Posts Tagged ‘5 stars’
Review: The Adrien English series by Josh Lanyon
The Adrien English Series
Josh Lanyon
Buy Kindle Versions: @ Fictionwise or at Loose-ID
Rating: 3 to 5 Stars
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Fatal Shadows – 4 stars
Goodreads entry here.
Someone’s out to get Los Angeles bookseller Adrien English. His best friend has been viciously murdered, now he’s getting weird phone calls and sinister gifts from a mysterious “admirer.” The cops think he’s trying to divert suspicion from himself-with the exception of sexy and homophobic homicide detective Jake Riordan. Is Riordan really such a great detective–or does he have a few secrets of his own? Is his offer to help Adrien on the level or is he out to nail his favorite suspect — to the wall?
A Dangerous Thing – 3 stars
Goodreads entry here
Suffering from writer’s block and frustrated with his tentative relationship with hot but closeted L.A.P.D. Homicide Detective Jake Riordan, gay bookseller and mystery writer Adrien English travels to northern California where he finds a body in his front drive. By the time the sheriffs arrive, the body has disappeared, and Adrien once again finds himself playing amateur sleuth. But when the game turns deadly, Adrien turns to Jake. Jake may be confused about some things, but keeping his lover alive is not one of them–no matter what the cost.
The Hell You Say – 5 stars
Goodreads entry here
The long anticipated third novel in the Adrien English series finds the “ill-starred and bookish” mystery writer and bookseller battling demons–maybe literally.
After bookstore clerk Angus flees following terrifying death threats, Adrien must contend with a mysterious Satanic cult, a hot and handsome university professor, and his on-again/off-again relationship with closeted LAPD Homicide Detective Jake Riordan.
And, oh, yes, murder…
Death of a Pirate King – 5 stars
Goodreads entry here
Gay bookseller and reluctant amateur sleuth Adrien English’s writing career is suddenly taking off. His first novel, Murder Will Out, has been optioned by notorious Hollywood actor Paul Kane. But when murder makes an appearance at a dinner party, who should be called in but Adrien’s former lover, handsome closeted detective Jake Riordan, now a Lieutenant with LAPD — which may just drive Adrien’s new boyfriend, sexy UCLA professor Guy Snowden, to commit a murder of his own!
The Dark Tide – 5 stars
Goodreads entry here
As if recovering from heart surgery beneath the gaze of his over-protective family wasn’t exasperating enough, someone keeps trying to break into Adrien English’s bookstore. What is this determined midnight intruder searching for?
When a half-century old skeleton tumbles out of the wall in the midst of the renovation of Cloak and Dagger Bookstore renovation, Adrien turns to hot and handsome ex-lover Jake Riordan — now out-of-the closet and working as a private detective.
Jake is only too happy to have reason to stay in close contact with Adrien, but there are more surprises in Adrien’s past than either one of them expects — and one of them may prove hazardous to Jake’s own heart.
I started this series not knowing what to expect. It came highly recommended by Smexybooks and she has never steered anyone wrong before, but I have never read a M/M romance before. True to form, Ms. Smexy did not disappoint and this series is a must read. Fictionwise has this series classified as M/M erotica but I have a hard time classifying it as erotica. Yes, there are some smexy scenes in it, but the plot and relationships between characters steal the show in every book. Because of the strength of the last 3 books, I am giving the series as a whole 5 stars.
Adrien English is likable and funny, often sarcastic but not overly so. He is curious, finding himself close to far more dead bodies than one would think is possibly. The relationship between him and Jake is an unlikely one where they seem to knock heads more than kiss. I would have liked to sit them down and stage an intervention more on several occassions. They seemed to take turns being unable to be emotionally honest and often saying the wrong words. On one hand I am glad this series was only 5 books long, I am not sure my heart could take the emotional turmoil that their relationship caused me!
