Showing posts with label Ilona Andrews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ilona Andrews. Show all posts

Sunday, March 18, 2012

2011 Books: 26-40

More book catchup (I bet you thought I forgot!).  These have been almost a year ago, so although I remember they were good & the gist of them, some I don't have anything to say about.  And a few I have things I'd LOVE to say, but it would be huge spoilers because they're part of a series, and so I'll refrain because I know I have a lot of followers who may be reading them & not as far in the series as I am.  But here they are

#26
Rachel Caine
Weather Warden Book 5
Paranormal Romance




#27
Rachel Caine
Weather Warden Book 6
Paranormal Romance





#28
Lucy Monroe
Children of the Moon Book 3
Paranormal Romance

I thought for sure this would be the third sister (the first 2 books had the first 2 sisters), so I was caught off guard when it wasn't.  And now I'll probably waiting for that third sister to appear in the next book LOL.  But it's a good thing really, I don't like a series to be too predictable.

#29
Rachel Caine
Weather Warden Book 7
Paranormal Romance




#30
Rachel Caine
Weather Warden Book 8
Paranormal Romance

Looking back, you can kind of see that things are going from bad to worse for Joanne just by looking at the coves LOL.  Dark, dangerous, stormy seas - for most if not all of this book if I remember correctly

Anthology
Romance

This anthology featured stories from:  Lauren Dane, Megan Hart, Emma Holly & Bethany Kane.

Usually if I'm going to read romance, it's got to have a paranormal aspect, but this is one of the exceptions - I mainly picked up because I'm a fan of Emma Holly.

Rachel Caine
Weather Warden Book 9
Paranormal Romance

I didn't realize when I started reading this one that it was the last book in the series.  Things did wrap up pretty well, but I still want to know what happens next.

There is another series (that I have at this point completed) set in the same world - Outcast Season, a 4-book series - but it's set in the same time frame & ends at the same point, so while you get to see what else was going on, you don't get to see what happens after it all goes down.  But I hope the author will continue to write in the world because it's become one of my favorites.

#33
Cameron Haley
The Underworld Cycle Book 2
Urban Fantasy/Paranormal

There are a few aspects of this series that remind me a bit of the Fever series - not necessarily in the writing style, and certainly not in the characters, but more in the way that the magical world is coming out from under wraps - I think in a few more books, if that, there'll be no hiding from "normal" people & it will all be out in the open.
#34
Undone
Rachel Caine
Outcast Season Book 1
Paranormal Romance

Set in the same world as the Weather Warden Series, the Outcast Season series follows the Djinn Cassiel as she is cast out by their leader & down into flesh  as a human - something she is in no way happy about.  But she was asked to do something she would not do, and I can't remember if you even learn what it is in the first book or the second book so I'm not going to spoil it by telling you what the request was

#35
Richard Castle
Nikki Heat Book 2
Mystery




Laurell K. Hamilton
Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Book 20
Paranormal Romance

I know a series this long-running isn't to everyone's taste, but I love gigantic series.  Even when a story is wrapped up in satisfactory manner, I almost always still want to know what happens next.  And so series like this - that the author has flat out said she has no intention of ending anytime soon - are right up my alley.

#37
Mercedes Lackey
The Elemental Masters Book 6
Historical Fantasy

Mercedes Lackey is one of the authors I've been reading the longest, and still one of my absolute favorites.  She's also one of the most prolific writers, and has a lot of active series going on - while a lot of authors only do one or maybe two books a year if you're lucky, I'd say Mercedes usually has at least 3 or 4 & usually at least one anthology with other authors set in her world of Valdemar.

#38
Ilona Andrews
Kate Daniels Book 5
Paranormal Romance





#39
Rachel Caine
Outcast Season Book 2
Paranormal Romance





#40
Karen Chance
Cassie Palmer Book 5
Paranormal

It seems like I waited a very long time for this 5th book to come out - & looking back at my book list, it looks like #4 was in 2009 so it wasn't just my imagination.  But it was worth the wait, and almost understandable - although I always feel like writers need to hurry up & give me more good books, the key word is not hurry but good ... I'm not interested in reading some hastily-thrown together thing with plot holes the size of Texas.  And since this series deals with a crap load of time-travel, it's even more open for mistakes that most, so I'm glad that she took to time to make everything match up & make sense.

One more installment should finish up last year - then I can move on to this year =)  I've already read around a dozen books which isn't too shabby.  I always feel like I'm not reading enough LOL, but I know I still read a lot more than most people.

Thanks for reading.

