Finished Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas. This is the second book in her contemporary romance series about the lives and loves of the Travis family.

Sugar Daddy, the first book in this series, was my favorite read in 2008, so I had high, high hopes for BED — and I’m happy to say that I wasn’t disappointed.

This book is about Haven Travis, the sister in the super-rich Travis family. Haven meets the rough, rugged, wealthy oilman Hardy Cates at her brother Gage’s wedding to Hardy’s childhood love, Liberty. Haven and Hardy share a steamy kiss at the wedding but go their seperate ways. Haven eventually marries her college boyfriend Nick, despite her family’s disapproval.

Things are fine for a while, but Nick shows his true colors and becomes more and more abusive toward Haven – beating and raping her before she finally summons up the courage to leave him. With the help of her family, Haven divorces Nick and starts a new life. And who does she run into at a bar one night but Hardy, who still sparks something deep inside Haven that she thought she’d lost after Nick’s abuse …

This book is classified as contemporary romance, but it has heavy themes of domestic abuse and is basically about Haven’s journey to become strong and independent. Normally, I don’t like books where women are victimized, but I thought Kleypas handled the subject with dignity and grace. Nothing was gratuitous, and Haven didn’t miraculously recover overnight from what Nick did to her. Everything was realistic (if painful).

I also thought the romance between Haven and Hardy was at turns sweet, poignant, and hot. Hardy helped Haven heal, and she did the same for him and his issues. They were both independent people who found something more together, which is what I think a romance should be.

My only real quibble was the ending with Vanessa, Haven’s bitchy boss. Vanessa basically gives Nick the keys to Haven’s apartment and almost gets her killed when Nick holds Haven at gunpoint. I would have liked Vanessa to do some jail time right along with Nick for that stunt.

Also, I would have liked to know a little bit more about Hardy’s family, since they’re the root of his issues and problems. But this was Haven’s story, and she really shined in it.

Blue-Eyed Devil wasn’t quite as good as Sugar Daddy, but it’s easily the best book I’ve read so far this year. I loved it and hope the next book in the series, Smooth-Talking Stranger, is just as good. Big thumbs up.

Up next: Graceling by Kristin Cashore.

Books in my TBR pile: About 25.

Finished Dead Beat by Jim Butcher. This is the seventh book in his urban fantasy series about Chicago wizard and private investigator Harry Dresden.

In this one, an old enemy of Harry’s orders him to find a rare book or else she’ll do bad things to Harry’s friend, Karrin Murphy. Harry agrees, but little does he know that there are several big, bad necromancers in town, all of whom want a) the book, b) to kill each other, and c) wouldn’t mind taking out Harry too. But Harry is determined to keep bad stuff from happening, even if it means his own death …

I like this series a lot, especially the characters. Wise-cracking Harry, lovable Mouse, conflicted Thomas, funny Bob. I think the magic is believable and always interesting, and I enjoy the recurring characters who pop up.

But I did have a few quibbles with this one. First of all, at the beginning, Harry lets Murphy (who, come on, we all know that he really loves) go off to Hawaii with another guy. That was dumb, Harry. Real dumb. This also meant that Murphy wasn’t in this book, which I thought was a real loss. Her tough-as-nails character is one of my favorites.

There’s also a lot of action in this book. Now, I like action scenes probably more than most people do, but there were just so many and Harry got so beat up, it felt like we just went from one fight to another. I really would have liked to reach in the book and give Harry some aspirin and permission to take a shower and get some sleep.

And I kind of lost track of which villain was which toward the end. There were a lot of bad guys in this one.

But the book also featured all the things I love about the series. Wisecracks from Harry and others, a visit to the local wizard hangout, a run-in with the mob guy, and more.  

So overall, not my favorite Dresden book, but still a solid read. Thumbs up.

Up next: Something from the TBR pile.

Books in my TBR pile: About 18.

What about you guys? Anyone reading anything good right now? Share in the comments.

Finished Show No Mercy by Cindy Gerard. This is the first book in her Black Ops, Inc. romantic suspense series about a group of former soldiers who form their own private security company.

This one is about reporter Jenna McMillan, who goes to Argentina to chase down a hot story on a reclusive billionaire. But when someone tries to kill Jenna with a car bomb, Black Ops operative Gabe Jones steps in to protect her. Gabe and Jenna have a history, and their past attraction heats up once more as they try to stay one step ahead of the madman who’s chasing them …

I’ve been looking for some new romantic suspense authors to try and someone suggested Gerard to me. So I picked this one up at the bookstore.

