And now for the final book I read in 2008: Take Me Tonight by Roxanne St. Claire. This is the third title in her popular Bullet Catchers romantic suspense series.

In this one, freelance reporter Sage Valentine is determined to prove her friend’s death wasn’t a suicide. Unbeknownst to Sage, her aunt Lucy Monroe (the head of the BC organization) sends one of her agents, Johnny Christiano, to watch over Sage. Of course, the two fall for each other. Too bad there’s someone out there that wants Sage out of the way no matter who gets hurt …

One of the things I like about the BC series is that the women (whether they are BCs or not) are just as strong and smart as the men. Sage is no exception. She’s tough, resourceful, and determined to find out what really happened to her friend. Sage was a little dense in figuring out that Johnny worked for her aunt, but other than that, she’s a really interesting character.

I liked Johnny a lot too. He’s charming, funny, and a whiz in the kitchen (what woman wouldn’t want a guy who cooks for her?). Plus, it was fun to watch Johnny interact with a couple of the other BC guys near the end of the book. I always like seeing characters from past or future books interacting with the main couple in the current book I’m reading.

I did think the villain was a little easy to figure out in this one. But what he was up to, well, it’s pretty surprising and twisted, especially his fixation on Sage at the end of the book and what he really wants from her.

But overall, if you’re looking for a solid romantic suspense read, give this one (or another book in the series) a try. Thumbs up.

Up next: Something from the TBR pile.

Books in my TBR pile: About 15. (What can I say? Santa was good to me this year). 😎

Finished His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik. This is the first book in her popular Temeraire series about a dragon aerial corp during the Napoleonic Wars.

Bristish captain Will Laurence is perfectly happy with his seafaring life. But a twist of fate has Laurence leaving his ship behind to be the handler of Temeraire, a very exceptional, intelligent dragon. Laurence is resentful at first, but soon, he and Temeraire are the best of friends. But their friendship will be severely tested by an impending French invasion of English shores …

I’d heard people buzzing online about this series and thought I would give it a try. I’m glad I did. I’ve never been a huge fan of dragon books, but Novik offers a fresh take on the creature — dragons as aerial English ships. It’s a cool idea, and she executes it very well. You can really picture the dragons suited up in their armor, battling each other in midair, while their crews fight each other for control of the dragons.

Temeraire is a gentle intelligent creature at heart, as are most of his fellow dragons, each of whom have their own personalities and handlers. I really enjoyed all of the dragon characters.

However, I have to say I wasn’t so crazy about Laurence. Maybe it’s the time period or the fact that he’s English, but Laurence is always very, very aware of what’s proper and what’s not and how he should behave. Laurence is very rigid, and I got a little tired of his rules after a while. And the English class system always annoys me. (Which is one reason I’m not overly fond of English-based historical romances. Give me a western any day).

But really, this book is about a (grown-up) boy and his dragon and the adventures they have together. Overall, it’s a solid fantasy read that should especially appeal to dragon and history fans. Thumbs up. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Up next: Something from the TBR pile.

Books in my TBR pile: About 9.

Finished Warsworn by Elizabeth Vaughn. This is the second book in her Chronicles of the Warlands paranormal romance trilogy.

In this one, healer and queen Xylara must stop a deadly disease from decimating the ranks of her adopted people, the Firelanders. But things look grim when Lara and her lover Kier both fall sick, especially since there are warriors among the Firelanders who would like nothing more than to take Kier’s place as the Warlord and kill Lara …

The first book in this series, Warprize, is one of the best books I’ve read this year. So I had very high hopes for Warsworn. Overall, I have to admit I was a little disappointed. Why? Well, mainly because nothing much really happens in the second book.  

Near the beginning of the book, Lara and Kier and the rest of the Firelanders come upon a village suffering from the plague. The rest of the book is devoted to Lara’s efforts to save the remaining villagers and the consequences of the plague sweeping through the ranks of the Firelander warriors. Very little happens to advance the overall plot of the series (Lara being named the Warprize and accepted by the Firelander leaders). The book felt like a stop-gap more than anything else.

