New Releases ~ week of 01/30/2017

A Death at the Yoga Cafe by Michelle Kelly (#2 Downward Facing Death)

A Note Yet Unsung by Tamera Alexander (#3 Belmont Mansion)
Ashes to Fire by Emily B. Martin (#2 Woodwalker)
B.U.R.P. Strikes Back by Wendy Mass (#5 Space Taxi)
Between the Devil and the Duke by Kelly Bowen (#3 Season for Scandal)
Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor (#2 Binti)
Call to Honor by Tawny Weber (#1 SEAL Brotherhood)
Caraval by Stephanie Garber (#1 Caraval)
Crossroads of Canopy by Thoraiya Dyer (#1 Titan's Forest Trilogy)
Dark Side of the Rainbow by Danielle Paige (#0.8 Dorothy Must Die)
Dawn Study by Maria V Snyder (#6 Study)
Distraction by Nicole Edwards (#10 Club Destiny Novel)
Drowning Tides by Karen Harper (#2 South Shores)

Entertaining Death by Lesley Cookman (#2 Alexandrians)
Falling for the Highlander by Lynsay Sands (#4 English Bride in Scotland)
Fever in the Dark by Ellen Hart (#24 Jane Lawless)
Final Exit by Lena Diaz (#3 Exit Inc.)
Fury on Fire by Sophie Jordan (#3 Devil's Rock)
Hard Rhythm by Cecilia Tan (#3 Secrets of a Rock Star)
High Force by L J Ross (#5 DCI Ryan)
Into the Firestorm by Kat Martin (#3 Boss)
It Started With A Kiss by Marina Adair (#1 Sequoia Lake)
Jacked Up by Samantha Kane (#3 Birmingham Rebels)
Justice Delayed by Patricia Bradley (#1 Memphis Cold Case)

Justice Syndrome by Rebecca Zanetti (#3 Scorpius Syndrome)
Law and Murder by Mindy Klasky (#2 Fright Court)
Long Way Home by Katie McGarry (#3 Thunder Road)
Meet Me at Willoughby Close by Kate Hewitt (#2 Willoughby Close)
Mogul by Joanna Shupe (#3 The Knickerbocker Club)
Moonlight Prince by Karpov Kinrade (#4 Vampire Girl)
Moving Target by Lynette Eason (#3 Elite Guardians)
Murder Go Round by Carol J. Perry (#4 Witch City Mystery)
Murder Wears White by Stephanie Blackmoore (#2 A Wedding Planner Mystery)
Rattle the Bones by Eric R Asher (#6 Vesik)
Rescue Me by Susan May Warren (#2 Montana Rescue)
Samuel by Beth Williamson (#3 Circle Eight - Millennium)

Seven Days to Hell by William W Johnstone, J A Johnstone (#5 Savage Texas)
Seven Minutes in Heaven by Eloisa James (#10 Desperate Duchesses)
Spawn Campers by Skyler Grant (#2 The Crucible Shard)
Still Life by Dani Pettrey (#2 Chesapeake Valor)
The Dark Days Pact by Alison Goodman (#2 Lady Helen)
The Ghoul Vendetta by Lisa Shearin (#5 SPI Files)
The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch (#6 PC Peter Grant)
The Knight by Skye Warren (#2 Endgame)
The Maverick Cowboy by Kate Pearce (#2 Morgan Ranch)
The Newcomer by Suzanne Woods Fisher (#2 Amish Beginnings)
The Omens and Artifacts by Elizabeth Hunter (#3 Elemental Legacy Novellas)
The Prisoner by Alex Berenson (#11 John Wells)
To Tame a Wild Lady by Ashlyn MacNamara (#1 Duke-Defying Daughters)
Uncharted by Evangeline Anderson (#18 Brides of the Kindred)
Unpunished by Lisa Black (#2 Gardiner and Renner)
Valley of Bones by Dusty Richards (#10 Byrnes Family Ranch)
White Hell by Remington Kane (#17 Tanner)
Wicked Cowboy Charm by Carolyn Brown (#4 Lucky Penny Ranch)
Wires and Nerve, Volume 1 by Marissa Meyer (#1 Wires and Nerve)
Yours Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick (#2 Pumpkin Falls Mystery)

