Finished Primal Law by J. D. Tyler. This is the first book in her Alpha Pack paranormal romance series.

Kira Locke knows that the scientists at the lab where she works are up to something shady, so she decides to steal some lab samples to prove it. Too bad for her that she is discovered and is forced to flee from the lab. The men guarding the lab catch up to Kira and almost kill her before Jaxon Law intervenes. Jaxon is part of Alpha Pack, a secret group of soldiers who can shapeshift and have other abilities. Jaxon and his friends take Kira to their compound, where she encounters even more strange beings. Kira finds herself attracted to Jaxon, who feels the same way, despite the fact that a past lover betrayed him and the rest of his team. The stakes get even higher when the samples that Kira stole from the lab turn out to be related to a secret project involving shifters like Jaxon and his team, but the members of Alpha Pack are determined to get to the bottom of things — no matter how high the price might be …

I liked the idea of Alpha Pack, and it was interesting to read about the world and headquarters that Tyler has created for her characters, along with the various creatures that she populates it with.

Kira and Jaxon are both likable enough characters, as are the other members of Alpha Pack, and there’s some amusing banter in places, especially between the guys. However, I thought that Kira accepted the idea of shapeshifters and everything else that she encounters way too easily, and I thought the pack accepted and trusted her way too easily as well. Basically, Kira almost immediately becomes part of the pack’s inner circle. That just didn’t seem all that believable to me, since the group is supposed to be so secretive and tight-knit.

Also, I would have liked a lot more forward movement on the conspiracy plot. Kira and Jaxon figure out that someone is trying to create a breed of super-shifters, but there are definitely more questions than answers at the end of the book, which I thought was frustrating.

Overall, this book didn’t work for me, but if you like paranormal romance with shapeshifters, you might want to give it a shot.

My grade: D

Would I read this author again: Maybe. I think this is an interesting concept, and I’d like to see what Tyler does with the other characters.

Memorable quote: “Kira Locke had thirty seconds to lift the samples and get the hell out. Every second counted.”

So the blog tour for Touch of Frost has finally wrapped up. I want to give a big thanks to all the bloggers who hosted me on their sites, as well as everyone who took the time to read and review the book. I really appreciate all you guys do to support books. You guys rock!

I am in the process of mailing out the books to the folks who won copies of Touch of Frost through the various blogs, as the winners’ info is sent to me. So please be patient if you won, and you haven’t received your book yet.

So far, the response to Touch of Frost has been really, really good. Folks seem to like Gwen and the world that I’ve created with Mythos Academy. I’ve gotten a lot of nice comments from folks who enjoy the Elemental Assassin series saying that they also liked the Mythos Academy series as well. I was hoping that there would be some crossover readership between the two series, and I’m really happy that folks seem to be enjoying both worlds.

But now, it’s time to gear up again and start thinking about Spider’s Revenge, Elemental Assassin #5, which will be out on Sept. 27. I’ll be doing another blog tour for that book, starting around Sept. 19 or so and probably running into the first week or two of October.

In the meantime, I’ll be getting back to my regular Monday-Wednesday-Friday posting schedule here on the blog, as well as linking to everything on my Facebook and Twitter pages. I’ve got a ton of books to review as well as some updates to share on my various books and projects. So stay tuned for more …

A few weeks ago, I got an email from Sarah over at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books saying that the site had selected Touch of Frost as their Sizzling Book Club Pick for August. Huzzah!

I was really, really excited about this. I had seen the book club picks on the site before, but I never dreamed that one of my books would be selected. It was a wonderful surprise — one that I’m still grinning about.

Anyway, there’s going to be a chat about the book tonight, Aug. 24. I believe the chat starts at 8:30 p.m. EST and runs until about 10 p.m. I’ll be joining the chat about 9:30 p.m. to answer questions. You can visit Smart Bitches for more details. Hope to see you there!

Finished Storm’s Heart by Thea Harrison. This is the second book in her Elder Races paranormal romance series.

