What to Read? … What to Read?

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“She made a stunning cat burglar, dressed entirely in black spandex that molded to her waist and sweetly curved hips. Her golden hair hung in a ponytail down her back. The ends swished gently across her shoulder blades as she moved her head from side to side, scanning the bookshelf.

She stepped to the side, silent in her black socks. She must have left her shoes outside the window, thinking she’d move more quietly without them. He noted her slim ankles, then let his gaze wander back up to golden hair. He would have to be careful capturing her. Like any Vamp, he had super strength, and she looked a bit fragile.

He moved silently past the wingback chairs to the window. It made a swooshing sound as he shut it.

With a gasp, she turned toward him. Her eyes widened. Eyes green as the hills surrounding his home in Scotland.”

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth…or maybe a vampire, yes that’s it a vampire. I wonder if Santa can fit one in my stocking? Well maybe if he is unable to the jolly red man can leave me All I Want For Christmas Is a Vampire written by Kerrelyn Sparks.

Toni Davis’s Christmas wish list

1. Springing my best friend from the psych ward.

2. Living somewhere that doesn’t have coffins in the basement. Occupied coffins.

3. Finding Mr. Right. Please make him tall, dark, handsome, and alive.

This Christmas isn’t so merry for Toni. Her best friend’s been locked up in a mental hospital ever since she told the police she was attacked by vampires, and the only way for Toni to get her out is to prove that bloodsuckers really do exist. So she’s taken a job as a bodyguard for the Undead, but she gets more than she bargained for, especially when she meets Ian MacPhie, a Scottish rascal looking for Ms. Right.

Although Ian’s nearly five centuries old, he looks and acts like a twenty-seven-year-old hunk.

How can a dead man be so damn sexy? Could Mr. Wrong be Mr. Right? One forbidden kiss could lead to an eternity of passion—and all it takes is one moment under the mistletoe . . .

This is book 5 in the Love at Stake series; Sparks has managed to keep her series consistent; consistently funny that is, from the personal add that Ian’s friends place for him to the dialogue between Ian and Toni. Chalk this up as a fun light read and maybe if you are really good you will find that Vampire in your stocking.

Happy Reading

Sarah

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“Only one thing is missing. The book comes to a neat conclusion, with all matters settled and all the characters safe. But you and I both know the story didn’t end. That it may never end.”

I went on a mystery, not any old mystery but an interactive mystery called Dracula’s Heir written by Sam Stall.

In 1897, Archibald Constable & Company published Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the most famous horror novel of all time. For reasons still widely debated by critics, the first chapter of Dracula was cut just weeks before publication. Here, it becomes the central clue in a spine-tingling interactive mystery.

Dracula’s Heir begins ten years after the horrific events described in the original novel. Jonathan and Mina Harker are happily married and enjoying life in Bixby, England. Meanwhile, their friend Dr. John Seward is tracking a string of crimes that seems eerily familiar: A 14-year-old girl sleepwalks out of her parents’ house and disappears into the night. Two “accident victims” are found drained of their blood, yet there is no crime-scene evidence to explain what happened.

As with The Crimes of Dr. Watson, Dracula’s Heir features an original novella plus several removable clues, including a private journal, a death certificate, a newspaper, and more. Once you’ve solved the mystery, you can open the final signature (sealed at the printer) to test your sleuthing skills.

All in all, this was a thrilling read for me, and it is reminiscent of Gothic mysteries in the style and manner in which it is written and presented. For all you mystery buffs this is one that you will want to try. I had a great time trying to figure out who did it. I know how good of a sleuth I am, so how good of a sleuth are you? There is only one way to find out. Get your copy and start sniffing out the truth.

Happy Reading

Sarah

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“Chester explained that when he looked out the window, he saw Professor Mickelwhite, our next door neighbor, playing the violin in his living room. He listened for a few moments to the haunting melody and sighed with relief. I’ve really got to stop reading these horror stories late at night, he thought, it’s beginning to affect my mind. He yawned and turned to go back to his chair and get some sleep. As he turned, however, he was startled by what he saw.”

