Finished The Vampire Who Loved Me by Teresa Medeiros.

This one’s about Portia Cabot, who let vampire Julian Kane drink from her when they were trapped in a crypt together in the previous book in this series, After Midnight (where Portia’s sister and Julian’s brother hooked up as the main couple). Several years have passed, and Julian has finally returned to London. Portia’s never gotten over him and vows to do whatever it takes to save Julian’s soul — and prove him innocent of a string of horrible murders …

This book is an interesting blend of historical and paranormal romance. It’s set in Regency England, where vampires stalk the poor and unsuspecting in the back alleys of London. But neither aspect outweighs the other, and fans of both genres should find plenty to like in this one.

Medeiros’ writing is very vivid and beautifully descriptive in places. There’s also some great dialogue between Portia and Julian. The plot is a little slow to get going, but once it does, everything moves along at a nice pace.

Overall, if you’re looking for something a little different in a historical, you might like this one. Thumbs up.

Up next: Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson.

Books in my TBR pile: About 16.

Finished A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole. This is the first book in her popular Immortals After Dark paranormal romance series. I’ve heard a lot of folks buzzing about this series, so I decided to give it a try.

This one’s about Emma Troy, a half-vampire, half-Valkyrie who journeys to Paris to try to find information about her mysterious parents. Emma doesn’t realize that she’s the mate of Lachlain, a Lykae (think werewolf/shapeshifter but different) who’s spent the last 150 years being tortured by vampires. But Lachlain knows what Emma means to him, and he vows to do anything to keep her by his side, even take on the Valkyries who’ve raised her and the vampires who seem to be stalking her …

I want to say up front that I didn’t really care for the way this book started — with Lachlain basically assaulting Emma, dragging her off to a hotel, and getting in the shower with her, among other things. It sort of fell into that whole forced seduction thing that I just don’t like as a reader. What can I say? It’s one of my pet peeves.

That being said, I really enjoyed the rest of the book. Cole’s world is different and interesting with all manner of paranormal creatures (ghouls, wraiths, etc.). I particularly like the fact that she focuses on the Valkyrie — this group of kick-butt women living in the bayou down in New Orleans. The Valkyrie are warriors, and Cole shows them being bad-asses — like when they attack Lachlain’s castle to rescue Emma and coolly inform Lachlain that he’s dead meat unless he cooperates.

I also liked how Emma grew as a character. She starts out as timid, shy, and afraid of her own shadow, but by the end of the book, she’s starting to realize her potential as a warrior — and stand up to the other Valkyrie, whom she’s always admired.

The plot moves along at a fast clip, the locales are interesting, and you get just enough teases about the other Valkyrie and their potential mates to set up future books (and make you want to read them).

I can see why folks have been buzzing about this series. Overall, it’s a fresh take in an increasingly crowded genre and worth getting hooked on. I plan on getting the next book. Thumbs up.

Up next: The Vampire Who Loved Me by Teresa Medeiros.

Books in my TBR pile: About 17.

Finished Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories by Ian Fleming. Why? Because I’m a fangirl of all things Bond-related and the new movie comes out Nov. 14 (I can’t wait!). 😎

As the title suggests, this book features James Bond short stories, including For Your Eyes Only, The Living Daylights, and Quantum of Solace. One of the things I found most interesting while reading was comparing the stories to the various Bond movies — and there are many similarities.

For example, the story The Living Daylights is exactly like the opening of the movie of the same name — with Bond helping a spy defect and deciding not to shoot a beautiful cello player. The story For Your Eyes Only shares a key plot point with the movie — a woman out to avenge the death of her parents (and using a bow and arrow to do it).

I’m not sure how much the story Quantum of Solace will have in common with the movie, though. The story is about a woman who destroys her marriage by cheating who’s devastated when her husband then sets out to destroy her. Not exactly the stuff Bond movies are made of.

But other than comparing the stories to the movies, I’d also forgotten just how good a writer Fleming was. Most people only know Bond from the movies, but the stories/books are really good too. Fleming’s got a great eye for description, especially the stories that are set in tropical locales (Bond goes diving/snorkeling quite a bit). Fleming also balances Bond’s duty to queen and country with his conflicted feelings about being a cold-blooded killer (especially in The Living Daylights). And there are some nice twists in several of the stories, like in The Hildebrand Rarity, where Bond tries to figure out whether or not a woman murdered her abusive husband.

Of course, the stories are a little dated now, and Bond comes off as sexist at times (like when he says killing is man’s work). Also, Bond and everyone else in the stories smokes like a chimney, since these were written before folks knew cigarettes caused lung cancer.

My love of all things Bond aside, if you’ve never read Ian Fleming or are just looking for some good spy stories to read, pick up Quantum of Solace. It’s a great introduction to Fleming and the world of James Bond. Thumbs up.

Up next: A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole.

Books in my TBR pile: About 18.