Tempting the Dark by Michele Hauf

Took me a while to get into this - but that was not the book's fault, more along the lines of I had too many other things happening to allow myself to sit and read for a while.

When I did finally have some time to read this, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Michele Hauf's paranormal romances are my go-to escape when I cannot deal with the rest of the world. She creates the most beautiful stories, full of interesting characters dealing with life and love, and the complications caused by the magic they harbor inside.

In this particular story, Savin runs into a friend he believed he'd lost twenty years earlier. As children they fell into Daemonia - a world inhabited by demons. Savin managed to escape, but believed Jett had died there. He returned with a demon trapped inside of him, and now spends his days working with others who have magical abilities to send trouble causing demons back to Daemonia.

He's overjoyed when he sees Jett again, but something has changed inside of her. As much as she wants to return to the human world, she and Savin both have to accept that she's no longer completely human.

This is a story about battling demons - both real and mental. The characters have to face their guilt and the truth about who they are and what happened to them in order to truly find their way back to each other. To make matters more difficult, since Jett's return, Paris has been suffering from an influx of demons. Much to Savin's dismay, he discovers the only way to protect the city may involve a horrible sacrifice.

As always from this author, a very sexy, very fast paced, engrossing story set in the beautifully described city of Paris.

Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys sexy, paranormal romances full of magic.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: An American Witch in Paris by Michele Hauf

I have read a lot of books by Michele Hauf, (32 books, counting this one, according to Goodreads) and I've liked them all, loved many of them, but this one, this may be my favorite. It's possible that I say that after every new book by this author, but only because it's true.  This book has everything I always love about her books - great characters, interesting story line, fascinating magic, beautiful imagery and sexy, steamy romance - and then taken up to the next level. Tuesday may be my favorite out of all the wonderful characters in Hauf's Beautiful Creatures world. And have I mentioned, this story is so, so sexy? Reminded me a bit of Hauf's Paris Secrets erotica series that she writes under the name Michele Renae.

The women Hauf creates are always strong and independent, that is a big part of why I enjoy her books. These women can take care of themselves, and they're powerful - literally - but they're able to fall in love, absolutely and completely, while still holding onto their power and that's something that I find very appealing in a romance novel. In this particular book though, I feel like Hauf went a step further, giving us this character of Tuesday, a centuries old witch who has devoted much of her life to helping other women, because as history has shown us, that's what witches did. There's a line in the book that says, "Feminism was her right" and when I read that, I knew immediately that Tuesday was going to be one of my favorite characters. While a lot of romance authors write characters who are clearly feminist in their actions, I feel too often they're afraid to use the word. Not the case with Tuesday.

Another aspect of this story that I really loved was the dynamics of Tuesday and Ethan's sexual relationship. There is something so very sexy about Ethan asking, "May I?" Yes, explicit consent is sexy! There's something very mature and respectful about their relationship. They both know exactly what they're doing. Both of these characters have been around for a long time, they've seen a lot over the centuries and they're a bit jaded about the idea of love, but wonderfully philosophical about sex. "It's about finding yourself in someone else, yet not getting lost there." That quote was one of my favorites, but I highlighted so many lines in this book. The talk of "worlds." Another favorite, "I'll share myself with you, lover. But let's never take ownership."

And the visuals Hauf creates. Her descriptions always make me want to get out my sketchbook and attempt to draw what she'd described. Sometimes it's amazing fairy wings, but in this book, it was Ethan at the window of his Paris apartment, drinking Scotch. I could see that so clearly and it was beautiful.

Besides the romance, there's also a rather tense story line about stolen codes that could bring about the end of the world, and trying to find the demon who took those codes - which is the entire reason Tuesday and Ethan are together. Then there's the appearance of an former spouse and a deadly curse. Pretty much everything you need for a great book.

This book felt very relevant and important in the current landscape. This is the story of a vampire and a witch trying to prevent a demon from destroying the world, but it's also about two very powerful people, who realize they have to look beyond the horrors they've experienced in the world to save each other - because somewhere along the way, they've become a part of each other's world.

I highly recommend this book. If you like hot, sexy vampire/witch stories, you want this book.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.

Review: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I thought I would like this more than I did - being that I'm obsessed with all things Russian and I love fairy tales. But it took forever for me to get into this book, I found the first half to be a bit boring. I enjoyed the end, but I wanted more about the Frost Demon, he was the most interesting character and the book is nearly over by the time he shows up.

A while back, someone in one of my online book groups posted that this was a great book and was on sale - a kindle daily deal. I saw that it was a Russian fairy tale and clicked the buy button, without reading much more about it. Then I realized it was classified as "young adult" and sort of regretted my quick purchase. I am not much of a fan of young adult books. I read a lot of them when I was a young adult, and loved them at the time, but twenty or so years later, I no longer have much interest in reading those stories. So my lack of love for this book is my own fault. While I still enjoy fairy tales, I prefer there be more of a adult twist to them, with a bit of grown-up romance. By the time I got around to reading the book, I knew this was a young adult book, so I knew this probably wouldn't be the kind of story I'd hoped it would be when I bought it.

The winter setting is really beautiful, and it did make me want to read more about Russian fairy tales.


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Review: This Wicked Magic by Michele Hauf

Another enjoyable read from Michele Hauf. This Wicked Magic is about witches, and dark magic.

After spending some time in the underworld, Certainly Jones returned with demons trapped inside him. This reminded me a lot of the way the demons exist in Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series. I've been suggesting this book to my friends who like that series.

Certainly wants the demons out, and he thinks he's found a way to do that, with the help of Vika. But things get complicated, and Vika's attempts to help end up backfiring. Next thing they know, Vika and her sister are in jeopardy of losing their souls.

Very good, sexy read, filled with dark and light magic, as well as a battle for their souls.

Review: The Vampire's Protector by Michele Hauf

I loved The Vampire's Protector. It has all my favorite things in it - vampires, demons, musicians, Paris setting, complex characters battling personal demons (both figurative and literal) of their own and a very steamy love story. I love this world Michele Hauf has created and the characters that inhabit it.

I think the last time Summer Santiago made an appearance in a book I read, she was just a baby in her dad's arms, calling Stryke a puppy (Moonlight & Diamonds). Now though, she's all grown up and working for the Council. On this particular job she accidentally resurrects the musician, famed violinist, Nicolo Paganini. I don't want to give away what happens, but he was an actual person, known as the Devil's violinist, so that should give you a clue.

