Books read in March

39.5	Madeline Black Shorts	Henry, Christina	3/1/2012	UF	Angels
40.5	Legend of Michael	Jones, Lisa Renee	3/2/2012	SFR	Aliens
41.5	Kiss at your own Risk	Rowe, Stephanie	3/3/2012	PNR	Magic
42	Goblin King 0.5: The Summons	Husk, Shona	3/4/2012	UF	Goblin
43	King of Darkness	Staab, Elizabeth	3/4/2012	PNR	Vampires
44	The Storm that is Sterling	Jones, Lisa Renee	3/5/2012	SFR	Aliens
45	Deliver Me From Darkness	Hilaire, Tes	3/6/2012	PNR	Vampires
46	Dead on the Delta	Jay, Stacey	3/7/2012	UF	Faries
46.5	Alpha & Omega	Briggs, Patricia	3/8/2012	PNR	werewolf
47.5	Cry Wolf	Briggs, Patricia	3/9/2012	PNR	werewolf
48.5	Hunting Grounds	Briggs, Patricia	3/10/2012	UF	werewolf
49.5	Fair Game	Briggs, Patricia	3/11/2012	UF	werewolf
50.5	Dire Needs	Tyler, Stephanie	3/12/2012	PNR	werewolf
51.5	True Destiny 1: Very Much Alive	Bell, Dana Marie	3/13/2012	PNR	Norse Mythology
52.5	True Destiny 2: Eye of the Beholder	Bell, Dana Marie	3/14/2012	PNR	Norse Mythology
53.5	True Destiny 3: Howl for Me	Bell, Dana Marie	3/15/2012	PNR	Norse Mythology
54	Cougar Falls 1: Rachel's Totem	Harte, Marie	3/16/2012	PNR	Cougar Shifter
54.5	Cougar Falls 2: In Plain Sight	Harte, Marie	3/17/2012	PNR	Eagle Shifter
55.5	Cougar Falls 3: Foxy Lady	Harte, Marie	3/18/2012	PNR	Fox Shifter
56.5	Blood Song	Adams, Cat	3/19/2012	PNR	Vampires
57.5	Siren Song	Adams, Cat	3/20/2012	PNR	Siren
58.5	Demon Song	Adams, Cat	3/21/2012	PNR	Siren
59.5	Bloodhound1: Dying Bites	Barant, DD	3/22/2012	UF	Alternate Reality
60.5	Bloodhound 2: Death Blows	Barant, DD	3/23/2012	UF	Alternate Reality
61.5	Bloodhound 3: Killing Rocks	Barant, DD	3/24/2012	UF	Alternate Reality
62.5	Darkness Bound	Cameron, Stella	3/25/2012	PNR	Hellhound
63.5	Heart of Darkness	Dane, Lauren	3/27/2012	PNR	Witch
64.5	Pride 4: The Mane Squeeze	Laurenston, Shelly	3/28/2012	PNR	bear shifter
65.5	Pride 5: Beast Behaving Badley	Laurenston, Shelly	3/29/2012	PNR	wolfdog shifter
66.5	Pride 6: Big Bad Beast	Laurenston, Shelly	3/30/2012	PNR	werewolf
67.5	Pride 7: Bear Meets Girl	Laurenston, Shelly	3/31/2012	PNR	bear shifter

Deliver Me From Darkness

Deliver Me from Darkness: A Novel of the Paladin Warriors by Tes Hilaire is the first novel in a new series about the Paladin warriors. The Paladin are a race of beings with supernatural powers. Each Paladin has different powers based on their lineage. The Paladin fight the vampires and demons of the world as they are evil.

Roland was a paladin until a vampire turned him hundreds of years ago. In spite of being turned he hasn't killed humans in years and only drinks from criminals who are out to attack others. He would not be welcome among the remaining Paladin since his vampire nature makes him automatically evil.

Karissa is brought to Roland's apartment by his one remaining Paladin friend. Little did Calhoun know when he dropped Karissa off, she is the last female Paladin and has been in hiding since her birth. Roland is irresistibly drawn to Karissa, but thinks he would be bad for her. All the remaining Paladin's want Karissa as she is their only chance to have full blood Paladin children. The vampires and demons are also hunting  Karissa.

I liked this story and will be getting the next book in the series when it comes out in December. The characters were in general likable, or at least if you don't like them you aren't supposed to. The premise is unique and the story was fun to read.