Niniane (aka Tricks) Lorelle is the heir to the Dark Fae throne — but someone doesn’t want her to claim what’s rightfully hers. After Niniane survives an assassination attempt, Tiago Black Eagle, a Wyr thunderbird, is sent by her Wyr friends in New York to protect her. Niniane and Tiago are attracted to each other, but they both realize that they have many obstacles in front of them. And the stakes get even higher as Niniane and Tiago journey into Dark Fae territory, and the villain puts another assassination plot against Niniane into motion — one that just might succeed this time …

I really like the world building that Harrison has created in this series — the idea that supernatural creatures like Wyr (think animal shapeshifters), Fae, Vampires, and more each control a portion of the U.S. and beyond. Harrison’s writing also draws you into the world. She has some really nice descriptions and balances those out with quirky characters.

I thought Niniana (aka Tricks) was a cool character. She’s really fun and charismatic and has spent years working as a public relations guru for the Wyr in New York. Niniane knows that she’s not as physically strong and powerful as some of the other Elder Races, but she always keeps fighting no matter how bad things get. I liked that about her.

However, I didn’t like Tiago that much. Alpha males aren’t my favorite heroes to read about, and Tiago is very much an alpha male. He’s very protective and possessive of Niniane. Part of this is understandable, given the attempts on her life, but it seemed like he was constantly picking her up and carrying her around, no matter what she thought about things. It came off as more controlling than sexy to me.

Also, it didn’t seem to me like very much happened in this book, compared to the first book in the series, Dragon Bound. Sure, there are a couple of attempts on Niniane’s life, but it seems like most of the book is just Niniane and the other characters sitting around, talking and thinking about who could want her dead, first at a hotel and then at a Dark Fae estate. I also would have liked to have seen more of the Dark Fae world, including the court.

Although not everything in the story worked for me, overall, this is an interesting book. If you’re looking for a new paranormal series to try, you might want to give this one a shot.

My grade: C-

Would I read this author again: Yes. I like the world Harrison has created in this series, and I’m interested to see what she does with the other characters in the books.

Memorable quote: “Motel 6 wasn’t so bad. In fact, it was kind of cute in a polyester sort of way. Sure, it wasn’t the Regent, or the Renaissance, or the Ritz-Carlton. But the desk attendant had been cheerfully disinterested when she had checked in, the prices were affordable and, most importantly, they had smoking rooms. Score.”

Finished Delaney’s Shadow by Ingrid Weaver. This is a romantic suspense with a bit of a paranormal element thrown in.

Delaney Wainwright has fond memories of her imaginary childhood friend Max. Still recovering from a car accident that claimed her husband’s life, Delaney goes home to her grandmother’s house to rest, recuperate, and hopefully recover her missing memories of the accident. She’s surprised when she starts dreaming about Max again — especially since Max is now all grown up and has turned into a handsome man. What Delaney doesn’t know is that Max is real — and is an artist living just a few miles away from her grandmother’s house. Max (aka John Harrison) saved Delaney from drowning when she was young, and that’s when their psychic bond formed. Max is surprised when Delaney pulls him into her mind and dreams again, but he reluctantly agrees to help her figure out what happened to her husband — and who seems to want to hurt her now …

This is a difficult book to describe. There’s a bit of mystery regarding what happened to Delaney’s husband, but mostly, the story revolves around Delaney and Max and this psychic bond and world that they share. It just doesn’t seem like all that much happens in the book, except for the two of them debating what’s real and what’s not.

There are a couple of threats to Delaney. He daughter-in-law doesn’t like her, and someone seems to want Delaney to stop trying to remember what happened to her husband. But the paranormal element of the psychic bond overshadows these mysteries.

However, my main problem with the book was Max. I just didn’t like his character at all. I know Max has been through a lot — he had an abusive childhood and was sent to prison — but he makes Delaney doubt her own sanity by not telling her that he’s real and that they have a psychic connection. Max has numerous chances to tell Delaney the truth, but he chooses not to, for really no good reason. That didn’t make him a very appealing hero to me.

Overall, this book didn’t work for me. But if you like romantic suspense, especially with a bit of paranormal mixed in, you may want to check it out.

My grade: F.

Would I read this author again: Maybe. The overall plot didn’t work for me, but I enjoyed some aspects of the writing style.

Memorable quote: “He came back to her in a dream. Yet even as Delaney sensed his presence in her head, the watchful, grown-up part of her knew he couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be happening. He was the boy of make-believe.”