What else I read in May of 2012

 What Else I Read In is a monthly post featuring books I read during the month but did not write a full review on.  If you have a similar post leave a comment and a link and I will visit to see what else you read.  Also on your post leave this link back to my post so others can also share. 

Romance:

Lyon's Bride by Cathy Maxwell - This is a slightly different romance.  Long ago a Chattan male handfasted to a woman but after a year married someone else.  The woman killed herself and her Mother cursed all Chattan male.  They will die shortly after they fall in love.   Neal Lyon wants a family but does not want to fall in love.  Of course he does and with the woman he hires to find him a bride he cannot love.  This is book one and the curse has not been broken.  Neal has a brother and sister so the story will continue with their books.  This was a quick fun read and I will be looking for the next two books in the series.

Sunrise Point by Robyn Carr -  I won this book in a contest at Marlene Harris's blog.  This is the first Robyn Carr book I have read.  It is book 19 in the Virgin River series.  This is not my normal choice for reading so bear that in mind when you read this.  At first I found the book a little preachy however after I got into the story it was better.  The story was good but I was puzzled by some parts that seemed to have nothing to do with the story.  I never knew why we had to hear about Luke, Cooper and Jack.  They had nothing to do with the story line and interrupted the flow of the book.  Even though it is book 19 it could stand alone.  I could tell that some of the characters were from previous books but it did not cause any problems in keeping up with the story.  It was a nice story but after reading I was satisfied to leave Virgin River behind.


Non-Fiction:

Frommer's Alaska:  This was an Amazon Vine pick.  I am going on a cruise to Alaska in September so I picked this up to help plan my stops.  After reading I will plan non-cruise trip next time.

Mystery:

Death of a Kitchen Diva by Lee Hollis - I won this book on Library Thing.  It is the first book in the new Haley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery mystery series.  Hayley Powell is a great main character.  She is a single mother who works for on of the local papers in Bar Harbor, ME.  When she asks for a raise her boss offers to pay extra if she will write a food column.  Her column is immediately popular and Karen Appelbaum, the food writer from the other paper, does not take Hayley's entrance kindly.  When Karen is murdered Hayley's is the main suspect.  The book is fun, the story interesting, the characters well drawn and fun.  There is even a small love interest that may lead somewhere.  I loved the recipes and the sorbet one is a keeper.  Great result for a new series. 

Paranormal/Audio Book:

Underground by Kat Richardson -  Audio Book - This is the third book in the Greywalker series.  This series is growing on me.  I loved the change in Harper and Quinton's relationship.  The monster was a real monster and it took a lot to find and get rid of him.  All in all a really good listen.  I already have the next audio book started but will be looking for books four when I am ready for a new audio book.  

Paranormal 

Angels' Flight  by Nalini Singh - I started this last month but managed to bury it under part of my TBR pile and forgot about it.  I just found it and finished reading the last two stories.  I enjoyed all the stories, even re-reading the ones that were not new.

Fantasy:

The Third Scroll (Hardstorm Saga) by Dana Marton - This was a TT post as well.  The story of how the book got published is almost as interesting as the book.  This is a good story full of action and adventure and with a strong main character.  Tera tells the story in the first person.  Her words fill the book with  tension and adventure keeping the story moving.  I am looking forward to the next two books in the series.

Science Fiction/Mystery:

Angel of Europa by Allen Steele - This is a short 90 page story published in hardcover.  It is a quick read with a twist at the end.  It is set in space and on Europa but is more mystery than science fiction.  I like what Allen Steele writes and I enjoyed the this story.

Alternate History/Audio Book

1632 by Eric Flint - This is a series I started and then lost out at some point.  I really like the books so I am starting it over and plan to finis some time this year.  On thing a audio book forces me to do is listen to every word.  When I read I will often get impatient and skim.  Sometimes I miss out on something important when I do this.  Can't do that with a audio book.