Wow I found a great and amusing book for sharing with the little ghost and ghouls in your life. Why not try Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allen Crow written by James Howe and illustrated by Eric Fortune.

The Monroe house is going mad with excitement. Pete has just won a contest, and the prize is a school visit from none other than M. T. Graves, Pete’s idol and the bestselling author of the Flesh Crawlers series. He’s even going to stay with the Monroe’s while he’s visiting! Harold and Howie are thrilled, but Chester the cat is suspicious. Why does Graves dress all in black? Why doesn’t the beady-eyed crow perched on his shoulder say anything? Why has a threatening flock of crows invaded the backyard? And most worrisome of all: In each of the Flesh Crawlers books, why does something bad always happen to the pets? Suddenly, Graves’s interest in all of the animals — especially Bunnicula — looks far from innocent. It’s up to Chester, Harold, and Howie to find out if M. T. Graves and Edgar Allan Crow are really devising a plot to make their beloved bunny. . . NEVERMORE.

I stumbled upon this series purely by accident and I’m glad I did. It’s not a hard read or a long one, but it is a good one. What is more funny then a vampire Bunny? Not much, this is a great book for sharing and fits in with Halloween which is fast approaching.

Happy Reading

Sarah

Thank you Amazon for the picture

“Breakfast with Charlie was a quiet event. He wished me good luck at school. I thanked him, knowing his hope was wasted. Good luck tended to avoid me. Charlie left first, off to the police station that was his wife and family. After he left, I sat at the old square oak table in one of the three unmatching chairs and examined his small kitchen, with its dark paneled walls, bright yellow cabinets, and white linoleum floor. Nothing was changed. My mother had painted the cabinets eighteen years ago in an attempt to bring some sunshine into the house. Over the small fireplace in the adjoining handkerchief-sized family room was a row of pictures. First a wedding picture of Charlie and my mom in Las Vegas, then one of the three of us in the hospital after I was born, taken by a helpful nurse, followed by the procession of my school pictures up to last year’s. Those were embarrassing to look at - I would have to see what I could do to get Charlie to put them somewhere else, at least while I was living here.”

Holy movies Batman! I just finished reading Breaking Dawn, I won’t say any more then that and I just saw the poster for Twilight! So just to let you know buy your tickets WAY in advanced of December 12, 2008. Now where did I put that sleeping bag?

Stephenie Meyer, readers discover a pair of lovers who are supremely star-crossed. Bella adores beautiful Edward, and he returns her love. But Edward is having a hard time controlling the blood lust she arouses in him, because–he’s a vampire. At any moment, the intensity of their passion could drive him to kill her, and he agonizes over the danger. But, Bella would rather be dead than part from Edward, so she risks her life to stay near him, and the novel burns with the erotic tension of their dangerous and necessarily chaste relationship. Meyer has achieved quite a feat by making this scenario completely human and believable. She begins with a familiar YA premise (the new kid in school), and lulls us into thinking this will be just another realistic young adult novel. Bella has come to the small town of Forks on the gloomy Olympic Peninsula to be with her father. At school, she wonders about a group of five remarkably beautiful teens, who sit together in the cafeteria but never eat. As she grows to know, and then love, Edward, she learns their secret. They are all rescued vampires, part of a family headed by saintly Carlisle, who has inspired them to renounce human prey. For Edward’s sake they welcome Bella, but when a roving group of tracker vampires fixates on her, the family is drawn into a desperate pursuit to protect the fragile human in their midst.

Meyer’s has been compared to J.K. Rowling, the only similarity between the two of them is that both of their series became an instant hit virtually overnight and both have been turned into movies. If you haven’t started this series I suggest that you do. Not to worry you have plenty of time to read the first book before the movie hits theaters.

Happy Reading

Sarah

Thank you Amazon for the picture

“I wrapped my legs around his waist, so I could admire my sequined leopard-print pumps (don’t even ask me what they cost). Then I grinned up at him, I couldn’t help it, and he smiled back, his dark eyes narrow with lust. It was so awesome to be a newlywed. And I was almost done with my thank-you notes!”