The plots for all 5 books were well done. The mysteries were interesting and demanded equal footing with the romantic plot. I did find the storyline in A Dangerous Thing, book 2, to be less interesting than the others. I felt the changes in Jake and Adrien’s relationship were most important to the series, but the plot kept trying to push them out of the way.
Ultimately, book 5 left the biggest impression on me. I laughed out loud at the one liners and sighed at the tender side Jake finally showed us. I held my breath during many scenes hoping one of them would say the right thing and happiness would be in their future. Never have I read a series that was completed so well and did so without compromising the characters or the growth they had to experience. Even upon finishing The Dark Tide I kept hitting the “next” button trying to deny the book was really done. Realizing it was truly the end, I actually grinned and hugged my kindle for a moment in gratefulness.
Thank you Mandi for helping me spread my book horizons and thank you Josh Lanyon for giving readers a little piece of joyful perfection.
FTC Disclaimer: These books were purchased by me
2009 Reading Wrap Up
Peer pressure, I am a sucker for it! So, I am joining in with the 2009 wrap up posts going around!
My *5 Star* Books Read & Published in 2009
I couldn’t narrow it down to a top 10, so you are getting all the books that were published this year and I gave 5 stars to.
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Since I started the blog late in the year, below isa list of books I have read throughout 2009 according to Goodreads (174 total). If there is a review, it is linked! You can see a nifty collage of covers here and check out all the books below and the star ratings I gave them at Goodreads.
Non Series books
The Wednesday Sisters: A Novel (Hardcover) Clayton, Meg Waite
Firefly Lane (Hardcover) Hannah, Kristin
The Necklace: Thirteen Women and the Experiment That Transformed Their Lives (Hardcover) Jarvis, Cheryl Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
The Forgotten Garden (Paperback) Morton, Kate
Seduced by a Rogue (Mass Market Paperback) Scott, Amanda
Unbound (Mass Market Paperback) Anthology
Strange Brew (Paperback) Anthology
Series books – alphabetical order
Kiss of Midnight (Midnight Breed, #1) Adrian, Lara
Kiss of Crimson (Midnight Breed, #2) Adrian, Lara
Midnight Awakening (Midnight Breed, #3) Adrian, Lara
Midnight Rising (Midnight Breed, #4) Adrian, Lara
Ashes of Midnight (Midnight Breed, #6) Adrian, Lara
Veil of Midnight (Midnight Breed, #5) Adrian, Lara
Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, #3) Andrews, Ilona
On the Edge (The Edge, #1) Andrews, Ilona
Haunted (Women of the Otherworld, #5) Armstrong, Kelley
No Humans Involved (Women of the Otherworld, #7) Armstrong, Kelley
Personal Demon (Women of the Otherworld, #8) Armstrong, Kelley
Living with the Dead (Women of the Otherworld, #9) Armstrong, Kelley
Men of the Otherworld (Women of the Otherworld) Armstrong, Kelley
Frostbitten (Women of the Otherworld, #10) Armstrong, Kelley
The Summoning (Darkest Powers, #1) Armstrong, Kelley
The Awakening (Darkest Powers, #2) Armstrong, Kelley
Exit Strategy (Nadia Stafford, #1) Armstrong, Kelley
Made to Be Broken (Nadia Stafford, #2) Armstrong, Kelley
Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian, #1) Arthur, Keri
Kissing Sin (Riley Jenson Guardian, #2) Arthur, Keri
Tempting Evil (Riley Jenson Guardian, #3) Arthur, Keri
Dangerous Games (Riley Jenson Guardian, #4) Arthur, Keri
Embraced By Darkness (Riley Jenson Guardian, #5) Arthur, Keri
