This story features Madrene Olgadottir, Ragnor’s sister whom had been left behind when her family traveled to the future (The Very Virile Viking and Wet & Wild) without her. If you have read Wet & Wild you will remember Rangnor’s brother-in-law Ian MacLean (also his commanding office).

Ian is on a mission to find a terrorist, but runs across a woman in a cave. Assuming she is the girlfriend of their target they take her into custody. Maddie finds herself transported into a strange land and decides to keep her identity a secret.

As with the other Viking series I enjoyed this book. Maddie is a great heroine. It is really funny to watch her acclimate to the future. Maddie has had a rough life after her family leaves but she manages to keep herself together. I love her sparring with Ian.

Grade: B

Cover: Love the cover…… This is my kind of hero regardless of the fact that a Seal wandering around in the desert without his shirt on would be a dead Seal (or at least sunburned), but it would be such as shame to cover up that buff, posing bod…

Author Future Releases:

• September 1, 2009 – Viking Heat
• December 29, 2009 – Viking in Love

Author’s website:

Please remember to show support for your favorite authors by purchasing their novels new — if possible.

Related posts:

1. Wet & Wild – Sandra Hill
2. The Outlaw Viking – Sandra Hill
3. The Blue Viking, Sandra Hill

]]>

Ragnor Magnusson has been morning life lately. He has lost his family – he thinks they are dead but they have traveled to the future (The Very Virile Viking) and he has been left behind with his sister to rule the family homestead. In a fit of boredom he decides to go a-Viking to break his slump. Suddenly facing death by drowing, he finds himself surfacing into a strange land where men called Navy Seals are training. Weirdly enough these men think they know him so he plays along to get his bearings. Things are not as they seem. It seems somehow Ragnor has been plunked down into his long lost brother Torolf’s place.

Lieutenant Alison MacLean is the sister of Ragnor’s “leader”. She is a driven woman who wants to break into the seals and has no time for these horn dog Navy men. That is until she suddenly has feelings for Magnusson whom she never felt anything before….

I enjoyed following Ragnor’s adaptation to his new world. He is baffled but fits right in with the new age warrors. The more men and woman change in history, the more their natures stay the same. Lots of witty fun moments.

Grade: B

Cover: Groan, not another John DeSalvo cover. He is so over used and definitely not Viking material….

Author Future Releases:

• July 28, 2009 – So Into You
• September 1, 2009 – Viking Heat
• December 29, 2009 – Viking in Love

Author’s website:

Please remember to show support for your favorite authors by purchasing their novels new — if possible.

Related posts:

1. Hot & Heavy – Sandra Hill
2. The Blue Viking, Sandra Hill
3. The Outlaw Viking – Sandra Hill

]]>

Dr. Rain Jordan is a dyed in the wool pacifist, she is also the daughter of a 1000 year old Viking dad and modern day time traveling mom (The Reluctant Viking). Rain has never believed the fanciful tales of her mom’s past time travel, but has been plagued with lifelong dreams of a bloody battle scene involving a battlescared, blond Viking. When a bump on the head sends her into a strange land back in time, she is forced to believe her moms tales.

Selik has lost everyone in life, his wife, his son and more friends and followers than he can count. He has one mission in life and it is to destroy every Saxon enemy he can find. He stands for everything that Rain hates.

I enjoyed this battle of the sexes. Selik is a hardened Viking who has been mentally wounded to the point where killing and brutality are his only purpose. Revenge and dying are his only goals. I love strong alpha males (especially when they have a hidden/wounded heart of gold). Rain has been sent by God to save him. I liked Rains spunk. I am not sure who is more stubborn, but their clashes leave a lot of fun dialog and material for Hill to work with. She does this well. The secondary characters of God, Ubbi (an arthritic faithful servant of Selik – who believes Rain is an Angel) Blanche (a young women with a eye on Selik and a will to do what it takes to survive) add to the tale. Rain’s mom Ruby was not actually featured heavily, but the references to her past in the Reluctant Viking have made me want to read it. Ruby sounds really fun.

Grade: B

Cover: Yikes, I will give it break since it is from the 80′s. It brings back great memories of the Mullet’s hayday.

Author Future Releases:

• July 28, 2009 – So Into You
• September 1, 2009 – Viking Heat
• December 29, 2009 – Viking in Love

Author’s website:

Please remember to show support for your favorite authors by purchasing their novels new — if possible.

Related posts:

1. The Blue Viking, Sandra Hill
2. Hot & Heavy – Sandra Hill
3. Wet & Wild – Sandra Hill

]]>

While I suppose the Were’s announcement is the basis for this book, it really didn’t factor in like I thought it could. Sam’s family reacts unpredictable, but that didn’t advance the story much. Jason’s slut of a wife is murdered in an apparent retaliation act towards the Weres, but the reality is not at all what it seemed. Sookie becomes the target of a fairy war and is running for her life throughout much of the book. Many of those close to Sookie get badly hurt, which seems to be a side effect of knowing her. Oh yea and lest we forget, Sookie is now married to Eric, but perhaps is she starting to see Bill in a new light.