King of Darkness

King of Darkness by Elizabeth Staab is the first book in a new series. Isabel has lived her life outside of the vampire community because of her lack of power, so when Thad shows up claiming to be the king of the vampires and that she is his destined mate she is a bit skeptical. Thad needs Isabel in order to unlock his own powers but she seems bent on a temporary arrangement instead of the full partnership he wants.

This is a very complicated novel with lots of subplots. There will obviously be a sequel as one of the many subplots has set up the situation for us. I enjoyed the book and will be getting the sequel as soon as its available, unfortunately that won't be January 2013.

The Summons

Summons: A Goblin King Prequel by Shona Husk (which is currently free on Amazon) is a novella prequel to Ms. Husk's Goblin King series. In this short story we meet the two characters who will be the hero and heroine of the book The Goblin King. Eliza calls for the help of the Goblin King when her brother holds a party while their parents are gone and one of his drunk friends is a bit too insistent on Eliza having sex with him. Roan is compelled to obey the summons but intrigued by Eliza as she doesn't ask for what most of his summoners have requested - riches.

I really enjoyed this novella and have the Goblin King in my mountainous To Be Read Pile. I would guess you could read the Goblin King without reading Summons but if you are like me and like to have the whole story, you will probably want to start here.

Kiss at Your Own Risk

Kiss at Your Own Risk by Stephanie Rowe is a novel of magic. Trinity is a black widow. She has killed all of her boyfriends to date. When she falls in love she sees the way to kill him and is compelled to do so. Even when she purposefully chosen men who are jerks, she has still fallen in love and killed them. Her solution is to completely avoid relationships. And in one week she will defeat the curse by going three years without killing anyone.

Blaine is one of a group of men held captive by a witch in the castle of womanly pursuits. The witch tortures the men while teaching them to be more sensitive and therefore better men for women to love. Blaine stages a breakout with several of the other men in the castle, but one is left behind and the only way they can determine to free their friend is to kill the witch. For this he needs a black widow and sets out to persuade Trinity to kill the witch.

I really enjoyed this story. It has a lot of humor in it and the characters are well developed and likable. This is obviously intended as the first book of a series and there is a second book already out (in my to be read pile) and a third book scheduled for release this summer.

Brightwater Blood

Ok, obviously I'm behind, lets just say I've read WAY more books than I've posted about :) So time to play catchup!

Brightwater Blood by Shona Husk is a novella about a werelion who is sent to investigate a pair of sisters who use magic. Reports have come in that the sisters are using their magic to kill men by sucking out their life energy over the phone. The sisters are the last of the Brightwater shamanic bloodline. Their mother died when she was under investigation for misusing her magic and it is assumed the sisters are following in her footsteps. When Lachlan arrives at the scene he finds one of the sisters dead inside a growing ring of death surrounding the house the sisters live in.

When Dayna arrives home to find her sister's body and a lion she shoots the lion. When the lion becomes a man she confines him in a circle of protection, one of the very few pieces of magic she can perform. She doesn't understand why her and her sister are under investigation since they had both sworn to give up magic after their mother's death.

This is a nice novella which lays the groundwork for a relationship between Lachlan and Dayna. In spite of the brevity, Ms. Husk builds a believable paranormal world with rules that must be obeyed. With a novella set in an unknown environment it is easy to tell rather than show the reader what is going on, but Ms. Husk avoids that trap and weaves a nice tale about building trust.

