Darkfever

Title: Darkfever
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Series: Fever Series (Book 1)
Genre: Paranormal/Romance



In anticipation of Shadowfever, I have started to reread (again) the Fever series. It has been a year and a half since I read the series last, and I want to be ready when the conclusion comes out.

You can see my previous reread post of Darkfever here and the original here. You can look for a description of the book there. I'll just post a few things that stuck out to me this time around.

I felt that the book seemed to be getting to the point where it seemed dated. It has a copyright of 2006. At one point Mac says that her cell phone doesn't have texting capabilities or a camera. What phone doesn't have those things in this day? I laughed a bit as I thought back to myself in 2006. I had a pink LG Chocolate phone and had just started texting. I did so little that I paid per text instead of having a plan. Compared to now, when I have a Droid. There was something else that also said dated to me, but I can't recall what it was.

Every time I reread a description of Barrons, I get a wake-up call. I don't know why, but I don't imagine him at what age he is described as. Darkfever puts him at about 30 and of course very attractive. For some reason, when I imagine Barrons I don't imagine him correctly. I think of him as a little older than that (well let's be realistic, we don't know much about Barrons, he could be over 100 for all we know). I know he has this sexual tension with Mac, and I don't envision him as unattractive, but I don't think of him as drop dead gorgeous either.

I did some searching online and he seems to be compared to Gerald Butler. I will remember that now.

I think this is one of my all time favorite series. I have a very light touch with my books. The spines are never broken, pages never bent. Pick up any of my books and they look brand new. They always have that stiff book feeling. I noticed while reading Dreamfever that my book has started to feel worn in. It is still in excellent condition, but the pages are a little less crisp, the book a little easier to open. It may be the most read book of my collection.

Beyond the Highland Mist

Title: Beyond the Highland Mist
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Series: Highlander (Book 1)
Genre: Romance, Time Travel



In anticipation for Shadowfever, I picked up another of Karen Marie Moning's books. Her series before Fever has gotten really good reviews and I finally picked up the first book. I could see both the similarities and differences between this and the Fever series, and loved it for both.

Adrienne lives in the 20th century until one day she just doesn't. She is transported seemingly out of the blue and ends up in the 1500s. She is forced to take on a new identity and immediately marry a beautiful man. Adrienne does not like beautiful men due to a horrible experience in her past which has left her quite scarred.

The Hawk is renowned for his sexual skills. He isn't overjoyed at getting married, but has been ordered to do so by the King. When he finally meets his wife, he is overjoyed. She is just what he would have picked for himself in a wife if he had been given the chance.

The two are put together as part of a Fae plot to get back at Hawk. Adrienne fights Hawk just about every step of the way, sure that he is going to break her like her previous fiance. Although, she cannot help her self from falling in love with this caring man and his land.

As in the Fever series, I felt a little thrown off initially by all of the Fae words and names, but it seemed less significant in this book. I always enjoy a good time travel novel and this one was no different. The time traveling aspect, while important, didn't play a front role. The couple were afraid that Adrienne would disappear any second (and she does at times), but she doesn't have much getting use to in acclimating to her new surroundings and time.

Adrienne and Hawk are well matched. I highly enjoyed all the little things he does to win her heart and feel saddened each time she shoots him down.

Adam Black, as much as I despised him, was also a well written character. I couldn't help but feel my skin crawl every time he came around. There was something in the nuances of the writing that really made him feel alive and disgusting.

Mini Shopaholic

Title: Mini Shopaholic
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Series: Shopaholic (Book 6)
Genre: Chick Lit



The baby from Shopaholic & Baby is now 2 years old. Little Minnie is quite a handful and has many things in common with her mother, Becky. Minnie's favorite word seems to be, "Miiiiine" and she wants everything when she shops just like her mom.

Although Minnie has more to her then a little shopaholic, she is also a bit of a trouble maker. Enough where her Dad, Luke, suggests that they get some professional help. They try an equivalent to Super Nanny, who says she's just being 2 and is fine, and a professional Nanny Service, who thinks she's so bad they won't get another nanny for them.