This book was the perfect way to spend the rainy Memorial Day weekend.

Highly recommend to any fans of paranormal romance.

Review: Captivating the Witch by Michele Hauf

I loved Captivating the Witch. Easily one of my favorites from this author - though I have quite a few favorites from her. According to my Goodreads stats, this is the nineteenth book I've ready by Michele Hauf and I'm going to guess that I've liked all of them, loved most of them. But as I said, this one stands out as a favorite.

What I liked most about the book are the two main characters.

Edamite Thrash is a demon who doesn't trust witches. He describes himself as an evil overlord, and others consider him to the be the leader of a demon mafia, but the truth is, he's taken on the responsibility of watching over the demons of Paris, and doing his best to keep the peace. Ed has made brief appearances in other books in the Beautiful Creatures world, as he's a half brother to Kir (Enchanting the Wolf) and Blyss (Moonlight and Diamonds). He had a rough upbringing and a difficult relationship with his parents. But clearly, despite being a demon and his sometimes questionable decisions - providing essentials for others - he's a very good guy.

Tamatha Bellerose is a witch who spends most of her time in the archives, surrounded by books. She'd like very much to study a demon and one day, late at night on her way home from work she literally runs into Edamite. It's an awkward encounter and after a strange mixture of a hostility and attraction, they go their separate ways.

Ed is trying to figure out why a coven of zombie witches are killing demons in Paris. He sends his minions (yes, he has minions) to bring him the most powerful witch in Paris, they return with Tamatha. The attraction between the two is still there, confusing to both of them, but undeniable. Also, they need each other for business purposes.

I really enjoyed their story, and seeing how they grew to like each other more and more and how their relationship went from something they intended to be fun and casual to something much deeper. These are two very serious, passionate people, with rough pasts that make falling in love difficult.

I also liked the setting - Paris - and all the magic and spell working in the story. When I go too long without reading a paranormal book, I am reminded of how much I love this kind of setting and world. Hauf creates some of the best paranormal atmospheres, I can easily visualize the magic swirling around the Paris streets she describes so well. Her characters live in a world filled with both light and dark magic, and a wide assortment of powerful creatures, in this case witches with a variety of skills and a demon who can transform into a unkindness of ravens.

Besides the very hot romance in the story, the investigation Ed is conducting provides an interesting story line which adds a few more complications to his and Tamatha's relationship.

Overall, really a great book. Highly recommend if you're a fan of paranormal romance.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Enchanted by the Wolf by Michele Hauf

I liked this book so much. I've been in something of a reading slump lately, not liking anything I've tried to read for the past couple of weeks. So I tossed aside those other books and decided to read something by an author I trust. Since the book doesn't come out until October, I'd been planning to read it sometime in September, but it was very much needed this past week. I started reading after I went to bed last night and kept reading until I finished the book, sometime around 6 a.m.

In the beginning, the story line felt very similar to Her Vampire Husband, which is not really a bad thing because that's one of my favorite books. Like Her Vampire Husband, the story begins with an arranged marriage to strengthen relations between different creatures. In this case, Kir, a werewolf has been asked by his pack leader to marry the daughter of the faery king. Their first meeting is the day of the wedding,and shortly after, they have to "bond" in front of a witness. Something of an awkward beginning to a marriage.

I loved the couple in this book. Early in the story, I didn't think I was going to like Bea. She seemed a little too spoiled and immature, while Kir is so nice. Nice in a sincere way, not a boring "nice guy" way. He's kind and honorable.  Eventually it becomes clear that Bea doesn't know how else to act. She's never known "nice" or any sort of affection. This is a brand new experience for her. She begins to appreciate this husband of hers, who would do anything to make her happy. Bea's never had anyone care about her feelings or her comfort.

Though neither of them were especially pleased with being forced into the marriage, they quickly realize it isn't such a bad arrangement. They have a lot of adjusting to do - to married life, and for Bea, living in a whole new realm. But the more time they spend together and the more they get to know each other, the more they begin to truly care about each other. Kir didn't think it possible to care so much about someone who had so recently been a complete stranger and the only feeling with which Bea is familiar is hate. Seeing how they move past this creates a very nice, very romantic and sexy love story.

While falling in love with each other happens easily enough, everything else in their world seems to be conspiring against them. There's the issue of Bea being only half faery and not knowing what her other half is, or who her mother is. Then there's Kir's mother, or as Bea calls her, the monster-in-law, and she truly is horrible. Also, Kir is struggling with his feelings regarding his relationship with his father, and uncovering some disturbing information about his own pack, causing him to question his beliefs about family.

There's so much happening in this book, once I got started reading it, I couldn't put it down.  It's a fast paced story, with a lot of action and some powerful emotion. Parts of this story broke my heart, but that made the resolution that much sweeter as the characters worked through their obstacles.

Really great book. Highly recommend for fans of paranormal romance. This has got a bit of everything: werewolves, faeries, demons, vampires and a couple of witches.

Expected publication date October 1.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: The Vampire's Fall by Michele Hauf

The Vampire’s Fall is another excellent paranormal romance from Michele Hauf .  In this book, Blade, a sexy, brooding vampire/fairy falls for a woman, Zen, who has lost her memory and all awareness of who and/or what she is.

That I really liked this book is not a big surprise.  A quick glance through my past book reviews and it’s clear that I’m a big fan of Hauf’s writing.  Love her Beautiful Creatures world, full of paranormal creatures such as vampires and werewolves and fairies.  A couple of weeks ago, I read Her Vampire Husband, about Blu and Creed Saint-Pierre, a werewolf who marries a vampire.  After that I read a few novellas about the couple and their family, and then Ghost Wolf – which is about their granddaughter, Daisy Blu.  (I read Moonlight and Diamonds, about Daisy Blu's brother, Stryke before I read any of the other Saint-Pierre books).  Could not get enough of this family and wanted to do nothing but read while I was engrossed in this world.

I was very much looking forward to reading Blade Saint-Pierre’s story because of the hints about him in the other books.

But in the beginning, I was a little worried because the novel started out slow for me.  Usually I’m involved in the story from the first few pages, and this book didn't feel like that to me.  Maybe that was partially because I simply didn't have time to sit down and read for an extended period of time. 

