Review Date: 12/16/2010

I heard about this book while listening to NPR quite awhile ago and picked it up while browsing my public library. I remembered the book from the title and remembered listening to Scott Simon talking about the book he had written about his 2 little girls and how they had changed him and his wife's lives.

This book is only 178 pages, but the shear volume of emotion, both laughter and tears, packed into this book is amazing. Mr. Simon doesn't gloss over the sometimes harsh realities of the adoption process, but he does discuss them with candor and humor.

Mr. Simon does a good job of showing the many sides and types of Adoption options available, told via personal stories of people he knows or met while writing this book. The stories ranged from the positive to the negative, but they all showed how life altering adoption can be for both the parents and the children involved.

I believe that great books should leave an impression on you and lead you to question and clarify your own beliefs, ideals or thought processes. The best do it with humor and compassion for the subject matter. I believe this is one of the best.

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Review Date: 10/30/2007

Helpful Score: 7

Toni Andrews introduces us to the world of Mercy. She has the ability to "press" people into her will. Mercy has learned to be very careful of her ability. She has hurt people by saying the wrong thing. But keeping everyone at arms length and learning strict control does not guarantee their safety.

This was a very good book by a new author. It takes place in present day, present time, Mercy just has a little something "special" about her. The ending is set up for a sequel. I will be loooking for the next book to see if author can keep me interested.

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Review Date: 1/31/2010

Helpful Score: 10

Just a reminder to all J.D. Robb Fans: This is the second story in the 'Remember When' half of the Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb book.

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Review Date: 7/3/2010

Helpful Score: 1

Coming in August 2010:

In Angela Knight's Blood and Roses, a vampire warrior and his seductive captive join forces to stop a traitor from unleashing an army of demonic predators on their kingdom.

Whisper of Sin, is new in Nalini Signh's Psy-Changling series, in which a woman in lethal danger finds an unlikely protector-and lover-in a volatile member of the Dark-River pack.

Virginia Kantra continues the haunting tales of the Children of the Sea in Shifting Sea, the story of a wounded soldier rescued by a strange and enigmatic young woman.

Meljean Brook launches a bold new steampunk series with Here there be Dragons as a desperate woman strikes a provocative-and terrifying-bargain to gain overseas passage.

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Review Date: 10/30/2007

Helpful Score: 19

My sister recommended this book to me, but it sat in a desk draw for 6 months before I finally ran out of things to read and picked it up.

WOW!! FABULOUS!! The story line is unique, and the characters leap off the page. The dialogue keeps the story moving along and I finished this book quickly. The synopsis does not do justice to this story.

If you like Vampire/paranormal romances with Alpha males, you will Love this book. J.R. Ward has included excerpts from the books as well as interviews with the main characters on her web site, if you are waffling, check it out.

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Review Date: 12/6/2008

Helpful Score: 7

This book is the conclusion to the Magic Series. This is the story of Cassia and Jake Macgregor. We find out the truth of Cassia's heritage and get to delve into the psyche of that lone wolf Jake, the head of the Paranormal Special Forces. Their joining is full of roadblocks and obstacles that seem insurmountable, but they continue to look for ways over or around them. There are plenty of battle scenes with Darkwolf as the battle for San Fransisco continues. I won't give the ending away, but we all know that Good has to triumph over Evil in the end. There were plenty of twists, turns and surprises in store in this book, even as it comes to conclusion. The author was kind enough to give us an epilogue 6 years into the future. I appreciate it when an author gives us a glimpse of where the characters lives have taken them. Overall it was a great ending to the series.

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Review Date: 3/27/2011

This book was a recommendation for Amazon based on other books I had read. Since it was a new author, I decided to give it a try.

The story was slow to get going and occasionally I had to go back and reread portions in order to get characters straight. But this was mainly because as the beginning book in a new universe, there was a lot of world building and characters being introduced and background being explained. By the time I got about half way through the book, I had become invested in the story and was eagerly awaiting to see what happened next.

