Renee's Book Addiction

White Witch, Black Curse (The Hollows series, book 7) by Kim Harrison AUDIOBOOK

I was in the middle of this book when my iPod went missing, so it’s taken me a while to accept reality and acknowledge that the only way I’d finish the book is to listen to it on my husband’s iPod when he wasn’t using it, and on my laptop when he was. It was a cumbersome process, but well worth it!

Here’s the book description:

Rachel Morgan, kick-ass witch and bounty hunter, has taken her fair share of hits, and has broken lines she swore she would never cross. But when her lover was murdered, it left a deeper wound than Rachel ever imagined, and now she won’t rest until his death is solved . . . and avenged. Whatever the cost.

Yet the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and when a new predator moves to the apex of the Inderlander food chain, Rachel’s past comes back to haunt her.

This was definitely a book that is impossible to read if you haven’t read the previous books in the series, but very rewarding if you have. Rachel pursues the killer of her lover, and (as usual) the process reveals much about who she is and where she goes from here. It felt like a transitional book, wrapping up old business and creating new relationships and situations for future Hollows’ books.

I loved the re-introduction of Pierce, whom I find a really intriguing character. I really liked him in the short story, “Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel” from the Holidays are Hell anthology, and am glad that he will be around in the future. One thing I found interesting was that a lot of the storylines from Hollows short stories figured prominently in WWBC. Not just “Two Ghosts”, but also “Dirty Magic” from Hotter Than Hell and “Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil” from Dates from Hell. The book is enjoyable without reading these stories, but I definitely got more out of the book because I had read 2 of them. While listening to WWBC, I kept wanting to stop and read “Dirty Magic” which I had started but never finished, knowing I would have more understanding of “apex predator” Mia, a fascinating character who was introduced in the short story. I never did stop and read it, but will definitely go back to my tbr shelf and read it now.

• Kim Harrison’s site.
• “Browse Inside” (print excerpt) White Witch, Black Curse.
• Audio excerpt from Audible.

Smooth Talking Stranger (Travis family series, book 3) by Lisa Kleypas. 3/26/9 AUDIOBOOK

Much anticipated, I was thrilled when I saw it offered in audiobook format at Audible before its release on March 31st.

Here is the book description:

Ella Varner has it all–a successful career as an advice columnist, a handsome boyfriend, and a circle of friends in Austin. When anyone has a problem, Ella knows the answers.

But one night she receives a call that changes everything. And as Ella’s world is turned upside-down, she meets a man who is the opposite of everything she ever wanted . . . a man who will offer her the most irresistible challenge she has ever known . . .

While I was listening to this book, I could not stop. There’s just something about Lisa Kleypas’ contemporaries that are utterly compelling and truly distinctive. However, as I thought about the book over the weekend, I realized it was one of those books that just isn’t going to “stick” with me like Blue-Eyed Devil and Sugar Daddy have.

I had to really work hard to recall details about the book. It happens that way for me, sometimes. What I do remember, however, is loving Jack’s intensity and drive, especially once he knew that Ella was the one for him. Ella, OTOH, faded a little for me. I wasn’t really crazy about some of the decisions she made regarding Luke’s father, and she tended to adapt to boyfriend Dane’s lifestyle (and then Jack’s) rather than develop her own, which rankled a bit.

However, overall it was a really good romance, though it may have suffered a bit for my exceptionally high expectations of a Kleypas romance.

• Lisa Kleypas’ site.
• Excerpt on author’s site.

Wolf Signs by Vivan Arend 3/27/9 E-BOOK (Novella)

I saw this novella over at Amy C’s Romance Book Wyrm, and really liked the premise.

Here’s the book description:

Robyn Maxwell doesn’t care that her brother has to cancel out on their backcountry ski trip. She can do it alone. The fact she’s deaf doesn’t make her survival skills any weaker. The chance to get away from it all and relax in the Yukon wilderness is just what she’s been craving.

Meeting wilderness guide Keil at the cabin starts cravings of another kind. Keil’s one hot hunk of ripped, tasty male. Now she has to deal with raging hormones as well as strange questions about wolves and mates and challenges to the death.

Keil was trying for a nice reflective retreat before challenging for the Alpha position of his Alaskan pack. He wasn’t planning on meeting the woman destined to be his mate, or finding out she’s not aware she has the genes of a wolf.

Between dealing with his accident-prone younger brother, a deaf mate with an attitude and an impending duel to the death, his week — and his bed — is suddenly full.

Far from the relaxing getaway any of them had in mind . . .

For me, this had the elements of an enjoyable paranormal: sexy weres, steamy chemistry between the protagonists, and a little bit of drama with pack politics.

The format meant that things moved swiftly (it was under 130 pages.) At times things were resolved very conveniently (like Robyn’s brother, Tad’s acceptance of Robyn’s new mate) which of course was a necessity, due to the novella’s brevity.

On the whole, a good read, and I’d love to read more about the world Vivian Arend created in Wolf Signs. (Maybe a mate for Tad or Keil’s brother, TJ?)

• Vivian Arend’s site.
• Excerpt for Wolf Signs (scroll down.)

Irresistible Forces by Brenda Jackson 3/28/9 EBOOK

This was a Kimani Romance category romance I downloaded free (scroll down, on right) from eHarlequin, in celebration of their 60th Anniversary. I haven’t read much category romance in the last few (15?) years, but this was one that intrigued me.
Here’s the book description:

One week of mind-blowing sex on a beautiful Caribbean island. Of all the business proposals financial tycoon Dominic Saxon has heard, Taylor Steele’s is definitely the most tempting. All Taylor wants in return is for Dominic to father her baby. No strings, no commitments . . . just a mutually satisfying arrangement. Make that very satisfying. For a man with no intention of marrying again, it sounds ideal.

Taylor wants a baby, not a relationship. And sexy, intelligent Dominic seems like a man with perfect genes. Turns out, Dominic has perfect everything. Their “procreation vacation” is a whirlwind of sensual ecstasy. But when it’s over, will either of them be able to say goodbye?

Taylor is a career woman who has decided she wants a baby, but not a husband, or even a short-term lover who could provide one. She makes a business proposal to successful businessman, Dominic Saxon, whom she knows is also interested in children, but not romance.

Their week of baby-making become much more complicated than Taylor and Dominic bargain for when they both find themselves falling for the other, in direct contradiction to their agreement.

While I missed a more meaty story (which is impossible in a 250 page category) Irresistible Forces was enjoyable and extremely sensual. I loved reading Dominic’s perspective, especially when it came to the love scenes. Overall, a satisfying read!

• Brenda Jackson’s site.