Even when I wasn't sure I was loving the story, I still loved Blade, who was struggling  with a painful past that made it difficult for him to move forward in life.  But Zen, I didn't like much at all, not at first.  I couldn't understand why Blade wanted her and didn't find their attraction very convincing at first. 

I kept reading though, and once Zen’s memories began to return, she developed a more interesting personality.  Once Blade finally began to open up to her and talk more about his past, I felt the story got much more interesting.

By the time I finished the book, I pretty much loved the story.  This book is heavy on vampires and demons and fairies and angels.  The last few I've read have been mostly werewolf stories, so I enjoyed the change – being that vampires are my favorite. 

What really won me over though was the imagery in this story, especially the description of the wings.  I highlighted several passages in hopes of returning to these when I have my sketchbook in hand to try and capture these visuals on paper.  These are such beautiful and powerful scenes, so vividly described, I could see the black wings facing off against the angel as they battled to the death.  And there is one love scene involving fairy wings which is probably one of the hottest, sexiest scenes I've ever read and completely made up for any perceived slowness in the beginning of the story. 

Overall, I thought this was a great book.  I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys paranormal romances.  These are some of the best.

According to Amazon, this book will be released in paperback on May 15 and as an ebook on June 1.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

And just a general comment about these books because I was reading about the Saint-Pierre's, one right after the other - I have been dealing - rather unsuccessfully - with some health issues that are beginning to adversely affect other areas of my life, and these books have been my salvation.  When nothing else in my life was working, I knew I could dive into these books and find a much needed escape.  Books are important.  Fiction is necessary.  And authors who create worlds like this are, at times, more valuable than doctors.   

Review: Moonlight and Diamonds by Michele Hauf

I've always been a fan of paranormal romances, especially those involving vampires and witches.  However, because of Michele Hauf, I'm also starting to become something of a werewolf fan - something I never thought I'd say.

Moonlight and Diamonds is a very nice, sexy romance between a werewolf from Minnesota and a Paris socialite (who is also a werewolf, but takes medication to keep her werewolf tendencies hidden.)  Stryke is in Paris for a family wedding.  He's hoping to enjoy some sightseeing in the city and maybe meet some beautiful Parisian women.  His first night in the city, he attends an art gallery displaying jewelry, and ends up having a quickie with the owner of the gallery, Blyss in the backroom.  Nice way to begin his trip.

Stryke isn't sure what's going on with Blyss, she seems a bit out of his league, being that he considers himself a country boy/wolf from Minnesota and she's what he calls a "glamour girl."  He's especially surprised when he discovers she's a werewolf, and doesn't understand why he didn't realize that sooner.

Blyss' life isn't quite as comfortable as it seems.  She's been spending a lot of money on the medication she takes to suppress her werewolf and now she'd in debt and desperate.  What Stryke doesn't realize at first is that he was being used that first night in part of her attempt to gain some money to pay off her debt.  (She slipped a diamond in his pocket during that quickie, will plans of retrieving it later.)

I admit to being a little bit confused about the details of the theft of the diamond and who wanted it and why.  That's probably my own fault though, because I was much more interested in the developing relationship between Stryke and Blyss.  I liked the way they both started out with such clear ideas about what they wanted in life and how they envisioned their futures, only to be later be willing to rethink things due to their attraction to each other.  Styke was in search of a female werewolf to start a pack of his own, Blyss wanted nothing to do with werewolves.  Rather than one deciding to give up what they wanted, they were each willing to compromise - without being asked to do so.  (I have difficulty believing any scenario in which someone is willing to give up Paris - anyone remember the last episode of Friends? - so I thought this was handled well.)

Michele Hauf writes some of my favorite paranormal romances.  I know I can rely on her books for an enjoyable story. Lots of action, danger and plenty of steamy romance, plus very nice descriptions of Paris.  I love her characters and as I've begun reading more of her books, I especially enjoy seeing characters from other stories popping into these stories.    (I've got quite a few of her older books on my to-read list so I can learn more about some of these characters.)

I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys paranormal romances, especially those involving sexy werewolves in Paris.

Review: Beyond the Moon by Michele Hauf

I liked this book so much.  I started reading it this morning and couldn't put it down until I finished it.  This is the third book of Hauf's I've read, all three books being part of the Company of Vampires series.  I love these stories and these characters.  Vampires, witches, shifters, werewolves and vampire hunters, all living in Paris.

The characters are interesting, the stories are full of danger and romance.  Just the right blend of supernatural, violence and sex.

In this book, Verity, a witch is attacked by vampires and saved by Rook, a vampire hunter.  The two feel an instant connection, which baffles both of them.  Also, this connection they feel seems to be linked to the pendant worn around Verity's neck.  Years ago, acting on some inexplicable compulsion, Verity sensed a soul within a tree, and she carved it out and felt obligated to protect it until she found its owner.  Just so happens, many years ago, Rook made a deal with the devil that involved his soul being taken from him and buried in the ground.

But on the night of the attack, shortly after their initial meeting, the pendant is lost, and Verity is bitten by a vampire.  She has until the full moon to figure out a cure (her attempts at spells aren't working) or hope Rook can stake the vamp who bit her before she transforms.

So this is the story of Rook trying to reclaim his soul, and Verity trying to save hers, all while trying to handle the intense attraction they feel for each other.  Verity has a three date rule, but she figures out fairly quickly she wants more than three dates with Rook.  And discovering Verity is a fire witch, and seeing her perform with fire brings back some terrible memories Rook would rather not revisit.

I don't want to give too much away in this review, because part of what makes the story interesting is the way the backstory is gradually revealed.

Overall, this is a really great book.  I loved both Verity and Rook.
Lots of action, plenty of magic and some very hot sex.  I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys steamy paranormal romances.

Review: The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

I wanted to write a really great review of this book, because it deserves one.  And I wanted to be able to say something other than, "OMG, I loved it!" because you know, that isn't especially intelligent.  And yet.

OMG, I loved it!

I read Discovery of Witches, the first book in the All Souls Trilogy, a few years ago.  I knew nothing about the book.  My library had just gotten the ability to loan kindle books, so I was looking at what was available.  Witches, I like stories about witches, I'll give it a try.

