I'm still unable to link directly to individual books, though I do have hopes B&N will have it fixed soon--after all, it's been nearly a month since the function broke. In the meantime, I have a search link this time to take you directly to the
Romance section, as well as the necessary information for each book below.
First up this time is Rebecca York's The Crimson Moon (ISBN 0425199959) (Berkley), with werewolf Sam Morgan, aka Johnny Marshall, about to make a lumber baron pay for what he's done to the land. Except Olivia Woodlock, the lumber baron's daughter, gets in the way, and under his skin. Too bad her father isn't any ordinary greedy man, but one dying for lack of an elixir that is withheld from their family because of Olivia's refusal to marry the man who has it. This is a pretty complicated story, with some twists even the most devoted paranormal reader might find difficult. I'm giving it only three arrows.
And while we're on werewolves, MaryJanice Davidson's Derik's Bane (ISBN 0425199975) (Berkley) is also out now. Dr. Sara Gunn meets werewolf Derik Gardner when he's come to kill her. He's on a mission to save the world from her--the supposed reincarnation of Morgan LeFay. I'm not a huge fan of most werewolves, and I'm also not a fan of Ms. Davidson's paranormals. This one hasn't changed my mind, with its screechy heroine and chick-lit-y tone. It's earned two arrows.
Next is Beverly Long's Stay With Me (ISBN 0425200620) (Berkley). Sara Tremont has had a rough day, and it only gets worse when she follows a pair of footprints along the beach that suddenly have her back in time about a hundred years or so. And John Beckett is none too pleased to see her, thinking she's his sister-in-law. Not too complicated for a light read, with some interesting secondary characters and a definite sequel story ending, though John has a tendency to be especially mean to Sara, and I couldn't find it in me to excuse him, no matter what he thought his late brother's wife had done. This one gets three and a half arrows.
Finally, we have Patricia Simpson's The Dark Lord (ISBN 0765348616) (Tor). Fay Rae Lambers is the good sister, taking care of her sister Angie despite her own difficulties. Their trip to Egypt yields an interesting find, a box holding a deck of cards. When Angie takes a look at one, things take a turn for the worse. Kind of. Rae suddenly has half a house left to her, and two men fighting for her. I did have to wonder how they managed to get their box out of the country in a place where they're trying to get back their relics, but I could let that one go. Mostly. The bad guy in this is truly a monster, and one of his acts late in the book was something I just couldn't let go. It's not something most romance readers want in their stories, even if it isn't directly happening to the hero or heroine, at least not to read about as anything more than a flashback or memory. That rather ruined the rest of the story for me. I'm going to give this one three arrows, but with the caveat that if you're looking for anything but a truly dark story, this might not be for you.
Until next time, happy reading!
