Cry Wolf (An Alpha and Omega Novel) by Patricia Briggs

Paranormal Romance

What Goodreads Says:

"Anna never knew werewolves existed, until the night she survived a violent attack... and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she'd learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. Then Charles Cornick, the enforcer—and son—of the leader of the North American werewolves, came into her life.

Charles insists that not only is Anna his mate, but she is also a rare and valued Omega wolf. And it is Anna's inner strength and calming presence that will prove invaluable as she and Charles go on the hunt in search of a rogue werewolf—a creature bound in magic so dark that it could threaten all of the pack."

I started this series backwards.  I checked out Fair Game as an audio book.  I did not realize that it was a side series instead of a Mercy Thompson book.  I am glad I didn’t because I loved Anna and Charles and wanted to know more about them.  I put Cry Wolf on reserve at my local library. I waited a month but whoever had the book never returned it.  (I hate that when it happens).  Barnes and Noble put out a 15% off coupon so I purchased Cry Wolf instead of hoping the book would ever be returned.

World Building:  Most of this world was created in the Mercy Thompson series.  Cry Wolf is set before the start of the Mercy series but because it was written after that series there is little world building in Cry Wolf.  There is some cross-over between the two series.  I did feel I might have missed some references as I have only read the later Mercy books.

Characters:  Charles is his father’s enforcer or paid assassin.  He has little softness in him, is a dominant wolf and seems an odd mate for Anna.  Anna is an Omega wolf who has been told she is a submissive.  In truth she is the one wolf who cannot be ordered by anyone.  She brings an odd calm to any wolf she is around and is a balm to Charles battered soul.  They are the two main characters in the book.  The one thing that is jarring in the book is the fact that you do not get to see Anna and Charles meet.  That story is in On the Prowl an anthology published a year before Cry Wolf.  It is not included in the copy of the book I purchased although I think it is in some later editions.  I suggest you find and read that short novella before you start Cry Wolf.  If you do not you will feel a little lost as the story starts where the novella ends with no backstory or introduction.  There are other important characters in the story: Bran Cornick, the Marrok, or leader of all werewolves in North America and Charles father, Walter Rice who has hidden in the mountains near Charles house for 30 years, and Ansil an old werewolf whose secret is the basis for the plot in the story.  While character development is not at the heart of the story I did feel I knew enough about each character and they fit the story.

Plot:  Bran’s pack is a mix of werewolves who have problems as well as secrets.  Ansil has hidden much of his secret from Bran and now it has come back to haunt Ansil, Bran and Charles.  As the enforcer Charles is tasked with going into the mountains to fix the problem and Anna insists on going with him. Nothing is as it seems and as the story progresses everything begins to unravel and everyone is in more and more danger. 

Tension:  The hunt in the mountains provided the external tension in the story.  That tension just continues to build as the book progresses.  The internal tension comes from the Charles and Anna.  They are new mates, do not know each other that well, and the mating bond is not in place.  The hunt does not leave them time to sort some of the issues out in a calm manner and produces tension between the two.

Writing:  All of Patricia Briggs’ books are well written and Cry Wolf is no exception.  While some scenes are written in the passive most of the book is very active.  Dialog and action keep the story moving.  The passive fits the story as it comes from both Charles and Anna’s internal struggle with the mating bond.

I am looking forward to future books featuring Charles and Anna.  They are both great characters with the potential for many future stories.   

ACE published Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs in 2008.

Two of a Kind (Fool’s Gold #11) by Susan Mallery

Contemporary Romance

What Goodreads Says:

"New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery welcomes readers back to Fool's Gold, where a one-time fling could become the real thing...

Felicia Swift never dreamed she'd hear a deep, sexy voice from her past in tiny Fool's Gold, California. The last time Gideon Boylan whispered in her ear was half a world away...on the morning after the hottest night of her life. Her freaky smarts have limited her close friendships, and romance, but she came to Fool's Gold looking for ordinary. Gorgeous, brooding Gideon is anything but that.

Black Ops taught Gideon that love could be deadly. Now he pretends to fit in while keeping everyone at arm's length. Felicia wants more than he can give-a home, family, love-but she has a lot to learn about men...and Gideon needs to be the man to teach her.

As these two misfits discover that passion isn't the only thing they have in common, they just might figure out that two of a kind should never be split apart."

Two of a Kind is the most recent book in the Fool’s Gold series.  For those not familiar with the series Fool’s Gold is a town California.  It is in the hills where gold was once discovered but here there was only Fool’s Gold.

