Full Moon Rising

A while back, I was shopping, and I picked up a book called Destiny Kills. I thought the author was Kay Hooper. And I never even looked twice, just assumed it was a re-release I hadn't read.

Then I got the book home. It was really by Keri Arthur. Don't ask me why my brain didn't register. I have no idea.

So, I've got this book. It looks like it's in the middle of a series, and so it's been sitting on my shelf ever since, waiting for me to read (notice that is not the title of the blog? That's because I still haven't read it).

When I was at the library (not mine) the other day, I saw a third Keri Arthur book. I picked it up. Turns out it's about 7 books into a series. Whoops. So I back tracked through my library, and just finished the first in this series.

Meet Riley Jensen. She's a little special. First of all, she has a twin, Rhoan. He's a pretty great guy. He's a Guardian. Oh, no idea what that is? Well, let me explain a few things then. You see, Riley and Rhoan aren't your average twins. They're half werewolf, half vampire.

In a world that's a lot like Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, or Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series, it's a pretty well known fact that there are werewolves and vampires. But here, weres are born that way. Vampires are still made.

Anyway, Riley works for Dictorate (not like the Dictorate in "Alias") in Melborne, Australia. Dictorate is basically a seperate police force for nonhumans (supernaturals). Even among nonhumans, Riley and Rhoan are special. Of course, special isn't a good when it comes to genetics.

So, we meet them, and Riley is not a Guardian. She's just a liason. But that's all about to change. One of her two regular boyfriends wants to get her pregnant. And the other boyfriend is just barely on the good side of things.

She's got to fight down clones, half-breeds, and her love life. Which goes especially hairy when she meets Quinn, a vampire that's somewhere around 1200 years old. He's bitter, and lying to himself.

Be warned! This is really violent, and really sexual. Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, but not everyone will.

But I really liked it. I really like Riley. She's a spitfire.

Ghost Hunter

Ok, are you ready for this one? I'm reading Ghost Hunter, by Jayne Castle, and the male lead is a librarian! Awesome!

Okay, so Jayne Castle is the pen name for Jayne Ann Krentz. Anything by Jayne Castle takes place in the future in another realm. It's kind of weird, but fun.

Anyway, every city has The Guild, a mafia-type organization that keeps ghosts from hurting people in the catacombs under the city. Yeah, I know, far fetched. But still...fun.

In this one, Cooper is the new Guild Boss of Aurora Springs. When Elly breaks off their engagement, he waits 6 months before following her to Cadence where he can try to woo her again.

But things start to go awry when Elly's neighbor gets hurt in the catacombs, and suddenly they're trying to uncover a drug dealer who's trying to set up Cooper.

Confused yet? Let's throw in her pet dust bunny just for fun. Little predators, big fun.

I liked it. Plus...male librarian. How often does that happen?

The Spellman Files

Ok, so I heard about this one from my mother. The Spellman Files is the first of the series by Lisa Lutz. Curse of the Spellmans is second, and the third is coming out next March (Revenge of the Spellmans).

Let me just tell you...hilarious. So funny.

It's about a family (the Spellmans) who are PI's. Well, all of them except David.

Let me explain. There's Olivia, the mother who hates dentists (for good reason). Al is the ex-policeman-turned-PI. David is their oldest son, and he's "perfect" who's a lawyer. Isabel (out heroine and the one who tells the story) is the "problem child" who didn't attend college but stayed with the family business. Rae is the youngest, and the product of having two much older siblings. There's also Uncle Ray, who's an unabashed nut and addictive...well, everything.

Anyway, it's so funny. Izzy starts dating a dentist (and, I know he's Guatemalan, but when he says he's a dentist, I always think of the elf from Rudolph the Red-nosed reindeer), but she tells him she's a schoolteacher. Not a PI.

And such follows the madness of the wars between Ray and Rae, between Izzy and her parents, between Izzy and Rae, and watching David pay off his little sister.

Until, that is, Izzy gets caught up in a 12 year old missing persons case, and Rae goes missing.

Then they meet Inspector Henry Stone.

Did I mention some of Izzy's odd character flaws? She's addicted to old episodes of "Get Smart" (I'm wondering how she felt about the movie...), keeps track of her ex-boyfriends by listing their names, their professions, and what their last words are. Oh, and she prefers to enter by a window instead of by the door.

Numbers 6 and 9 need explained, but it's funny.

Oh, and privacy? Completely overrated in other people, but utterly necessary in your private life. Without it, madness occurs.

Smoke Screen

Smoke Screen is the latest novel by Sandra Brown.

As with all Sandra Brown novels, you can’t trust anyone, except of course the one you’re falling in love with. Don’t mean to be rude, but that’s how it always works.

Anyway, in this one, Britt Shelley, a TV reporter, wakes up next to a dead man, Jay. When she can’t remember the night before, or how he ended up dead, things take a dark turn. She’s accused of killing him, but before she can be arrested, is kidnapped by Raley Gannon.

Gannon tells her his story of waking up next to a dead girl after a party at Jay’s house, with a lot of similarities, they agree to go hunting together to find out just what happened.

As usual, there are a million twists and turns that no one saw coming. From the party-boy who just wanted to clean his conscience, to the Attorney General who may or may not have played a part in the cover up, you’re never quite sure what Sandra is going to throw at you. But I liked this one.

Identical

Why I expect any Ellen Hopkins novel to be rather straight forward is absolutely beyond me, at this point.

I know, after reading all of her books, that there's going to be a major twist. And I mean major.

I just finished her latest, Identical, about twin girls who are living in the wake of a brutal crash. We know that someone didn't make it, but we don't know who.

Kaeleigh is "the good girl." She dresses well, doesn't smoke, doesn't sleep around, but is also quiet and keeps to herself. Her only friend is Ian.

Raeanne is "the bad girl." She sleeps around, does drugs, causes trouble, and has no real friends either.

It's what's below the surface of their Normal Rockwell lives that is disturbing.

The truth behind the accident, behind their grandparents, about what goes on behind closed doors with their father.

Ellen Hopkins is not your average writer. Stylistically, she doesn't write like anyone else. Instead of paragraphs, chapters, and the usual, she writes in the form of poetry.

It's something I found appealing from the very beginning.