Thursday, January 29, 2009

Men of the Otherworld-Kelley Armstrong




Product Description: New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong has captivated readers with her spellbinding Women of the Otherworld series. Now, for the first time, in this collection of four tales she gives center stage to the men who love these sexy, supernatural women—the men who live on the other side of humanity…the wild side.

As a curious six-year-old, Clayton didn’t resist the bite—he asked for it. But surviving as a lone child-werewolf was more than he could manage—until Jeremy came along and taught him how to straddle the human-werewolf worlds, gave him a home…and introduced him to the Pack. So begins this tantalizing volume, featuring three of the most intriguing members of the American Pack—a hierarchical founding family where bloodlines mean everything and each day presents a new, thrilling, and often deadly challenge. For as Clayton grows from a wild child to a clever teen who tests his beloved mentor at every turn, he must learn not only to control his animal instincts but to navigate Pack politics—including showing his brutal archnemesis, Malcolm, who the real Alpha is....

From the nature of fear, weakness, and courage, to the triumph of belonging and the complications of love and loyalty, these mesmerizing tales reveal the trials of a werewolf coming-of-age, and lay bare the hearts and minds of the men strong enough for the women of the Otherworld—and adept enough to take on two worlds.


My review: The story starts out with Jeremy Danvers conception, birth and kidnapping by his father. All male werewolves are to be raised by their fathers according to Pack Law. Luckily for Jeremy, his grandfather takes care of him and not his father Malcolm. There's more to Jeremy than just being a werewolf. He has other abilities passed on to him by his mother.

From that back story on Jeremy, we then move onto Clayton's story and how he came to be part of the Pack. His story is told from just before he is bitten up to age 18. It gives us a better understanding of who and why clayton is the way he is. The book ends with a bit more on Jeremy up to the current story line in the other books.

Kelley Armstrong writes interesting characters and brings them to life through vivid story telling. I always enjoy her books. My only problem is, she writes so well, I get caught up in the story and don't want to put the book down until I've read through to the end. A great installment to The Otherworld series. I am looking forward to forthcoming books on the other Men of the Otherworld.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

How do you do that and other musings

I get asked all the time on one of my book forums"How do you read so many books at one time?" The answer is different genres. Some writers stories are "faster" than others, so they are easy to zip through, yet keep me entertained. Only once have I read 2 books where the story lines took place during the same time period in the same country and the female characters had the same name. Yes, it did get a bit confusing when I picked up one book and thought to myself "Wasn't she doing this",only to realize my mistake and finish one of them off with a quickness. Another question I get asked "in real life" by people is how do you remember what all the books are about? Easy. I've always had that knack. It's especially easy if I really like the author and their work. It has obviously made an impression and comes in handy when it's a series story line. Sometimes the follow up books don't seem to come fast enough.

Right now, because I am looking for employment adding to my books I've read list is quite easy. You can only surf for jobs for so long. And that in itself is a job- never let anyone tell you differently. My typical day starts at 5:30 a.m. with coffee, cats and laptop on the patio. I surf the employment sites,which lately, unfortunately, doesn't take long. I look at my forums and sites I belong to, do postings as I see fit, and then go back to the employment sites for one last look just to make sure there's nothing new or I didn't miss something. Since that takes a couple hours out of my day, I then move onto chores to be done and then I can read for really long chunks of time.

My kids are grown and out on their own, so the only dependents I now have are my furry kids, and they're pretty self sufficient as long as I keep their feeding schedule. Gods help me if I should be 5 minutes late. Then there is much crankiness and bitching from ChinaMoon kitty.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Another powerhouse installment in the Vampire Huntress Legend

If you haven't read any of these books-you should! An interesting take on the end of days scenarios, her series incorporates characters of all religious beliefs coming together. They take on demons and the Big Daddy of all demons-Lucifer.

Incorporating mythos from all religions, from Christianity to Egyptian, L. A. Banks stories make you think, have an adventure and cheer on the good guys. Her characters are edgy, everyday type people coming from all walks of life, races and religious beliefs, who evolve each book into more complex and complete characters.

If you like urban paranormal reads-pick up this series. While the first book, Minion, is a bit hard to get through, make the effort. And then move onto the rest. I dare say-you won't be disappointed.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Life rarely makes the same plans you do. *The view from Mount Joy by Lorna Landvik*




So says the character of Joe Andresen. And he should know. His story starts out with a move to a new town where he meets Kristi Casey in high school. Along the way, both of their lives change in ways neither of them expected. Of the two, I'd say Joe's life was much more meaningful and joy filled. While Kristi may have ended up in the public eye, she always came back to Joe as the one friend who kept all things real with her.

It is true that our plans and life's rarely coincide, but it can be an adventure along the way.