Viehl, Lynn: Dark Need

ISBN: 0451218663

From the Publisher:

Homicide detective Samantha Brown is a tough, highly decorated cop. But twelve lonely years after she nearly died of a gunshot wound, she aches with a deep inner longing. In pursuit of a deranged killer, her only clue is a medieval cross inscribed "Lucan"-the name of the owner of a new nightclub near the murder scene. Drawn into a seamy underworld, Samantha falls for Lucan-who believes he's a vampire and Samantha is his reincarnated first love. Now, she must save this mysterious, seductive man who seems beyond redemption if he is to fulfill her deepest, darkest desires.

This is the third book in the Darkyn series by Ms. Viehl, and in my opinion, the best.

I found the characters the most interesting and real in this book, with real problems (minus the whole vampire thing), even though some of the settings were a bit cliched (ie. vampire owned/run nightclub). The plot was well thought out and constant, and I also like how it kept up with Alex, Michael and John from the other two books. I prefer it when a series mentions all of the characters that came before.

I find these types (supernatural/paranormal/slightly horror-ish romances) very hard to review. Honestly, there is no grit to them, except the trials and the violence involved in them. They're good books to read, beach books, if you will, but they're not going to change anyone's lives.

Anyway, this is a pretty dark and violent book, not to mention has graphic sex scenes. So if that's what you're interested in reading, I think you'll really like it.

Viehl, Lynn: Dark Need

ISBN: 0451218663

From the Publisher:

Homicide detective Samantha Brown is a tough, highly decorated cop. But twelve lonely years after she nearly died of a gunshot wound, she aches with a deep inner longing. In pursuit of a deranged killer, her only clue is a medieval cross inscribed "Lucan"-the name of the owner of a new nightclub near the murder scene. Drawn into a seamy underworld, Samantha falls for Lucan-who believes he's a vampire and Samantha is his reincarnated first love. Now, she must save this mysterious, seductive man who seems beyond redemption if he is to fulfill her deepest, darkest desires.

This is the third book in the Darkyn series by Ms. Viehl, and in my opinion, the best.

I found the characters the most interesting and real in this book, with real problems (minus the whole vampire thing), even though some of the settings were a bit cliched (ie. vampire owned/run nightclub). The plot was well thought out and constant, and I also like how it kept up with Alex, Michael and John from the other two books. I prefer it when a series mentions all of the characters that came before.

I find these types (supernatural/paranormal/slightly horror-ish romances) very hard to review. Honestly, there is no grit to them, except the trials and the violence involved in them. They're good books to read, beach books, if you will, but they're not going to change anyone's lives.

Anyway, this is a pretty dark and violent book, not to mention has graphic sex scenes. So if that's what you're interested in reading, I think you'll really like it.

Black, Holly: Valiant

ISBN: 0689868235

From the Publisher:

When seventeen-year-old Valerie Russell runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system.

But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends. Impulsive Lolli talks of monsters in the subway tunnels they call home and shoots up a shimmery amber-colored powder that makes the shadows around her dance. Severe Luis claims he can make deals with creatures that no one else can see. And then there's Luis's brother, timid and sensitive Dave, who makes the mistake of letting Val tag along as he makes a delivery to a woman who turns out to have goat hooves instead of feet.

When a bewildered Val allows Lolli to talk her into tracking down the hidden lair of the creature for whom Luis and Dave have been dealing, Val finds herself bound into service by a troll named Ravus. He is as hideous as he is honorable. And as Val grows to know him, she finds herself torn between her affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming.

Bestselling author Holly Black follows her breakout debut, Tithe, with a rich, harrowing, and compulsively readable parable of betrayal, abuse, friendship, and love.

Firstly, I love love love Holly Black, and nothing she has written has been anything but golden. I fell in love with Tithe a couple of years ago, and Valiant didn't dissapoint. Her characters are always multi-facetted young women struggling to find their place between the human world (Ironside) and the Faerie Courts. This book has poor Val taking up with some Faerie drug using street kids, where she is introduced to the world of Faerie and to Ravus, the Troll she ends up serving.

Holly Black is a brilliant writer that I can't get enough of. I am waiting with baited breath for Ironside to come out. Although, after it hits shelves I'll have to wait a whole extra year for it to become available in paperback. ::sigh::

I will and do recommend this book for all readers. It is rated (on the back) as a 14+ Young Adult, but I think that when I have kids they won't be reading it until they're sixteen (unless they are mature enough to discuss the troubling topics in it).

Gilman, Laura Anne: Staying Dead

ISBN: 0373802536

From the Publisher:

Wren Valere is a retriever--a mage with limited power who specializes in finding things. When things go horribly wrong on her latest case, Wren must use her skills to track down a powerful and somewhat deadly ghost--the one she accidentally released.

Staying Dead is a fast paced, light book to read. It has everything from magic to cell phones, from thugs to faerie-type characters, from angels to demons, and everything in between. I found this story to be creative and completely void of type-casting.

Wren, or Genevive to her partern, Sergei, is a "lonejack" mage, who answers to no one. She is hired to retreive things that have been stolen, and in this case, an enchanted cornerstone to a building. Her employer, a grey character who seems neither good or evil, pushes her to bring it back, but it unfortunately comes back broken. Her secretive partner and her must figure out a way to correct it so they can get paid. There are a few other bumps along the way, but nothing that the duo can't figure out.

Ms. Gilman created some excellent new terms in her story, including "wizzarts" (mages who "whizz" out, or go crazy from using magic) "Talent" (instead of magic) and "Fatae" (Faerie type creatures). She was very creative in her wording and usage of her new terms. They merely added to the book rather than distract.

I found that the unrequited love between Wren and Sergei to be somewhat irritating, mostly because I enjoy romance books AFTER the two have fallen in love. This book builds up to a fairly unfulfilling romantic plot, but I have to say that there are more books in the series, and more time for their relationship to blossom.

Staying Dead is an excellent read that won't take you too long (and one that you won't finish in mere hours). It is well written with interesting and dynamic characters that you will identify with. The plot moves quickly without too many holes, creating a reason to keep reading without too much suspension of belief.

I would recommend this book to anyone, adult and teen alike.