Taste Me by Tamara Hogan

Scarlett Fontaine is an amazing singer, but not a happy one.  After a grueling year of touring and trying to forget about her one incredible night with Lukas, she is happy to be home.  Lukas, on the other hand, still feels guilty about sleeping with her since she ended up with bruises on her wrists and a few other areas.  When he is asked by her mom to be her bodyguard for a show she is doing, he wants to say no, but can’t.  He is still drawn to her and has a hard time keeping his eyes and hands off of her.

But, unfortunately, a murderer strikes and Scarlett and Lukas’s world is thrown into chaos.  Lukas must protect Scarlett at any cost, but he is frustrated that he can’t really be with her and also can’t seem to track down the murderer.  This is a really good story, although a bit steamy, and I didn’t even mention that Scarlett is a siren and Lukas is an incubus and there is this really cool world Hogan has created for them.

Heart of the Highland Wolf by Terry Spear

Julia is a werewolf who is journeying to Scotland with her friend who is working on a movie set at a Scottish Castle who also happens to be a werewolf.  But Julia has an ulterior motive for going.  She needs to break into the castle and steal a chest that rightfully belongs to her family.  When she meets the Laird of the castle, though, Julia is drawn to him and feels guilty about deceiving him.  When she finds out he is also a werewolf, she ends up feeling even more drawn to him.  Soon her secret is revealed and Ian vows to protect and keep her.  A delightful tale of werewolves.

Favorite Books of 2011

Ok, favorite books of 2011. I know it is a bit late, but I figure, it’s still January so that has to count for something.  I felt like I didn’t read as much this year, but I was only one book down from last year so that’s pretty good.  I couldn’t narrow it down to one so, here are my favs by genre.

Thriller: The President’s Vampire by Farnsworth

Historical Fiction: Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Vreeland and Madame Tussaud by Moran

Sci-Fi/Fantasy: Ready Player One by Cline

Children’s: Close to Famous by Bauer

Young Adult: Unearthly by Hand and Matched by Condie

Fiction: The Breath of God by Small

Audiobook: Good to Great by Jim Collins

And I read 164 books this year.  Not bad.

 

Guarding a Notorious Lady by Olivia Parker

Regency fair, but a nice fluffy book.  Lady Rosalind has been in love with her neighbor for the longest time, but he has always ignored her.  However, now he is in London and has suddenly acquired a title.  Soon he is making his way through the ton and earning longing looks from all the young debutantes.  But what no one but him knows is that he is in love with Lady Rosalind.  When her brother charges him with watching her while he is on his honeymoon trip, Nicholas knows he is in trouble.  Sure enough, the two fall into bed pretty quickly and then Nicholas must determine what to do.  He feels as though he has betrayed his friend.  However, remembering this is a romance novel, you know everything will work out in the end.

Vampire in Atlantis by Alyssa Day

Daniel is a vampire who has fought for good for 11,000 years after losing his beloved.  But, imagine his surprise to learn that she is actually still alive and has been in a magical sleep for the past 11,000 years.  He can’t believe it.  She thought he deserted her.  But if they want to survive for any length of time, they will need to work together.  Not the greatest book ever, but a good one.

Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

In this sequel to Princess of the Midnight Ball, we get to hear the story of Poppy who we met in the previous book.  Three years have passed since Poppy and her sisters defeated the King Under Stone and stopped having to dance nightly with his sons.  Now, Poppy is visiting her cousin and hoping to have a nice time meeting new people.  But everyone is amazed that she won’t dance and there are rumors that she and her sisters can do magic.  Poppy still manages to find some good friends, but when another curse threatens to ruin those friendships, she knows she will have to unravel another curse.  This time, it is based on the tale of Cinderella, but Poppy is not Cinderella.  It is a wonderful tale.  George is an exceptionally good writer and manages to make fairy tale retellings come to life.

The Serpent’s Coil by Christy Raedeke

In the sequel to Prophecy of Days, Caity Mac Fireland is still rolling on with her mission.  In book one she discovered she was part of an ancient prophecy and that she has to get the world ready for December 12, 2012 at which point the Mayans prophesied that the world would experience a shift in consciousness.  Caity has already brought teens from around the world together, but now she must confront the secret shadow government that is seeking to keep the world in a state of chaos.  If Caity is going to succeed in her mission, she needs to bring this secret group to its knees.  A fascinating book that delves more into the Mayan prophecies and different theories on the universe.  Yet it was also packed with a lot of action.  A good blend of philosophy and adventure.  Can’t wait for the next one to come out!

Hexed by Ilona Andrews, Yasmine Galenorn, Allyson James, Jeanne C. Stein

Excellent anthology.  I love Galenorn and her back story about Iris from her popular series is well done.  Iris has always been a bit of a mystery, but in this short story we learn about her past and get to travel with her on a quest to determine her future.  Well done.  Andrews story is about Dali Harimau and feels like an entire novel with the way you connect with the characters.  Great for people that have read her novels and those that haven’t.  The James story was a twist on the classic haunted house and will send chills down your spine as the characters try to battle their way out of a cursed house.  Finally, we have Stein’s story about a vampire who killed an evil witch, but didn’t realize she had been given sanctuary and now must justify her actions to a jury.  An interesting tale, but not as riveting as the other three.  All in all a good compilation.

Clarity by Kim Harrington

Another intriguing YA book.  Clare is part of a family of freaks.  She, her mom and her brother all have abilities.  Clare can touch something and get images, her brother can talk to ghost and her mom is telepathic.  They work together as a psychic family reading service on Cape Cod.  But when a gruesome murder strikes their small town, their business starts to flounder.  Clare is asked to help with the case and soon she is using her abilities to track down a killer.  There are enough twists and turns that you are surprised til the end (or just about).  It seems like there will be more after this since there are a few lines that are wrapped up.

 

Forgotten by Cat Patrick

Very clever YA book.  London cannot remember her past, only her future.  Because of memory impairment, she sees glimpses of the future, but cannot remember what happens the previous day.  She leaves herself little notes and reminders to help her get her through her day, but it is still hard.  Enter Luke, a handsome boy that captivated London.  But she doesn’t seem him in her futures.  Why?  And what secrets does London have in her past that Luke will help reveal?  Utterly captivating, very clever YA book.