Immediately, I was lost in this world.  A witch and a vampire in Oxford.  Smart and sexy.  Romantic and intelligent.  I loved this book so much.  It's all I could talk about.  Anyone who would listen got lured into, "So, I'm reading this amazing book..."

But I didn't love Shadow of Night, the second book in the series, all that much.  Not a huge fan of time travel, though I've since read much more of it since reading this book, and I was bothered by some of the actions of the characters.  These characters that I loved so much in the first book seemed out of their element in the second book.  Diana busy keeping house and obsessing about getting pregnant and Matthew being a jerk, letting his friends treat Diana horribly.  I didn't understand what was happening.  They didn't feel like the characters I'd loved so much in the first book.  And yet, I knew they were the same, and I still cared about them.  It's a credit to the author to have created characters that can evoke this much emotion - I wouldn't get so upset about characters who didn't matter to me.  I might have been overly harsh about the second book, and I may have read it too quickly.  Though on my attempts to re-read it in preparation for the new book, I kept setting the book aside, getting upset all over again with the characters.  I ended up getting a copy of the audio book, and felt I liked it more that way.

And regardless of whether I liked or loved Shadow of Night, I was so anxious for the third book.  This was going to be the highlight of my summer.  I cheered and danced when I found out I'd been approved for a review copy via NetGalley.  (And I am not the cheering and dancing sort, not at all.  But I was that excited.)

You know how sometimes you want something so bad, and then you get it and it doesn't live up to all your expectations?  Not a problem here!  I loved this book.  Loved it!

For two days, I cut off all ties with the world, crawled in bed and read.  I was immersed in this world with these characters I loved so much, and all was right in the Universe.

Pretty much everything that bothered me about the second book was all gone.  Matthew and Diana are back in present time, he's back in the lab, she's back in the library.  These are the people I fell in love with in the beginning.  They're back to being equals, being two people in love, trying to make their relationship work under very difficult circumstances.  Besides being married and starting a family, they've got all kinds of family issues, and then we've got the congregation that doesn't approve of a relationship between a witch and a vampire.  It's all a mess, but they figure it out, together.  That's what I enjoy so much about this book.  They way they work together.  Nothing is easy for them.  There's all kinds of tough choices and heartbreak, but wow, when they get through all of that, it's pretty great.

I especially enjoyed reading about Diana embracing her powers.  She's full-on witch, unstoppable once she starts to get the hang of all the magic she possesses.  The best part is that she does this, while still maintaining the person she was originally.  This was my biggest worry, that's she set aside her career to be a vampire wife/den mother to Matthew's brood of vampire children, as well as their own children.  I wanted to see her still be her own person.  Plus, I love that Matthew, despite his excessive need to protect her and shield her from all harm, understands that she needs to be her own person, that she can't be his kept doll.  He also fully realizes that he loves her because of her independence and her strength.  Have I mentioned how very much I love this couple?

There were a few moments when I was bothered, when Diana goes on about how with children she'll have to give up her job.  Seriously?  What year is this?  I know they're vampire/witch babies, but you have like 500 immediate family members hovering around you willing to help out all the time if you're not comfortable with the idea of daycare.  (I would, however, like to point out that I liked the way the pregnancy was handled in this book, it was not the main focus of the story, which was a concern of mine before reading this story.  I wouldn't have been able to handle that.)

All the family members start to annoy me after a while also.  Part of me really wishes Diana and Matthew could just go off and have their own life, without dealing with twenty other people every single day.  But that's a personal issues, I'm not a big family person.  There was also a moment in the book when a choice was made that upset me quite a bit, but - no spoilers - in the end, I understood why the decision had been made.

Oh, and one other thing that bothered me so very much, I wanted to pause my reading and dash off a letter to the author or publisher.  When Diana reveals that she's married to a vampire and she's pregnant, her friend says something along the lines of, "That never happened on Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Then a comment is made about Joss Whedon.  Don't throw in these references if you haven't done your research!  There was indeed a vampire pregnancy on Angel, the Buffy spin-off (a Joss Whedon show).  And it was shocking and "oh my god, how is this possible? Vampires can't make babies!" sort of like Diana's pregnancy, oh and sort of like in Twilight and again in the new CW show, The Originals.  A shocking vampire pregnancy that no one thought was possible - not that original.  That's okay, it doesn't have to be, but don't try to act like it is.  Sort of like in Shadow of Night, when Matthew and Diana are talking about vampire fiction - like it's so different from their story, and really, it isn't.  Diana's telling him about the books, and she's pretty much describing him.  Oh well, not a big deal, but I'm a big Buffy fan, so that irked me a bit.

Anyway, I loved the book.  Those are minor issues, but I felt I should mention them to prove I'm not a blindly loving fan girl.  Over the past few weeks, after finishing, I'm almost jealous of those who haven't read it yet.  I think I may just read it again, at the same time as everyone else so I can join in the discussions.  I'm sure that like before, I read it too quickly.  Or maybe I'll wait until October and re-read the entire trilogy again.  Or listen to it.  That might be a nice way to spend the daily commute.

I most certainly recommend this book, especially to anyone who has read the first two books in the series.  This was well worth the wait.  If you haven't read the series and you're a fan of stories about vampires and witches, then you should, especially now that all three books are available.

Part of me hopes there will be more books about these characters, but at the same time, I think I'd be bothered by a story in which Diana and Matthew weren't the central characters.  I think of the Outlander series and how much I dislike the addition of all the extra story lines that take away time from Jamie and Claire.  I don't want to see that happen with these characters.  But I have enough trust in Deborah Harkness that I'll read whatever novel she writes next.

Pre-review of The Book of Life

Let’s consider this my pre-review of Book of Life by Deborah Harkness, as I’ve been asked to not post a real review until the book is released on July 15.  I’m okay with that because it’s going to take me a while to put together something  a bit more intelligent than, “OMG, I loved it!  You must read this!”  That being said, I did love it, and you really should read it.  But anyway, I digress.

Instead of telling you about the book right now, I’m going to instead tell you about how much I wanted to read this book:

Sunday afternoon, I had a strange, horrible pain in my head.  I have headaches and migraines all the time, but this was something different.  This felt as if there were something small burrowing its way through my head.  For about twenty minutes, I was convinced I was dying.  I thought maybe it was a stroke or aneurysm.  I imagined that the burrowing I felt was a blood clot moving through my head, ready to shut down my brain.  I know this all sounds a bit melodramatic, but it was really bad.