Book Spotlight: The Ghoul Vendetta

Spotlight information for THE GHOUL VENDETTA by Lisa Shearin

ISBN: 9781101989401 | Ace Mass Market | $7.99 | 304
On-sale date: January 31, 2017

The agents of Supernatural Protection & Investigations (SPI) are paid to keep the peace. But that’s not so easy when an endless evil threatens to tear that peace to pieces...

A vampire gangster’s nephew is abducted off his yacht by a bunch of low-rent Creatures from the Black Lagoon. A slew of banks are knocked over by what looks like the cast of Night of the Living Dead. All of this may seem like the movies, but, I promise you, it’s not.

I’m Makenna Fraser, seer for SPI, and I know the culprits aren’t wearing disguises or makeup. They’re real. Deadly real. Especially their leader—an ancient shapeshifter who leaves a trail of chaos and blood in his wake. Now, he’s taken my partner, Ian—and his intentions aren’t pretty.

The worst part? This is only the beginning...

The beginning of the end of the human race.

Lisa Shearin is the New York Times bestselling author of the Raine Benares novels, a comedic fantasy adventure series, as well as the SPI Files novels (The Brimstone Deception, The Dragon Conspiracy, The Grendel Affair), an urban fantasy series best described as Men in Black with supernaturals instead of aliens. Lisa is a voracious collector of fountain pens, teapots, and teacups, both vintage and modern. She lives on a small farm in North Carolina with her husband, three spoiled-rotten retired racing greyhounds, and enough deer and woodland creatures to fill a Disney movie.

Book Review ~ The Ghoul Vendetta

The Ghoul Vendetta

by Lisa Shearin
published by Berkley Publishing Group/Ace Books
expected release date: January 31, 2017
genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Supernatural

**Received e-arc from netGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary (Goodreads): Men in Black meets Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum in the fourth urban fantasy novel in the series starring seer Makenna Fraser and her fellow agents at Supernatural Protection & Investigation.
The agents of Supernatural Protection & Investigations (SPI) are paid to keep the peace. But that’s not so easy when an endless evil threatens to tear that peace to pieces...
A vampire gangster’s nephew is abducted off his yacht by a bunch of low-rent Creatures from the Black Lagoon. A slew of banks are knocked over by what looks like the cast of Night of the Living Dead. All of this may seem like the movies, but, I promise you, it’s not.
I’m Makenna Fraser, seer for SPI, and I know the culprits aren’t wearing disguises or makeup. They’re real. Deadly real. Especially their leader—an ancient shapeshifter who leaves a trail of chaos and blood in his wake. Now, he’s taken my partner, Ian—and his intentions aren’t pretty.
The worst part? This is only the beginning...
The beginning of the end of the human race.

My Thoughts: This was my favorite book, so far, in this series. We see both professional and personal growth in Mac.
We start with another date for Mac and Rake and of course it is interrupted by another weird attack. This time by a kraken and creatures from the black lagoon kidnapping a prominent member of vampire society. These two just need to be allowed to have a real date with nothing happening. We do see their relationship go a few steps forward by the end of this book but it is seeming like a very slow process.
This book sees the return of Ian's stalking, many faced ghoul. He's gone back to robbing places like when he and Ian first came in contact with each other (sort of). Only this time he is leaving presents that awaken something in Ian. I liked the progress of Ian's character and the reasoning behind the ghoul's obsession with him.
This obsession leads to Mac doing everything she can to save her partner. While finding out just what she is capable of on her own. We also find out just how many people outside of SPI care about these two characters. I liked how everyone came together to help out even if it wasn't to take part in the battle.
I'm hoping that we get to see more of Rake's friends. I'm definitely interested in the dragons and their riders. They seemed to be an fun group and I want more.
Overall, this was a fun book.  I wish there had been more resolution to the conflict at the end but it did help move the series forward while giving new characters and reuniting old friends. Cannot wait to read more from this world.

