Welcome to Patricia Brigg's world, a place where "witches, vampires, werewolves, and shapeshifters live beside ordinary people" (Booklist). It takes a very unusual woman to call it home - and there's no one quite like Mercy.
Coyote shifter Mercy Thompson knows that life with her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will never be boring,, but even their wedding doesn't go as planned. Nevertheless, a ten-day honeymoon camping on the banks of the Columbia River, alone, just the two of them, should make up for it. But the trip - and the pimped-out trailer they're using - is courtesy of the fae. And nothing from the fae comes without strings attached...
Being a different breed of shapeshifter - a walker - Mercy can see ghosts, but the spirit of her long-gone father has never visited her. Until now. An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River - and innocent people are dying. As other walkers make their presence know to Mercy, she must reconnect with her heritage to exorcise the world of the legend known as the river devil..
Reviewed by Lisa Kay
Without giving away spoilers, this one is mainly about Adam and Mercy. We get to peer into a different, sweet, romantically intimate side of their relationship as they get even closer. They end up camping in the Columbia River Gorge area and eventually battling evil; <spoiler> a creature that lurks beneath the water</spoiler>. Mercy also gets some answers about her Native American Indian father she never knew.
This one is a little different; no mechanic’s shop, very little pack interaction. (Thanks goodness Jesse made a phone call to complain to her father about Darryl.) And the pace seemed slower to me, too, though Ms. Briggs always has a nice way of setting future scenes up without me even knowing it. So, it is a given that it must be read, if you’re planning on continuing this wonderful Urban Fantasy series that has a touch more romance this time around.
Anyone who has researched Patricia Briggs knows that she was strongly influenced by magic and fairy tales. This one is loaded with them, most of them Indian legends, and they are pretty neat.
This fifth installment of Mercy Thompson’s series is very well narrated by Lorelei King. Ms. King certainly has cemented her voice as Mercy’s in my brain and she delivers nicely for this first person narrative. Love her Italian accent for Stefan (a vampire), who features in the opening scenes of this volume. It is kind of a “I want to drink your blood…” cadence to it, but Ms. King totally gets away with it.
Instead of saying "I do" to Mr. Irresistible, Lucy Jorik hitches a
ride on the back of a beat-up motorcycle with a rough looking,
bad-tempered stranger who couldn't be more foreign to her privileged
existence. While the world searches for her, Lucy must search for
herself, and she quickly realizes that her customary good manners are no
defense against a man who's raised rudeness to an art form. Lucy needs
to toughen up - and fast.
Her great escape takes her to his
rambling beach house on a Great Lakes island. Here, she hopes to find a
new direction...and to unlock the secrets of this man who knows so much
about her but reveals nothing about himself. As the hot summer days
unfold amid scented breezes and sudden storms, she'll encounter a
passion that could change her life forever.
My Thoughts
You always expect greatness from an author
that you know most certainly can achieve
it, but when you feel their latest wasn't amazing, you can’t help but to feel a little
bit disappointed.
Having said that,
and trying not to compare this novel to
some of Ms. Phillips’ previous
books, which are among my favorite
contemporary romances, I have to
say; this really wasn’t as bad as I expected.
After reading a few
unfavorable reviews, I had no plans to listen to Ms. Phillips latest release,
and seventh entry to her Wynette, Texas series, but when I remembered
how much I have enjoyed just about every single novel she has
written, I thought that perhaps the audio version would elevate
this entry, and turn it into a better experience.
Here, we get to
follow Lucy and the events that transpired
after she decided to leave the most eligible bachelor and the perfect
man at the altar.
Her escape takes
her right into the hands of Panda (Patrick) a
biker that happens to be a bodyguard hired by her parents for her protection.
Panda, is
everything Ted, her ex-fiance is not, and this is just what Lucy needs to help her to discover herself, and become the
person she has
always wanted to be;
care free, impulsive and sometimes careless. She’s tired of being the
perfect girl, and this man, Panda, might just
be the ticket.