Characters:  Felicia Swift and Gideon Boylan are the two main characters in this story.  Felicia is a very smart woman who just wants to be normal.  She is a great character who is very honest, does not really understand small talk and has some great lines in the book.  She offers TMI in conservations and it is always funny.  I had some good laugh out loud moments reading her scenes.  Gideon is ex-military and has closed down his emotions after being a captive for 2 years.  Many of the characters from previous books play a part in Two of a Kind so you get to visit with old friends during the story.  You also get to meet some new possibilities for future Fool’s Gold stories.

Story:  Felicia and Gideon’s journey to an HEA is not smooth.  There does not seem to be any way for them to work until Mallery uses Gideon’s unexpected and unknown son trope.  It was a way to get Gideon to unlock his emotions but for me it was not that smooth a transition.  It just landed in the middle of the book and it did not blend smoothly like I expected from previous books.

Writing:  Susan Mallery is a good writer who turns out enjoyable books.  Two of a Kind is just that.  It is a well-written enjoyable read but not one that I could not put down.  I like some of the previous books much better.

Even though Two of a Kind is part of a series it works well as stand along novel.

Harlequin HQN published Two of aKind by Susan Mallery in 2013.

I received a print copy of Two of a Kind from Amazon Vine.

Musing Mondays July 8, 2013

Musing Mondays (http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/) asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits. • 
Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
 • Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
 •Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
 • Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

Today I just want to ramble.  My rambling subject came about when I recently purchased two books by Grace Burrowes.  One was Lady Eve's Indiscretion and the other was Beckman.  Lady Eve's Indiscretion is #4 of The Dukes Daughters and #7 of Windham series and is part of the first published series written by Burrowes.  Beckman is part of the Lonely Lords series, was written before the Windham books but published after the Windham series became as popular as it is.  According to something I read Burrowes mentioned that she had another series that she had written prior to the Windham books.   Sourcebook looked it over and decided to publish. 

With that backgound here is my ramble.  There is a big difference in the writing between the two books.  Lady Eve moves very smoothly with everything coming just when it is needed.  I have read every book in the Windham series and the same is true for all.  Beckman kept jumping around.  The book did not proceed as smoothly as Lady Eve.  Both had a great story but Lady Eve's story  had all the information I needed to follow it and Beckman's left me guessing part of the time.  Everything eventually showed up but it was not nearly as well plotted as Lady Eve.  I have also read all the Lonely Lords books and I found all of them lacking that final polish that would have made them a much better book.  

So question one for comment.  Have you seen the writing difference between stories written at different times in an authors life.

There is another ramble that comes from reading both the Lonely Lords and the Windham books.  This is something I also noticed as I was reading the early books by Mary Balogh.  Things show up in some of the early books that are polished up and presented much better in later writing.  One case that caught my attention was Lady Ophelia in a Windham book.  This is how she was presented in Lady Louisa's Christmas Knight.

"His second, more sanguine source of comfort, was the Lady Ophelia, whose acquaintance Carrington had made shortly after mustering out.  She, of the kind eyes and patient silences, has provided him much wise counsel and companionship, and that she consistently had litters of at least ten piglets both spring and autumn could only endear her to him further."

I though about her when there was a pig in Beckman who was mentioned several times and praised for having 12 piglets at a time.  She was much better drawn when she became Lady Ophelia.

Leave a comment if you have noticed similar things in your reading.

The Cassandra Project by Jack McDevitt and Mike Resnick

Science Fiction/Mystery

What Goodreads Says:

"Two science fiction masters—Jack McDevitt and Mike Resnick—team up to deliver a classic thriller in which one man uncovers the secret history of the US space program…

Early in his career, Jerry Culpepper could never have been accused of being idealistic. Doing public relations—even for politicians—was strictly business...until he was hired as NASA’s public affairs director and discovered a client he could believe in. Proud of the agency’s history and sure of its destiny, he was thrilled to be a part of its future—a bright era of far-reaching space exploration.

But public disinterest and budget cuts changed that future. Now, a half century after the first moon landing, Jerry feels like the only one with stars—and unexplored planets and solar systems—in his eyes.

Still, Jerry does his job, trying to drum up interest in the legacy of the agency. Then a fifty-year-old secret about the Apollo XI mission is revealed, and he finds himself embroiled in the biggest controversy of the twenty-first century, one that will test his ability—and his willingness—to spin the truth about a conspiracy of reality-altering proportions."