Of course Becky is spending like mad, getting into to trouble and comes out on top.

I was disappointed in this book. I was hoping that we would see more of Minnie, but she just seemed around when it was convenient for her to want something and help Becky with some spending. Her character was very flat. I also was hoping for some growth by her in regards to getting better with (or without) the help of a nanny. Unfortunately, the out of control 2 year old was said to be just acting her age and it was over.

I felt like the book just went in circles. Becky promises to stop spending and wears clothes from last season (gasp!) but then is bought a new dress by her Mom. Luke doesn't want to have any more kids and after one quick conversation he's all for the idea. Minnie is bad....and that never changes. Not much growth for any of the characters in a realistic way in my opinion.

The Mists of Time

Title: The Mists of Time
Author: Susan Squires
Series: Da Vinci Time Travel Series (Book 3)
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Time Travel


Diana Dearborn is a romance novel writer who is currently struggling with her latest novel. Although she's published, she's never experienced great fame from her books, perhaps because she's writing about something she doesn't know about.

Diana was found as a child in Chicago with no memory of anything but her name, and speaking only a language that no one could identify or decipher. She is adopted by a loving set of parents, and unfortunately has recently lost them both. She doesn't think she's very pretty and that she may have a stalker.

Diana is given the book from Lucy in the end of the previous book. She decides to check out the time machine and takes a trip back to Camelot. Much like Lucy, she encounters a man who is hurt and brings him back to her time to get him stitched up. She lets him stay at her home for a few nights and introduces him to modern times.

Gawain is Diana's suspected stalker, only he isn't. Gawain was sent back in time by Merlin to protect Diana. She has accidentally brought back a villain who is going to try and take over the 21st century. Gawain has to keep her safe and help her to defeat the villain.

This story was "believable." I enjoyed the fact that the man that Diana brought back didn't just happen to be her true love. She brought back the villain and everything starts to go wrong. Even after they send him back to his own time they find they have messed with the past and it shows in the future.

Where the other two books in the series don't really encounter any change in the future due to meddling in the past, this one does. That to me made it seem more "real."

Diana getting her memory back and learning about her past was at times very touching and made me cry. Gawain is such a devoted knight to her and it's incredibly romantic, even if he does beat himself up about things constantly. This may have been my favorite in the series.

A Twist In Time

Title: A Twist in Time
Author: Susan Squires
Series: Da Vinci Time Travel Series (Book 2)
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Time Travel


Lucy was given DaVinci's by Frankie at the end of Time for Eternity. To Frankie, it just "felt right." No explanation was given to Lucy as to what the book was for. Lucy seems to have an obsession with the book and carries it with her all the time. Oddly enough she discovers that her friend, Brad, is working on a machine and the book goes with it.

Brad manages to fix the time machine and then he and Casey, his boss, decide that they must make sure it is fixed and send someone back in time to bring something back with them. Lucy is chosen and she is sent to the past and in the few seconds that she is there is defended by a man against another man. The man who defended her got mortally wounded and she accidentally takes him back with her to her time. She arrives months later to find that Brad and Casey think she has stolen the time machine. They have interrogated everyone in her life as well as rented out her apartment and other time sensitive things.

When Lucy returns she gets the Viking, Galen, to the hospital and gets his wound stitched up. The two go to Lucy's friend who convinces them that Brad and Casey would only hurt them and helps them to get new identities and run away.

Lucy and Galen run away to a boat in a bay and live on the boat. The two learn to communicate with each other, initially in Latin and eventually in English. They are drawn to each other and magical type things seem to happen when they come together.

Eventually Brad and Casey find them and Lucy and Galen have to fight for their lives and go stand up to them so they can stop living in fear and hiding.

I adored Galen's character. His confusion of the modern times was interesting and his protection and attitude towards Lucy was touching. My favorite parts of the book encompass the two of them learning to be together on the boat.

I enjoyed the fact that the vampire element of the story was taken away leaving us with a time travel novel instead.

