Ravings of a Book Junkie

An avid reader, if books were sustenance I'd be fat as a hog. I mainly read dark urban fantasies, but like to mix things up book-wise, just never enough time to read all the books I want to read!

Bag of Bones - Movie Tie-In: A Novel

Bag of Bones - Stephen King Read it years ago and felt it was just average, not great unlike some of is earlier works.

Lover Enshrined (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 6)

Lover Enshrined - J.R. Ward Finished #6 two days ago and loved it. Ward keeps these story lines full of suspense, drama and lots of sexy action without devolving into smut, but for those of you with delicate sensibilities this series isn't for you, lol. There's sex and cussing and lots of testosterone-laden violence and even a little rough-housing from a female character, Xhex (pronounced Sex maybe?), whose story is next, I hear. I can't wait cuz other than #5 I've really enjoyed this series! :-)

Lover Avenged (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 7)

Lover Avenged  - J.R. Ward The mysterious vampire Rhevenge, the half-symphath, is revealed in book 7 to be a warrior of integrity and worth -though not in the Brotherhood - he battles evil on two fronts. His symphath side can sense and manipulate the emotions of others and lives off of mayhem. To suppress the symphath Rhev injects himself daily with dopamine, a brain chemical, that blocks his neurotransmitters and leaves his body numb and constantly freezing. His symphath side is reviled by the vampire community and must be kept secret else Rhev would be get deported to the colony, a prison, to live with psychotic pure-bred Symphaths. To keep his secret safe and his blackmailer satisfied, Rhev turned to the lucrative life of drug trafficking and running prostitutes, highly successful, he's rich but despises himself. But to protect a friend, Xhex another half-symphath, and keep his mother and sister from being ostracized Rhev hides his true self from everyone he loves even his new lover, Ehlena. There's much more to this fantastic book but I don't want to be guilty of writing spoilers, so pick up this book and enjoy discovering what happens for yourselves, it is so worth it!!

Blue-Eyed Devil

Blue-Eyed Devil - Lisa Kleypas Hot!!!

Smooth Talking Stranger

Smooth Talking Stranger - Lisa Kleypas A concerned aunt seeks out millionaire playboy, Jack Travis, after being wrongly informed that he's the father of her recently abandoned nephew, Luke. Intrigued and attracted to the aunt, Ella, he sets her up in his sister's old apartment and together they start delving into the mystery behind the baby's paternity. The mother, Tara, has checked herself into a mental health clinic. Run by a religious conglomerate and Ella believes her nephew's father might be pulling strings as well as the wool over her gullible sister's eyes. As time goes by, Ella grows closer to her nephew and is scared of the pain she will experience once Tara returns to claim him. Damaged by an uncaring mother both Ella & Tara have difficulty forming healthy relationships and seem to be easily influenced by other personalities, i.e. Ella's being a vegan just because her "beta" boyfriend is one. Their relationship is quickly dismantled by the addition of Luke and she never even returns to their shared apt. Granted, these character's had plenty of faults and issues and I wasn't happy how easily Ella gave up on her positions, but I didn't feel like Jack was bullying her either. I felt he pushed past her resistance to look after herself, to let herself be comforted, coddled even. I like how he helped her establish protection for Luke, too. So, despite its flaws "Smooth Talking Stranger" to me was still a good read.

Lover Revealed (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 4)

Lover Revealed  - J.R. Ward My 2nd favorite book of the series, as with the vampire warriors, Butch, the only human to ever be granted entrance into their world, has a sad and dark past. Glimpses into his childhood reveal a physically abusive father, a cowardly mother and uncaring siblings, well all but one. The one who cared about him is abducted in front of Butch, (aged approximately 9 to 12), and never seen again - his father and remaining siblings blame him. Years pass and Butch, now a cop, is essentially alone in the world until he meets and befriends Beth (Wrath's mate, book 1) and the brotherhood. I don't want to give too much away but I will tell you this; there's plenty of vampire and lesser action, a sweet love story, and a shocking life-altering twist for Butch and the vampire warriors. Overall, it's a terrific and exciting tale, so enjoy it!

