Review Date: 3/17/2010

This is the store of Ash from his birth to present day and it was unexpectedly brutal learning about his childhood. That being said, it certainly explains so much about the Ash that has been such a big part of the Dark-Hunter series. His character relaxes almost too quickly in this version as he meets his future mate but, overall, a satisfying completion of why he is who he is. We certainly learn a lot more about his mother and Artemis, which is so very helpful. I would not have missed this chapter of the series for anything even though the first 400+ pages about his early life we hard to deal with.

This has been a terrific series. And, this book one of the best books in it.

Mary Ruth

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Review Date: 9/15/2012

Ian, aged 12 years since taking the stay-awake drug, no longer looks 15, wants to find his special lady. Owner of the Horny Devil nightclub, Vanda, writes an over-powering profile for him that frustrates day-guard, Toni, as she answers phone call after phone call. Russian Mal-content, Jedred, seeks the stay-awake drug. Lots of interesting new facts surface in this book. Several of the day-guards are actually were-animals; Howard Barr is a bear; Phil is an Alpha werewolf; Carlos is a were-panther. Toni wants to help her friend prove she's not crazy; enlists Ian's help to free her from asylum; Toni and Ian irritate the heck out of each other until they finally admit their attraction to one another. I love the way the characters from previous books remain in each new book and we are able to see how they are getting along, too.

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Review Date: 9/1/2011

Arabella is a character that endears herself to the reader. She has spunk that gets her into mischief and her background of being raised by a loving family who's father is the local vicar sometimes rears its head at the most uncomfortable times for her godmother who is sponsoring her London season. When challenged, she tells Robert Beaumaris she is not chaising after him for his money implying she is wealthy in her own right; he sees through her but decides he'll play along because she brings some excitement into his boring life. She rescues a young climbing boy from the chimney; he volunteers to house him. She rescues a stray dog being abused by several boys; he takes the dog home and uses his progress reports as a ploy to see her often; She befriends "leaky peg" and thanks her for helping her brother when he gets into trouble. She agrees to marry Alverstoke to get the money her brother needs only to find she cannot deceive him. It's a delightful read and one that will not disappoint those who enjoy a good love story set in Regency times.

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Review Date: 7/18/2016

I've loved Heyer books since high school and Arabella is in my top 5 favorites. Love the way she describes her characters so I feel I'm seeing them myself. Arabella is a strong innocent passionate young lady and helping the chimney sweep boy, the small ugly dog being battered by a group of boys is what she does best. The fact that "society " frowns on these actives does not deter what she knows is right. The fact that the uptight Mr, Beaumaris seems to always help her resolve her problems is confusing. The banter is delightful and Heyer paints with her words.

A delightful, light-weight read.

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Review Date: 11/21/2010

This second book in the series moved along rather swiftly as new characters were introduced and some of the ones found in book 1 made their appearances. The mystery was intriguing and I loved so many of the conversations that Roe had with herself.

A quick, enjoyable continuation of Aurora's life in her small town.

Mary Ruth

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Review Date: 10/13/2012

If you've read the first 5 books in this series, you know things are really at a crisis. The final "end game" between Amelie and her father, Mr. Bishop,will leave one of them mortally (so to speak) wounded. Claire constantly has to dive into deep waters; now Myrnin wants her to learn how to run ADA, the machine that controls Morganville in so many ways. Shane and his dad are finally released from Bishop's holding cells only to Frank turned into the thing he hates most and strives to eliminate...a vampire. Oliver continues to confuse and astound with his tactics. Jason's never-ending evil looms heavily in the final pages of this book. A terrific read and one that has me eagerly reaching for book 7 in the series. Caine has developed her characters and let us follow each step...I love her ability to make them SOoooo real.

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Review Date: 12/17/2014

Am just about finished reading this one and have enjoyed it as much as her previous "Friends and Lovers" book. So nice to see characters from book one appear again in book two....love the way Ciotta writes...really enjoy her sense of humor and adventure.

The author makes me feel as though I want to know these quirky and loveable people. Her "Victorious, Glorious Darcy's" series is also on my top-10 list.

Great books to relax and enjoy.

Mary Ruth

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Review Date: 10/14/2010

I'm enjoying this series a lot. After watching a few episodes of HBO's True Blood, I wasn't sure if the books were going to start jumping around and skipping things (as in the TV series) but am pleased with the continuity and progress of Sookie's story. This 4th book in the series introduced a truly loveable and caring Eric and it added a lot for me. Also, it seems every book introduces us to another type of "other world segement" and that is also fun.

Truly loved this book.

Mary Ruth

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Review Date: 8/7/2010

Another good read by Helen Dickson. This story developed the characters nicely and had enough conflict in it to keep it interesting. It is a good depiction of regency times.

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Review Date: 3/3/2010

After completing and loving the first two books in this series (Jacob and Gideon), I had high expectations for the third, Elijah. And boy, it certainly lived up to my expectations. I am loving these beautiful characters as Frank weaves her story as she gives us insight to each of their strenghts, powers and personalities. This is a fascinating premise and one that has captured me completely. Elijah, the Warrior Demon, is a complex but loving character. Siena, Queen of the Lancrothropes, is a worthy match for this strong man. One of the things I like in this series is the way the main characters from the previous books continue to be a part of each new book. It is a family that gets stronger and stronger as a unit. I look forward to the time when they can erase the increasing threats of their common enemy, the necromancers. I ranked this book on my personal listing as an Excellent+

Mary Ruth

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Review Date: 10/16/2009

Helpful Score: 3

A great read. Love that I am actually learning about Greece from so many years ago. The concept of someone coming out of a book and being real seems odd but completely believable once Sherrilyn Kenyon starts weaving her exciting story. It is wonderful to see true love depicted so romantically and vividly. Would that we all could find this type of deep and sustaining commitments in our own lives. Reading this book, however, was its' own reward, though, and I hope to continue with the Dark Hunter series and look forward to many, many hours of enjoyment.