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February's Reading list

16 Delroi Connection 2: Leaving Earth Hunt, Loribelle 2/1/2012 SFR Aliens
16.5 Delroi Connection 3: Stolen Earth Hunt, Loribelle 2/1/2012 SFR Aliens
17 Elemental Assassin 5.5 Thread of Death Estep, Jennifer 2/2/2012 UF Magic
17.25 Elemental Assassin 0.7: Spider's Bargain Estep, Jennifer 2/2/2012 UF Magic
17.5 Elemental Assassin 1.5: Web of Death Estep, Jennifer 2/2/2012 UF Magic
18 Lunar Mates 1: Under Cover of the Moon Hunt, Loribelle 2/3/2012 PNR werewolf
18.5 Lunar Mates 2: Bad Moon Rising Hunt, Loribelle 2/3/2012 PNR werewolf
18.75 Elemetnal Assasin 0.5 Poison Estep, Jennifer 2/4/2012 UF Magic
19 Elemental Assassin 0.6: Web of Deceit Estep, Jennifer 2/4/2012 UF Magic
19.5 Lunar Mates 3: Chase the Moon Hunt, Loribelle 2/4/2012 PNR werewolf
19.75 Elemental Assassin 2.5: Wasted Estep, Jennifer 2/5/2012 UF Magic
20 Elemental Assassin 3.5: Tangled Dreams Estep, Jennifer 2/5/2012 UF Magic
20.25 Elemental Assassin 3.7: Tangled Schemes Estep, Jennifer 2/5/2012 UF Magic
20.5 Elemental Assassin 4.5: Spider's Nemesis Estep, Jennifer 2/5/2012 UF Magic
21 Lunar Mates 4: Call of the Moon Hunt, Loribelle 2/6/2012 PNR werewolf
21.5 Lunar Mates 5: Christmas Moon Hunt, Loribelle 2/6/2012 PNR werewolf
22 Lunar Mates 6: Captured Moon Hunt, Loribelle 2/7/2012 PNR werewolf
22.5 Delroi Connection 4: Claiming Earth Hunt, Loribelle 2/7/2012 SFR Aliens
23 Spellbound 1: Once Bitten Hunt, Loribelle 2/8/2012 PNR werewolf
23.5 Spellbound 2: Twice Shy Hunt, Loribelle 2/9/2012 PNR werewolf
24 Spellbound 3: Third Time Lucky Hunt, Loribelle 2/9/2012 PNR werewolf
24.5 Pride Law 1: The Gift Hunt, Loribelle 2/10/2012 PNR werelion
25 Pride Law 2: The Return Hunt, Loribelle 2/11/2012 PNR werelion
25.5 Pride Law 3: The Alliance Hunt, Loribelle 2/12/2012 PNR werelion
26 Jane Yellowrock 3.5 Cat Tales - 4 short stories Hunter, Fatih 2/13/2012 PNR Skinwalker
27 Eternal Guardians 1: Marked Naughton, Elizabeth 2/14/2012 PNR Greek Mythology
28 Marked Souls 1: Seduced by Shadows Slade, Jessa 2/16/2012 PNR demon
29 Alpha Pack 1: Primal Law Tyler, JD 2/17/2012 PNR werewolf
30 Jane Yellowrock 4: Raven Cursed Hunter, Fatih 2/18/2012 UF Skinwalker
31 Walker Papers 1: Urban Shaman Murphy, CE 2/19/2012 UF Shaman
32 Shadow World 1: Queen of Shadows Sylvan, Dianne 2/20/2012 UF Vampires
33 Mark of the Vampire 1: Eternal Hunger Wright, Laura 2/21/2012 PNR Vampires
34 Visions 1: Visions of Magic Hastings, Regan 2/22/2012 PNR Witch
35 Shadow World 2: Shadowflame Sylvan, Dianne 2/24/2012 UF Vampires
36 Black Wings Henry, Christina 2/25/2012 UF Angels
36.5 Dire Warning Tyler, Stephanie 2/26/2012 UF werewolf
37 Brightwater Blood Husk, Shona 2/27/2012 PNR werelion
38 Black Wings 2: Black Night Henry, Christina 2/28/2012 UF Angels
39 Black Wings 3: Black Howl Henry, Christina 2/29/2012 UF Angels

Zodius

The Legend of Michael: Sin and Satisfaction (Zodius) is the first book in a relatively new series by Lisa Renee Jones. General Powell authorized the unwilling inoculation of 200 special forces members with alien DNA. His unwilling test subjects, referred to as GTECH all developed the power to "windwalk" - dissolve into the wind and let it carry them where ever they wanted to go. Some of them also developed other powers. Now, a little over a year later, his daughter, Cassandra, has arrived at Groom Lake (Area 51) to try and find out why some of them are more aggressive than others. The difference seems to boil down to Gene X.

At Groom Lake she meets Michael, one of the affected warriors. But their romance is short lived when he joins forces with Adam and rebels against the General Powell and the US government and Adam plots to take over the world using the alien enhancements of the Zodius warriors.

The Storm That Is Sterling (A Zodius Novel) is the second book in the series. We meet Sterling in the first book as a secondary character and as one of the GTECH warriors fighting for the Renegades led by Adam's twin, Caleb. The Zodius have developed a drug, ICE, and the Renegades need to find out where it comes from and how to either prevent people from becoming addicted to it or cure the addiction, or both. Sterling is sent to meet Rebecca, a NASA scientist and the last of a short list of scientists that might be able to figure out ICE (and a romance that never was from college) upon her return from Germany. But they are attacked and taken prisoner by the Zodius warriors.

I am enjoying this series very much and am looking forward to the release of the third book The Danger That Is Damion in May. Hot button warning: though there are not any on or off screen rapes, there is definitely a question of dubious consent or the equivalent of drugged rape since Adam's lifebond influences the women captured by the Zodius to the point where they will accept any of the Zodius warriors as sexual partners.