The Cassandra Project is a cross between science fiction and mystery.  Set in the near future it starts with a tape from a fictional Apollo flight.  (Or maybe like an old television program the names were changed to protect the innocent.)  The flight was before Neil Armstrong’s moon landing but there is an indication that they landed on the back side of the moon before Neil's mission.

Everything develops from there.  I loved the action and the tension that developed as the story unfolded.  The dialog was interesting and the characters fit the story.  The story line allowed the authors to make several observations about how the politics of our time may affect our future.  All in all it is an entertaining read that kept me guessing until the end.

ACE published The Cassandra Project by Jack McDevitt and Mike Resnick in 2012.

Stacking the Shelves July 6, 2013

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books I am adding to my shelves. They may it be physical or virtual. I include books I buy in a physical store or online, books I borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  Follow the link to see what other have on their shelves.

From the Library:

Count to a Trillion by John C. Wright

Portal by Eric Flint and Ryk E. Spoor

Eight Million Gods by Wen Spencer

The Long War by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter

Against the Storm by Kat Martin

Purchased:  

Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs

Beckman by Grace Burrowes

Lady Eve's Indiscretion by Grace Burrowes

Collision by Berinn Rae

The Cowboy Who Caught Her Eye by Lauri Robinson

Mistress to the Marquis by Margaret McPhee

No Role For a Gentleman by Gail Whitker

Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

From Amazon Vine:

Intimate Surrender by Laura Landon

Never Kiss a Rake by Anne Stuart

Free:

Lore of the Witch World by Andre Norton

I'll Be Seeing You Through Time by Jennifer Conner

Have A Good 4th

The Golden Egg by Donna Leon

Mystery

What Goodreads says:

"In The Golden Egg, as the first leaves of autumn begin to fall, Vice Questore Patta asks Brunetti to look into a minor shop-keeping violation committed by the mayor’s future daughter-in-law. Brunetti has no interest in helping his boss amass political favors, but he has little choice but to comply. Then Brunetti’s wife, Paola, comes to him with a request of her own. The mentally handicapped man who worked at their dry cleaner has just died of a sleeping pill overdose, and Paola loathes the idea that he lived and died without anyone noticing him, or helping him.

Brunetti begins to investigate the death and is surprised when he finds nothing on the man: no birth certificate, no passport, no driver’s license, no credit cards. As far as the Italian government is concerned, he never existed. Stranger still, the dead man’s mother refuses to speak to the police, and assures Brunetti that her son’s identification papers were stolen in a burglary. As secrets unravel, Brunetti suspects that the Lembos, an aristocratic family, might be somehow connected to the death. But why would anyone want this sweet, simple-minded man dead?"

The Golden Egg is the latest in the Commissario Guido Burnetti Mysteries.  If you are a fan of the series you will not be disappointed.  If this is your first time to read a Commissario Brunetti mystery you will be a new fan. 

The world of Brunetti:  The series is set in Venice and each book adds another layer to the world where Brunetti lives.  Donna Leon is a long time resident of the city and she brings it to vivid life.

Politics:  Like previous books there are many statements about how politics work in Italy.  According to the books politicians are not well-loved.

Characters:  The characters have been developed over the series.  Both the main and side characters are well-deveolped.  There are added dimensions for several characters in each book.  I learned more about some of the side characters in The Golden Egg. Look for how Italians from the North and South of Italy feel about each other.

Plot:  The plot in The Golden Egg develops as the story progresses.  This story has a flow and rhythm where one action leads to another unexpected piece of information that leads to another and another.  It is not until the last chapter that the entire plot is revealed.  Even here it is not with a bang.  It creeps up and surprises you.

The Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries are some of my favorites.  While I have read the entire series I did not read it in order.  Each book can stand-alone.

Atlantic Monthly Press published The Golden Egg by Donna Leon in 2013.

Musing Mondays July 1, 2013

Musing Mondays (http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/) asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits. • 
Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
 • Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
 •Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
 • Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

I just finished reading Crystal Cove (A Friday Harbor Novel) by Lisa Kleypas.  I have read all the Friday Harbor Novels and noticed a trend toward the paranormal when I read Rainshadow Road.  That became a full blown paranormal novel with Crystal Cove.  This is a new direction for Lisa Kleypas.  I don't remember her writing anything similar before.  I know paranormal seems to be the new hot romance genre. That got me wondering if authors are just jumping on the paranormal bandwagon on their own or if they are being pushed there by their publishers.  

Leave a comment and tell me what you think.

I like all of Kleypas's novels and Crystal Cove was not an exception.  It was a quick fun read with great characters and for anything to work between the two main characters there had to be a paranormal element.  I do think I liked the books better without the paranormal.