Rating: 4

This Week's Reads

Burning Water by Mercedes Lackey
Diana Tregarde #1 (Goodreads)
**I came across a list of UF series and liked the sound of it. A psychic police detective and a romance writing witch, sounds like a good pairing to me.

Blood Engines by T.A. Pratt
Marla Mason #1 (Goodreads)
**I was in the mood for witches and supernatural when I selected books this week. Another witch (sorcerer) trying to save her city and racing against the clock.

The Dragon Conspiracy and The Brimstone Deception by Lisa Shearin
SPI Files #2 &3 (Goodreads)
**Really enjoyed the first book and finally getting back to the rest of the series.

New Releases ~ week of 11/14/2016

A Composition in Murder by Larissa Reinhart (#6 Cherry Tucker Mysteries)

Achilles by Julia Mills (#3 Kings of the Blood)
An Empire Asunder by Evan Currie (#2 Scourwind Legacy)
Chaos by Patricia Cornwell (#24 The Scarpetta Series)
City on Edge by Stefanie Pintoff (#2 Eve Rossi)
Crash and Burn by James Rollins (#12.5 SIGMA Force)
Dark Crime by Christine Feehan (#27 The Carpathians (Dark))
Demons of the Flame Sea by Jean Johnson (Flame Seas #2)
Empire by Logan Rutherford (#1 Empire)
Evan by Dale Mayer (#8 Seals of Honor)
Excalibur Reigning by Kathryn Rose (Metal & Lace #3)
Faithful Addiction by Kennedy Layne (#2 Safeguard)

For the Bear's Eyes Only by Kathy Lyons (#3 Grizzlies Gone Wild)
Into the Lion's Den by Linda Fairstein (#1 Devlin Quick Mystery)
Keeping Time by Wendy Sparrow (#3 Servants of Fate)
Love on Call by Radclyffe (#3 Rivers Community)
Mischief and the Masters by Cherise Sinclair (#12 Masters of the Shadowlands)
Mosaic by Sarah Fine (#3 Reliquary)
Nest by Terry Goodkind
Odessa Sea by Clive Cussler (#24 Dirk Pitt)
Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa (The Bargainer #1)
Rescuing Harley by Susan Stoker (#3 Delta Force Heroes)

Scorched Ice by Erica Stevens (#3 The Fire and Ice Series)
SEAL's Deliverance by Elle James (#9 Take No Prisoners)
Shadow Born by D.K. Holmberg (#3 The Shadow Accords)
Silver-Tongued Devil by Rosalind James (#1 Portland Devils)
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare
The Mistletoe Secret by Richard Paul Evans (#3 Mistletoe Collection)
The Sleeping Beauty Killer by Mary Higgins Clark, Alafair Burke (#4 Under Suspicion)
The Turncoat's Gambit by Andrea Cremer (#3 The Inventor's Secret)
Tied to His Betrayal by Stacey Kennedy (#2 Dirty Little Secrets)
To the Rescue by Stephanie Faris (#3 Piper Morgan)
Treasure & Treason by Lisa Shearin (Raine Benares #8)
Turbo Twenty Three by Janet Evanovich (#23 The Stephanie Plum Series)

Year End: Favorite Reads of 2015

These are some of my favorite books that I read in 2015. Not all are from 2015 but I was surprised to see how many new books I was able to read this year.

Shadow Study by Maria V Snyder
Released: February 2015
Rating: 5
**This is one of my all time favorite authors and I was thrilled to get to go back to this world.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Released: February 2015
Rating: 4.5-5
**Loved this book. From the characters, the plot, and the setting it all just worked. Cannot wait for book 2.

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
Released: July 2015
Rating: 4.5-5
**This was another that hit on all high points for me.

The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
released: originally 1990-2012
**I'm trying to get book three finished before 2015 ends. Definitely the longest books I read this year.

