Review: Up From the Grave

Up From the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I am so sad to see this series come to a close, but this was a wonderful way to do it. Yes, there is a lot of Cat and Bones mayhem, misunderstandings, murder, and sizzling sexy times. It’s everything you want in a Night Huntress novel, except that it’s the last one.

This story picks up with Cat and Bones giving a shot at being “normal.” It continues the theme from the previous short story, which really should have warned Cat it wouldn’t last long. Her ghost uncle (Don) shows up with concerning news about her old team. Cat and Bones jump right into the thick of things by going after the evil new boss demanding answers. Ian (once again) becomes one of my favorites by helping Cat and Bones in ways that only Ian can – by being lecherous and slutty. It’s always nice to watch these characters interact.

The gang’s detective work ends up discovering a genetic engineering operation, backed by Don’s evil replacement and supplied test subjects by Cat’s old teammates. The rest of the book goes exactly how you’d expect – lots of action, lots of sexy times, and a good dose of surprises. Just when you think you know the group dynamic, we get thrown for another loop. While I’m sad to see the end of this wonderful series, I really enjoyed the way the author wrapped things up. This book reads like the rest of the series because it is just another chapter in their lives. Sure, this one ends with them going away, but I wasn’t nearly as sad as I thought I’d be. I’m happy that we still have Vlad and his friends floating around so I can enjoy this author still, but it makes me even happier that we didn’t get some horrible bloodbath or something equally distressing. Thanks for a really great read!




View all my reviews

Review: Home for the Holidays

Home for the Holidays by Jeaniene Frost

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



It always amazes me how quickly the Night Huntress world can suck me back in. All the characters are so engaging and addictive that I put off reading this short and the following book because I knew they were the last in the series. These characters will be sorely missed.

This story is set during the holidays (obviously) where Cat mistakenly believes she can have a nice “normal” holiday with all of their friends. A surprise visit by someone who claims to be Bones’s long lost brother (who also just happens to be a vampire) sets of a chain of events that almost ends in tons of death and destruction. Cat is one of the few unaffected by the mystery man’s mojo that seems to have wrapped all the incredibly strong vampires around his little pinky. She, Denise, and Ian (the most unlikely ally, always) manage to formulate a plan to get their friends and lovers back and out of harm’s way.

I admit, this story was almost as good as a full length book, with the action at extremes and the risks super high. Ian was a surprise highlight of this story and somehow forced me to begin enjoying his company. Who knew? All in all, this is a must read (especially for further connections?) for all Night Huntress fans.




View all my reviews

Review: Ashes and Arsenic

Ashes and Arsenic by S.M. Reine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ready for the same womanizing, magic allergic, OPA agent you’ve come to know as Cesar Hawke? We go back into his head in this installment of the series, diving back into a twisty-turny world where you can’t trust anyone, especially not your employer.

Cesar is temporarily in charge while Fritz is traveling and it’s gone to his head. Taking the lesser of two evils, he assigns himself to a bank robbery that he assumes will be relatively easy to solve. Unfortunately it ends up throwing him into an investigation that involves his “reformed” delinquent brother, sneaky women, his family’s shady magic past, and lots of paranoia. Seeing his brother on the security video should have easily meant that he was the bank robber, right? Well, in a world of magic, illusion can be used to do a lot of things. Cesar is forced to reassess everything he thinks he knows as oodles of secrets and lies come to light.

While I don’t particularly like the things that Cesar thinks, or the way he acts, or his blind spots for family and women, he’s still a pretty good investigator. Somehow, while bumbling around, getting kidnapped, and making incorrect assumptions, he ends up solving all the mysteries. It must be a combination of luck and magic. I don’t know why, but I can’t stop reading Cesar’s tale.




View all my reviews

Review: Frost Burned

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I came right out of the previous Alpha & Omega book and directly into this Mercy book. After the somewhat stunning turn of events, the world has obviously changed and Mercy has to deal with the repercussions. Mercy really shows how tough she is in this book, if there was any doubt about it.

The story begins with Black Friday shopping and a glimpse into the great relationship Mercy has with Adam’s daughter, Jesse. This nice family moment is interrupted by a panicky feeling, a car accident, and a cryptic text from Bran. All the wolves are missing and Mercy is left to pick up the pieces. Even without the alpha’s powers, Mercy really has some serious strength. She puts aside her worry and collects any wolves or mates left, rescues whoever needs rescuing, and holds her little family together. Adam works on his end, holding his kidnapped pack together where they are being held captive. Originally he thought it was the government, coming to take them all out, but it turns out to be a mix of malcontents and mercenaries.