But Panda is a
damaged man, and he’s not ready for love
- this is usually right up my alley, however; the resistance he puts against admitting his feeling for
Lucy it’s a
bit too long,
which is fine, but I never felt any sexual tension, therefore, I didn't really
feel a great chemistry between them,I didn't feel the fire and the connection.
Despite all that, I still enjoyed her writing,
and she still has the ability to pull me into the drama and the setting.
I really enjoyed the sub- plots and secondary characters, the dialogue still the
same as it has always been; sharp, humorous, realistic, and downright
entertaining.
By no means is this
one of my favorite contemporary romances, I can say that I didn’t have my share of
“rolling eyes” moments; nevertheless, I found it
better than some of my latest
contemporary romance listens.
So, maybe if you
don’t go into the story with high expectations as I did, you might also find yourself really
enjoying it, after all, if you are a fan of Ms. Phillips you know that her
average could be better than some others best.
If you never had
the pleasure to experience one of S.E.P’s novels, this is definitely not the place to start, I would
highly recommend The Chicago Stars series, where just about every book is a
gem.
I loved Shannon
Cochran’s narration of Call Me Irresistible. I was really impressed with her
performance, to step in behind the talented and great Anna Fields wasn’t an
easy task, but she did it, so I don’t know what happened here.
Don’t get me wrong,
the pace of the novel was excellent, and her delivery captured my attention;
I immediately felt connected to the story and the setting, but I
didn’t feel the humor as much as I did in the previous book.
Am I blaming Ms. Cochran
for the simple fact that this is not
one SEP best? I don’t know, maybe I’m not being fair, but
those are my feelings.
Despite Ms. Cochran being a very competent
narrator, I didn’t feel the flavor so typical of S.E.P’s novels truly conveyed.
I had no problems
at all distinguishing the voices, her male voices are credible, and they were delivered with
the proper tone, with the exception of Tobi, a 12 year old boy that sounded more like he was 6, and it was a little distracting.
All in all, this
was an OK performance, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment, but it didn’t enhance it either.
Do I still recommend? Yes, if you are a die-hard fan of Susan Elizabeth Phillips like yours truly.
Never acknowledge the dead.
Never stray far from hallowed ground.
Never get close to the haunted.
Never, ever tempt fate.
My name is Amelia Gray. I'm a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to these rules passed down from my father…until now.
Detective John Devlin needs my help to find a killer, but he is haunted by ghosts who shadow his every move. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I've vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the headstone symbols lead me closer to truth and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.
Reviewed by Lisa Kay
While I enjoyed this audiobook, I also had to refer to my Kindle copy occasionally; the words are beautiful, lyrical, haunting, making it very atmospheric. Sure, I loved hearing them, but I also wanted to feast my eyes upon them. Such a dilemma! Such a delight! This one will prickle your flesh to goose pimples – the slow rising kind! Nevertheless, you’ll enjoy the shiver all the more with the knowledge they are crawling up your arms and down your spine.
Amelia Gray, as a cemetery restorer and blogger catering to taphophiles*, also happens to see ghosts; and there are certainly plenty in the old Charleston graveyard where a young woman is found brutally murdered. Then there is the yummy John Devlin, police detective with the Charleston PD, who needs Amelia’s expertise with headstones, epitaphs, and graveyards. He’s oozing irresistible Southern gentlemanly charm and masculine protectiveness from every pore; however, as attractive as he is, he has two intriguing ghosts of his own shadowing him. That certainly counters her father’s third rule! But the killer is communicating through Amelia’s blog and the murders keep mounting, so Devlin’s not keeping his distance. Throw in Southern politics, manners, and cover-ups and you have an edge-of-your-seat thriller.
Is this a “Paranormal Romance”?
