Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Carolina Moon

by Nora Roberts.

I'm not as big a fan of Nora Roberts as I am of JAK but i guess that's how it goes with these authors, the one you start out with is the one you like the most. However once in a while the Nora Roberts ones are great. I especially like the ones with a good mystery and some paranormal stuff and this one fit perfectly in both categories.

The main character is psychic to some degree and has moved back to her home town to solve the mystery surrounding the death of her best friend. The romance is just an aside as far as I'm concerned but the mystery is quite interesting and the reliving of her friend's life and death are great snippets. So I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Dance to the Piper (O'Hurleys book 2)

by Nora Roberts.

The second in the series was just filler again but interesting. The dancer's life was interesting and while I couldn't relate it was still fun and the family was all there at some point. It's fun to see the couple that got together in the last book still together and how their lives are progressing. I finished this up after work on Monday and started right in on the third!

Surrender

by Amanda Quick.

Ahh.. another quick read - I read this on the train to and from NYC and it was perfect filler. Having just about finished all the Amanda Quicks I can say for sure I'll have to re-read some because they are just so satisfying. Actually since I have Desire (an older one) I actually started re-reading that just for fun, no need to make sure and finish it but good filler.

Anyway back to Surrender, I love the adventures in this one, and the Earl marrying her for her money and how she has to deal with that. It's always so funny that the male characters don't believe in Love, fall in love, but don't realize it and then always at the very very end finally admit it :) Something satisfying to know it will all work out in the end though!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Last Honest Women (O'Hurley book 1)

by Nora Roberts.

This series of romances has been in my audible waiting to be a time buster for me. They're short and satisfying.

They all follow the O'Hurley family which consists of triplet girls and an older brother. This first one is about Abby who was married young then widowed with two sons. She falls in love with the write who is writing the biography of her husband. Now that I'm on book 3 I can say of the girls, Abby is definitely my favorite but they are all interesting and I love the family element in all of them.

Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress book 4)

by Jeaniene Frost.

FINALLY - i put the release dates of the Night Huntress books on my calendar so when they come out I can order them and dive right in.

This one was great, I read it in 2 nights and gobbled it right up. This series is always full of anxiety about whether things will work out between the two characters and this one brought that to the extreme but since I read it very quickly I wans't in suspense for too long!

While this one wasnt' my favorite of the series I can't wait for the next and would love to re-read the first 3 now - unfortunately they are loaned out at the moment!

Monday, August 10, 2009

All Night Long

by Jayne Ann Krentz.

I read this one real fast - I do like JAK's work - especially her later stuff. The mystery was good, while dark due to the number of murders and motives the story was good. And love was in the air for sure - all the relationships blooming were predictable but feel good none the less. JAK is like comfort food but with a good mystery to keep the interest.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Gaudy Night (Lord Peter Whimsey book 3)

by Dorothy Sayers.

This was the best in the series as far as characters go, the slowest in the series as far as the mystery goes but all in all very enjoyable! I love the analyzing Harriet did of her relationship with Peter, finally we learn what really has happened in the last few years and we learn more about her feelings. Plus a new interesting character (Peter's nephew) joins us and he's is lots of fun.

While parts were hard for me to follow (for example the Warden - when she was addressed by her name I wouldn't realize it was the same person - same goes for the Bursar and Dean) but I'm not good with names anyway and they weren't really suspects by the middle of the book making that easier.

The mystery really had me going until the very end - while slow going it was very well done. The slowness was really brought on by the surroundings of the mystery, it took place over a couple of terms so that alone made it slow.

I can't wait to watch the tv series and then read the 4th book in the Peter/Harriet series!

Fire Study (Study book 3)

by Maria V. Snyder.

And the final in the trilogy. This book rounds out the relationship between Yelena and Leaf more, they become closer and Leaf becomes a more likable character. The first half of the book does not include Yelena's Ixian friends at all but the second half rectifies that and even includes a return to Ixia for Yelena (bringing along Leaf).
The second half of the book flies by, with Yelena in trouble, then in trouble, then in more trouble, with a doom and gloom about the whole thing, it's really best to just keep going and get to the end. Things more very fast, especially compared to the rest of the trilogy and a lot happens in the last 40 minutes especially (in the audio form).

I finished this up while working on the house Saturday and now I'm taking a short break from audiobooks (just for the next 2 weeks) so I can learn some Italian again.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Magic Study (Study book 2)

by Maria V. Snyder.

Another OLD FAVORITE! I started this immediately after finishing Poison Study. Magic Study, while it technically has less of Yelena's friends (Valek, Ari and Jenko), the relationships have filled out more so when they are in it the scenes are more exciting. They're also in it a lot more than I remembered them being in it.

While Poison Study is still my favorite, I really love this one too. Fire Study, the last is a great ending but it has this sense of doom and gloom about it. Magic Study is a great middle ground, plenty of happy times and a sense that things will go well (instead of not so well).

I finished this up on the drive down to my sister's house, then started up Fire Study on the drive back home.