Urban Books - Page 7

On the Prowl

Patricia Briggs, Eileen Wilks, Karen Chance, Sunny

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Mostly worth the money.... 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Someone at a bookstore put me on to Patricia Briggs and she's mainly the reason I picked this one up. On the whole I was happy with it, but only because I knew going in what to expect. As some of the other reviewers have said, at least three of the stories are partials or starter stories with the full story in novel form to come. After saying that, two of those stories could really 'almost' stand alone in that they meet and fall in love with a mate. THe full novels (and I can only speak for Briggs story as that's the only one I've read) just extend out the rest of their story.

Okay, first off...despite the title and the cover art, not all of these books are about werewolves. Maybe I'm the only one who though they would be...anyway, they deal with werewolves, hellhounds, dragon/fae and a group of people who get their power from the moon.

Brigg's story was enjoyable, mainly, I think because I'm already familiar with her world and it's characters. This story is the beginnings of a new shoot-off series from her main "Mercy" books. It deals with the werewolf pack she grew up in. This story is Charles' and his mate. These werewolves are a mixture brutal (but without any gory details) and elegance. I mean that in the sense that Brigg writes them without the language and crudeness that are often found in paranormals nowadays. It's a good teaser story and the book (Cry Wolf) was pretty good too.

Wilks' story was interesting and could pretty much stand alone, though I think it's also part of a series. The characters were likeable and the story was okay until the twist with the murderer. It was a little hard for me to change gears. The romance was good, the world building was similiar to other authors worlds (paranormals out in the open but human groups resenting and hateful, religious persecution, that sort of thing). All in all, worth the read.

Chance's story was also a good read and could stand alone. I'm not a big fan of Fae stories, they tend to creep me out, but this one was well done and didn't have any of that drugged out, party all the time and steal babies that other fae stories do. I liked the set-up of different groups of fae and other magical creatures. I actually liked both the main characters, they had a sense of humor and the hero, while being very 'manly', could laugh at himself. Don't be put off by the auction scene in the beginning. The villains, while having bad intentions, never quite got to that creepy, evil villains often have. They seemed more comedy villains to me.

The last story was really, really odd. partly because, unlike the other two, this one was an erotic story. Beware of authors that only use one name!!!! Basically, the main character is a queeen of these moon people. Previous queens have put men and women out to stud to increase her power. No one has the right to choose their own mate-or even if they get to marry. What put me off was this queen is basically skanky. She's got multiple lovers( one love scene was 15 PAGES!! That's right-15!). Two thirds of this 'story' was her having sex with multiple partners. Not much of a story, actually. I have to admit I just skimmed through this one. It starts out with her mourning one dead lover and then a few pages later she's met up with another lover and is happily running through the forest naked. Yeah. It's hard for me to connect with a woman who can't really emotionally connect with a man enough to make a commitment to one of them.

So...to sum up...if you're looking for complete stories that stand alone-only one of them really does that. If you're looking for starter stories to give you a sense of an authors series, than this is a good place to start. Read the first three, skip the last (you'll thank me).

Editorial Review:

These all-new paranormal romances from today's hottest authors feature a female werewolf who comes into her own; a Lord who crosses paths with a fiery mage; a mixed-blood Child of the Moon who faces an uncertain future; and a woman whose sixth sense proves to be a dangerous talent.

A Caress of Twilight (Meredith Gentry, Book 2)

Laurell K. Hamilton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 197 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Not Free SF Reader 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

A large part of the whole Sidhe political conflict is the issue of succession. This means that whoever of the next generation that can produce a child is likely to get to be the boss, or at least, stay alive.

It doesn't really look too good for Meredith, because she has copious amounts of faerie meat in her bed, but none of them knock her up. Pretty likely, the problem is hers.

We get to see a few Sidhe powers and other information as the Grey agency helps out an actress who is really Sidhe.

Editorial Review:

“I am Princess Meredith, heir to a throne—if I can stay alive long enough to claim it.”

After eluding relentless assassination attempts by Prince Cel, her cousin and rival for the Faerie crown, Meredith Gentry, Los Angeles private eye, has a whole new set of problems. To become queen, she must bear a child before Cel can father one of his own. But havoc lies on the horizon: people are dying in mysterious, frightening ways, and suddenly the very existence of the place known as Faerie is at grave risk. So now, while she enjoys the greatest pleasures of her life attempting to conceive a baby with the warriors of her royal guard, she must fend off an ancient evil that could destroy the very fabric of reality. And that’s just her day job. . . .

Dark Possession (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 15)

Christine Feehan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 118 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A Carpathian event-the new hardcover from the phenomenal New York Times bestselling author.

Christine Feehan returns to the sensual Carpathian world that has earned her a reputation as "the queen of paranormal romance" (USA Today) in a new novel of true love and the unnatural forces that could destroy it.

Dangerously close to becoming a vampire, Manolito De La Cruz has been called back to his Carpathian homeland-and has unexpectedly caught the scent of his destined lifemate, MaryAnn Delaney. MaryAnn is human and well aware of the aggressive instincts of Carpathian males. A counselor for battered women, MaryAnn has no room in her life for someone like Manolito. But when she goes to South America to offer guidance to a young woman, she has no idea of the trap awaiting her. For she's been lured there by Manolito, who has seductive plans for the irresistible human female.