Dire Warning

Dire Warning: An Eternal Wolf Clan Novella (An eSpecial from New American Library) by Stephanie Taylor is a short urban fantasy that introduces the characters for a new series that will be starting later this month. In this novella we are introduced to the Dire Wolf Shifters, a group of eternal shifters who have been tasked with policing the were population and making sure they are not misbehaving towards humans. Each of the dire wolves has psychic powers beyond the ability to shift to an abnormally large wolf. This story revolves around the relationship between the various members of the dire wolf pack and the solving of the murder of a young woman, supposedly by a werewolf.

It is my understanding that the eternal wolf clan series will be paranormal romance, but this novella does not contain any romantic elements. I enjoyed the novella and am looking forward to starting a new series later this month.

Madeline Black

Madeline Black is the central character in the urban fantasy series by Christina Henry. There are currently three books out (Black Wings (Black Wings, Book 1), Black Night (Black Wings, Book 2) and Black Howl (Black Wings)) with a fourth book (Black Lament (Black Wings)) on the way in October and a fifth book in the process of being written. There are also several short stories available on Christina Henry's website http://www.christinahenry.net. I recommend reading book one before the short stories and you will definitely be missing something if you don't read the books in order.

Madeline Black is an agent for Death. She is given a list each week with the names of the souls she is to collect and the time and place of their death. She conducts the souls to the Door. This is a duty she inherited from her mother when her mother was killed when Maddie was a young teenager. She also inherited a house and a gargoyle named Beezle. However, being an agent for Death doesn't pay well (or anything) so she has to  find a tenant for the downstairs apartment in her house and write free lance recipe articles for magazines to make ends meet.

Gabriel Angelescurrio shows up to rent the downstairs apartment and things start to go wrong in Maddie's life.

This series has just about everything you could want: fallen angels (gregori), demons, nephilium (twisted children of the gregori and humans), fairies, vampires, werewolves and of course the gargoyle. This is NOT paranormal romance and there is not a HEA. Also, the second book has rape scene, however you could skip that scene and still enjoy the series.

I really like this series, though the very last scene of the third book was a bit predictable. I am definitely on pins and needles waiting for book 4 (which I have pre-ordered).

Visions of Magic

Visions of Magic: An Awakening Novel is the first book in a relatively new series by Regan Hasting (the second book was just released). The concept is that magic has been revealed to be real and the general population is frightened by the witches that practice it. Because of that the Magic Police have been created. They capture witches and put them in essentially concentration camps where there is no appeal to get out again and they are often executed. It doesn't take much to get you rounded up as a witch, just be female and have someone accuse you of witchcraft.

Shea Jameson is the niece of the first witch who was burned at the stake after magic first reappeared ten years ago. She has been in hiding ever since. But when her magic suddenly burst free she is forced to run for her life.

Torin is her Eternal. He explains to her that each witch has an Eternal, a guardian who watches over her many incarnations. But if she mates with him and truly bonds with him, his heart will beat and she will become immortal like him.

I really enjoyed this novel. It is so easy to see how prejudice and fear could lead to something like the Magic Police. I have the second book and will no doubt be starting it soon.

Eternal Hunger

Eternal Hunger: Mark of the Vampire by Laura Wright is the first in her Mark of the Vampire series about the Roman brothers. Ms. Wright has an interesting take on vampires. In her world, male vampires go through a maturation process called morpho when they are about 300 years old. Because of this process they can no longer be out in sunlight and must go on a search for their true mate. Alexander Roman is forced through morpho early by the vampire elders who wish him to hunt down a rogue vampire that is stealing and raping vampire women.

In his confusion, Alexander ends up in the doorway of Sara, a psychologist who has been working to suppress the memories of trauma victims in the hopes of helping them heal and move past the trauma. She is particularly driven by her brothers state, which was caused when Sara was a little girl and accidently set fire to their family home and killed their father.

I enjoyed this story, though I did feel that the resolution was a bit predictable. I will be reading the next book as I'm curious to find out what happens with the second Roman brother.

Shadow World

Queen of Shadows (A Novel of the Shadow World) and Shadowflame (A Novel of the Shadow World) are the first two novels of the Shadow World series. Miranda Grey is a musician. She is also an empath and the emotions of others are driving her crazy. She doesn't realize that is the problem, she just knows she can make her audience feel what she wants when she plays and that if she meets anyone's eyes she is overwhelmed by emotions not her own.

