Nearly Departed in Deadwood (Deadwood Mystery, #1)

Nearly Departed in Deadwood
by Ann Charles
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9780983256809
Series: Deadwood #4
Publication Date: January 8, 2011
Pages: 376
Publisher: Corvallis Press

This is going on my cozy-mystery shelf, even though it really doesn’t belong there, but I’m not sure where else this genre jumping book (and series) should go.

What I do know is that this book is a really fun read! Humour, a good mystery, lots of creepy, and oh wow the sexual chemistry going on! This little voice in the back of my head nailed the bad guy early on, but I was certain I was wrong. The author makes some very bold moves for a book that comes close to cozy. I have a mental picture of the ending that I’d dearly pay a bit extra to get rid of – I suspect it will stick with me awhile.

Great characters and a great setting. For those who dislike language – it’s here in all it’s glorious colours. So is the sexual chemistry – no graphic scenes, but nothing prim and proper either.

I read the Kindle edition because it was a freebie, but I’ve since ordered the paperback of all the books available in the series.

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet (Charley Davidson #4)

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet
by Darynda Jones
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9781250014467
Series: Charlie Davidson #4
Publication Date: November 4, 2012
Pages: 308
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Sometimes being the grim reaper really is, well, grim. And since Charley's last case went so awry, she has taken a couple of months off to wallow in the wonders of self-pity. But when a woman shows up on her doorstep convinced someone is trying to kill her, Charley has to force herself to rise above . . . or at least get dressed. It becomes clear something is amiss when everyone the woman knows swears she's insane. But the more they refute the woman's story, the more Charley believes it.

In the meantime, the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, is out of prison and out of Charley's life, as per her wishes and several perfectly timed death threats. But his absence has put a serious crimp in her sex life. While there are other things to consider, like the fact that the city of Albuquerque has been taken hostage by an arsonist, Charley is having a difficult time staying away. Especially when it looks like Reyes may be involved.

Just excellent. Have I mentioned how much I love this whole series? and this book was fabulous.

Truly great snark making for excellent readability. Fabulous characters with depth. No relationship in the book is perfect, but realistically messy – with the exception of Charlie and Cookie and, please, just don’t mess with that!

The main(ish) plot point of this book was an interesting one with a creepy twist at the end that I only half liked (and that’s all I can say without spoilers), but the entire story and all the plots had my undivided attention. I literally devoured this book in one sitting. It’s going to be a very long year waiting for the next book…

Death and the Girl Next Door (Darklight #1)

Death and the Girl Next Door
by Darynda Jones
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9780312625207
Series: Darklight #1
Publication Date: October 2, 2012
Pages: 286
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

I don’t read a ton of YA, and I picked this one up especially because I’m a huge fan of Ms. Jones’ Charley Davidson series. I loved this book, I picked it up and did not put it down again until I’d read the last page and the excerpt from the next book.

All the great witty dialogue I’ve come to expect and adore from Ms. Jones writing, set in a teen universe. I love the strong focus here on the mythology of Angels, although I wouldn’t have normally picked up a book ‘about’ angels. All of the characters are just excellent, and the word play amongst them all is just a pure joy to read, although I worry about Glitch and his place in all of this.

I just had a really great time reading this story and I eagerly await the next book.

No Quest For The Wicked (Enchanted, Inc., #6)

This is such a great series for anyone looking for a light, fun, humorous read. No Quest for the Wicked is so action-packed it’s almost exhausting to read, but a lot of fun during the wild ride. I hope this is a series she continues to enjoy success with as I look forward to seeing all the great characters again soon.

Grave Memory (Alex Craft Series #3)

There’s a whole lot going on in this book to Alex, maybe more than ‘normal’. A lot of action, and a creepy story line about a ‘rider’ that jumps from body to body, using them up and then killing them off to jump into the next available body. I truly enjoy just about every character in this world, and they keep me reading when the story itself gets a little too heavy for my taste.

Alex gets the crap beat out of her, not only physically but much more emotionally this time. And I really, really want to know the deal with her father – I have a suspicion I know who he is, but I want an explanation for the awful indifference he shows towards Alex.

The love triangle between her, Death and Falin not only gets more complicated, but just when I thought it was sorted out, the ending throws everything for a loop. I’m looking forward to the next book!

Grave Dance (Alex Craft Series #2)

Excellent read. Different from what I normally choose, but never too dark or hard-boiled. The author has given Alex a very complicated past talent-wise, so there’s a lot of room for future discovery.

