Posts Tagged ‘rachel caine’

I was talking with a friend through email a while ago about Urban Fantasy books and we were discussing how they are almost always a series and never a finished one! Sometimes an Urban Fantasy series goes on well past its’ prime (I’m looking at you Laurell K Hamilton) but mostly we celebrate not having to let go of our favorite characters and move on to something new. We UF lovers are all so dysfunctional that we love the torture of a good cliffhanger or a long drawn out plot line.

Yet, I can’t be alone in that sometimes I wish I had a series I could read start to finish and be done with it, completed. Right now to get that closure I have to jump genres to paranormal romance or contemporary romance, but why can’t we have that in Urban Fantasy? Surely there are some well written series that aren’t never ending? Looking through my Goodreads lists I did find three Urban Fantasy series that are finishing up this year.

Rachel Caine’s Weather Wardens

Book 9 is releasing on August 3rd and will be the last one. While I will miss Jo and David, it feels like the right time to say goodbye. Jo has been put through hell and back over and over again, she deserves a little quiet time

Keri Arthur’s Riley Jenson

Book 9, Moon Sworn, released May 25th and marked the end of Riley Jenson’s story. These are technically Urban Fantasy but they lean pretty heavily toward Paranormal Romance in my opinion, lots of explicit sex in many of them.

Jenna Black’s Morgan Kingsley

The last book, The Devil’s Playground, released March 23rd but I believe it was ended by the publisher, not because the author was finished with the series. Because of that I don’t know how much closure there is… I haven’t gotten around to reading the last book yet.

So, can you help me out? Do you know of any completed urban fantasy series we must read??

I woke up this morning and wrote down all entries into the contest, giving each of you a number that coincided with your comment. There were 42 entries total. Then I headed over to Random.org and generated a random number between 0 and 42.

Here are your random numbers:

29
Timestamp: 2010-01-10 17:39:52 UTC

Commenter number #29 is……..Bethie who wrote:
I don’t make New Years resolutions. When I do, I would break them by January 2nd.

Congrats Bethie – I will email you so I can get your copy of Ill Wind on its way to you!
Thanks everyone for entering the contest! I will be running another one shortly so stayed tuned!

Well I love a good contest and I want to start the new year off with a bang! According to my poll, many of you have not experienced the wonder that is the Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine. So…. now you are going to get your chance! I am giving away one copy of book 1, Ill Wind. The Weather Warden series is packed with action and great characters. The stories are based on a supernatural concept unlike anything else I have read so far in urban fantasy. Not to mention the leading man, David, is big slice of sexy pie.

First in the new Weather Warden series… 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…

To get your chance to win, all you have to do is leave a comment and let me know what your resolution for the new year is! Contest ends Saturday Jan. 9th.

My new year’s resolution : plan my schedule and stick to it. I am great at organizing…. I just seem to lack the follow through. Taking 15 college credits this next semester on top of being a mom, president of a preschool co-op, and book blogging is going to be a challenge if I continue to run around with my head cut off!

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.

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

Title: Fade Out (Morganville Vampires, Book 7)
Author: Rachel Caine
Release: February 17, 2009
Buy Kindle version: here
Goodreads Entry: here
Rating: 3.5 Stars

As I first sat down to write this review I had a hard time writing my own quick synopsis of the story, without giving away spoilers. I can’t explain why, other than I don’t really think there was much story for the first half of the book. I enjoyed the book, as I always enjoy Rachel Caine’s writing, but this one fell short compared to previous Morganville books.

With the demise of Bishop and his clan, Morganville is a much more relaxed place. I think the entire first half of the story focused around the daily activities of the kids, there was very little action or suspense in it. It wasn’t until the second half that a new character, Kim goes missing and we get into the real plot of book 7.

As I said above, I always enjoy Rachel Caine’s writing. She is good at what she does – she somehow managed to bring me into Morganville again without skipping a beat. I didn’t have to sit and try to remember what happened in the last book, as soon I started reading it all came back. The strength of her writing is the only thing that really kept me interested in the book enough for me to get past the middle point.

The first half of Fade Out deals with the kids and their daily life. They have jobs, Claire is working on her studies and with Myrnin. We also meet Kim. Claire sees Kim as a threat to her friendship with Eve and her relationship with Shane and she immediately despises her. Claire’s reactions seemed far too immature for the person she has proven to be in past novels, but maybe teenage love will do that to you? I admit it has been a while There is also some signs the problems with Amelie, who appears to be lost in grief for Sam still. It looks like Oliver is going to plan a takeover and that will be the major plot line of the book, but then it is dropped. I admit that Oliver is in this book fairly briefly and all of it felt like it was filler, but I imagine it is setting up the next book in some way.

When we finally did get to the big bad and the sinister plot, I have to say I was disappointed. I expected more oopfff and was left feeling…. underwhelmed. The writing is good, so definitely not a wasted read, but without having the next book in hand it felt like this one didn’t do much to move the series forward at all. There were some developments in the relationship between Michael and Eve, but I didn’t feel they needed this particular story line to create them. I think significant move in the overall storyline of the Morganville Vamps centers around what happens with Ada in this book. I do think that situation is worthy of its own novel, I just think the plot line that was created around it was weaker than Ada deserved. I wish I could be more detailed, but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone!

All in all, a decent read, just not as action packed as I am used to from Rachel Caine.

FTC Disclaimer: This book was purchased by me.