I gave the book 3 stars, because I did like the story, even when it was a little slow. I am hopeful that the second and third books in the series will pick up the pace and I can up the rating. This author shows true promise, and I am willing to give her the opportunity to show me what she can do with this unique storyline.

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Review Date: 10/30/2007

Helpful Score: 2

This was a typical MJD book. Great Dialogue, fast paced action and just that little something extra that keeps us coming back for more. There are 2 stories in this this book, but the second one is more like a short story... only about 10 or so pages long. But it is a nice wrap up, epilogue type for the first (main) story.

If you like Strong Female Characters who rescue the guy, you will enjoy this book. It was a quick read and worth the purchase.

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Review Date: 10/30/2007

Helpful Score: 1

I have read all of Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld Series, so I knew she told a great story, but I wasn't sure if I would like it without the paranormal elements.

I did! This was a great action/adventure story. I could easily see this being made into a "guy movie". This book gives us a strong female character who has a strong moral compass. She lives by this, and does what she needs to do to be true to herself.

I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

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Review Date: 10/30/2007

Helpful Score: 2

I love Katie MacAlister's books. Especially her unique books. This book showed the reality of all those who love the period of time where a Knight was the highest a man could aspire to be and real women were okay being Wenchs. This book takes place at a Renaissance Fair and shows the behind the scenes and the fun of a Fair.

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Review Date: 3/24/2011

Helpful Score: 5

I received this response from Kimberly Raye on 10/18/11 in regards to an email inquiring about the when/if the ebook format of this could be found:

The new Lil book is not out yet. I'm so sorry!!! I was going to do it myself as an e-book, but there is another publisher interested in it. They have it right now and, if all goes well, it will come out both in e-book format and mass market. I should know something in the next month and will let everyone know as soon as I find out anything.

Thanks so much for being patient!
Kimberly Raye

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Review Date: 10/30/2007

Helpful Score: 1

Wow! Nora Roberts hit one out of the park with this book. The lead female character is a hostage negotiator. When she is called in to talk a potential suicide down, the employer and landlord of the man takes one look and starts to fall. But, of course, there is no easy path and a killer stalks her every move.

This is definately worthy of a re-read.

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Review Date: 11/1/2009

Helpful Score: 12

Just a reminder to all Nora Roberts Fans: This is the first story in the 'Remember When' half of the Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb book.

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Review Date: 1/6/2008

Helpful Score: 22

I just finished reading this book, and all I can say is WOW! I will warn you, I had to get the tissues out towards the end. This book is a much darker and somber book than the other two. I have read many reviews of this book and I keep hearing people whine about "Where was Stephan?" Well, since he wasn't in the first book, why would we expect him in the third??? This book was primarily about the fae, specifically Zee, her former boss, and the conclusion of the love triangle between Mercy and the two werewolves. We get to see more about the darker side to the fae then was brough out in the first two books. Character development remains superb throughout this book. I gave it 5 stars. If you are looking for a "happy ending" this book might not be for you, but if you like a book where you can really connect with the characters and know that at the end of the day good will triumph over evil, you will enjoy this book.

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Review Date: 12/13/2008

Helpful Score: 2

This book told is told from the viewpoint of several characters, just like the last one, Personal Demon, was. Each chapter uses a different character to advance the story from their viewpoint. I like the style of this because as the reader, we have the unique ability to see the overall picture and also see how the characters react in different ways to the same situation.

Living with the Dead continues the storyline of Hope Adams and her boyfriend Karl Marstan. This time Hope is in Los Angeles helping out a friend, Robyn, who is still recovering from the death of her husband. While she is there, Robyn ends up being the prime suspect in the murder of the woman she was doing PR work for. As Hope and Karl work to clear Robyn and find the real killer, they also work to keep Robyn from finding out about the supernatural community.

New characters are introduced and old ones are touched upon to keep us up to date. The ending talks about incidents from previous books and gives a hint of what we can expect from this world in the future. Overall, I was very pleased with the book and can't wait for the next one to come out.