I’m not normally a fan of love triangles (at ALL) but so far this one has been well-balanced and not at all annoying or frustrating. The author has done an excellent job of keeping me from picking a favourite. But taking this triangle too far forward into future books will prove to annoy me to the point of abandonment. (Although, if she chooses to keep both of them, well that could prove to be fun too!) Just please don’t devolve into ‘which one will she choose’ silliness.

The plot of the story was excellent and I was all prepared to accept the ‘bad guy’ in this story – Ms. Price really led me down the garden path – only to be blissfully surprised to find out I was wrong. I have the next in the series, Grave Memory and I’m looking forward to cracking it open…

Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy #2)

Shadow of Night
by Deborah Harkness
Rating: ★★★★★
isbn: 9780670023486
Series: All Souls #2
Publication Date: July 12, 2012
Pages: 577
Genre: Fantasy, Historical
Publisher: Viking Books

In a trilogy, I tend not to like the second book – it always seems a bit dull compared to the first and the third. In contrast, I found this book to be excellent – just as good as the first book. Lots of drama, enough action, and the author’s ability to have me completely lost in the story is something I just love. Once again, I felt like I was watching the story in my head as I was reading it on the page.

Shadow of Night takes place primarily in 1591, but the author doesn’t get bogged down in too much historical detail – or at least, the historical detail is woven seamlessly into the story itself. Most of the detail is in passing observations made by Diana, so it’s easy for non-history lovers to take in. I loved the Libri Personæ at the back of the book, detailing the characters, and noting which ones were known to actually exist at the time. I think it makes the fiction that much more fun to read when notable figures in history are interwoven into the story.

There are a couple of plot lines that run through the book, and there were a few times it felt like one or the other might be getting a bit lost. Most of the questions raised in the book are answered by the end, with one or two hanging out there to be answered in the third book. But what I really appreciated was this book felt like it ended – no gigantic cliff-hangers. There are upcoming events and confrontations that you know will appear in the third book; major events that need to be explained, but Shadow of Night, I think, has enough of an ending that early readers like myself won’t get too irritated with having to wait another year/18 months for the final book. I was able to close the book at the end with a sense of satisfaction, not frustration.

NB: I loved the last chapter – it made me smile.

Serpent’s Kiss (Beauchamp Family Series #2)

A good read – fun, quick, and interesting. Great character development, with characters you like and characters you like to hate. Ms. de la Cruz does a wonderful job bringing North Hampton to life for me, and it’s nice to see the Beauchamp family evolve. I don’t know how much of the story’s ties with Norse mythology are accurate, but it’s fun to read about nevertheless.

Wicked Business (Lizzy and Diesel Series #2)

This book is the equivalent of a funnel cake – it has no redeeming nutritional value, but it tastes so good and is so fun to eat!

Diesel and Lizzy are on the hunt for 7 stones – each embodying a deadly sin. In this book, it’s the stone for Lust. So it’s a treasure hunt, complete with puzzles, clues and required objects. I love this kind of stuff – pure Goonies. I like Lizzy; she’s no Lara Croft, but she’s got moxie.

I found the comedy to be laugh-out-loud as only Janet Evanovich can write – she can make me laugh at the rudest boy humour! A bit of danger, a bit of frustrated romance. Great supporting characters who are all interesting and likeable – Glo and her spells are always good for a chuckle.

Many will find this series to be silly beyond the pale, but I knew going into this series exactly what I was in for – I’d read the Plum between-the-numbers books starring Diesel and I enjoyed them for the light, fun reads they were designed to be. If you enjoyed those, you’ll have the right expectations for this series. I just loved reading this book and I had an absolute blast until the end, and unlike the funnel cake, it’s calorie free. I sincerely look forward to the next Diesel and Lizzy adventure.

Brownies and Broomsticks (Magical Bakery Series #1)

I’m always a little apprehensive when I pick up a first book in a new series; not sure if the book will live up to expectations. But Brownies and Broomsticks was everything I’d hoped it would be: great characters, fantastic setting (I love Savannah), and the plot was solid and unpredictable.

The main players in the book were all likeable and interesting, with lots of possibilities for future development. This is especially true about Katie – lots of hints about her abilities as a witch and I’m looking forward to seeing where it all goes.

About the only thing I didn’t like from the start; it looks like the author is going to try to create a love triangle – and I’m not a fan of that. Still, it became apparent that the two suitors were at least interesting. I just hope Ms. Cates doesn’t string it along and make it painful. I’m really, really looking forward to future books in this series.