Who here likes a really good laugh? I know I do; I love nothing more than a good book that can put a smile on my face and make me smirk or even laugh out loud. I picked up Undead and Unworthy which is the 7^th book in the Queen Betsy series written by the witty and ever talented Mary Janice Davidson.

“No one does humorous romantic fantasy better than the incomparable Mary Janice Davidson” (The Best Reviews), and nobody reigns over the undead with more savvy than her heroine Betsy Taylor, back to rule the nights as Vampire Queen––and survive the days as a new suburban bride. But it’s not all marital bliss. Betsy’s husband, Sinclair, has been perusing The Book of the Dead, Betsy’s being hounded by a ghost who’s even more insufferable in death than in life, and a pack of formerly feral vampires has decided to pay an unwelcome visit…

Well this was a little bit of a letdown. Now before you go and string me up by my little ears hear me out. Although the book was humorous it was not nearly as funny as when the series first started. Now this could be that my taste in books has changed or maybe my sense of humor has become more…well sarcastic would be a good word. But I will say this; it’s not horrible, just not Roll on the floor laughing my ass off funny. If you are a fan you will enjoy this book. If you are not don’t worry you can pretty much pick up a book from anywhere in this series and still get the idea of what’s going on, but if in doubt start at the beginning.

Happy Reading

Sarah

Thank you Amazon for the picture

“I came home to find two men sitting at my kitchen table. One of them was my live-in sweetie. The other was one of our best friends. One of them was a wereleopard; the other was a werewolf, both of them were strippers. At least once a month they took off more than just their clothes on stage. They changed shape on stage in front of a live audience. Those nights the club was standing room only. I mean you can go to other clubs to see men take their clothes off, but their entire skin and body . . . well, that was unique.
Nathaniel came to greet me with a kiss and a hug. I let my hands play in the long, thick auburn hair that trailed down his broad shoulders, the curve of his waist, the tightness of his ass, and the long muscular legs. He was 5′ 7″ now, an inch taller than when I’d met him. In my three inch heels I was still an inch shorter than him. At twenty-one he was finally growing into the promise of those shoulders. His face was less soft than it had been, and more masculine. He would always be beautiful rather than handsome, but the bone structure had changed minutely so he just suddenly looked his age, instead of like jail bait.”

Check the shelves on May 27, 2008 for Laurell Hamilton’s new book Blood Noir. Readers can’t seem to get enough of the #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Jean-Claude’s pomme de sange Lycan Jason visits his master’s human servant vampire executioner and living vampire who feeds off of sex. He asks Anita Blake to accompany him as his pretend lover when he visits his dying estranged father. Anita agrees when Jason informs her that his father refuses to speak to him not due to his lycanthropic condition, but because the older man believes his son is homosexual.

Jason and Anita arrive to find out that Keith Summerland, who looks like Jason’s twin, is getting married this weekend. Pretending affection in public Jason kisses Anita in front of a reporter causing a scandal in which other Masters consider grabbing the seemingly weakened Jean-Claude’s territory. To prevent this Jean-Claude will have to display anger in public and punish his errant servants.

Meanwhile first vampire Marmee Noir, the Mother of All Darkness and has been asleep for a millennium, is attracted to Anita’s powers. She strikes at Anita and Marmee Noir makes her have sex with two shape shifters including a were tiger. Anita feels another metaphysical tiger in her body. Jason and Anita still worry about an enraged vampire because Keith married the wife of the Master of the City; and the Master Vamp wants the interloper dead. The authorities fear for the lives of Jason and Anita while she also has to deal with Marmee Noir without the help of Jean-Claude

Blood Noir is very different in tone than the previous books in the Anita Blake saga as the heroine for the most part costars with one man rather than her usual male queue. This allows the audience to see another side of the vampire slayer as she shows she can relate to a man without being in love with him; an extraordinary concept. Although well written, too many key unanswered questions involving Marmee Noir exist, which subtracts from an otherwise strong tale as Anita proves to herself she can enjoy without love sans guilt.

I believe that Blake fans all over will appreciate how far the star goes for a friend. As for me well if you can’t pick up a copy for yourself, I may be persuaded to loan you my copy.

Happy Reading

Sarah