After a vicious attack she is rescued by David Solomon, the ruler of the vampires for the southeastern Untied States. The plan is for her to heal, get control of her gifts and leave the Shadow World of vampires. However, Miranda and David have developed feelings for each other during her recuperation and going their separate ways is harder than they think it will be.

Since a description of how the second novel starts would give away plot point happening later in the first book, I'll just say that I enjoyed both books and am looking forward to the release of the third book Shadow's Fall (A Novel of the Shadow World) on March 27th. The books are more urban fantasy than paranormal romance. While David and Miranda are developing a relationship, actions on their parts run counter to paranormal romance standards. Also, for those who prefer to avoid books with any reference to rape, you should skip this series as both Miranda and Faith (another major player in the books) were victims of rape (Faith's experience is long in the past) and it is discussed.

Urban Shaman

Urban Shaman (The Walker Papers, Book 1) by CE Murphy is the first book in the Walker Papers series. Joanne Walker is a mechanic. She works for the police department and because of her native american heritage she graduated from the police academy at the insistence of the former police chief. However, her true love is being a mechanic and she has no desire to be a police officer. She is on the way home from her mother's funeral in Ireland when she looks out the plane window to see a woman being chased down the street. She goes in search of the mysterious woman. The woman is running from the Hunt and can tell when a person is going to die. She tells Joanne she will die, but when the time comes, Joanne cheats death but awakens her Shaman powers.

When Joanne finally makes it in to the police station, she finds that her position as mechanic has been filled (she was gone months longer than her original leave of baseness was granted) but because of her heritage, they aren't firing her, she is going to be a beat cop.

I enjoyed this story and its mix of native american and Irish traditions. I will be reading the second book soon. This is another series where I got lucky and found it after several books were already released so I have a while to read before I start waiting for a new book in this one.

Alpha Pack 1: Primal Law

Primal Law: An Alpha Pack Novel is the first book in a new series. When a special forces team was attacked by a werewolf in Afghanistan, most of the team died. The ones who didn't all turned into werewolves. They also all have a secondary psychic power. The survivors form Alpha Pack and continue to work for the government, but now trouble shooting paranormal problems. They are informed of a group of vampires holding a family hostage, but when they show up, its a trap and several of their number are killed.

Several months later, Jaxon blames himself for getting part of his group killed. He wasn't the leader, and still isn't as a natural werewolf has been brought into the group as leader, but it was his girl friend that set them up and he could have used his power to go back in time to warn the group and save the lives of those who died, if he just would have thought of it. He and several members of Alpha Pack head to Vegas for a weekend of R and R. But Jaxon hears the screams of a woman and rushes to her help. In doing so, he reveals himself as a werewolf and has to take her back to Alpha Pack base with him.

Kira is a lab assistant who thinks there is something wrong at the lab she works in. She sneaks in one night and steals some samples that she plans on taking to a friend who works in genetics. But her plan wasn't fool proof and she is caught and chased from the grounds. When her car dies in a parking lot just off the Vegas strip she thinks she is done for. But that doesn't stop her from screaming. She is shocked when a man turns into a wolf to save her.

This is a fun book. In addition to the werewolves, we also get to meet other paranormal creatures including a wizard, a fairy prince and more. The second book will be out in April and I'm looking forward to reading it!

Marked Souls 1: Seduced by Shadows

Seduced By Shadows: A Novel of the Marked Souls by Jessa Slade is the first book to another established series (I love finding new series that already have several books available!) Sera was injured when a drunk driver hit her car. She attempts to go back to work after a long recuperation but her boss essentially tells her she no longer has a position. On her walk home she sees Ferris on the bridge. When she gets home she has a dream about Ferris and wakes up with her injuries no longer bothering her the way they had been.

Ferris is one of the talyan warriors, possessed by a penitent demon, now immortal and fighting the non-penitent demons of the world. He has to convince Sera that she too is now possessed by a demon (the first woman possessed by a demon in living memory). They just don't know if its a penitent one or not. If it the demon isn't penitent, it is a death sentence for Sera. If the demon is penitent, she too will have to join the battle against the evil demons of the world.

This series looks to have a very unique basis and I really enjoyed the first book. It looks like each book will focus on one of the talyan warriors and a newly possessed woman. I'm looking forward to the second book.

Eternal Guardians 1: Marked

Marked (Eternal Guardians) by Elizabeth Naughton is a new to me series. Its not completely new as the next two books in the series are already available. The premise behind this series is that the heros of the greek myths and their descendants were given a special place to live. They call their land Argolas and are longer lived than humans. The direct descendants of the seven main heros are the Argonauts and they protect the rest of the Argolian race as well as the human race from the demons of Hades. Atalanta was one of the heros of ancient greece and wanted to be chosen as one of the Argonauts. When she wasn't chosen she made a deal with Hades to give her immortality. However, there is a prophecy, the fulfilling of which will take away Atalanta's immortality.

