Magic

REVIEW:  Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson

REVIEW: Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson

Dear Ms. Wilson, Lord of the Fading Lands first came to my attention when my blogging partner, Jane, sent all her co-bloggers an excited email after reading an ARC of the book back in the summertime. Soon afterward, Jane blogged about the book and since then, others have fallen in love with it, both here(…)

REVIEW:  Boundless by Annie Dean, Bonnie Dee, Dionne Galace

REVIEW: Boundless by Annie Dean, Bonnie Dee, Dionne Galace

Dear Ladies: At the urging of Dionne Galace, a blogger whom I consider a friend, I purchased this book from LiquidSilver. It languished in my to be read pile because, like other readers, anthologies are often not my cup of tea. Because Dionne is a friend, though, I read it a few days ago and(…)

DUELING REVIEW: Reader and Raelynx by Sharon Shinn

Dear Ms. Shinn, I was tired, crabby, and busily packing for a trip when the ARC of Reader and Raelynx arrived on my doorstep. Minutes later, I gleefully sent off an email to my fellow Dear Author reviewers, quoting the little note that said “Sharon Shinn said you would be interested in seeing a galley(…)

REVIEW: Dark Moon Defender by Sharon Shinn

Dear Ms. Shinn, This book was so good that after finishing it I kept saying to myself, "This book was so good! This book was so good!" I sat down at my computer to write this letter and like an inarticulate idiot, all I could think to say was "This book was so good!–  Yes,(…)

REVIEW: On the Prowl by Patrica Briggs, Eileen Wilks, Karen Chance and Sunny

In On the Prowl, four authors try to jump the bridge from fantasy to romance with varying degrees of success. This is an area which is not well populated so I like the concept and hope for better execution in the future. Great cover, though. *** Dear Ms. Briggs: Your contribution, “Alpha and Omega”, was(…)

REVIEW: Bewitching the Highlander by Lois Greiman

Dear Ms. Greiman: I have never read a Greiman book before. I always meant to read and have, in fact, purchased your contemporary books, Unzipped and Unplugged before. But with the muscle bound chests and arms and titles with “Highlander”, I wasn’t terribly excited about reading the historicals. As I said a few days ago,(…)

REVIEW:  The Godmother Sanction by Patricia White

REVIEW: The Godmother Sanction by Patricia White

What do you get when you take one determined, if slightly bullheaded, woman, add a sawed-off, super-glued magic wand, a smelly disguise, a poisonous toad, a devilishly handsome border guard, a water sprite, and some very real magic? An unorthodox, and definitely, diverting trip to Faery in the company of Leticia Warton, a Godmother with(…)

REVIEW: Raintree: Inferno by Linda Howard

Dear Ms. Howard: When it was announced that you would be contributing to the new Silhouette Nocturne line, I could not wait for this book. Some of my favorite Howard romances were categories from MacKenzie’s Mountain to A Game of Chance and the great Kell Sabin series. Sadly, this book was a shadow of a(…)

REVIEW: Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

I saw this book featured on someone’s blog. The short blurb intrigued me and I went to the site and read the excerpt which really intrigued me. I immediately sent off an email to the Ace contact I have and begged for the book. The book was every bit as good as the excerpt promised.(…)

REVIEW:  Ruby by Francesca Lia Block and Carmen Staton

REVIEW: Ruby by Francesca Lia Block and Carmen Staton

Dear Ms. Block and Ms. Staton, As the Dear Author discussion of the definition of paranormal romance was taking place, I picked up your book, Ruby. Although published as mainstream fiction, Ruby contains strong paranormal and romantic elements. I wouldn’t quite classify it as paranormal romance, but I think it could appeal to those readers(…)

REVIEW: When You Believe by Jessica Inclan

Dear Ms. Inclan, I just happened to pick up “When You Believe” at the bookstore and vaguely remembered that it got decent grades at a few other review sites and was in a “what the hell” mood. I’ll be honest and say that up to page 70, I had serious doubts that I’d finish it.(…)

REVIEW: The Dream-Maker’s Magic by Sharon Shinn

Dear Ms. Shinn, Although The Dream-Maker’s Magic is the third book in your series of books that began with The Safe-Keeper’s Secret and continued in The Truth-Teller’s Tale, it easily stands on its own. And although, like the two earlier books, it is aimed at young adults, this adult enjoyed the book very much. Set(…)

REVIEW: The Marriage Spell by Mary Jo Putney

Dear Ms. Putney, Nestled between Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Ain't She Sweet and Amanda Quick's Scandal on my bookshelf are ten of your novels and your novella collection Christmas Revels. It's been over sixteen years since the first of these paper-bound inhabitants settled into my library, and they have not been allowed to gather dust. I'm(…)

REVIEW: The Oracle Glass by Judith Merkle Riley

Dear Ms. Riley, I spent my formative romance reading years devouring the “Angelique” series which begins in 17th century France at the court of the Sun King and have enjoyed movies using this time frame. So, when this book was mentioned at AAR after someone posted asking for books which are rich in period detail(…)