Once there, she'll be his. Once his, she'll never be released. She is his dark possession.

The Dream-Hunter (A Dream-Hunter Novel, Book 1)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

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Total reviews: 130 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In the ethereal world of dreams, there are champions who fight to protect the dreamer and there are demons who prey on them...

Arik is such a predator. Condemned by the gods to live eternity without emotions, Arik can only feel when he’s in the dreams of others. For thousands of years, he’s drifted through the human unconscious, searching for sensation. Now he’s finally found a dreamer whose vivid mind can fill his emptiness.

Dr. Megeara Kafieri watched her father ruin himself and his reputation as he searched to prove Atlantis was real. Her deathbed promise to him to salvage his reputation has now brought her to Greece where she intends to prove once and for all that the fabled island is right where her father said it was. But frustration and bad luck dog her every step. Especially the day they find a stranger floating in the sea. His is a face she’s seen many times.... in her dreams.

What she doesn’t know is that Arik holds more than the ancient secrets that can help her find the mythical isle of Atlantis. He has made a pact with the god Hades: In exchange for two weeks as a mortal man, he must return to Olympus with a human soul. Megeara’s soul.

With a secret society out to ruin her expedition, and mysterious accidents that keep threatening her life, Megeara refuses to quit. She knows she’s getting closer to Atlantis and as she does, she stumbles onto the truth of what Arik really is.

For Arik his quest is no longer simple. No human can know of a Dream-Hunter’s existence. His dream of being mortal has quickly turned into his own nightmare and the only way to save himself will be to sacrifice the very thing he wanted to be human for. The only question is, will he?

Bitten (Women of the Otherworld, Book 1)

Kelley Armstrong

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 241 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

With rights already sold in seven countries, Bitten is a daring literary suspense novel that is causing an international sensation. Ever since her parents were killed in a car accident when she was five, Elena Michaels has longed for a normal family life. Smart, beautiful, and engaged to be married, Elena hopes to fulfill that dream when disaster strikes. Not only has her fiancé lied about his secret life as a werewolf, but he's made her one, too. She has no choice but to join him at Stonehaven, the upstate New York home of an elite pack of werewolves.

In an attempt to break away, she moves to Toronto to lead a normal life. Working as a journalist, Elena now lives with her new architect boyfriend, works out in the basement gym of their high-rise apartment, lunches with girlfriends from the office, and—once a week, at four in the morning—runs naked and furred through a downtown Toronto ravine, ripping out the throats of her animal prey. But when a band of outlaw werewolves threatens the Stonehaven pack, Elena's feral instincts drive her back there to join the defense. What follows is a war for territory, for pride, and ultimately for Elena herself.

Writing with the visceral power of Anne Rice, Kelley Armstrong has created a fascinating story of a woman struggling for her identity.

Succubus Blues (Georgina Kincaid, Book 1)

Richelle Mead

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 64 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Succubus (n.) An alluring, shape-shifting demon who seduces and pleasures mortal men. Pathetic (adj.) A succubus with great shoes and no social life. See: Georgina Kincaid.

When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous. A girl can be anything she wants, the wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch. Granted, they often pay with their souls, but why get technical?

But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid's life is far less exotic. Her boss is a middle-management demon with a thing for John Cusack movies. Her immortal best friends haven't stopped teasing her about the time she shape-shifted into the Demon Goddess getup complete with whip and wings. And she can't have a decent date without sucking away part of the guy's life. At least there's her day job at a local bookstore--free books; all the white chocolate mochas she can drink; and easy access to bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can't.

But dreaming about Seth will have to wait. Something wicked is at work in Seattle's demon underground. And for once, all of her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won't help because Georgina's about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny...

"What an incredible debut novel! Succubus Blues is exciting, witty, sexy, intriguing and had me captivated from the first page." --Cheyenne McCray, author of Seduced by Magic

Undead and Unpopular (Queen Betsy, Book 5)

MaryJanice Davidson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 81 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Another fun addition to the Betsy books 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

MaryJanice Davidson has a uniquely humorous voice, which makes her the only romance author out there from whom I will eagerly purchase a book. The "Queen Betsy" series is one of my favorites in one of my favorite genres - the "silly vampire" books.

In this, the 5th outing for the unlikely vampire queen, Betsy (from Minneapolis), we find Betsy a few days from her 31st birthday, which will also be one year from the day she was killed by being hit by an Aztek (what a plebian way to go!) and awoke as a vampire - horrified to find that The Ant (as she calls her stepmother) had dressed her for her funeral in absolutely dreadful shoes.