Hmmm…good question. It certainly is a deceptively gritty thriller with romantic overtones. While Devlin and Amelia’s complex relationship is a slow burn, it is more of a hot, languid smoldering – that you just know is going to be incendiary – than a quick brush fire. I can only hope the series as a whole can be called a “romance” with a Happily Ever After, but that certainly isn’t divulged in the first book. Can’t wait for the next installment; I already have it in my audible.com “wishlist.”
Oh, this one is excellent! The first thrilling mystery in the Graveyard Queen series is narrated by the wonderful Khristine Hvam , who is perfect for this first person POV telling of a Southern gothic. She doesn’t miss a beat in maintaining the eerie, ghostly ambience of Ms. Stevens’ story. Really, I’m such a wuss, I didn’t even try to listen to this one, except in the safety of broad daylight.
He is a man of simple tastes - and complex pleasures...
Cameron Mackenzie is a man who loves only horses and women - in that order - or so his mistresses say.
Ainsley Douglas is a woman with a strong sense of justice and the desire to help others - even if that means sneaking around a rakish man's bedchamber.
Which is exactly where Cam finds her - six years after he caught her the first time. Only then, she convinced Cam she was seeking a liaison, but couldn't go through with it because of her husband. Now a widow, she's on a mission to retrieve letters that could prove embarrassing to the queen. Cam has no interest in Ainsley's subterfuge, but he vows to finish what they started those many years ago. One game, one kiss at a time, he plans to seduce her. And what starts out as a lusty diversion may break Cam's own rules - and heal the scars of a dark and damaging past.
My Thoughts
Third installment in the Highland Pleasures series, and here
comes Lord Cameron trying to steal Lord Ian's place from my heart.......And my
God! He just about did it..... Well, not quite, but very close.
The perfect romantic lead; I loved everything about Lord Cameron, starting
with his many sins that gave him just the right amount badness to make the
discovery of his true feeling and his sense of honor a lot more enjoyable; I prize a
challenging man, and Lord Cameron was the perfect task.
I loved how we got to strip the layers from an insensitive and uncaring
rake, just to give light to a vulnerable man with a tortured soul.
I was fascinated with the chemistry between the protagonists. This was a
perfect match, I love them together as well as individually; both characters
were skillfully developed to engross you and drag you into their fantastic love
affair, but Lord Cameron stealed the show… sorry Ainsley.
Years prior, Lord Cameron
found a woman going through his personal things, back then his attempt to seduce
the lady fell apart, but he gets another chance when he finds the same woman
once again trying to find a handful of letters that could prove useful to
blackmail the Queen, and Ainsley is willing to do anything to complete her assignment,
including getting involved with a rake like Lord Cameron.
The romance was paced beautifully, and the sexual anticipation is
fantastic.
Jennifer Ashley has written another fabulous heartwarming,
heartbreaking, and satisfying- sexy story.
This novel has it all; humor, love, great secondary characters,
excitement, a scorching sensuality and a great plot to go with it all.
This is a fantastic new
addition to the Highland Series.
Although for once, I do believe you could enjoy this audio book
on its own, I still recommend the series as a whole, the first book, The
Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie still my favorite, plus you are just going to
love the Mackenzie Brothers, did I mention they wear kiltz?
Once again Angela Dawe’s interpretation is flawless; she hasn’t
missed a bit bringing this third installment to life. She has kept these
characters with an admirable consistency, and now that it was Lord Cameron’s
turn to take center stage, she absolutely nailed his character; I felt his
manner and voice nicely transmitted his mood and personality, which by the way, I
absolutely loved.
Her portrayal of Ainsley reflected a strong and confident woman
without losing the softness of her personality.
Again she has a complete sense of the scenes and the setting she’s
narrating, and as a result, she nicely transports you to the world in the story.
At this point, this being the third installment in this series
narrated by Ms. Dawes, I can honestly say, that I’m not longer aware that this
novel is being read to me, because is just me, the characters and the story.