The Grendel Affair by Lisa Shearin
Released: December 2013
**I've been enjoying everything I've read by this author so far.

mini Reviews ~ Night Shift

Night Shift

by Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Shearin, Milla Vane
published by Berkley
Genre: Adult, Anthology, UF, PNR, Supernatural, Shifters

Summary (Goodreads): New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh delivers a smoldering story with Secrets at Midnight , as the scent of Bastien Smith’s elusive lover ignites a possessiveness in him that’s as feral as it is ecstatic. And now that he’s found his mate, he’ll do anything to keep her.

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews’ novella, Magic Steals , when people start going missing, shapeshifting tigress Dali Harimau and jaguar shifter Jim Shrapshire must uncover the truth about the mysterious creatures responsible.

From Milla Vane—a warrior princess must tame The Beast of Blackmoor to earn a place among her people. But she quickly discovers that the beast isn't a monster, but a barbarian warrior who intends to do some taming himself.

It’s seer Makenna Frazier's first day on the job at Supernatural Protection and Investigations, and her first assignment is more than she bargained for when bodyguard duty for a leprechaun prince’s bachelor party goes every which way but right in national bestselling author Lisa Shearin’s Lucky Charms

My Thoughts: 
Secrets at Midnight / Nalini Singh (Psy-Changling 12.5): I have only read 1 of the books from this series. I remember liking it so not sure why I haven't read more. This is a definite PNR story. It's all about Bastien finding his mate Kirby. Once he's found her it moves right into HEA territory. I did like what we got of Kirby's backstory and why she was repressing her other half. I didn't hate or love this story. It was cute.
Magic Steals / Ilona Andrewa (Kate Daniels 6.5): This is another series that I've only read short stories from even though I own the first couple of books. I didn't like this as a PNR story. I was ok with Dali being insecure and not feeling she is as good as other bad ass women in this series. What I didn't like was how immature she was. Things like hiding Jim in her closest because her mother showed up at her place. I was reading it going "Really". I did like mystery/story that took place. This was where Dali shined and she became more likable.
The Beast of Blackmoor / Milla Vane: Not Read, ran out of time before had to return to library.
Lucky Charms / Lisa Shearin (SPI Files 0.5): This was my favorite of the bunch. The author did a good job of introducing her new world and characters in a short amount of time. We find out about SPI, meet some crazy leprechauns, and learn Makenna's new dream job may not be as great as she thinks, even with the health benefits. There is something for everyone if you like the supernatural. From the Russian werewolf to the boss lady who's a real dragon.
Having read book 1 right after this, I will say I hope the author gets back to the things that were set up in this story. Other groups trying to get their hands on the Seer so they have the advantage, etc.

Rating: 4 This is an overall rating for the anthology as a whole.

Armchair BEA 2015 ~ Introductions

Tell us a bit about yourself: How long have you been blogging? Where are you from? How did you get into blogging?
**Hi, Kristina here. I've been here sorta blogging for about  5 yrs. This started and sometimes is still a place where I could vent about a book. Also, since I love series, it helps me keep track of my thoughts on the old books so I don't have to do a reread when the new one comes out.

Why do you loving reading and blogging?
**Reading has always been an escape for me. Which is why you won't see many if any contemporary books on here. I have enough real life in my life don't need to read more.

What is your theme song?
Don't know that it's a theme song but I'm really enjoying Carrie Underwood's newest song "Little Toy Guns". I also love the fantasy aspect of the video.


What is your favorite genre and why?
This depends on my mood. The main ones are Fantasy, UF (Urban Fantasy), and PNR (Paranormal Romance). It doesn't matter if it is adult, YA, or MG as long as it's a good book I'll read it.

What book are you reading right now?
Many. I was having trouble settling on one and started many. I seem to be going more with The Grendel Affair but trying to finish Fun Home by the end of the week. The last is Gris Grimly's Frankenstein. There may be a few more that I looked at when trying to decide :)