I really liked Quinn so I was disappointed that he only made a brief appearance in the book. I assume that was to write him out of the future.

Overall I was happy with the story, but I thought it lacked something I could not put my finger on. I will be awaiting to see how Sookie handles her “marriage” in the future.

Grade: B

Cover: Same as the previous. Shows a hint of the men featuring in Sookie’s life. I am glad they didn’t move to a “Trueblood” cover. I hate when they use movies/tv characters on covers. It just screws with my vision of the characters.

Author Future Releases:

• July 7, 2009 – Strange Brew
• September 1, 2009 – Must Love Hellhounds
• October 6, 2009 – A Touch of Dead (Sookie Stackhouse)
• October 27, 2009 – Grave Secret (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 4)

Author’s website:

Please remember to show support for your favorite authors by purchasing their novels new — if possible.

Related posts:

1. Definitely Dead-Charlaine Harris
2. New Wishlist Book – Dead in the Family – Charlaine Harris
3. All Together Dead – Charlaine Harris

]]>

Since it is currently Stanley Cup playoff time, I was thrilled to pick up a romance featuring hockey players. Of course I was not so thrilled when they went on to play my team. More on that later.

This story starts out with the time honored plot that I love so well. Handsome sports player with a major attitude, new perceived bimbo who has inherited the team and knows nothing about the sport. At first they resent each other, but learn to respect each other. The team falls in love with her and they faces struggles but win their sports playoffs. The hero and heroine fall in love.

I liked the interaction between captain Tyler Savage and team owner Faith. The dialog was snappy and fun and the back story was not loaded down with too much baggage. There were crazy family extras, but honestly they didn’t add all that much to the story. While not Gibson’s best, I did find myself reading it one sitting. I would have liked a few more of the LOL moments that I usually get with Gibson.

Ok, here is what I didn’t like. — Ty’s team the Seattle Chinooks finds itself playing against my beloved Pittsburgh Penguins for the Stanley Cup and I hope I am not spoiling the story for you, but the Chinooks end up winning. Now I understand this is purely fictional, of course, but don’t mess with the Penguins. Of course I did get a chuckle out of the trash talk between Ty and Sidney Crosby. Basically Ty tells Sidney that he has more hair on his balls then Sid has on his face. Good thing I liked Ty’s character or this would have been a wall banger…..

Grade: B

Cover: So I have to say I found the cover stupid. We have a woman standing over an icy chasm with her skirt a la Marilyn Monroe blowing around her.

Author Future Releases: None listed at this time.
Author’s website:

Please remember to show support for your favorite authors by purchasing their novels new — if possible.

Related posts:

1. Not Another Bad Date – Rachel Gibson
2. Sex, Lies, and Online Dating-Rachel Gibson
3. What I Did For Love – Susan Elizabeth Phillips

]]>

This was a really sweet story about a newspaper journalist Pepper Malone, who crossed the line by publishing a story about her ex boyfriends family. She was embarrassed and run out of town for using her pillow talk for a feature. She ends up in nowhere ville (Bailey, Texas) to lick her wounds and rebuild herself.

Mike McCulloch is a reluctant hometown boy who runs his family’s newspaper business. Past family circumstances put him in the role of editor and father to his deceased brothers daughter. He is disheveled and lacking in social skills, but Pepper finds herself attracted to him.

Someone is trying to sabotage the newspaper and Pepper and Mike find themselves in danger.

This was a sweet story and a light read. I found Pepper’s reluctance to have a relationship with Mike made the story interesting. I have to admit though that I like Thomas’s Westerns better.

Grade: B

Cover: OK.

Please remember to show support for your favorite authors by purchasing their novels new — if possible.

No related posts.

]]>

The Thrall concept is yet another variation of the “vampire” theme. Instead of being infected by a “virus” the Thrall is a parasite which takes over the body and mind of its host for a few years. Eventually the body wears down and a new host is selected to receive the next queens eggs. Additionally the Thrall lives in a hive culture with a single reproductive queen leader and her drones the “hosts”. Humans all considered the “Prey” that feeds the hive the blood they need. Humans can also be Herd if they voluntarily feed the Hosts.

Kate Reilly is an internal courier with martial arts and defense training. She has previously defeated and killed a queen to try and save an ex lover, so she is given Not Prey status. This status is established with a set of rules that outline the Thrall/Not Prey status. Basically they are not supposed to use her as food, but the Thrall queens are scared of Kate and resent her status.