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Review Date: 3/3/2009

I became a fan of Kelley Armstrong's books when my sister picked up Bitten and Stolen because they dealt with werewolves and the paranormal. I continue to love the Women of the Otherworld Series and can't wait for each new title. So when I saw that she was starting a new series that wasn't paranormal I was a little leery and worried that it wouldn't be any good, but I read the first couple chapters on her website and decided to give it a try. I really enjoyed the book and was thrilled when the second one came out.

This book continues Nadia Stafford's story. The idea of a female ex-cop hit-man sounds like an un-plausible storyline, but Ms. Armstrong makes the character both sympathetic and entirely riveting. Her characters come to life and the dialogue and action keep you on the edge of your seat.

This, the second book in the series, continues to keep you glued to the plot and quickly turning pages to find out what is going to happen next. I can honestly see these books being made into great action suspense movies. If you like a good anti-hero and vivid characters, this is a great series to read.

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Review Date: 4/1/2009

Helpful Score: 8

This is the third installment of the Kate Daniels series. It is possible that it could be read as a stand alone, but let's face it, who would want to? Ms. Andrews has created a unique world filled with fascinating characters and exciting dialogue. A must read for anyone who likes magic, shifter or urban fantasy novels.

Kate started the series as a loner, unwilling and maybe unable to depend on anyone but herself. As the books have progressed, she has opened up and is slowly letting people into her life. The overall storyline about her father takes a nice leap in this book.
And the chemistry between Kate and Curran continues to ignite the pages as Kate fights her feelings for the Lord of the Beasts. We are given a larger glimpse into Kate's history and how she came to be the way she is. She is one kick-ass female protagonist.

I was thrilled to get the book and devoured it in one sitting. I even found myself going back to specific points in the book to reread them already. The ending left me wanting more and eagerly awaiting the next book.

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Review Date: 12/19/2008

Helpful Score: 6

I got this book because I have been reading Nalini Singh's Psy/Changling series. The main characters were DarkRiver Leopard Zack and a human named Annie. Lucas, Sascha and Mercy, from previous books, were heard from in this short story. I must admit that it was my favorite story in the anthology, but then again, I just finished reading Ms. Singh's other 5 books, so I have been immersed in that world.

The Lora Leigh story continued her Breeds storyline with one of the enforcers and a human librarian from the town just outside of Sanctuary. I was very pleasantly surprised with this story. It had sensual elements without the going graphically overboard as I have found in some of her other books.

The story by Erin McCarthy I had a hard time getting into. I ended up basically scanning the story and hitting the highlights. The story was okay, but just didn't grab my attention. There were parts that just didn't ring true to the story and several sections that felt rushed and choppy.

Linda Winstead Jones' story was quite good once I got past the first few pages. Ruby is being targeted by a demon who must consume his 9th and final soul to be free to roam the earth. She doesn't know it but Zane, her stuffy professor neighbor, can help her if she can just learn to trust him.

All 4 of the stories take place around Christmas time and involve a cat in some form. Lora Leigh's story focuses on Christmas the most of any of the stories and it is a major theme in her plot line. Overall, this was a great book, especially if you have been reading the Psy/Changling or Breed series.

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Review Date: 10/30/2007

Helpful Score: 1

Patricia Briggs gives us a new spin on a beleagured topic. Mercy Thompson is a shifter, but not werewolf. She is Coyote. Her ability to shift is natural born, from her Native American father. Unfortunately, he died before her mother even knew she was pregnant with Mercy. Raised by the head of all the werewolves in North America, she knows their ways, but also knows that their rules don't apply to her because she is not wolf. The fey have come forward and shown themselves to the world at large, but the Vampires and Werewolves are waiting to see how it goes.

If you like paranormal stories, this is a great read. Mercy is a strong female character and the supporting characters are well written.

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Review Date: 4/8/2008

Helpful Score: 2

I was most pleased to see that Lucas and Pagie were back in this book. The story was about Hope and her entering the world of the Cabal, so the telling of events was split between Hope and Lucas. It was very interesting to get and understanding and some of the history through his interpretations. There was even a quick check in on Elena and Clay. If you have liked the other books in this series, this one will not disappoint. There is plenty left at the end of the book for more to follow. I can't wait for the next book to come out.

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