The Darkest Kiss (Riley Jenson Guardian, #6) Arthur, Keri
Deadly Desire (Riley Jenson Guardian, #7) Arthur, Keri
Bound to Shadows (Riley Jenson Guardian, #8) Arthur, Keri
Destiny Kills (Myth and Magic, #1) Arthur, Keri
Witch Fire (Elemental Witches, Book 1) Bast, Anya
Witch Blood (Elemental Witches, Book 2) Bast, Anya
Witch Heart (Elemental Witches, Book 3) Bast, Anya
Witch Fury (Elemental Witches, Book 4) Bast, Anya
The Chosen Sin (Paperback) Bast, Anya
The Devil Inside (Morgan Kingsley, #1) Black, Jenna
The Devil You Know (Morgan Kingsley, #2) Black, Jenna
The Devil’s Due (Morgan Kingsley, #3) Black, Jenna
Speak of the Devil (Morgan Kingsley, #4) Black, Jenna
Moon Called (Mercedes Thompson, #1) Briggs, Patricia
Blood Bound (Mercedes Thompson, #2) Briggs, Patricia
Iron Kissed (Mercedes Thompson, #3) Briggs, Patricia
Bone Crossed (Mercedes Thompson, #4) Briggs, Patricia
Cry Wolf (Alpha & Omega, #1) Briggs, Patricia
Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega, #2) Briggs, Patricia
Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1) Butcher, Jim
Fool Moon (The Dresden Files, #2) Butcher, Jim
Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, #3) Butcher, Jim
Summer Knight (The Dresden Files, #4) Butcher, Jim
Death Masks (The Dresden Files, #5) Butcher, Jim
Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, #6) Butcher, Jim
Dead Beat (The Dresden Files, #7) Butcher, Jim
Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files, #8) Butcher, Jim
White Night (The Dresden Files, #9) Butcher, Jim
Small Favor (The Dresden Files, #10) Butcher, Jim
Backup (The Dresden Files, #10.2) Butcher, Jim
Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, #11) Butcher, Jim
Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires, #1) Caine, Rachel
The Dead Girls’ Dance (The Morganville Vampires, #2) Caine, Rachel
Midnight Alley (The Morganville Vampires, #3) Caine, Rachel
Feast of Fools (The Morganville Vampires, #4) Caine, Rachel
Lord of Misrule (The Morganville Vampires, #5) Caine, Rachel
Carpe Corpus (The Morganville Vampires, #6) Caine, Rachel
Fade Out (The Morganville Vampires, #7) Caine, Rachel
Ill Wind (Weather Warden, #1) Caine, Rachel
Heat Stroke (Weather Warden, #2) Caine, Rachel
Chill Factor (Weather Warden, #3) Caine, Rachel
Windfall (Weather Warden, #4) Caine, Rachel
Firestorm (Weather Warden, #5) Caine, Rachel
Thin Air (Weather Warden, #6) Caine, Rachel
Gale Force (Weather Warden, #7) Caine, Rachel
Cape Storm (Weather Warden, #8) Caine, Rachel
Undone (Outcast Season, #1) Caine, Rachel
Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate #1) Carriger, Gail
Touch the Dark (Cassandra Palmer, #1) Chance, Karen
Claimed By Shadow (Cassandra Palmer, #2) Chance, Karen
Embrace the Night (Cassandra Palmer, #3) Chance, Karen
Curse the Dawn (Cassandra Palmer, #4) Chance, Karen
Midnight’s Daughter (Dorina Basarab, #1) Chance, Karen
A Hunger Like No Other (Immortals After Dark, #2) Cole, Kresley
No Rest for the Wicked (Immortals After Dark, #3) Cole, Kresley
Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night (Immortals After Dark, #4) Cole, Kresley
Dark Needs At Night’s Edge (Immortals After Dark, #5) Cole, Kresley
Kiss of a Demon King (Immortals After Dark, #7) Cole, Kresley
Dark Desires After Dusk (Immortals After Dark, #6) Cole, Kresley
Nightwalker (Dark Days, #1) Drake, Jocelynn
Dayhunter (Dark Days, #2) Drake, Jocelynn
Dawnbreaker (Dark Days, #3) Drake, Jocelynn
At Grave’s End (Night Huntress, #3) Frost, Jeaniene
Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress, #4) Frost, Jeaniene
Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
