feels it is her job to take care of her mother even if it means she must forgo looking for a husband of her own.

Nick, an English boy who was adopted by the bishop has become one of Rosie's best friends but she doesn't see his growing love for her or understand her feelings for him. Nick isn't a proper Amish boy and she knows he will never stay in the fold so even though she loves him she agrees to become Silas's steady girl.

When a tragedy strikes the area and Nick is accused Rosie must decided if her heart is with Nick, the outsider or with Silas, the good Amish boy.

As I sai I enjoy Amish Romance and Beverly Lewis in general but this book I felt lacked the normal page turning suspense that most of her books do. It even seemed to lack the romance that most of her books do. I wasn't swept into Amish country nor did I care which boy she ended up with. If yo have never read one of Beverly's books then skip this one and choose instead perhaps her Abram's daughters books. If you have read Beverly's books and you are a fan like I am then I think you will find this book to be a bit flat.

Vampires Drool! Zombies Rule! by Rusty Fischer

I have to say I really liked this book. It was really hard for me to put it down even if it was a young adult novel. I don't even really care for zombie novels but this one is one I will tell the young people in my life to read. I can't wait to read what happens next.
Lucy is a zombie who happens to attend high school. She will always look 17, the downside is she will always be in High School. She tries to blend in never breaking the Rules of being a Zombie. One day the school installs an automatic paper towel dispenser which is the beginning of the end for Lucy. Since it read your body heat and zombies don't have any she can't get a paper towel. When Fiona touches her , looks closely at her she decides to place an article in the school newspaper about Zombies in high school. The down side is that the article brings forth the zombie enforcers, and the vampires who all are willing to do whatever it takes to keep their secret safe from the world of the mortals or "Normals."
I have to admit the main reason I got this book was because it was a free read. It wasn't one that I would have normally picked up but I'm really glad I did. I enjoyed it and I feel that my niece will also enjoy the book so I am encouraging her to get a copy.

The Five People You Meet In Heaven

I absolutely loved this book. It really made me stop and think for a moment how we affect those around us, sometimes in ways we don't know. This is a book about discovery both of ourselves and of those around us.

Eddie lived a long life but he sees it as an uneventful life. He never became all that he dreamed he would be, he felt he never really lived or made a difference in the lives of those around him. On his 83rd birthday he is tragically killed in an amusement park accident. In the after life he meets five people, these five people show how he  and they affected each other in someway. They also show him that sometimes something as simple as a smile can make all the difference to a person.

I really encourage everyone to read this book. When they are done to think about the people that have come and gone in their loves and wonder whose day they might have made just a little brighter.