Carpe Corpus (Morganville Vampires, Book 6)

Carpe Corpus - Rachel Caine Pretty much a rehash of book 5 through the first half, even down to describing the town stores, sidewalks and town center. It was hard to stay awake, much less interested in the character's dilemmas. Dilemmas, oh yeah, to get rid of Mr. Bishop and halting the spread of the vampire's form of Alzheimers (sp?). Amelia, Oliver & company pop in and out and the plot plods along to its predictable, mediocre ending. C-

Firefly Lane

Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah A very poignant and touching read, it made me cry and really miss and want to call my best friend. This is a great book.

Finger Lickin' Fifteen (Stephanie Plum Novels)

Finger Lickin' Fifteen (Stephanie Plum Novels) - Janet  Evanovich Not my favorite entry in this but had numerous LOL moments and the barbecue killer plot was definitely worth turning the pages for. I agree with other reviewers though that the love triangle has gone on long enough and Stephanie needs to decide on who she wants (or they need to decide for her - maybe another female besides Joyce should provide competition?) I still love Lula and Grandma Mazur and giggled all through the hot dog costume scene! Overall, this book is a book is a medium read with sweet undertones that needs a spicy push to get it to the next level ...

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games  - Suzanne  Collins A dark YA read with difficult themes of poverty, political machinations and brutality. The writer introduces you to a society that pits children against each other in a televised, mortal combat, for the winner and their family, a life of ease, for the rest - a dead child. You meet Katniss, 16, a tough, unsentimental, young woman from District 12 and the sole food provider of her small family comprised of her, her mother and 12 year old sister, Primrose. When the yearly drawing is held and Primrose's name is drawn Katniss volunteers in her place and immediately begins mentally gearing herself up for the Hunger Games. Also from District 12 the son of the town baker's name is called, Peeta you read weet, lovable character named Rue then has

Marked: A House of Night Novel

Marked  - P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast I've read books 1 - 6 in this YA series, and overall, I think the series rates a solid 4 stars, the plots, characters and themes are all very entertaining despite obvious similarities to Harry Potter. Like many others I did get annoyed with Zoey and her friend's immaturity but they're TEENAGERS, for Pete's sake! They're immature at this age (and some remain immature their entire lives like my ex.) At least Zoey realizes she's making mistakes and works to rectify them and when she's wrong she admits to it. I like that. The other things I like about this series are the "magical" tattoos or markings. Whenever Z goes through another difficult time she receives more and more intricate tattoos. Though, being the goddess's Chosen One isn't all good times there's the red fledglings and the first red vampyre, her best friend, Stevie Rae, to contend with - are the red ones inherently evil or not? Will she someday have to battle her best friend? When she's not facing off with fallen angels and headmistresses from Hell, there's the sticky situations between Z and her 3 love interests, yep THREE, and he may not be the popular choice, but I am pulling for her human boyfriend, Heath, and really hope Z can pull off a miracle in the next book!

The Summoning (Darkest Powers, Book 1)

The Summoning (Darkest Powers, Book 1) - Kelley Armstrong Another fantastic beginning book in a YA series, it's books like this and the ones by P. C. Cast that ought to be garnering all the media attention, not the tripe by Stephanie Myers! This book is about Chloe Saunders, a woman who sees ghosts. She's put into a mental health group home for teens where she slowly catches on that her fellow housemates all have strange abilities as well, and that the adults watching them are not well-meaning ones, including her aunt. So, she and her friends attempt an daring escape, and well, things go awry, but if you really want to know, you should definitely get the book as I don't want to give it all away here.

The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold An hauntingly eloquent book that I found impossible to put down.

Lucky: A Memoir

Lucky: A Memoir - Alice Sebold Brutal and riveting, AS shares her heartbreaking journey from a shocked and battered rape victim to the "lucky" woman who could write this memoir.

Push

Push - Sapphire Snow Disturbing and powerful. This follows 16 year old Precious' journey from an abused and mostly illiterate girl living in a NY tenement with her abusive mother, to her daring run for freedom and empowerment, a truly unforgettable story.

Fear Nothing

Fear Nothing - Dean Koontz Read this several years ago and thought it was an excellent read.