~Colette


Saturday, September 18, 2010

2010 Books 39 - 48

More book catch up!
Demon Moon (The Guardians, Book 2)#39
Meljean Brook
Guardians Book 4
Paranormal Romance

Because I read a novella from later in the timeline before I read this book, I kind of knew how it was going to turn out, but for most of the book I swear I didn't see how they were going to manage it.

Angels' Blood (Guild Hunter)#40
Nalini Singh
Guild Hunter Book 1
Paranormal Romance

So ... I like this series a lot, buy there were couple of plot twists that I hadn't run into before & that took me a while to wrap my head around:  vampires are ... made my angels.  & archangels ... rule the world.  Basically.  If that's a little too weird for you - or blasphemous - I would not recommend this book.  If you think that's cool, get to the library =)

Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, Book 4)#41
Ilona Andrews
Kate Daniels Book 4
Urban Fantasy/Paranormal

Kate's relationship with Curran, and her relationship with the Order, have both been seriously rocky over the course of the first 3 books - and both come to a head in this book.  I found both outcomes pretty satisfying - for completely different reasons - and I'm looking forward to book #5.  Nixxy if you're reading I have to thank you because I remember I picked up the first book on your recommendation =)

Demon Night (The Guardians, Book 3)#42
Meljean Brook
Guardians Book 5
Paranormal Romance

Some people might classify these as rather formula, because the love stories from each book are all kind of similar in that there's so much miscommunication & missed chances & uncertainty - but the reason I like the series is that the relationships & sexy bits actually take a backseat to the storyline & the overall mytharc.  Different main characters every time, but those from previous books don't just like ride off into the sunset or conveniently disappear, they're still major players in the story, just not the particular book if that makes sense.

Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter, Book 2)#43
Nalini Singh
Guild Hunter Book 2
Paranormal Romance

After her transformation, Elena must master her new skills - but with an invitation from the oldest archangel that can't be denied, she doesn't have much time to learn.  This was easier for me to get into than the first one, since I knew what I was getting into, but I was hoping they'd get back to New York & it looks like I'll have to wait for the 3rd book for that - which isn't out until January 2011.

Kitty Goes to War (Kitty Norville, Book 8)#44
Carrie Vaughn
Kitty Norville Book 8
Urban Fantasy/Paranormal

Anyone who reads this series knows that Cormac got out of prison at the end of the last book - but he's not the same as when he went in.  For one thing, being on parole he can no longer tote around large amounts of firearms =(  But it seems he's come out with a few even more useful skills .... hmmm, don't want to give any spoilers!  But I can't wait for the next book.  You probably get sick of me saying that LOL, but I really love a good long-running series.  I get really attached to the characters & I really enjoy a multi-book mytharc, with some questions being answered while others are being raised across the entire series.

Demon Bound (The Guardians, Book 4)#45
Meljean Brook
Guardians Book 7
Paranormal Romance

I know it looks like I skipped book 6 - but #6 was only a novella, included in the anthology First Blood which will show up a little later in my list because I read the short for this series & then I'm being super slow finishing the rest of the book LOL.  Things are labelled differently depending on where you look, but I usually go by what they have on Fantastic Fiction because that's my go-to book site to see what's coming up next or what I need to go back & read =)

Demon Forged (The Guardian Series)#46
Meljean Brook
Guardians Book 9
Paranormal Romance

Another gap due to a novella - book 8 was included in the anthology Must Love Hellhounds, which I think I read earlier this year although it may have been late last year.  The main character from this book, Irena, has I think the most kick-ass Guardian power so far of all the books - she can manipulate metal.  And I don't just mean that she make weapons - although she does - but she can temporarily replace her own limbs if one happens to be hacked off in battle.

Demon Blood (The Guardian Series)#47
Meljean Brook
Guardians Book 10
Paranormal Romance

This is one of the few covers that actually shows a Guardian with their wings - I should mention that (unlike the Guild Hunter series) they're not actually angels.  They're humans who die while saving the life and/or soul of someone else from a demon & are given the opportunity to continue fighting ... well, cheesy as it sounds basically to continue fighting the forces of evil =)

Burning Up (Berkley Sensation)#48
Anthology
Paranormal Romance

This anthology featured novellas by Angela Knight, Nalini Sign, Virginia Kantra & Meljean Brook.

All authors that I love - and with one exception, none of the stories were set in the worlds that I anticipated.  Which was OK I suppose, but I was hoping for another Guardians story from Meljean, and another Guild Hunter story for Nalini & instead I got an introduction to Meljean's new steampunk series, and a visits to Nalini's other established series which I haven't read yet - it was on my list, & after reading this novella it's actually moved up on my list =)  So sometimes it's perfectly fine to get something other than the expected.

All caught up for now - but quite a stack out from the library.  Thanks for reading.

~Colette
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