I wondered if this was the sort of pain that I should call 911 about, but decided against that because I wasn’t entirely sure of the location of my insurance card.  And even with insurance, if I survived the pain, I’d wish I was dead after I got the hospital bills.  So I remained on my bed, in the dark, unable to move, my head hurting so much, death would have been welcome at that point.

My life sort of flashed before me.  You know, the way it does when you’re on an airplane and the turbulence is so intense, you’re convinced you’re never going to see land again.  You start making mental lists of things you should have done, meant to do, wish you hadn’t put off until later, grimacing about all the loose ends you never got around to tying up.  Everyone does that, right?  It isn’t just me, is it?  Whatever. Anyway.

As I waited for the end, preparing those lists, I’m glad to say I don’t have a lot of items on my list.  And that’s by design.  I make a point of doing what I want to do, rather than waiting for someday.  So that’s all good.  I’ve traveled, I’ve met people, I’ve done things. 

The first big regret that popped into my aching head:  Damn it, I’m never going to find out what happens to Diana and Matthew. 

Seriously, people, that’s what I thought.  And it upset me, because oh, to wait so long, only to have my head burst a month before the book is released. 

I love these characters so much.  Also, I’d recently finished listening to Shadow of Night, the second book in the trilogy, and so they’ve been very much on my mind.

Well, obviously, I didn’t die.  That was on Sunday, and now we’re in the early hours of Thursday morning and I seem very much alive.  I have no idea what caused that pain in my head.  Even after the initial pain passed, I remained on the bed for a couple of hours, afraid to move.  And my head is still sore in that particular spot and sometimes I have a twinge of sharp pain, but clearly, whatever it was wasn’t life ending. 

But my head is not the important part of this story.  I’m sharing this story to demonstrate that sometimes magic happens.  Sometimes the Universe listens and understands just how much you want something and the Goddess decides to smile on you.

Monday afternoon, I was checking my email and saw an email from NetGalley saying I’d been approved to receive an advance copy of Book of Life.  I was in my bedroom when I read this.  I cheered loudly – in my empty house – and then I’m pretty sure I skipped/ran down the hall to get to my computer to accept the book and have it sent to my Kindle.  Then I spent the next two days reading.  

You know how sometimes you want something so bad, and then you get it and it isn’t that great? – not the case here!  Instead, it was every bit as great as I’d hoped, maybe even better – and I had very high hopes.  Such a good book. 

I finished reading it Tuesday night.  Then I spent Wednesday in a bit of a daze, wondering what I’m supposed to do next.  Already missing these characters.  But it’s okay, because I can revisit them when I want, I know where they are – stored safely on my kindle.  Plus, I’ve got some pretty big travel plans in the near future - like next week - that will allow me to visit the areas where the story took place – Oxford, London, France. 

But yes, point of all this being, my life is now complete, for the moment at least.  And in my mind, it makes the title, Book of Life, seem even more appropriate.  

Actual review to be posted July 15.  

Review: Temptation in Shadows by Gena Showalter

A couple of summers ago, I was wanting to read more paranormal romance.    The book I wanted wasn't available at the library, so I decided to try Gena Showalters' Lords of the Underworld series, and I was hooked immediately.  I read the whole series - I think there were nine books at the time - one right after the other.  Loved them.  This was sort of the beginning of my return to reading romance novels.

But I haven't enjoyed Gena's latest books.  I don't know if they changed or if my tastes changed.  Temptation in Shadows being an older story, I assumed I'd like it, but I really didn't like it all that much.

It's a novella, only about 80 pages, and for something that short, I expect the focus to be on romance.  But there was quite a bit about some underground society who were turning people's brains into computers.  It's been a while since I read this, so I don't recall the details.  Also, I'm not even sure I understood exactly what was happening while I read the story.  I think it may have been a little too complicated for a novella.

Also, I didn't feel as if the romance was all that well developed.  There was no real explanation as to why they were attracted to each other.  We're just told they are, and then they're in love.  Okay.

But still, for a novella, a quick real that doesn't require much emotional involvement, this story worked just fine.  I turn to stories like this when I need to escape a long read that's dragging or I can't decide what big book I want to dive into next.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Grave Destinations by Lori Sjoberg

Last year, Lori Sjoberg’s Grave Intentions was one of my favorite paranormal romances, so I was very glad to see that Grave Destinations, another book in that series was available. 

This book would read fine as a stand alone, it isn’t necessary to have read the first book – but you should anyway because it’s really good.  The characters from the first book are mentioned briefly but don’t play major roles in the story.  Ruby, the reaper in the book, was also mentioned a bit in the first book, but again, not anything essential to understanding this story.

Anyway, Ruby is a reaper.  In order to pay for her sins, she has to retrieve souls and send them on their way in cases of unnatural deaths.  She’s on a cruise ship – and she hates boats – but she has to be where her orders send her to be.  But then people start dying who were not part of her original orders.  She has to call in for backup and needs to figure out who is causing these deaths.

Also, while on the cruise she meets a guy, a very attractive guy, who happens to have a demon inside of him.  He’s on the cruise in hopes of meeting with a woman on an island who can remove the demon from inside of him.

What I really enjoy about these books is the chemistry between the characters.  In the beginning, the two are both perfectly okay with just having a casual fling, but as they get to know each other, things begin to change.  Plus, these characters are all kinds of sexy and steamy, long before they make it to the bedroom. 

hese characters actually develop a relationship, and readers are able to see them falling for each other.

Also, I loved Ruby.  Strong, independent minded female characters are essential for me to thoroughly enjoy a book, and Ruby is awesome.  She’s tough and confident, knows what she wants from a guy. 

I very much recommend this book to fans of paranormal romances: a good mystery, plenty of actions, sexy characters.  Fun, enjoyable read.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: A Vampire's Christmas Carol by Cynthia Eden

A while back, I decided I would begin my holiday reading a little earlier this year.  I always stock up on holiday reads, and then never get around to half of them because I tend to wait until the beginning of the winter break to start reading them.  So this year, I decided I would begin reading nothing but Christmas stories after Thanksgiving.  And then, after making that statement, I added that I was doing this to turn my brain to candy – because maybe that would make the holidays more tolerable.

