Light My Fire by Katie MacAlister
An Aisling Grey, Guardian, Novel
BLURB:
Aisling Grey is juggling being a demon lord, a Guardian, and a wyvern's mate, even though she's keeping her distance from said wyvern, Drake, these days. But her presence is still required at a meeting of the green dragons. Since several attempts have been made on her life, Drake is sure to get protective of her. Which might not be a bad thing when war breaks out and all hell breaks loose-literally.
MY Version:
This book is sizzling~~ Having Drake as a mate sure fires things up. *wink wink*
Aisling Grey has lots of responsibilities thrust upon her, and she's trying to run away from some of them. Leader? Who, me? No way. Run...
She's trying to get proper training to be a Guardian, juggling the dragons' attentions at the same time, AND trying to fend off imps, a result of her pet / familiar / minion Jim accidentally offending the imps BIG TIME. All in all, Grey seems to attract trouble, and trouble has no problem trailing after her everywhere. Chaos all around. And oh, people want her dead, people want to seduce her, people want her to be their leader... She should just makes clones of herself so that there will be enough of her to go around. Lots of things happening in every chapter, with Grey complaining all throughout. Did I mention that she is a Demon Lord as well, and has a minion named Jim who appears in the mortal world as a dog? Overall a satisfying read at 352 pages. Her capers leave you wanting to know what happens next in her overwhelmingly chaotic life.
Professional Review people [SPOILERS]:
MacAlister's third paranormal Aisling Grey novel takes her heroine and her pet demon, Jim (who looks like a Newfoundland dog), to London, where she is apprenticing to Nora to learn the Guardian trade. She is soon on the hot seat when Jim eats the Imp king, but that may be the least of her problems since the Green and Red dragon clans are now at war, and someone wants her dead. The imps do torch Nora's house so Aisling, Nora, and Jim move into the London mansion of Drake Vireo, green-eyed wyvern, and sparks fly. Then, kidnapped while wearing only a towel, Aisling is pitched from the frying pan into the fire when she is then stolen from her kidnappers and required to draw on her dark powers to vanquish a Demon Lord. MacAlister's crazy paranormal high jinks, delightful characters, and simmering romance between Aisling and Drake will appeal to fans of MaryJanice Davidson's Betsy Taylor, Queen of the Vampires, series. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Monday 23 February 2009
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder - Joanne Fluke
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
A Hannah Swensen Mystery
BLURB:
Hannah already has her hands full trying to dodge her mother's attempts to marry her off while running The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden's most popular bakery. But once Ron LaSalle, the beloved delivery man from the Cozy Cow Dairy, is found murdered behind her bakery with Hannah's famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him, her life just can't get any worse. Determined not to let her cookies get a bad reputation, she sets out to track down a killer. But if she doesn't watch her back, Hannah's sweet life may get burned to a crisp.
MY take:
This is really a delicious mystry. The book has RECIPES in it! Yes, you read it right. RECIPES of every cookie and pastry that's featured in the book, including the Chocolate Chip Crunchies mentioned on the blurb. That aside, I find Hannah to be a very observant and clever woman. Honestly, she does a better job than the damn sheriff. Too bad she's better than the dude at baking cookies, else they can switch jobs. She has no problems doing both their jobs anyway. I digress. Hannah's a likeable character, and the twist - there's always a twist, will catch you by surprise. I was so sure the murderer was Person A, but it turned out to be someone I didn't even put in the picture. Have fun trying to solve the mystery earlier than Hannah, and don't forget to try out the recipes in the book if you have the interest, time, and resources.
Oh, and this is more of a girly mystery book than a manly detective story. The murder was not spine-chilling or anything, more like oh dear, he's dead. Then the game of Whudunit starts. A Rainy Day read at 310 pages. It has an Index of Cookie Recipes at the end, and a sneak peek of the next book in the Hannah Swensen series; Strawberry Shortcake Murder.
A Hannah Swensen Mystery
BLURB:
Hannah already has her hands full trying to dodge her mother's attempts to marry her off while running The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden's most popular bakery. But once Ron LaSalle, the beloved delivery man from the Cozy Cow Dairy, is found murdered behind her bakery with Hannah's famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him, her life just can't get any worse. Determined not to let her cookies get a bad reputation, she sets out to track down a killer. But if she doesn't watch her back, Hannah's sweet life may get burned to a crisp.
MY take:
This is really a delicious mystry. The book has RECIPES in it! Yes, you read it right. RECIPES of every cookie and pastry that's featured in the book, including the Chocolate Chip Crunchies mentioned on the blurb. That aside, I find Hannah to be a very observant and clever woman. Honestly, she does a better job than the damn sheriff. Too bad she's better than the dude at baking cookies, else they can switch jobs. She has no problems doing both their jobs anyway. I digress. Hannah's a likeable character, and the twist - there's always a twist, will catch you by surprise. I was so sure the murderer was Person A, but it turned out to be someone I didn't even put in the picture. Have fun trying to solve the mystery earlier than Hannah, and don't forget to try out the recipes in the book if you have the interest, time, and resources.