Mary Ruth

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Review Date: 11/11/2011

This was a delightful sequel to the other two books in the series, though I still liked Cooper the best and Gable the least. Flynn & Tate's journey to acknowledge their feelings seemed very real.

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Review Date: 10/16/2012

In the 7th book of the Love at Stake series, we are learning more about the day-guards, Phil in particular. Turns out he's an "alpha" of his breed with some unique powers & abilities. He and Vanda, who has a deep seeded hatred of wolves, were attracted to one another while she lived in Roman's home; she teasing him; he refusing her lures. Phil volunteers to sponsor Vanda to help control her anger issues; still hunting down Casimir, Vanda volunteers to be the bait, which Phil really hates; Robby is captured and tortured by the mal-contents; Vando puts her hatred of wolves behind her to teleport wovles to save him. This is a really good story about characters we've seen in many of the earlier books. Really enjoying the way Sparks continues to introduce new characters that blend in so smoothly with the existing ones. A great read in this very stimulating series.

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Review Date: 8/17/2014

Two stories; both were delightful as they unfolded a good story with lots of hot loving. A sense of humor also kept things moving, especially in Love's Revenge, as snowball fights, towers of furniture and bullets ricocheting in the dark kept the pace moving. Love's Portrait was a well-developed story in a brief few chapters. Both Morgan and Julia had some baggage but managed to overcome all once they understood one another. An enjoyable read with the right amount of "fire" that I finished in one sitting.

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Review Date: 9/1/2011

Helpful Score: 1

One of my top 5 Heyer books. Frederica is a strong, sensible, loving big sister to her 3 younger siblings. Finding her beautiful sister Charis a worthy husband brings the family to London for the season. Seeking support from a distant cousin, the Marquis of Alverstoke, she introduces herself to him only to find he has no interest in getting to know the Merriville family. Accepting the rebuff calmly, Frederica leaves his home only to be called back a few days later to find that Jessamy and Felix have led a crowd of upset people to his front door in hopes of keeping them away from accosting her directly. Thus starts the bonding of the 2 families. Lord Alverstoke takes a reluctant interest in the boys as they fall into one scrape after the other. He soon finds he enjoys the company of Frederica and ultimately decides to court her. The language of Heyer's books always adds to the story. Descriptions of her characters are painted so vividly that you cannot help but feel a kinship with each and every one of them. Some make me laugh out loud. A most enjoyable read with lots of action and opportunities for the hero to shine as he takes some of the burdens from Frederica's shoulders.

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Review Date: 11/16/2011

This is a "good" book. I read the second book called "Cooper" first and it set the tone for this series. So, while I truly liked "Gable" it was not as strong a story, in my opinion, as the next two in the series (Cooper and Flynn). The Rawlings family is so real. Gable is a great BIG BROTHER to his siblings.

Mary Ruth

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Review Date: 10/30/2013

This 9th book in the series is full of so many things beginning with failure of the computer's security allowing everyone to come and go at will from Morganville. Myrnin's attempts to fix fail and everyone starts losing their memories. Claire is desperate to fix as Shane no longer remembers her; Michael forgets he's a vampire & sets himself on fire when he walks out in the sunlight. Shane's dad, Frank Collins, saves his son's life with grenade; Amelie and Oliver lock heads and fight for position of top vampire in town; so much action and so much heartbreak for everyone living in the Glass House. Great book and keeps the story moving forward.

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Review Date: 3/3/2010

I am fast becoming a huge fan of Jacquelyn Frank's writing skills to weave a story line that is filled with the unexpected; one that keeps me on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what comes next. Her love scenes are the best. The Nightwalkers series has been a thrilling surprise for me as I learn about these creatures from another culture. Gideon was a terrifically satisfying read and one that took a slightly different spin from the first book (Jacob)but continued to enhance this exciting culture Frank has introduced. Her words paint vivid pictures. So much so that I felt myself to be part of the action. On my own personal book review (I have listed every book I've read in the past few years and ranked them), I have given this book an Excellent+

This is a fast-moving and truly enjoyable book.

Mary Ruth

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Review Date: 11/14/2010

Susan Johnson is fast becoming one of my "must read" authors. Liked this one so much that I passed it along to my sister. This is the first book in the series and I look forward to reading "Sweet Love Survive".

Mary Ruth

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Review Date: 10/23/2012

Helpful Score: 1

All the books about the Hart brothers have been really entertaining. Reynard and his insistence that Meredith is a "street lady" certainly gave us some amusing dialogue. These two were well-matched and Meredith was a lovely addition to the Hart family. Leopard's story was the first one I read in a stand-alone version of the book and it is the story initially caught my interest in the Hart family. Lonely, strong, opinionated men are Palmer's forte, to be sure. Janie seemed a little uncertain in some parts but certainly took up the challenge, especially when hired hand Harley stepped in to help her make a point with Leo. This last Hart brother book also introduced us to Grier, who has a great story of his own in "Renegade". Loving these Long Tall Texans books.

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