I thought it started out a little slow, as Gerard establishes some of the Black Ops members and shows how the group was originally formed. But after that, it’s all action, all the time — bombs, shootings, raids, and more.

Sandwiched in between all the action is Gabe and Jenna’s romance. Overall, the romance works well given their past history, but I would have liked a little more downtime with the two characters instead of them almost constantly being in danger. I also would have liked a little more explanation about their past history together — and how they took down the bad guy the first time. That story almost seemed like it could have been a book by itself.

One thing that I found interesting and refreshing about the book is that all the male characters are hyper-aware of their feelings. Gabe knows how he feels about Jenna and how she feels about him from almost the beginning of the book. One of the other Black Ops guys is also in love, knows it, and isn’t ashamed to admit it. That was a nice change of pace from the cliche hero who thinks that feelings are a sign of weakness.

Overall, if you like nonstop action and a healthy dose of romance, you should like this book. Thumbs up.

Up next: Something from the TBR pile.

Books in my TBR pile: About 20.

What about you guys? Reading anything good right now?

Finished Runner by Thomas Perry. This is the sixth and most recent book in his Jane Whitefield thriller series about a Native American “guide” who helps people change their identities.

In this one, Jane has retired from running her own version of the witness protection program. But when Christine, a young pregnant girl, comes to her for help, Jane can’t say no. She manages to hide Christine in Minnesota, far away from her abusive boyfriend, who needs their baby to collect on his inheritance. But when Christine is captured, Jane is determined to save her no matter what …

If you’ve never read Perry or any books in this series, you should. Perry writes crackerjack thrillers with plenty of action and characters that keep you guessing until the very end. I particularly like Jane’s character and her books.

Jane is smart, strong, and not afraid to use violence when she needs to. She helps people disappear to give them a second chance at life, not for any personal gain on her own part. In fact, the only person who knows what Jane does is her husband, but she doesn’t whine about the lack of people or close relationships in her life. Jane never whines, never, which is what makes her so kick-ass. 

That being said, some of this book felt like a retread of the other titles in the series, especially when Jane explains to Christine all the things that she can’t do anymore (like visit her dad in jail or call her friends back home). Anybody who’s ever watched a cop show or movie should know basics like that. But Christine slips up anyway and gets captured.

But I have to say that the last third of the book when Jane goes to save her is the best part, especially reading about how Jane takes down a group of hired killers. It’s refreshing to read about a heroine who uses simple tools and common sense to solve problems.

Overall, if you like thrillers, give this book a chance. Thumbs up.

Up next: Something from the TBR pile.

Books in my TBR pile: About 20.

Finished No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole. This is the second book in her Immortals After Dark paranormal romance series about vampires, Valkyries, and other magical creatures.

This one focuses on Kaderin the Cold Hearted, a Valkyrie who was granted her wish to feel no emotion after her sisters’ deaths, and Sebastian Wroth, the vampire who falls in love with her and makes her feel again. To be close to Kaderin, Sebastian enters a mystical scavanger hunt called the Hie alongside her. But they both want the prize — a magical key that lets the user travel back in time. Too bad only one of them can win it …

I’ve heard a lot of folks buzzing about this series, so I bought a couple of the books to read. I liked this one even more than the first book in the series, A Hunger Like No Other. Why? Mainly because of Kaderin. She was everything that I like in a female character – strong, tough, and a kick-ass warrior who can take care of herself just fine, thank you very much.

I also thought the plot was nicely balanced between the Hie contest and Kaderin and Sebastian’s developing romance. The contest also set up the next couple in the series and gave the reader more glimpses of the different types of creatures in the series. That’s hard to do without shortchanging the main couple’s romance, but Cole did it well in this book.

There was also a nice role reversal in this one. Because instead of being your usual alpha male vampire who is irresistable to the ladies, Sebastian’s large size has always made him feel clumsy, and he hasn’t had much luck with women in the past.

In fact, I really liked Sebastian’s shy character — until he decided that he was going to force Kaderin to, ahem, service him because he thought that she had wronged him. I know this is a fantasy book, and the world building makes it clear just how crazy Sebastian is to make Kaderin his. But still, I just never think that this kind of thing is sexy or attractive. It’s a pet peeve of mine. And what’s worse is that Kaderin was going to submit to him, until Sebastian changed his mind at the last minute.

But other than that, if you’re looking for a new paranormal romance series to try, you might want to consider this book. It’s got a lot of action and a lot of romance, which are always two of my favorite things. Thumbs up.

Up next: Runner by Thomas Perry.

Books in my TBR pile: About 20.