Review: The Magical Christmas Cat by Lora Leigh, Nalini Singh Erin McCarthy and Linda Winstead Jones

The Magical Christmas Cat is a romantic and sometimes erotic anthology featuring a few of my favorite authors. Each story has the distinction of a little “feline” touch. We have a paranormal romance from Nalini Singh about a leopard changeling falling in love with a reluctant schoolteacher. In Erin McCarthy’s story we have a witch with a matchmaking kitty-cat. Linda Winstead Jones gives us a demonic story about a possessed cat shaped knick-knack, and last but certainly not least, Lora Leigh gives us a story from her breed series about a leopard in mating heat. Whew! Here goes…

Review: Prey by Melina Morel

My, my, my. How to describe “Prey” by Melina Morel? It’s NOT a romance, although there certainly is a smidge of animalistic, scratching, biting sex (well, it’s about shapeshifters!) included. It’s NOT just a mystery. It’s not just urban fantasy. It’s NOT horror. It’s a very interesting mix of all the above. But I would have to say is more of an urban fantasy suspense mystery. How’s that for a new category?

Review: Line of Scrimmage by Marie Force

Can you believe it? Me, Mrs. doesn’t really read ‘sports’ romances, and I’ve read two in the last week! And enjoyed both! This is surely cause for celebration. My most recent is “Line of Scrimmage” by Marie Force. It’s about football, did you guess? It’s also about the debutante and the quarterback. But don’t hate them for that because their life hasn’t been a bed of roses.

Review: Hungry for More by Diana Holquist

I opened “Hungry For More” looking for a change in tenor from my recent reading. Diana Holquist certainly provided that with a story about food and love…or food as love. Each chapter is headed with a food quote from the hero of the book comparing life’s lessons with food. Since I was hungry for something unusual, I dug right in.

Review: Stand By Your Hitman by Leslie Langtry

How can you pass up a book with the title of “Stand By Your Hitman”? This is the first novel I’ve read by Leslie Langtry and it is very funny! The story is definitely a romance…and the heroine is an assassin. Is there a feminine form of assassin? Assassinette? Assassiness? I couldn’t find one in the OED (Oxford English Dictionary), but maybe we can all just vote? Anyway, Langtry manages to play off just about every stereotype there is regarding assassins and does a darn good job too. Who knew assassins could be loveable heroes and heroines?

Review: Passion and Pleasure in London by Melody Thomas

I just love reading romances that leave me with a sappy smile on my face! “Passion and Pleasure in London” by Melody Thomas is just such a novel. It has a dastardly villain with a witchy daughter that both receive their well-deserved comeuppance at the hands of our hero and heroine who then live happily ever after. Happy sigh.

Review: The Bride of Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta

Have I mentioned how much I love books lately? Well, I do. One of the greatest things about books is that what doesn’t ‘work’ for one reader will very likely work for many others. I’m guessing that’s probably the case with “The Bride of Casa Dracula” by Marta Acosta. This is Acosta’s third book starring Milagro De Los Santos. I think it would be beneficial to read the first two books to get a little more of the ‘back story’.

Review: Power Play by Deirdre Martin

Let me just start off by admitting that I’ve never watched a hockey game (I’m a southern girl, born and bred), and I’m also not a big fan of the ‘sports’ genre of romance. But it didn’t take more than a chapter or two for me to realize that good romance is good romance regardless of the setting; and “Power Play” by Deirdre Martin is good romance! He’s a hockey star and she’s a soap opera star, but they have more in common than either would have guessed.

Review: The Wild Sight by Loucinda McGary

I’m always on the lookout for new authors to enjoy. So having the opportunity to review a book from an author new to me is a great way to spend a Sunday. I opened “The Wild Sight” by Loucinda McGary with anticipation and proceeded to travel to Ireland into a mystery and became caught up in a love story.

Review: The Bride of Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta

Sometimes, for whatever reason, the main character in a book just doesn’t do it for me.  Coming up with believable characters is one of the more difficult parts of writing.  So while I loved the plot of “The Bride of Casa Dracula” by Marta Acosta, I especially loved to see the character of Milagro De Los Santos. She just has that “spark” of life that so many characters seem to lack. Milagro is a writer with a wickedly funny sense of humor.  She’s engaged to Oswald (Oz) Grant, a handsome plastic surgeon who happens to have a genetic disorder that causes him to crave blood and avoid sunlight.  Unfortunately, the Vampire Council is not too pleased with Milagro and Oz’s engagement, and impose all sorts of stringent rules for Milagro to follow before they get married.  It’s clear that planning a wedding – supernatural or not – is stressful for anyone!

Review: Secrets of the Knight by Julia Latham

As I was a bit of a tomboy growing up, I’ve often wondered how tomboys fared in days of yore. Were they beaten into submission? Could they run away and if so, to what? Were there men strong enough and secure enough to let them live in a manner different than that customary for women of the times? I’d like to think the last was true, so I was very interested in reading “Secrets of the Knight” by Julia Latham when I realized its heroine is a female warrior. This is actually her third (and I believe final) story in a series about ‘knights’. I hadn’t read the first two and didn’t have any problems reading this as a standalone novel.

Review: Overheated by Barbara Dunlop

When Harlequin first came out with their NASCAR series, I wondered how long it would last. Well, it’s been going strong for two years now and doesn’t appear to be losing any gas (pun intended). According to NASCAR statistics, about 30 million of their fans are women! So I’m guessing this venture is proving profitable for both parties and I must admit that I’ve enjoyed the NASCAR stories I’ve read so far. My latest from this series is “Overheated” by Barbara Dunlop.

Review: Before I Wake by Kathryn Smith

I love paranormal romance, but after a while it seems like I’ve read every variation on the theme (vampires, werewolves, witches, etc.).  So I was intrigued to get a copy of “Before I Wake” by Kathryn Smith, which is unlike any paranormal romance I’ve read before.  Have you ever wondered why we dream, and what really happens when you fall asleep?  And have you ever thought about how vulnerable you are while dreaming?

Review: The Dangerous Duke by Christine Wells

During the late regency period in England, there were fears of a ‘British Revolution’. Remember that not so long before this time the ‘colonies’ had successfully achieved their independence and established a democracy, throwing off the bonds of a monarchy. France had their ‘Glorious Revolution’ and did away with their monarchs via ‘Madame Guillotine’. In any event, the regency period encompassed more than the blissful excesses of ‘Prinny’ and the ton, but it’s very rare to read anything about this in a regency romance novel.

“The Dangerous Duke” by Christine Wells opens with the plight of a vicar imprisoned under suspicion of sedition because he refuses to name the rebels accused of burning a peer’s home. The fire killed four members of the aristocracy and is assumed to be a prelude to revolutionary activities. I personally found this fascinating (history geek alert!), but the author quickly moves on to more salacious events involving the theft of a scandalous diary, a headstrong widow, and a hardboiled Home Office investigator who has become a Duke.

Review: Heart Fate by Robin D. Owens

Confession time. I began reading Robin D. Owens‘ ‘Heart’ series back in 2001 when it was found in the science fiction/fantasy aisle only. I read the back cover blurb, thought it sounded interesting and picked it up. I was hooked. The books were much the same as they are now, maybe with a bit less emphasis on the romance part, but still very satisfying. When I saw Owens’ name and the same book in the romance section back in 2006, I was a bit surprised, but once I thought about the plot and the upsurge in paranormal romances, it all made perfect sense. I’m actually glad that her publishers gave romance readers a chance to enjoy her work!