Theron is the leader of the Argonauts and the direct descendant of Hercules. He is betrothed to the daughter of the King of the Argolians, Isadora. But when he follows Isadora to Earth and sends her back to Argolas he is attacked by demons and rescued by the human Casey.

This is a very complex story and I really enjoyed it. I grew up on Greek Mythology so it was very nice to see someone do something different with the heros I love.

Jane Yellowrock

Cat Tales: Four Stories from the World of Jane Yellowrock:An eSpecial from the New American Library
is a downloadable group of short stories set in the world of Jane Yellowrock. The four stories include, Jane leaving the orphanage she grew up in, Jane revealing Beast to Molly, Rick getting his tattoos and Rick dealing with the aftermath of being infected with leopard cat shifter. The two Rick stories are told from his POV the other two are told from Jane's POV. The last story ties the end Mercy Blade (Jane Yellowrock, Book 3) with the newest book Raven Cursed (Jane Yellowrock, Book 4).

In Raven Cursed (Jane Yellowrock, Book 4) Jane is sent as head body guard to North Carolina. But almost as soon as she and the vampire she is guarding arrive, the problems start. A young couple is attacked and the locals think the vampires are to blame. Its up to Jane to figure out who did it.

If you have been following the series, these are nice installments and carries over several plot points from the prior books. If its been a while you might want to re-read Skinwalker (Jane Yellowrock, Book 1) and Blood Cross (Jane Yellowrock, Book 2) as well as Mercy Blade (Jane Yellowrock, Book 3) before diving into Cat Tales and Rave Cursed. If you have never tried the Jane Yellowrock books start with the first one, or you will just end up confused. I really enjoy the series and the first thing I did upon finishing Raven Cursed was look to see when the next one was due out. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find anything out.

Pride Law

Pride Law is another trilogy of novellas by Loribelle Hunt. This series seems to be loosely tied into the Lunar Mates series. Again we are returned to the rules of only the males can shapeshift but there have been rumors of females who can change shape as well and they are highly sought after, to the point where if its true, they are in hiding. This series deals with a group of lion shifters, and the rules are different in the Pride. The Pride Law states that if a male lion finds a mate, he is expected to share her with one (or more) other males as there is a shortage of females in the pride. Like the Spellbound series, the relationships go all directions and the novellas all contain M/M scenes.

The first story in the series, The Gift [Pride Law: 1], deals with Carlos Rivera, the younger brother of the Pride's ruler Sunny, a human hunter, and Declan, a werewolf. Carlos and Declan both want Sunny, in fact Carlos is sure she is his mate. Sunny is fairly sure she doesn't want to mate with either of them, especially not while they are on a mission to rescue her sister.

The Return [Pride Law: 2] is about Sunny's sister, Jaz and her tumultuous relationship with her two mates the werewolf Asa and the werelion Fisher, youngest of the Rivera brothers. The problem is, Fisher is in trouble with both his mates. Asa because he broke things off with the werewolf when he thought he had found his mate in Jaz and Jaz because Fisher slept with Sunny after he new he was Jaz's mate.

The Alliance [Pride Law: 3] deals with the oldest of the Rivera brothers and the ruler of the Pride. Years ago Isaac and his friend Davis thought they had found their mate in Morgan, but she disappeared without a trace. Now she is back, seeking sanctuary for the last of her pride which is down to herself, her brother and their young sister.

I particularly liked this seers as it delta with werelions and I have a soft spot for all feline shape shifters. I do have a feeling that this one is over as I believe we are out of Rivera brothers, though Ms. Hunt could shift the focus to Morgan's brother.

Spellbound

Spellbound is another novella series by Loribelle Hunt featuring werewolves and witches. The rules are slightly different here though as there are female werewolves and most of the matings seem to involve one female and two males with sexual relations between all participants in a relationship (yes that means there are M/M scenes so if that doesn't float your boat, skip this series).

Once Bitten [Spellbound Moon 1] is the first book in the series. Liza is the daughter of a witch and a werewolf. She has some of the senses of the werewolves, but can't change shape. She also doesn't have much magic. Regardless she has fought her way up in the pack to the position of Paladin. She is sent by her pack's Alpha to retrieve his wayward son Caleb. She finds Caleb staying with another pack and that he has taken one of that pack's Alpha's younger sons as his lover. Both Calen and Zach say she is their mate but can she accept them?

