July Round-up of Books

To say that I’m behind is to put it mildly – we’re a week into August and I’m just now posting my July round-up of books! I’ve been catching up on a lot of reading while out of town, and I’ll be posting a lot of reviews this week, since school will be starting up soon. These are some of the highlights of my reading from the month of July, and all books were either purchased by me or checked out from the library.

Paranormal/Urban Fantasy

Sunshine by Robin McKinley While the rest of the books on this list are in no particular order, I absolutely had to list this one first, because it was amazing. It’s been years since I’ve read Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword and Beauty, but her writing remains as fresh and inspiring as ever. This novel was published in 2003, but it’s recently been re-released with a new cover, so you’ll have no problems finding it in the bookstores. The novel takes place in a world devastated by the 10 year long Voodoo wars, the result of vampires tiring of constant legal discrimination. The heroine, nicknamed Sunshine, visits her family’s cabin by a lake only to be attacked by a group of vampires who intend to offer her to another as a food source. Sunshine’s escape and subsequent interaction with the other vamp lead to profound changes in her formerly ordinary life. This was a fascinating read that I couldn’t put down and reaffirms my belief that Ms. McKinley is a consummate storyteller.

Black Wings by Christina Henry Fallen Angels seem to be the next big thing in the Paranormal and Urban Fantasy genres, and this novel stands out for its twist on the demonic and the bureaucracy involved in death and dying. This is the first novel in the Black Wings series, and as much as I enjoyed the story, the heroine’s companion gargoyle, Beezle, really stole the show. Madeline “Maddy” Black is an agent of death, an inherited position that has her collecting souls and escorting them to a door that leads to the afterlife. Maddy has black wings that appear when she needs to fly, along with other powers that inconveniently don’t help pay the bills. She’s forced to rent her downstairs apartment to the sexy Gabriel Angeloscuro, but she’s not convinced that he’s completely upfront about who he is, especially since Beezle doesn’t seem to like Gabriel. When Maddy is viciously attacked, Gabriel comes to her rescue, and she learns more about her parentage than she probably wanted to know. A great introduction to a new series, and the second installment, Black Night, is already out and just as much fun as the first.

Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett Arcadia “Cady” Bell is a magician who owns and runs the Tambuku Tiki Lounge, which serves Earthbound demons. Her parents were accused of several vicious murders years ago, and Cady has lived on the run for years. After spotting her notorious parents on the news, she’s worried that she’ll have to hit the road again. When she’s told that if her parents don’t turn themselves in she’ll be given up in their stead as retribution for their crimes, Cady decides to prove their innocence. She’s introduced to Lon Butler, an Earthbound demon and famous photographer, because of his collection of arcane texts that she hopes will identify the demon used in the murders. Their subsequent romance, his charming teenage son, and the astonishing twist at the end make this a real page-turner. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

Historical Romance

Don’t Tempt Me by Loretta Chase I loved Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels (and it’s still on sale at Amazon for $.99!), so recently I’ve tried a couple of her other books. Don’t Tempt Me has now joined the keeper pile and is an absolute delight. Lucien de Grey, Duke of Marchmount, was the ward of Lord Lexham after the death of his parents, and when Lexham’s long-lost daughter, Zoe Octavia, reappears after 12 years in a harem, Marchmount vows to help ease Zoe’s way back into society. Zoe’s training in the sensual arts make her assimilation into the ton a difficult one, and Lucien’s attraction to her doesn’t help matters any. Both characters were extremely likeable, and it’s so much fun to watch Lucien try to deal with the irrepressible heroine.

The Best Intentions by Candice Hern Ms. Hern has recently started releasing her backlist on Amazon, and when I saw this book on sale for $.99, I couldn’t resist giving it a try. It’s a lighthearted and sweet romance that doesn’t go beyond a few steamy kisses, and the focus on the characters make this novel a pleasure to read. Miles is the Earl of Strickland and a widower with two young daughters. He’s decided that he needs to remarry for the girls’ sakes, but his devotion to his deceased wife makes him leery of seeking another love match. His sister Winifred invites the lovely widow Charlotte and her younger sister Hannah to Miles’ estate in the hopes of enticing Miles into proposing to Charlotte. Unfortunately for the practiced beauty, Miles finds himself attracted to the charmingly enthusiastic Hannah, whose fascination with ancient ruins and rapport with his daughters steal the stodgy Earl’s heart. On a side note, Ms. Hern’s webpage provides lots of fascinating information about the Regency and is an excellent resource for writers and readers alike.