Having spent the week of thanksgiving binging on Cynthia Eden’s Mine series, I decided to begin my Christmas reads with her novella, A Vampire’s Christmas Carol.  In terms of candy, I would consider it delicious, sinful dark chocolate, with just a hint of peppermint.  (And in case you haven’t guessed, dark chocolate with peppermint is my favorite holiday indulgence.)

I love vampire stories, especially when the vampires are tormented and guilt-ridden, angry and desperate and broken-hearted.  I don’t like boring vampires, I like them hot and sexy and Ben, in Vampire’s Christmas Carol is very hot and sexy and angry at the whole world because of all he’s lost.

As indicated by the title, the story is a twist on Dickens’s Christmas Carol.  Ben, a vampire who hates Christmas, is visited by a demon to show him his past, an angel to show him the present, and a shifter to provide him a view to his possible future. 

After becoming a vampire, Ben lost the love of his life, the woman with whom he’d planned to spend forever, and it was around Christmas time.  He’s been angry ever since.  This particular Christmas, he’s in a place called Desolate.  He thinks he’s doing the right thing by killing people he feels don’t deserve to live.  But the ghosts of Christmas are about to show him the error of his ways and the things he’s missed through his haze of anger. 

I really enjoyed this story.  Not too sappy or simple.  Had the perfect mix of danger and emotion and romance.  And did I mention hot and sexy? Yeah, I think I probably did.  It was short, easy to read in one sitting.  Definitely marking this as one of my favorite holiday stories, one I can return to when I need a guaranteed good, steamy read with a nice holiday message. 

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Demon's Daughter by Paula Altenburg

I almost skipped over this book because, despite the hot guy on the cover, it made me think “cowboy” and, in general, I don’t like cowboys. But the title intrigued me because I do like demon stories. (That’s right, I don’t like cowboys, but I do like demons.) I decided to give it a try and I’m glad I did.

This isn’t a typical old west setting. This is set way into the future, long after civilization as we know it has ended, every once in a while they stumble upon ruins left over from our current world. Goddesses came to this world, followed by demons, and then the goddesses left and somewhere along the way, the world devolved, returning back to its “old west” like ways. Now the people in Freetown live on the edge of the desert, following the orders of a former priestess, in hopes of having some protection from the demons that remained after the goddesses departed.

Hunter is the demon slayer, who possesses an amulet that protects him against demons. He’s hired by the priestess to capture a woman the priestess claims is demon spawn. He doesn’t trust the priestess, knowing of her hatred for women, but he knows if he doesn’t take the job, someone else will. He can’t handle the idea of an innocent woman handed over to the priestess.

But once he meets Airie, his ideas of innocent and guilty become muddled.

Hunter’s instinct is to kill demons, but he can’t bring himself to kill Airie. Even though the fire in her eyes reveals she’s part demon, he’s also seen that she has the ability to heal, cares about people and has a deep respect for life. He’s with her when the priestess who raised her dies, and the mountain she called home is destroyed. He feels obligated to watch over her, at least until he can figure out a better solution.

He isn’t sure what to do, and he’s afraid that his feelings toward her are nothing more than the lure of a demon. The romance between the two takes a while to build. The attraction is instant, but Hunter goes back and forth between wanting her and hating that she’s a demon. At times I found this a bit frustrating, but because they took a while to figure out their feelings for each other, their relationship felt more believable.

I liked that Airie was such a strong character. She’s always ready to fight when necessary to protect herself and those she cares about, and is never content to stand back and let others defend her. She’s a bit naïve, but not at all stupid. She’s aware of her limitations and understands there is much about the world she doesn’t know.

A few things did bother me about this book. There are so many people telling lies and keeping secrets, I had moments when I couldn’t even remember what the truth was. It was late at night/early in the morning and maybe I was having reading comprehension problems, but I recall one paragraph saying Airie’s birth caused the fire on the mountain and about two sentences later, it says the Demon Lord caused the fire and he was completely unaware of Airie’s birth. So how did her birth cause the fire? And near the end, when Airie has to make a choice about who she wants to be – goddess or demon – I wasn’t entirely certain I understood her options. I re-read one page a few times and then decided to just move forward and accept that it was complicated.

Also, I felt like there was a very intense love story there between the Demon Lord and the Goddess and as I was reading the book, I kept hoping more would be revealed about them. Maybe a prequel? I would really like a Goddess/Demon love story.

Overall though, I enjoyed this book. It’s a different take on the ideas of demons and goddesses.  This is the first book in a series called Demon Outlaws and I’m looking forward to the next book.

Review: Beauty Awakened by Gena Showalter

I was so eager to read Gena Showalter’s Beauty Awakened, the second book in her Angels of the Dark series, which is a spin-off of the Lords of the Underworld.

I read all nine of the Lords of the Underworld books this summer, one right after the other and was completely addicted.  I followed that with Wicked Nights, the first Angel of the Dark book, and was so sad when I realized it would be months before another book in either of the series was released.

 

When the gorgeous cover of Beauty Awakened was revealed, I was sure this book was going to be amazing.

But this book wasn’t amazing.  This book was not at all what I expected.  It wasn’t that I entirely disliked the story, but it wasn’t the story I was hoping to read.  It’s interesting and I am still fascinated by the world Showalter has created, but I’d been hoping for a return to the hot, sexy, steaminess I discovered this summer with the Lords of the Underworld.  Unfortunately, this book left me cold. 

I was uncomfortable with the heavy religious tone of this book.  There was so much talk about requesting assistance from the “Most High” and forgiveness and joy.  I got the impression this book was more about ideas, and less about the characters.  The two sisters in this book (they call themselves La La and Co Co, which made me cringe every time I read that) were born with weak hearts, but can supposedly be cured by being less fearful and adding more joy into their lives.  I found that a little offensive to the medical community or to anyone who has suffered from a heart condition.

My biggest issue though was the level of graphic violence in this book. In the Lords of the Underworld books, the violence is present, but it's implied, for example, you know Paris and Aeron are downstairs torturing hunters, but the details aren’t provided.  In this book, the violence is explicit, every cut, every drop of blood, every lash of the whip is explained in detail, but the sex is implied.   Why is that so often the case with religion?  Lots of violence and death and doom, but stay away from the sex, because you know, that's bad.  Sorry, but I very much prefer explicit sex to explicit violence.

