When Wolves Collide

Rating: 5/5

Review: I had no doubt that I would love this book, and I wasn't dissapointed. Elena is still one of my all-time favorite characters. She is tough, cunning, beautiful, brave, and even has a great since of humor. Her mate, Clayton, isn't bad either. As usual, Armstrong keeps the action going from beginnging to end, and adds a few intense scenes just to keep her readers on the edge of their seats. All I can say is, please keep them coming.

Book Description: Being the only female werewolf has it's advantages, such as having her pick from the Otherworld's most desirable males. And Elena Michaels couldn't have picked a more dangerously sexy and undyingly loyal mate than Clayton Danvers. Now their bond will be put to the ultimate test as they follow a bloody trail of gruesome slayings into the Alaskan wilderness.

Close, But No Cigar

Rating: 3/5

Review: This certainly had the potential of being an excellent book, but it really fell short for me. There were some exciting moments, but they were spaced too far apart, which, combined with long historical descriptions, completely slowed the book down. It got so sluggish, in fact, that I had a hard time getting to the end. By the time I did actually get there, I didn't even care about the big secret any more. If you're really into the history of the Masons, then you will enjoy this book. If not, you may find it mildly entertaining and even a little tiresome.

Book Description: As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object -- artfully encoded with five symbols -- is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation . . . one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon -- a prominent Mason and philanthropist -- is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations -- all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.

Romance, Adventure, and Intrigue.

Rating: 5/5

Review: This book takes off like a shot, and doesn't let go for one second. It's full of adventure, excitment, and a little bit of romance. Katsa is a wonderfully intriguing character, who is tough as nails, but extremely loyal and caring to those she loves. In fact, all of the characters in this book were a joy to read about. They were as diverse as the seven kingdoms of which the author describes. There are certain people, like Katsa, who are born with an amazing skill. Along with this skill comes strange colored eyes, for which the people with "graces" are known. Katsa finds out about her "grace" in a terrible way, and at a young age. Her uncle, King Randas, has used her to exert his power over the kingdom ever since. She develops a reputation that puts fear into people far and wide. It comes to the point, however, when she realizes that she doesn't have to bend to her her uncle's will any longer. That's when things start to get very exciting. From a chance encounter to a handsome prince, to a horrendous trek across treacherous mountains, this book is a fantastic gift that just keeps on giving.

Book Description:
Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight--she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug.When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po's friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace--or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Stormy Weather

Rating: 5/5

Review: What a wild ride this was! I absolutely loved this book. Admittedly, it did take me a couple of chapters before I was completely hooked, but once I was...wow! I loved the main character, Joanna, who is a powerful weather warden. She can control storms, water, and wind. There are plenty of other intriguing characters to enjoy too, however, such as the mysterious David. There are some wonderfully intense moments, a couple of very sensual moments, and a twist at the end that completely blew me away. I cannot wait to devour the next book in the series!

Book Description: Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden. Usually, all it takes is a wave of her hand to tame the most violent weather. But now, she's trying to outrun another kind of storm: accusations of corruption and murder. So, she's resorting to the very human tactic of running for her life... Her only hope is Lewis, the most powerful warden known. Unfortunately, he's stolen not one but three bottles of Djinn-making him the most wanted man on earth. Still, she's racing hard to find him-before the bad weather closes in fast...

Side Effects Suck

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: Another fast-paced novel by McMann, but this one has a little more depth. There are actual paragraphs for one thing. For another, there's more intensity and a lot more character interaction. Janie is getting better at controlling her ability, but there are some nasty side effects that she has to look forward to according to her mentor's journal. She going to go completely blind, which has already started to happen. She's going to lose the use of her hands. She can never drive again, unless she doesn't care about killing innocent people. The only way she can avoid the blindness and crippled hands would be to isolate herself completely. To top things off, she's working on a case with Cabel and Captain that could push her completely over the edge. There's a sexual predator at the high school, and it's Janie's uncomfortable job of fishing him out. She's definitely way in over her head here, and I was actually getting increasingly worried for her. I like Janie, she has a good head on her shoulders, and she's very spunky, but she needs to learn what she can and can't handle. McMann has a great ability to keep her readers hooked and begging for more.

Book Description: Janie and Cabel have a dangerous new assignment. At their high school, rumors are rampant that teachers are using date-rape drugs on students. Called in to investigate, the pair tap into the nightmares of a troubled female classmate. Alarmed by what they discover, they decide to probe deeper, using Janie as bait. This extreme strategy endangers Janie, but as they soon discover, that's only the half of it….

Dream Trespasser

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: This is a super fast read. I don't recall seeing this style of writing before, either. The author has written out the story in very clipped sentences, and I don't think there is a single paragraph in the whole book. It works very well, though, and has certainly made me crave for more. Janie is a teenager who unwillingly gets sucked into other people's dreams. Most of the time, it's just someone's embarassing fears or fantasies, but sometimes they are very scary nightmares. This story seemed more like a very long introduction or prologue, so I am very curious what will take place in the next book. Will Janie get control of her dream power? Will she develop new powers? Will she and Cabel have a lasting relationship? How will she handle college? What kind crime will she help bring to justice next? I can assure you that I am very anxious to find out.

Book Description:

Not all dreams are sweet.
For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.
She can't tell anybody about what she does — they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control.
Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant....

Vampirism in Small Town America

Rating: 5/5

Review: The small town of Jerusalem's Lot has an unwanted guest, they just don't know it. This was only King's second book, and it sure shows exactly why he is one of the greatest authors of all time. He puts you right there in the scene every time, and he is a master at causing chills to run down his readers' backs. The slow decent of this town into chaos drips with suspense and dreaded expectation. The lead character, Ben Mears, is a writer who has had serious tragedy in is life. He's also experienced something terrifying in his home town when he was a kid. The Marsten House, who could also be called a main character, is the source of this childhood terror and the new evil that has come to town. The real on the edge of your seat thrills don't really start until the last few chapters, but everything leading up to it is well worth the ride.

Book Description: 'Salem's Lot is a small New England town with white clapboard houses, tree-lined streets, and solid church steeples. That summer in 'salem's Lot was a summer of homecoming and return; spring burned out and the land lying dry, crackling underfoot. Late that summer, Ben Mears returned to 'salem's Lot hoping to cast out his own devils and found instead a new, unspeakable horror. A stranger had also come to the Lot, a stranger with a secret as old as evil, a secret that would wreak irreparable harm on those he touched and in turn on those they loved. All would be changed forever: Susan, whose love for Ben could not protect her; Father Callahan, the bad priest who put his eroded faith to one last test; and Mark, a young boy who sees his fantasy world become reality and ironically proves the best equipped to handle the relentless nightmare of 'Salem's Lot. This is a rare novel, almost hypnotic in its unyielding suspense, which builds to a climax of classic terror. You will not forget the town of 'salem's Lot nor any of the people who used to live there.