In Twice Shy Harper, a witch on the run from her family, finds a safe haven with her cousin Liza and the werewolf pack. It doesn't take long for on again off again lovers Jonas and Mick to realize Harper is their mate. But Jonas wants a mate that will stand up to him and he sees Harper as week.

The third book in this trilogy is Third Time Lucky (Spellbound Moon)  which just recently was released. The last thing Gabby, a high ranking soldier in the pack, wants is a mate. The problem is she has two of them and they are determined to have her. Ethan, her werewolf mate, and Harris, her wizard mate, have set out to convince her that its time to stop running from them. The fact that she has gone into heat means her resistance will be low, but can she accept them when the heat is over?

I found it nice that this series is not at all tied in to the Lunar Mates series. I also enjoyed the fact that Ms. Hunt has come up with different series that have different "rules" for the witches and werewolves that inhabit them. I enjoyed this series though again, none of the plots are overly complicated. Of course its hard to write a truly complex plot in the space of a novella.

Lunar Mates

Lunar Mates is a series of novellas by Loribelle Hunt. In this series werewolves are male and the mate with human women. The male children are werewolves in turn and the female children are human.

The first book in the series is Under Cover of the Moon (Lunar Mates). Here we are introduced to the werewolves that are going to take on the leading role in the next several books. We also meet three cousins who are witches and will also take on the heroine position for this book and the next two. The story starts with Darius being banished from the pack he grew up in and heading out to start his own pack. He ends up in a small town where he meets the witch Meg and recognizes her as his mate.

In Bad Moon Rising (Lunar Mates) the second witch cousin, Tara, finds out she is the mate of the former Hunter (werewolf police officer) Trey. The problem is Tara has reason to believe that werewolves don't make good mates and Trey has to convince her otherwise while protecting her from a rogue werewolf that has set his sites on Tara.

Chasing the Moon (Lunar Mates) the alpha of the pack Darius and Trey left behind, Jackson, finds that his mate is the third witch cousin Summer. But she wants nothing to do with werewolves, even if both her cousins have fallen for one. The only way Jackson can get Summer to visit his pack is to kidnap her.

With Call of the Moon (Lunar Mates) Billy, the Beta for Jackson's pack, must convince Chloe to give him a chance. Her former mate had abused her and she left the pack to get away from all werewolves, but when she sees Billy again, she too feels the pull of a true mate. The question is, what is she going to do about it.

In Christmas Moon (Lunar Mates) we find out that when twin werewolves are born they share a mate. Cain and Abel, twins, former Hunters and now enforcer for Jackson's pack,  set out to woo the packs new accountant Delilah. But can she accept the fact they are werewolves and that she gets two for the price of one?

Captured Moon (Lunar Mates) introduces us to Abby. She recently divorced her feline shifter husband because of his tom catting ways and now her best friends are determined for her to put herself back on the market for a boyfriend. Rule and Lawe, the twin brothers of Abby's best friends are convinced she is their mate, now they just have to convince her that even though things went south with her last shifter husband, he wasn't a mate and things will be different when its two werewolves in her life.

This is a nice series that I enjoyed reading. There is nothing heavy or in depth about this series as it is a bunch of novellas. There is often a story arc that will bridge two succeeding stories in the series (a problem left unsolved at the end of one that is resolved in the next book) so they should be read in order. Claiming the Moon is due out in April and Hunter's Moon in June. Unless I space it, I will be getting them when they are released.