There are some losses in this book, but the real big bad ends up being someone I never suspected. There are a lot of mysteries to be solved, but it was nice to see Mercy’s allies rally behind her to get things done. We also get some resolution to poor Gabriel’s story and watch things finally change for the better. After watching Mercy struggle with her PTSD and find a way back to Adam, these two really manage to overcome all the odds and come out stronger at the end. This book gave us a lot of character growth, some good resolution to a bunch of issues, and showed us a pretty nice path forward. I can’t wait to see where these wonderful characters end up next.






View all my reviews

Review: Fair Game

Fair Game by Patricia Briggs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Anna and Charles might be my favorite couple in this book universe. They are the perfect balance of strength and patience and thought and action. I love watching them grow together, even if they have to struggle through some tough times.

The book starts with Charles in a really bad place. He’s been forced to kill a lot of wolves lately, and most of them would’ve been let off with a warning a few years ago. Since the wolves came out, there’s a lot more pressure on Bran to police their own to avoid the public seeing the danger that werewolves really are. He’s being plagued by the ghosts of his kills and has isolated himself from Anna to protect her. Anna, being the tough Omega wolf that she’s grown to be, has been ranting at anyone who will listen that things have to change. Charles cannot keep doing his job without breaking, especially now that he’s cut Anna out. Asil, always the meddler, manages to convince Bran to send Anna and Charles out to do some good instead of the “evil” Charles is always tasked with.

When the FBI asks for a werewolf advisor (and Adam is still taking care of Mercy), Anna and Charles get sent out to hunt down a serial killer. Of course, nothing is straight forward with the case, and way more paranormals (and evil humans) are involved than they originally assumed. Luckily, even when everything else gets crazy, Anna and Charles begin to find their way back to one another. Maybe it was the dangerous situations, maybe it was the fear, but Charles accepts that he needs Anna to help fight his demons, and Anna accepts that she is tougher than she originally thought.

I love these two and cannot wait for more of them! While the Mercy series is more action than romance, this series definitely centers on their relationship. Watching these two unlikely people find a way to make their life together work is really great.




View all my reviews

Review: Single White Vampire

Single White Vampire by Lynsay Sands

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This installment of the series wasn’t my favorite, but it was still entertaining. In this one, we take stuffy Lucern and throw him at a tenacious editor who will stop at nothing to get him into the publicity circuit. Oh, and the ever-present matchmaking mom helps to push these two at each other in fun ways. If you can get over the stuffiness and the fact that this is a vampire romance about a vampire romance author, this is a solid paranormal read.

Lucern is by far the stuffiest of the brothers and is completely not likeable at the start of this book. He fights against his editor’s suggestions of a publicity tour for his set of vampire romance novels. The letters back and forth were entertaining, but Luc is certainly not a nice guy. Kate is determined to prove herself as a competent editor who can manage the notoriously stubborn Luc. After being brushed off in letter, she hops into a plane to show up at Luc’s doorstep. She befriends his family and gets drafted to be Luc’s date for a wedding where it becomes clear that these two have some chemistry. Sure, that chemistry is hidden behind layers of professionalism and uptight beliefs, but it began there.

These two sort of explode into a relationship despite their attempts at remaining professional. It was nice to watch Luc’s exterior crack and have his whole life turned upside down by Kate. I found myself on Luc’s mom’s team, determined to have Luc acknowledge the needs in his life. There was absolutely not possible outcome other than this HEA, which hopefully leads into Bastien’s story.




View all my reviews

Review: Alpha & Omega

Alpha & Omega by Patricia Briggs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I really wish I had read this short story before diving into the world of Alpha & Omega! If you haven’t started the series yet, I highly recommend starting here. This story shows how Charles and Anna meet one another and how they stumble into their relationship.

Anna is a new werewolf who has been seriously abused by the pack that should be protecting her. What they don’t realize (or pretend not to) is that she’s an Omega. Omegas are highly coveted wolves because they are able to calm the pack as a whole. They lead to a more stable environment for the naturally volatile wolves. Charles originally was sent to Anna’s town to handle the alpha situation. When Bran gets a call from Anna, that mission becomes more about protecting Anna than looking into the issues with the pack. Lucky for them, the two missions intersect and they are able to kill two birds with one stone.

There’s a little bit of misdirection and mystery, but really this story is about Anna and Charles. It was great fun watching Charles be captivated by Anna after seeing him as a force to be reckoned with. This story is really critical to understanding their relationship and should absolutely be read before starting the Alpha and Omega series. It also wouldn’t hurt to have experience in the Mercy series to have some character backstory.




View all my reviews