Also, a lot of people die in this book, which makes it kind of depressing.

Despite that, there’s a lot to like about this book. Lara is still as charming as ever, as are Kier and the other Firelanders who serve as Lara’s guards. And I enjoyed watching Lara and Kier deal with their cultural differences and celebrate their love for each other, even in the midst of the plague tragedy. I just wish there had been a little more action and development of the main arc. 

Overall, a solid read, but not as enchanting as Warprize. Still, thumbs up.

Up next: His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik.

Books in my TBR pile: About 9.

Finished The Moneypenny Diaries by Kate Westbrook.

This is a James Bond-related book, focusing on M’s famous secretary, Miss Moneypenny. Basically, the book is a year of journal entries from Moneypenny’s point of view during 1962, when she became involved in the Cuban missile crisis, among other adventures.

The book manages to weave in quite a bit of the Bond lore from the Ian Fleming titles while still making Moneypenny an independent character with her own adventures. During the course of the year, Moneypenny finds out what happened to her father, is asked to be a double agent, and falls in love with a man who may or may not be an enemy spy. I found it interesting to read about Bond’s world from the point of view of someone else.

For those who might not be so familiar with the Bond novels, there are plenty of footnotes about various characters and events mentioned (and yes, Bond himself does appear throughout the book). The footnotes are helpful, but after a while, they started to annoy me simply because there were so many of them. Having to read them interrupted the flow of the story for me.

Overall, I’m giving this one a thumbs up, but really, Bond fans will probably enjoy it more than other folks.

Up next: Warsworn by Elizabeth Vaughn.

Books in my TBR pile: About 10.

Finished A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison. This is the fourth book in her Rachel Morgan/Hollows urban fantasy series.

In this one, witch/bounty hunter Rachel Morgan has to leave the comfort of her Cincinnati home behind to journey up to Michigan to bail her ex-boyfriend Nick out of trouble. Nick is hiding an artifact from several groups of werewolves, and they’re determined to get it back no matter what. Along for the ride are Rachel’s partners, the pixy Jenks and her vampire roommate Ivy. Magic and chaos ensue.

When I first started reading urban fantasy, Harrison was one of the first authors I discovered, and I’ve enjoyed this series a lot. (And I absolutely love the titles.) It’s always interesting when an author takes their character out of their hometown/city/comfort zone and stages an adventure elsewhere, and this book is no exception. I thought the Michigan setting worked really well and let Harrison do some different things in terms of action scenes (I particularly liked the big finale on the bridge).

It was also nice to see Rachel get some closure regarding her relationship with Nick — and even better to see her outwit him in the end. I never really liked the Nick character, preferring Kisten, who is just more fun. And, as always, Jenks was one of the highlights of the book for me. I always enjoy his character. 😎

But the one thing I didn’t really get was the relationship between Rachel and Ivy. It’s been a while since I read the third book, and I’m a little fuzzy on how the world works, especially when it comes to the vampires. Anyway, in this one, Rachel gets Ivy to bite her, and Ivy almost kills Rachel before Jenks can get her to stop.

I have to say that I’ve never really liked the Rachel/Ivy storyline. If I were Rachel, always having to watch what I say/do/wear around Ivy would really annoy me. Why can’t Ivy just learn to control herself better? And I’d like to see some sort of resolution to the story. Rachel and Ivy learning how to live together or Ivy learning how to control her feelings for Rachel better. But it’s not my world/characters.  

I also missed seeing Trent and his minions in this one (Trent is Rachel’s archnemesis and deliciously evil).

But overall, another solid entry in this series. I’ll be reading the next one. Thumbs up.

Up next: The Moneypenny Diaries by Kate Westbrook.

Books in my TBR pile: About 10.