January Books Read

1 Elemental Assassin 4: Tangled Threads Estep, Jennifer 1/1/2012 UF Magic
2 Elemental Assassin 5: Spider's Revenge Estep, Jennifer 1/2/2012 UF Magic
3 Immortal Guardains 2: Night Reigns Duvall, Dianne 1/3/2012 PNR Vampires
4 Blaze of Glory Nantus, Sheryl 1/4/2012 UF Super Heroes
5 Blaze of Glory 2: Heroes Without, Monsters Within Nantus, Sheryl 1/5/2012 UF Super Heroes
5.5 Demon Bait Rogers, Moira 1/6/2012 FR demon
6.5 Hammer Down Rogers, Moira 1/9/2012 FR demon
7.5 Copper Beach Krantz, Jayne Ann 1/10/2012 PNR Psychic
7.75 Zola's Pride Rogers, Moira 1/11/2012 PNR Feline shifter - lion
8 A Peyton Family Christmas Rogers, Moira 1/11/2012 PNR werewolf
8.25 Two Weddings Rogers, Moira 1/11/2012 PNR feline shifter - cougar
8.5 Moonshine Rogers, Moira 1/12/2012 PNR Coyote Shifter
9 Bound in Sin Eden, Cynthia 1/12/2012 PNR Vampires
9.5 Demon Heat 1: Demon's Carress Jordan, Crystal 1/13/2012 PNR demon
10 Kane Hunt, Loribelle 1/15/2012 PNR werewolf
10.5 Soul Mates 1: The King and I Carew, Opal 1/17/2012 FR Aliens
11 Soul Mates 2: Commander's Woman Carew, Opal 1/19/2012 FR Aliens
11.5 Soul Mates 3: Passion Play Carew, Opal 1/21/2012 FR Aliens
12 Ghosts of Boyfriends Past Andrews, Vivi 1/23/2012 PNR Witch
13 Recast 1:Wither Sfetsos, Yolanda 1/24/2012 SFR futuristic
13.5 Maggie's Grove 1: Blood of the Maple Bell, Dana Marie 1/26/2012 PNR Dryad
14 Doomsyear 1: Twisted Kiss Bast, Anya 1/28/2012 PNR/SFR Vampires
15 Kara Gillian 4: Sins of the Demon Rowland, Diana 1/29/2012 UF demon
15.5 Delroi Connection 1: Invasion Earth Hunt, Loribelle 1/31/2012 SFR Aliens

Elemental Assassin Shorts

There is a group of short stories on Jennifer Estep's website at http://www.jenniferestep.com/excerpts-short-stories/ which includes a little bit of extra details on Gin Blanco's world and the other characters in the books. Spiders Bargain, Web of Death, Web of Deceit, Poison, Wasted, Tangled Dreams, Tangled Schemes and Spider's Nemesis.

Poison and Web of Deceit take place during Gin's teenage years, the first is told from the POV of Finnegan Lane and the second from the POV of Fletcher Lane. Spiders Bargain takes place just before the first book in the series. Web of Death fits in between Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, Book 1) and Web of Lies (Elemental Assassin, Book 2). Wasted fits between Web of Lies and Venom (Elemental Assassin, Book 3)
and is told from Finnegan Lane's POV. Tangled Dreams and Tangled Schemes happen between Venom and Tangled Threads (Elemental Assassin, Book 4). The first if from the POV of the Deveraux sisters and the second from the POV of Bria Coolidge. Spider's Nemesis is told from Mab Monroe's POV and starts before Gin's birth and ends during Tangled Threads.

Thread of Death is an enovella available in ebook only which takes place after the end of Spider's Revenge (Elemental Assassin Books).

I enjoyed all the short stories and the novella, they definitely add something to the overall story line. It is nice to see things from the POV of some of the other characters since the main books are all told from Gin's POV. Now I just have to wait for the next book to come out. But since By a Thread (Elemental Assassin) is due out the 28th of this month, maybe I'll start over and read the novels again while waiting.

Delroi Connection

The Delroi Connection by Loribelle Hunt is a series of novellas set in Earth's future. The Delroi are a race of aliens who believe they have one soul mate. The problem is, many more male children are born on their planet than female children so finding that mate doesn't always happen. Their seers have said they will find the mates of many of their people on Earth, so the Delori set off to conquer the planet.

In Invasion Earth (Delroi Connection) Laney is a leader of the resistance fighting the Delroi invasion and Alrik is leading the invasion with his brother, who is the leader of the warrior caste of Delroi. The story opens with the last battle and the ensuing surrender of the Earth to prevent the use of a doomsday device. Part of the surrender conditions is that Laney will marry Alrik. The sparks fly when these two enemies soon to be spouses meet.

In Leaving Earth (Delroi Connection) Kendall travels to Delroi to help deliver Laney's baby and is soon caught up in a romance with Alrik's brother Daggar, the warrior Overchief.

In Stolen Earth Britt, who had traveled with Kendall to Delroi, heads to the south lands to rescue Barak, the Overchief's spy master.

In Claiming Earth Janice, a friend of Britt's who had made her way to Delroi on a spying expedition finds herself entangled with Barak's brother Falkor and returns to Earth to protect him from the Tel Group, a sinister group with paranormal abilities and Janice's former employers.

All together, I enjoyed the series. They really aught to be read in order as the next story starts towards the end of the last one (at least for the last three books). Be warned, while all the sexual interactions are between committed couples, there is definite BDSM elements. Kendall is a submissive in the bedroom and Britt enjoys pain (and more than just a spanking).