Tom is a calendar man sized hunk and a werewolf who comes to Kate to rent an apartment. They hit it off quickly, but Tom is not all he seems, nor are his initial motives towards Kate of his free will.

When a queen goes rogue and decides that she wants Kate to replace her as the next queen, things get ugly for Kate. Additional the local werewolf pack draws Kate into the fold.

There is a lot of action and an interesting new twist in this paranormal. I enjoyed it and plan on reading the next one in the series.

Cover: ok

Grade: B+.

Please remember to show support for your favorite authors by purchasing their novels new — if possible.

Related posts:

1. Tempting Evil (Riley Jensen-3) – Keri Arthur
2. Dead Sexy-Amanda Ashley
3. Full Moon Rising – Keri Arthur

]]>

Dylan is the middle brother. He is a rodeo star and poker player, enjoying his life even though he is estranged from his two brothers. One night after a poker game he finds his two year old daughter in his truck, abandoned by her mother. Forced to become a responsible dad, he takes Bonnie to his home town of Stillwater Springs to raise her.

Kristy is a hometown librarian whose heart was crushed by Dylan when she was a teenager. When he shows up in town with Bonnie in tow, she is drawn back into his life.

I love stories of first innocent loves reunited. It is great for the man to realize what it is he has lost and now that they are more mature it makes the relationship much better. Throw in some minor drama and dead bodies and you have a sweet love story that I couldn’t put down.

I liked this better than Logan’s story and am anticipating reading Tyler’s story.

Grade: B

Cover: Dylan is cute and fun looking.

Please remember to show support for your favorite authors by purchasing their novels new — if possible.

Related posts:

1. Montana Creeds: Logan – Linda Lael Miller
2. Montana Creeds: Tyler – Linda Lael Miller
3. McKettrick’s Pride – Linda Lael Miller

]]>

Logan is the oldest and is ready to settle down. After two failed marriages and the sale of his successfully built web company he decides to return to his ranch homestead and become a rancher.

Brianna is the single mom of two young boys. Brianna and her sons were abandoned at a Walmart in Stillwater Springs by her ex husband. Luckily for her Logan’s brother Dylan was briefly in town at the time and takes pity on the young mom. Dylan offered Brianna the job of house sitting his small home on the ranch which is across from the main ranch house.

As neighbors, Brianna and Logan find themselves interested in each other, but when Brianna’s ex husband and new young wife come to town, conflict happens which brings them together.

While not the best Miller book, I enjoyed this book and look forward to the Dylan’s and Tyler’s story. Brianna is very strong and Logan is so sweet and strong. The conflict was basically believable. Brianna’s boys were really cute and fun. I always enjoy cowboy and ranching books even though I am not partial to a man in a cowboy hat and boots. Love the jeans though.

Grade: B

Cover: I didn’t like the cover at all. The cover model just didn’t do it for me…

Please remember to show support for your favorite authors by purchasing their novels new — if possible.

Related posts:

1. Montana Creeds: Dylan – Linda Lael Miller
2. Montana Creeds: Tyler – Linda Lael Miller
3. McKettrick’s Pride – Linda Lael Miller

]]>

I was able to snag this story on audiobook. I love and hate that. It is nice to listen to a story when you are going about mindless activity, but then I found myself looking for mindless time when I shouldn’t.

The heroine, Drea, is a drug lords mistress who is not the dim bulb she pretends to be. She has vowed to get the most out of life. She has no problem in being a mans play toy as long as it gets her money, the finest clothing and jewels. Her existence is very shallow and she makes no apologies for this.

Simon is an assassin, hiring out to whomever can afford him. He is a emotional void and brutally efficient at tracking down his “prey” and killing them.

Drea is betrayed by her current druglord protector Rafael Salinas when he gives her to Simon for one night as payment for a job. Wow what a HOT scene. Drea realizes her time with Rafael has become intolerable now that he has ‘shared’ her like a whore. Hurt and angry, she makes her escape with millions of Salinas’s money. Enraged and embarrassed, Rafael hires Simon to kill her. She can’t run far enough or fast enough and Simon finds her, thus causing her death. But that is not the end…. The remainder of the story takes on a paranormal twist, but it seemed to paler in comparison to the start.

I enjoyed the story, however I had a hard time warming up to Simon. I often like the bad boys best as they provide the best emotional material. I just didn’t feel it with Simon. The story heavily focused on Drea’s second chance at redemption and Simon seemed to be along for the ride when he could have been much more. Howard is usually able to take dark characters and turn them into great, memorable heros. Simon was just “ok” for me. I wanted him to be much more…

That said I did like it better than some of her other latest books. It is worth the time.

Grade: B-

Please remember to show support for your favorite authors by purchasing their novels new — if possible.

Related posts:

1. To Die For – Linda Howard
2. Burn – Linda Howard
3. Killing Time-Linda Howard

]]>