Time for Eternity

Title: Time for Eternity
Author: Susan Squires
Series: Da Vinci Time Travel Series (Book 1)
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Time Travel



Frankie is a vampire in the 21st century, she was made a vampire in the 18th century. Her maker was a vampire she thought herself in love with, but she didn't know what he was. She was made a vampire and then abandoned by him. This has caused her to always move on in life, never letting anyone get close. This has also made her hard and bitter. Frankie is working as a bartender when one night another vampire comes in and upon seeing/hearing Frankie's bitterness, let's Frankie know that she has a time machine which could let Frankie go back and fix her life. Although she doesn't 100% believe, Frankie decides to check it out and finds out it's real. She transports back to the time when she became a vampire.

To make things interesting, as soon as Frankie is anywhere near her 18th century self for the first time, she is sucked into the same body as her old self. This means that 18th century Francois, who has no idea about vampires and what she is there for has run of the body. She only hears a voice, which is Frankie. Francois thinks she's going a little crazy when she keeps hearing a voice telling her to kill Henri.

The Henri the second time around is nothing like the Henri that Frankie remembered. Henri dotes on Francois and the two fall in love with each other enough to risk their lives for one another. Their story is taking place while France is in an uproar and people are being mobbed and beheaded left and right. Francois learns of a kind Henri who does his best to make things right secretly.

It doesn't take too long for Frankie to realize that she is going to change the past, but not in the way she thought.

I have never read a book by Susan Squires, nor heard of her. I've been racking up a ridiculous amount of Border's Bucks lately and ran out of things to buy with them so I picked up this entire series.

I thought the story was perfectly matched between romance and the turmoil of France and Francois/Henri's involvement. I find that too often one is more focused on then the other and it can be either good or bad, but this was a fantastic blend.

The characters grew to have their own personalities and I thought I could smell cinnamon when Henri entered where I was reading. The passion between the two at times was red hot. I am all to excited to see where the series moves to next.

Play of Passion

Title: Play of Passion
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changling (Book 9)
Genre: Paranormal



Indigo is a strong independent woman and a lieutenant of the SnowDancer pack. She is the most dominant female of the pack, and just 2 steps down from the alpha. Being such a strong dominant, she has some issues with mating and dominance. She always thought that she would fall for a guy who was more dominant or about the same level as she. Her partner in many pack dealings, Drew, seems to get under her skin. She allows him the general pack skin privileges, but eventually he starts to take things further. Indigo seems to enjoy it, but is conflicted on the stance of dominance.

Andrew, Drew is the pack's tracker. He embodies a carefree attitude and seems to be on good terms with the entire pack. He's a bit of a playboy when it comes to the ladies, but it seems that he remains on good terms with them all, even after the fact. Drew doesn't really fall anywhere in the dominance line up. He is a dominant male, yet because he is a tracker he doesn't fit in the line-up with the lieutenants. This is what confuses Indigo so much. She doesn't have much of a chance against Drew, who pours on the charm. He has had feelings for her his entire life, and now is finally acting on them.

The two's relationship is all over the place while they learn what works for them. In the midst of it all, the Psy-Changeling war continues with the Psy becoming more involved and almost pulling the wool over the Changelings' eyes in their own territory.

I just realized that somehow I missed Book 8, Bonds of Justice. It doesn't seem to matter to this book, although I have intentions of reading Bonds of Justice next.

As usual these books are steamy. The characters seem to three dimensional and I can connect with them on many levels. I enjoyed the fact that the war seem to take a real backseat to this story and that's how I like it.

Unlike some past books, I did feel like Indigo's issues regarding dominance and Drew really did come up. He stepped over her and got her reprimanded by alpha Hawke and had to then try and convince her that he wouldn't do it again. Her problems didn't just magically disappear, but it appeared more that they worked on them.

Hawke's story is finally being shared. I cannot wait to see things between him and Sienna come to head. Interesting that it is being released as a hardcover. I guess he's alpha, what else would I expect?