Oh, and this is more of a girly mystery book than a manly detective story. The murder was not spine-chilling or anything, more like oh dear, he's dead. Then the game of Whudunit starts. A Rainy Day read at 310 pages. It has an Index of Cookie Recipes at the end, and a sneak peek of the next book in the Hannah Swensen series; Strawberry Shortcake Murder.
Wolfblade - Jennifer Fallon
Wolfblade by Jennifer Fallon
Book ONE in The Wolfblade Trilogy
BLURB:
Marla Wolfblade is young and impulsive, the sister of Hythria's debauched ruler. In a fiercely patriarchal society, her life is his to command. And, to the displeasure of the Patriot faction, who are eager to usurp the throne, she is chosen to carry on the royal line.
Marla's position places her at huge risk in circles where friends and family are enemies and socerers play insidious games. But when she chooses the dwarf Elezaar as her slave, the odds change. His guidance sees Marla become a wily diplomat and tactician - but will that be enough to save Hythria's future heir?
This must be her mantra: trust no one.
MY Version:
Marla starts out as a whiny, empty headed pretty young thing with her head in the clouds. Her brother, on the other hand, is the High Prince of the land but does a poor job of it. He leaves the task of governing the country and the numerous Warlords of the provinces to the High Arrion, which is a fancy name for the chief of sorcerers. Ironically, the chief of sorcerers has not a magical bone in his body. The High Prince is not interested in women and prefers to spend his time exploring his perverse fantasies with slaves and others of his elk. This is where Marla comes in. Essentially, whoever who marries and gets Marla with child will be the father of the heir of the land, and that would grant immense power to the man who marries Marla. Politics eludes Marla until she gets her first slave, Elezaar the dwarf. Elezaar is a damn smart guy, seemingly with all the answers. Kinda like Merlin to Arthur. He teaches Marla his Rules of Gaining and Wielding Power which are like Confucious sayings that really come in handy. I really liked this rule: Accept what you cannot change - change that which is unacceptable.
Armed with her new knowledge, Marla tries her hand at politics... And that is where the fun begins. Those who wanted to make use of a doll found Marla more than what they bargained for.
I look forward to finding Book TWO in the library. This is a good read, though hefty at 711 pages. In fact, what attracted me to the book in the first place was its size. Don't read it the wrong way, I'm just attracted to a long story because I find short ones end too abruptly. And precisely because they end so fast, the character development / feelings for the character in most short novels tend to be lacking. There's an author interview transcript at the end too, if you want to know more about the woman who wrote this great book.
Book ONE in The Wolfblade Trilogy
BLURB:
Marla Wolfblade is young and impulsive, the sister of Hythria's debauched ruler. In a fiercely patriarchal society, her life is his to command. And, to the displeasure of the Patriot faction, who are eager to usurp the throne, she is chosen to carry on the royal line.
Marla's position places her at huge risk in circles where friends and family are enemies and socerers play insidious games. But when she chooses the dwarf Elezaar as her slave, the odds change. His guidance sees Marla become a wily diplomat and tactician - but will that be enough to save Hythria's future heir?
This must be her mantra: trust no one.
MY Version:
Marla starts out as a whiny, empty headed pretty young thing with her head in the clouds. Her brother, on the other hand, is the High Prince of the land but does a poor job of it. He leaves the task of governing the country and the numerous Warlords of the provinces to the High Arrion, which is a fancy name for the chief of sorcerers. Ironically, the chief of sorcerers has not a magical bone in his body. The High Prince is not interested in women and prefers to spend his time exploring his perverse fantasies with slaves and others of his elk. This is where Marla comes in. Essentially, whoever who marries and gets Marla with child will be the father of the heir of the land, and that would grant immense power to the man who marries Marla. Politics eludes Marla until she gets her first slave, Elezaar the dwarf. Elezaar is a damn smart guy, seemingly with all the answers. Kinda like Merlin to Arthur. He teaches Marla his Rules of Gaining and Wielding Power which are like Confucious sayings that really come in handy. I really liked this rule: Accept what you cannot change - change that which is unacceptable.
Armed with her new knowledge, Marla tries her hand at politics... And that is where the fun begins. Those who wanted to make use of a doll found Marla more than what they bargained for.
I look forward to finding Book TWO in the library. This is a good read, though hefty at 711 pages. In fact, what attracted me to the book in the first place was its size. Don't read it the wrong way, I'm just attracted to a long story because I find short ones end too abruptly. And precisely because they end so fast, the character development / feelings for the character in most short novels tend to be lacking. There's an author interview transcript at the end too, if you want to know more about the woman who wrote this great book.
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