I wouldn’t say this is a bad book and I feel so guilty giving this a bad review because I consider myself such a big fan.  But overall, I found it disappointing and feel as though this wasn’t written for the same fan base as Showalter’s earlier books.  That’s fine, an author should write what she feels the need to write.  But I wish there had been some sort of warning.  The sexy cover and the description is misleading in that it gives no indication that this book is so very different from what she usually writes.  It was as if the sexy book weekend I had planned morphed into a grim, violent church sermon, and that’s not my idea of fun times. 

A book boyfriend for Valentine's Day

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’m going to share some of my book boyfriends with you.  These guys are everything you could possibly want in a guy, and you don’t have to clean up after them or cook for them or deal with any of the icky stuff associated with real men.   

So here goes…

First and foremost, Heathcliff, from Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.

This is the man who ruined me for all men - real or fictional.  He may seem cruel and possessive and angry all the time, but he loved Catherine with an intensity that knew no limits.  He may have given the impression that he hated everyone, but he worshipped Cathy.  She was everything that mattered to him.  When he lost her, he lost everything, including his soul, and to prove it, he created a hell on earth for those he believed responsible for taking her from him.  For anyone who wants to argue that it was an unhealthy obsession or abusive or whatever, let me remind you that Cathy felt the same for him.  She was in a difficult situation and wrongly believed she had no choice but to marry another – someone more suitable – thinking that with her marriage of convenience, she could also provide for Heathcliff.  Heathcliff’s love was not unrequited, but rather terribly inconvenient.  Cathy wanted him as much as he wanted her, but times were different then.  Despite her love for him, she couldn’t just run off with the orphan boy her father had adopted.  Heathcliff took off in the night after hearing Cathy say they could never be together, but he didn’t hear the whole story.  He was young and foolish and acted impulsively.  But whatever he did, he did it out of his love for Cathy. 

“If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.” -- Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights

 

To love someone like that, to be loved like that.  I read this as a teenager and it’s the standard by which I hold all other love stories.  It may wrong and silly of me, but whatever.

Recently though, I discovered a more current book boyfriend which comes awful close to rivaling Heathcliff.  Matthew Clairmont of Deborah Harkness’ Discovery of Witches.  He’s a fellow of All Souls College at Oxford, a geneticist who spends a lot of time doing research in a lab, plus he knows all about wine and does yoga, not to mention he has a castle in France, and yeah, he’s a vampire (shut up, I’ve always had a thing for vampires), and he’s in love with a witch.  Vampires aren’t supposed to love witches, he’s risking everything, bringing about what could be a war between creatures in order to pursue his love for this witch.  And he’s so sexy, tall and beautiful, and so very, very smart.  They met in a library, not just any library, the Bodleian in Oxford.  Good grief people, this is like the story I would write if someone asked me to set up the perfect love story.

He’s got his flaws.  He has something of a temper and a tendency to be a bit of a chauvinist – blame it on his advanced age.  But he adores Diana, who is fierce and independent and has no problem putting him in his place when he gets a bit too old- fashioned with his views about women. 

“My ideas about vampires may be romantic, but your attitudes toward women need a major overhaul,” Diana says to him at one point.

The only thing I really disliked about Matthew was his family.  Too much family: the mom and the brothers and the vampire son.  But I suppose that’s a minor inconvenience.

As far as I'm concerned, this guy is pretty much perfect, and no man can ever come close to being this amazing.  So I just keep re-reading this book.  I’ve marked my favorite passages, and on days when I hate the world, I get out the Kindle and re-read my favorite parts.  Yeah, I know, I'm kind of pathetic.

 

A few other book boyfriends worth a mention – oh, and be warned, I tend to prefer my men to be of the non-human, supernatural variety:

You can’t go wrong with any of Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld.  I read the entire series this summer, and at this moment, I can’t recall exactly how many Lords there are, but there are nine books. (I’m going to guess maybe eleven or twelve Lords?)  There’s bound to be one that suits your pleasure. 

Punished by the gods centuries ago, they’re literally battling demons within themselves.  Each possesses a different demon, and each has their own unique struggles associated with their particular demon.  What I like about the Lords is that while they are tough and ruthless warriors when necessary, who never hesitate to destroy the bad guys, they're nice and generous and always take the time to make sure the women they love are happy.

 My favorites were Reyes (The Darkest Pleasure) who fell in love with an artist and Aeron (The Darkest Passion), who fell in love with an angel.  (Complete truth: I just noticed that.  Kind of awkward.)

I’m not a big fan of “bad boys.”  If a guy wants to be rude and horrible, he can be on his way.  I have no patience in real life or fiction for trying to redeem a bad boy.  I like the nice guys.  Of course, I still want them big and strong with the potential to create major destruction when danger is near.  But ultimately, I want them to be good guys and I want them to appreciate the women in their lives.  That’s what I find with the Lords of the Underworld.

 

A few other books with boyfriend worthy heroes:

I adored Nathaniel in Hailey Edward’s Soul Weaver.  He’s a fallen angel who suffered so much loss in his attempts to save his family.  Then he meets Chloe who is having such a difficult time with life.  And he’s so sweet to her.  I loved this guy.  (And I’ve noticed the ebook is only 2.99 on amazon.com – so if you want to spend your Valentine’s Day with Nate, three dollars is a great deal.)

Then there’s Alan in Karen Michelle Nutt’s Magic of the Loch.  Who would have guessed the Loch Ness monster would be so sexy?  Again, he can shift into a big, scary monster with the potential to create all kinds of havoc, but with Michaela, he’s kind and gentle.  Loved him so much.  (This ebook is .99 on amazon.  If you like romance novels, get this book.  It’s so good.)

Another guy that I liked quite a bit in a book I recently read is David in Lori Sjoberg’s Grave Intentions.  He’s a grim reaper.  Scary, right?  But actually, he's really nice.  He’s had a tough life, or rather, afterlife, I guess, but when he falls for Sarah, suddenly his life is worth living again.  He's one of those guys you read about and think, wow, I want someone just like that.  Well, not a grim reaper, but you get the idea.