White Witch, Black Curse (Rachel Morgan/The Hollows, #7) Harrison, Kim
Fatal Shadows (Adrien English Mystery Series #1) Lanyon, Josh
Coyote’s Mate (Breeds, #18) Leigh, Lora
Bengal’s Heart (Breeds, #19) Leigh, Lora
Nauti Boy (Nauti, #1) Leigh, Lora
Nauti Dreams (Nauti, #3) Leigh, Lora
Nauti Nights (Nauti, #2) Leigh, Lora
Nauti Intentions (Nauti, #4) Leigh, Lora
Dangerous Games (Tempting SEALs, #2) Leigh, Lora
Hidden Agendas (Tempting SEALs, #4) Leigh, Lora
Killer Secrets (Tempting SEALs, #5) Leigh, Lora
Wild Card (Elite Ops, #1) Leigh, Lora
Wicked Pleasure (Bound Hearts, #9) Leigh, Lora
Forbidden Pleasure (Bound Hearts, #8) Leigh, Lora
Maverick (Elite Ops, #3) Leigh, Lora
Marly’s Choice (Men of August, #1) Leigh, Lora
Sarah’s Seduction (Men of August, #2) Leigh, Lora
Only Pleasure (Bound Hearts, #10) Leigh, Lora
Heather’s Gift (Men of August, #3) Leigh, Lora
Submission & Seduction (Bound Hearts, #2 and #3) Leigh, Lora
Wicked Sacrifice (Bound Hearts, #4 and #5) Leigh, Lora
Menage a Magick (Wizard Twins, #1) Leigh, Lora
Shameless Embraces (Bound Hearts, #6 and #7) Leigh, Lora
Ties That Bind (Includes: Bound Hearts, #1) Leigh, Lora
Surrender (Bound Hearts, #1) Leigh, Lora
Heat Seeker (Elite Ops, #4) Leigh, Lora
Wicked Intent (Bound Hearts, #4) Leigh, Lora
Submission (Bound Hearts, #2) Leigh, Lora
Night Hawk (Elite Ops, #2) Leigh, Lora
When Wizards Rule (Wizard Twins, #2) Leigh, Lora
Shameless (Bound Hearts, #7) Leigh, Lora
Seduction (Bound Hearts, #3) Leigh, Lora
Sacrifice (Bound Hearts, #5) Leigh, Lora
August Heat (Men of August, #4) Leigh, Lora
Embraced (Bound Hearts, #6) Leigh, Lora
Wolfe’s Hope (Breeds, #10) Leigh, Lora
The Breed Next Door (Breeds, #6) Leigh, Lora
Succubus Blues (Georgina Kincaid, #1) Mead, Richelle
Succubus On Top (Georgina Kincaid, #2) Mead, Richelle
Succubus Dreams (Georgina Kincaid, #3) Mead, Richelle
Succubus Heat (Georgina Kincaid, #4) Mead, Richelle
Storm Born (Dark Swan, #1) Mead, Richelle
Thorn Queen (Dark Swan, #2) Mead, Richelle
Blood Vice (ebook) Melton, Keith
Darkfever (Fever, #1) Moning, Karen Marie
Bloodfever (Fever, #2) Moning, Karen Marie
Faefever (Fever, #3) Moning, Karen Marie
Dreamfever (Fever, #4) Moning, Karen Marie
The Scent of Shadows: The First Sign of the Zodiac (Mass Market Paperback) Pettersson, Vicki
The Taste of Night: The Second Sign of the Zodiac (Mass Market Paperback) Pettersson, Vicki
The Touch of Twilight (Sign of the Zodiac, Book 3) Pettersson, Vicki
City of Souls (Sign of the Zodiac, Book 4) Pettersson, Vicki
A Rush of Wings (The Maker’s Song, #1) Phoenix, Adrian
In the Blood (The Maker’s Song, #2) Phoenix, Adrian
Crux (Southern Arcana, Book 1) Rogers, Moira
The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld, #1) Showalter, Gena
The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld, #2) Showalter, Gena
The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld, #3) Showalter, Gena
The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld, #4) Showalter, Gena
Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville, Book 1) Vaughn, Carrie
Kitty Goes to Washington (Kitty Norville, Book 2) Vaughn, Carrie
Kitty Takes a Holiday (Kitty Norville, Book 3) Vaughn, Carrie
Kitty and the Silver Bullet (Kitty Norville, Book 4) Vaughn, Carrie
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand (Kitty Norville, Book 5) Vaughn, Carrie
Kitty Raises Hell (Kitty Norville, Book 6) Vaughn, Carrie
Stray (Shifters, #1) Vincent, Rachel
Rogue (Shifters, #2) Vincent, Rachel
Pride (Shifters, #3) Vincent, Rachel
Prey (Shifters, #4) Vincent, Rachel
Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #1) Ward, J.R.