Contemporary Romance

Only Mine (Fool’s Gold #4) by Susan Mallery Ms. Mallery’s books have unfailingly been favorites, and Only Mine is no exception. If you love small town romance, you just can’t go wrong with one of the novels in her Fool’s Gold series. Set in California, Fool’s Gold is a small town that’s short on men, a fact that has caught the attention of the media, resulting in the filming of a reality TV show similar to the The Bachelor. Dakota Hendrix has been asked by the mayor to be the town’s liaison for the show, which is how she meets Finn Anderssen, pilot from Alaska. He’s made the trek to Fool’s Gold to force his 21 year old twin brothers to leave the show, but his efforts are for naught, since the twins are both charming and good-looking, making them primetime fodder. Dakota and Finn strike up what’s supposed to be a no-strings fling, but soon becomes much more complicated. There’s also a sweet secondary romance between twin Sasha and 30 year old accountant Aurelia, all of which combine for a enchanting read that’s very satisfying.

Summer at Seaside Cove by Jacquie D’Alessandro I’ve long enjoyed Ms. D’Alessandro’s historical romances, but her latest contemporary is the perfect beach read. Jamie Newman is a successful manager of a family restaurant in New York City, but when her older half-sister steals Jamie’s boyfriend, Jamie travels over 700 miles to Seaside Cove, North Carolina, for a much needed break from work and family. When she arrives, the bungalow she’s rented is a wreck, complete with leaking roof and rotting clams in the kitchen. Luckily for Jamie, the owner lives next door. Equally fortunately, he’s quite the hunky handyman! Just as Jamie and Nick start to really hit it off, all of Jamie’s family drama descends upon Seaside Cove in the form of her mother, then her niece, and finally her cheating sister. You’ll definitely enjoy seeing how Jamie’s relationships play out in this inviting contemporary romance.

Favorite Books Now on Sale for Under $1.99

This summer I have been putting some mileage on my Kindle, because Amazon has had some rockin’ sales! Fortunately B&N has been matching them, so even if you have a Nook instead of a Kindle, you can still get some great books for great prices. I’m so thrilled that the publishers have started doing this, because I’ve been able to check out some new (to me) authors, plus buy some books for my Kindle that I only have in paperback. It’s definitely a great way to get readers interested in your product, because a lot of the books on sale are the first in a series. I found out about these sales from the blog DearAuthor.com through their bi-weekly post about books for under $2.99. If you don’t follow DearAuthor.com, I highly recommend you check them out, because they have thoughtful and well-written reviews, plus post interesting links about the industry.

I decided I’d write a few mini-reviews of some of my old favorites that are on sale, plus several new books/novellas that I just read. All these sales seem really timely, since it’s too hot to do anything but sit around and read anyway!

Dee Davis Daring (A-Tac #3.5)

For me this novella was an introduction to Ms. Davis’ A-Tac series. As soon as I read the description of it, I knew I had to check it out, because apparently A-Tac is an elite CIA unit posing as faculty at an Ivy League college. If this were true, it would explain so much, wouldn’t it? This novella focuses on Lara Prescott, the former medical officer for the team, whose lover Jason died during a mission over a year ago. Lara’s been working in a clinic in Africa, and when insurgents arrive, she realizes that they’re there for her. Fortunately sexy mercenary Rafe Winters is there to fill all her needs (ha!). Novellas can be hit or miss for me, especially romantic suspense, but this one was great. The couple had known each other for over a year, so their romance was believable and smoldering. I can’t wait to read more of Ms. Davis’ work!