Betsy is planning for her non-existent Surprise Birthday Party (which she doesn't want), as well as the wedding to her Vampire King Eric Sinclair, which is scheduled for three months away. Additionally, some hot-shot vampire big-wigs from Europe are showing up. To complicate matters, Sophie (a vampire friend of Betsy's) wishes to "turn" her boyfriend Liam, which leaves Betsy rather discombobulated. Until Betsy learns her best friend, Jessica, has myeloma, whereupon she finds herself pondering the same course of action for her friend. That is, of course, if she changes her mind about never drinking blood again. Then, when Sophie and Liam run up against the big shot European vampires - that's when things really hit the fan, because one of the European contingent is the vampire who killed Sophie and turned her into a vampire and she is out for blood. What's a benevolent vampire queen to do?

Written with an always wry and witty outlook on life, the Betsy books are truly a terrific way to relax and enjoy a nice evening with a cup of tea. Do yourself a favor, pick up a couple and have a few laughs with Betsy!

Editorial Review:

This New York Times bestselling author's Undead series is more popular than ever!

With her birthday coming up, Betsy isn't in the best frame of mind to face the powerful European vampires who have finally come to pay their respects. Playing politics is not her strong suit, especially when she finds out her best friend Jessica may have a life-threatening illness. Sure Betsy can save her life by taking it-isn't that what friends are for?-but the choice isn't in her hands.

With her fiancé Eric dodging all the wedding plans, Betsy's plate is full-and not with birthday cake. But who has time to pout? Not even a reluctant vampire queen, who is taking it one high-heeled step at a time in MaryJanice Davidson's creative, sophisticated, sexy, and wonderfully witty series.

Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville, Book 1)

Carrie Vaughn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 101 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Pretty okay w/ a couple drawbacks 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Always on the hunt for a good urban fantasy, I picked up Kitty based
on a number of recommendations and good reviews (specifically one that
compared this book to vintage Anita Blake) and for the most part, its
pretty good.

Kitty herself is likable, neither too self-deprecating nor too
self-absorbed. The writing is good too. And there aren't any
gratuitous sex scenes that so often plague this genre.

A couple of things bothered me. The werewolf pack dynamic: it was
pretty abusive and unpleasant to read about. Also, a personal pet
peeve of mine is portraying Republicans/Christians as either evil or
legalistic hatemongers. I mean come on already.

Editorial Review:

Description: VAMPIRES. WEREWOLVES. TALK RADIO. Kitty Norville is a midnight-shift DJ for a Denver radio station—and a werewolf in the closet. Sick of lame song requests, she accidentally starts "The Midnight Hour," a late-night advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged. After desperate vampires, werewolves, and witches across the country begin calling in to share their woes, her new show is a raging success. But it’s Kitty who can use some help. With one sexy werewolf-hunter and a few homicidal undead on her tail, Kitty may have bitten off more than she can chew…

Fables Vol. 6: Homelands

Bill Willingham

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

one of the best so far 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I really have to hand it to them, I wasn't that much of a fan of Jack or Blue until I read this collection. Jack's story takes place with his greatest scheme yet, which places him in Hollywood, creating a blockbuster trilogy and boom... well, you have to see. And Boy Blue's story is just fantastic as he battles his way across the Homelands to rescue Pinnochio and Red Riding Hood. A definite must.

Demented fairy tales, but in a good way 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The premise of this wonderful series is to rewrite and expand the world of fairy tales. They characters of which has entered our world fleeing a great evil. Lost of fun, smart and witty, typical american style illustrations for the most part, but nice. Some similarities of premise to the Sand Man series, but not quite as inventive or as extensively research and deep. Start at #1 for the best read.

Editorial Review:

The sixth volume in the series explores some of Bigby Wolf's extracurricular exploits around the mundane world in "Cinderella Libertine" and "War Stories" before returning to the main storyline in "The Year After," which follows the aftermath of the Adversary's attempt to conquer Fabletown. Rated for mature readers.

Perdido Street Station

China Mieville

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Total reviews: 264 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Beneath the towering bleached ribs of a dead, ancient beast lies New Crobuzon, a squalid city where humans, Re-mades, and arcane races live in perpetual fear of Parliament and its brutal militia. The air and rivers are thick with factory pollutants and the strange effluents of alchemy, and the ghettos contain a vast mix of workers, artists, spies, junkies, and whores. In New Crobuzon, the unsavory deal is stranger to none—not even to Isaac, a brilliant scientist with a penchant for Crisis Theory.

Isaac has spent a lifetime quietly carrying out his unique research. But when a half-bird, half-human creature known as the Garuda comes to him from afar, Isaac is faced with challenges he has never before fathomed. Though the Garuda's request is scientifically daunting, Isaac is sparked by his own curiosity and an uncanny reverence for this curious stranger.

While Isaac's experiments for the Garuda turn into an obsession, one of his lab specimens demands attention: a brilliantly colored caterpillar that feeds on nothing but a hallucinatory drug and grows larger—and more consuming—by the day. What finally emerges from the silken cocoon will permeate every fiber of New Crobuzon—and not even the Ambassador of Hell will challenge the malignant terror it invokes . . .

A magnificent fantasy rife with scientific splendor, magical intrigue, and wonderfully realized characters, told in a storytelling style in which Charles Dickens meets Neal Stephenson, Perdido Street Station offers an eerie, voluptuously crafted world that will plumb the depths of every reader's imagination.


From the Trade Paperback edition.