And if supernatural isn’t your thing, I’ve got one name for you:  Braden Carmichael.  He’s the hero of On Dublin Street and oh, damn, he’s sexy.  On some level, he may not even fit into my whole “nice guy” requirement, but he gets there eventually.  You quickly realize he’s not quite the jerk he appears to be in the beginning. He’s used to getting what he wants, but he doesn’t flaunt what he has.  (Without going too far off topic, I just want to say I hate this whole “billionaire” trend in romances.  Throwing your money around to impress someone isn’t sexy, it’s gross, but despite Braden being wealthy and successful, I didn’t get that vibe with him.  He doesn’t use his money as a means to obtain power over Joss.)  Suffice it to say, he's hot, very hot, and I say that as someone who usually finds non-paranormal romances to be kind of blah.    

So, no reason to spend your Valentine's Day alone or disappointed with some guy who doesn't understand you or bores the hell out of you.  There are plenty of book boyfriends to pick from.  These are just a few of my favorites.  They seldom disappoint.

Review: Blood of the Sorceress by Maggie Shayne

I loved this book, absolutely loved this book. Before I read it, I didn’t think it was possible for it to live up to Daughter of the Spellcaster – which I thought was amazing. But it did. I couldn’t put this book down once I started reading it.

Blood of the Sorceress has everything I need in a book – plenty of action, good versus evil, some very intense, steamy romance, and it’s all wrapped up in magic – lots of magic.

This is the third book in Maggie Shayne’s The Portal Series. Everything that happened in the first two books has been building up to this book. After 3,500 years, Demetrius has escaped the Portal, and now Lilia has to convince him to reclaim his soul. The problem is, Demetrius doesn’t remember the past they shared, and as convincing as Lilia may sound, he’s afraid she may be using magic to persuade him.

I really liked these characters and was glad to see that the characters from the first two books in the series play a significant role in this book. These women – all witches — are strong and fierce, capable of taking care of themselves and determined to protect the people they love. The men help out, quite a bit, but they know who has the powers. There’s a scene when two of the sisters are trying to rescue the other sister, and their husbands are with them. They’re about to walk into a potentially dangerous situation, and one of the husbands says something along the lines of, “I know you’re the super witches, but would you please let us walk in first?” I thought that line summed up the relationship between the men and the women fairly well.

Strong women, and men who respect their strength – whether it’s mental, emotional, natural or supernatural — are pretty much essential for me to love a book. This book does well in that area.
   
And while this book is entertaining and exciting, there’s also a much deeper meaning to all of this.
Demetrius has a big decision to make. If he accepts the final piece of his soul, held by Lilia, he becomes human again, and sacrifices his immortality. As an immortal, he’s powerful and wealthy and can have whatever he wants, he’s only living sort of a half-life – he derives no pleasure from his senses: food all tastes the same, he’s unable to view things as beautiful, he feels no pain, but also no great joy. He likes the idea of living forever and having super powers, he likes the idea of never having to feel guilt or loss, but as he grows closer to Lilia, and she shows him bits of what he’s missing, he’s not sure if immortality is worth never being able appreciate beauty or humor or love.

I’ve been recommending the books in this series to all of my friends. I really enjoyed reading these books and I’m hoping there will be future books with these same characters.

I received a review copy of this book through Netgalley. Blood of the Sorceress will be released on January 22, 2013.

Review: Daughter of the Spellcaster by Maggie Shayne

This review was originally posted on Brazen Reads:  http://brazenreads.com/review-daughter-of-the-spellcaster-by-maggie-shayne/

I loved this book. I figured I would like it. I really liked the first book in The Portal series, Mark of the Witch. But the second book in the series, Daughter of the Spellcaster was even better. Once I started it, I didn’t want to put it down for any reason at all. I was reading it on the plane while traveling on Thanksgiving morning. Once I reached my destination, even though I’d not seen my family in a while, I guiltily kind of wanted them to leave me alone until I could finish reading. (When the plane landed I was more than 80% into the story, so I only had a little bit left. I wouldn’t have been asking that much of them to leave me alone for a few more minutes.) I took my Kindle to the dinner table when we sat down for Thanksgiving dinner. I liked the book that much.

The story drew me in from the very beginning. The action starts right away, with Lena learning about the death of her former client, who was also the father of her former lover. The background information is revealed as needed in bits and pieces as the story progresses.

Lena was born a witch, was raised by her mother, who is a witch, and at an early age she saw visions of her true love, her prince, as she was certain he was. Her mother, thinking she was too young to see such a strong vision, brushed this off as being part of an overactive imagination – and the result of it being the summer Aladdin was released. But when, as an adult, Lena meets Ryan, she’s certain she’s found her prince.

But Ryan has no interest in being anyone’s prince. He watched his dad fall apart after his mom’s death and decided he would do everything possible to make sure he never cared about anyone so much that a loss would destroy him like that. However, he’s confused by his feelings when Lena disappears from his life without any explanation. He’s even more confused about what he wants when Lena shows up at his father’s funeral, eight months pregnant.

As much as Lena wants to win the heart of the man she feels she was destined to be with, she is determined to do so on her own terms. She’s not going to trap him into a relationship. She’s strong and independent, which is largely why Ryan is drawn to her. Well, that, and the fact that they were lovers in another lifetime a few thousand years ago.

I liked both of these characters so much and found myself feeling anxious about them working things out. There were times when the situation seemed so obvious to the reader, it was a little frustrating to see the characters still so hesitant to trust each other. Granted they were in some pretty stressful situations, so it wasn’t totally irrational that they would have doubts.

As if relationships aren’t complicated enough under normal circumstances, they’re also trying to figure out the significance of the magical tools left to each of them by Ryan’s father, as well as fight against a demon-like force who wants their baby. The story had hints of Rosemary’s Baby, but not in a bad way, more like a classic creepy sort of way. This book was very scary in parts, which is why I felt compelled to read it without stopping. I couldn’t set the book down and walk away when the characters were in such dangerous situations.

As was the case with Mark of the Witch, I very much enjoy the way Shayne writes about witchcraft. Her knowledge of the Craft gives the story power and makes it feel authentic. This book in particular though, it makes me want to believe in magic and true love that survives for centuries and withstands death.

Even though Daughter of the Spellcaster is the second book in Maggie Shayne’s The Portal series, I think it would read fine as a stand-alone. Having read the first book and prequel, Legacy of the Witch, I did have a fairly clear understanding as to what was happening – even before any of it made sense to the characters in the book. I recommend reading the entire series, because I think they’re great books, and I’m very much looking forward to reading the next book.