Jeaniene Frost Happily Never After

This e-novella was just released by Ms. Frost and is part of her Night Huntress series, which is a fun and sexy urban fantasy featuring vampire Bones and his lover/wife Cat. In this novella Bones barely makes an appearance and Cat isn’t in it at all, but it’s a great story and I highly recommend it. Even if you’ve never read any of Ms. Frost’s books, you’ll enjoy this story of vampire Chance sent to help out Isabella, who’s being blackmailed by a low-level mobster into marriage to protect her brother. Ms. Frost pokes fun at mafia stereotypes with this one, which leads to a lot of laughs. The characters are really well developed and the writing drew me in from the first. Definitely a winner and a great addition to the series!

Lori Wilde You Only Love Twice

This is a cute contemporary romance about shy comic book artist and conspiracy theorist Marlie Montague, whose father was a Navy whistleblower and died under suspicious circumstances. Marlie manages to hit the mark on an unknown conspiracy in one of her comic books, and as a result she’s being watched by former Navy SEAL Joel J. Hunter. Little does she realize that Joel was her childhood crush and son of the man who shot her father. The two have a rollicking adventure trying to decipher which conspiracy she unknowingly revealed in her comic book, all while fighting an attraction to one another. I laughed out loud so many times with this book. After all, any book that features a bowling ball flash mob with people singing Anchors Away is going to be lots of fun!

Loretta Chase Lord of Scoundrels

This book is a classic among regency romance lovers, and I’m ashamed to admit that I had never read it until a few weeks ago. I was stunned when I discovered afterwards that it was originally published in 1994, because it reads as though it were written yesterday. The hero, Sebastian Ballister, Marquess of Dain, is a tortured hero who is half Italian and quite the rake, but he’s met his match in Jessica Trent. Miss Trent is the granddaughter of a well-known femme fatale, and when she arrives in Paris with her fascinating grandmother to rescue her idiotic brother Bertie from Dain’s evil ways, the sparks fly. Actually, the sparks explode, because the two are spontaneously combustible. The redeemable rake is one of my favorite tropes, but it was Jessica Trent who absolutely sold this book for me. She was an intelligent, sexy woman with lots of pluck, and you’ll love the two of them together. Definitely a classic and one I’ll be reading over and over again.

Eloisa James Duchess in Love

Eloisa James is one of my favorite authors of regency romance, and this is the first book in her Duchess Quartet series. Her books are always intelligent, well-written, and humorous, and this one is on sale with bonus material (excerpts from the other books in the series) on Amazon right now. It’s a great introduction to her writing and an intriguing romance. Gina is married at age 11 to Camden, the Duke of Girton, who promptly flees the country without consummating the marriage (not that one can blame him). The two remain good friends, however, maintaining correspondence while the Duke is busy sculpting in Greece. But Gina grows up and 12 years later she writes to Camden, asking for an annulment so she can marry Sebastian, Marquess Bonnington. When Camden arrives to grant her the annulment, he falls in love, and as the novel progresses and their romance develops, you are never quite sure if they will consummate the original marriage or not. Lots of fun, plus a secondary romance among other characters as well.

Julia Quinn The Duke and I (Bridgertons #1)

This is the book that started the Lady Whistledown craze, and if you don’t know who Lady Whistledown is, you simply must remedy the situation at once! Ms. Quinn is another of my favorite regency romance authors, and she is best known for her series about the Bridgerton siblings. The Duke and I is the first of the series about the large Bridgerton family, and it features the eldest daughter, Daphne, whose romance with Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, is funny, touching, and heartbreaking. Simon is friends with Daphne’s older brothers, who make it clear to him that as a womanizer he should steer clear of their sister. But Daphne and Simon decide to fake an engagement in the hopes of drumming up interest in Daphne while protecting Simon from matchmaking mamas. Naturally the fake engagement becomes something more, and it’s a pleasure to see their relationship develop. And if you don’t know who Lady Whistledown is, you are in good company, because no one in the book knows either. You’ll have to read the subsequent books in the series to learn her identity!

All of these books are currently on sale at Amazon for less than $1.99, and they are a steal at that price. While some of these authors are already favorites, the sale pricing has definitely been to the authors’ benefit, because I’ve already purchased many of their other books! I’m definitely burning up the airwaves with all the sales going on, that’s for certain. If you want to keep on top of sales, follow me on Twitter (@RebeLovesBooks), because I tweet about sales as I learn about them. Enjoy and keep cool!