Lover Eternal (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #2) Ward, J.R.
Lover Awakened (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #3) Ward, J.R.
Lover Revealed (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #4) Ward, J.R.
Lover Unbound (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #5) Ward, J.R.
Lover Enshrined (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #6) Ward, J.R.
Lover Avenged (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #7) Ward, J.R.
The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider’s Guide (Trade Paperback) Ward, J.R.
Covet (Fallen Angels, #1) Ward, J.R.
Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane, #1) Wells, Jaye
Review: The Fever Series
The Fever Series
Karen Marie Moning
Buy Kindle Versions: here
Rating: 4 to 5 Stars
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Darkfever – 4 starsGoodreads entry here. |
Bloodfever – 4 starsGoodreads entry here |
Faefever – 5 starsGoodreads entry here |
Dreamfever – 5 starsGoodreads entry here |
You can find my review for book 1 of the series here. The plan was to review them all by themselves, but each book is so closely linked to each other, I think its impossible to do without spoiling things! Because of that I am going to be vague and hope you trust me that you absolutely must read this series if you haven’t!
Darkfever and Bloodfever were good. They weren’t OMG YOU HAVE TO READ THIS good for me, but I read them quickly and really enjoyed them. The same can not be said for book 3 and 4. Faefever and Dreamfever are OMG YOU HAVE TO READ THIS good. They are full of surprises, storyline, and action. A small warning, both do end with cliffhangers…. Dreamfever probably being one of the worst I have read…. EVER! It is going to be a long wait for book 5, Shadowfever.
There were things I absolutely loved about this series. There are also things that made me frown and things that disappointed me. Most importantly, this series grabs you by the shirt and drags you in, makes you care about the characters and what is going on in their world.
I love Mac, I especially love Mac version 4.0. Her character arc and the growth in her is captivating.
Barrons…. still an jerk. But book 4 warms me up to him and I can see all the soft goey nugget inside. I know I would happily volunteer to poke around with him and try to find more of it.
Barrons and Mac together…. they make me swear like a sailor. They are stubborn and pigheaded and I just want to hit both of them upside the head.
*sigh* How much longer until Shadowfever?
FTC Disclaimer: These books were purchased by me
Review: On the Edge
On the Edge
Ilona Andrews
Release: Sept. 29, 2009
Buy Kindle Version: here
Rating: 5 Stars
Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, between the world of the Broken (where people drive cars, shop at Wal-Mart, and magic is a fairy tale) and the Weird (where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny). Only Edgers like Rose can easily travel from one world to the next, but they never truly belong in either.
Rose thought if she practiced her magic, she could build a better life for herself. But things didn’t turn out how she planned, and now she works a minimum wage, off the books job in the Broken just to survive. Then Declan Camarine, a blueblood noble straight out of the deepest part of the Weird, comes into her life, determined to have her (and her power).
But when a terrible danger invades the Edge from the Weird, a flood of creatures hungry for magic, Declan and Rose must work together to destroy them, or the beasts will devour the Edge and everyone in it . . .
Read the rest of this entry »
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