Moon Craving by Lucy Monroe

Moon Craving by Lucy Monroe

Series: Children of the Moon

Urban Fantasy/Romance/Highlander

February 2010

Dell

$7.99

Why I read: I saw a comment by Lucy [author] on Babbling About Books and More blog saying that people believed her Alpha wolves were too Alpha. As if there were such a thing!!! So, I said I was going to have to put that statement to the test.

Barnes and Noble Synopsis:

When Talorc-laird of the Sinclair clan and leader of his werewolf pack- must wed an Englishwoman, he's shocked to find that she is his mate. Deaf since childhood, Abigail hopes to keep her affliction from Talorc as long as possible, just as he has no intention of telling her that he's a werewolf. But when Abigail learns that the husband she's begun to love has deceived her, it will take all his warrior's strength-and his wolf's cunning-to win his wife back.  

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My Review: **some minor spoilers**

Like always, I'll start with the bad. I like getting that out of the way so I can tackle all the good!!! Because there is a lot of that :D. FYI... I couldn't find the first in the series, Moon Awakening, at the bookstore so I had to skip it until I order it online =).

First [in order of book]... I got all the way to page 106-ish before I found something I wasn't too sure I liked. Awesome right?! I thought so. The "Chrechte mating" ritual threw me for a loop. All the sudden there's these random nakie people, in a random place, with an Englishwoman... who's also nakie. It just didn't seem to fit. Especially with the response that Abigail [main character] had. As an Englishwoman, she's predetermined to be more modest... but in this instance... she doesn't care. Now, I'm a young, I-don't-give-a-damn kind of girl, and even I would have freaked out and covered my awesome parts if that were to happen to me. The only thing I can assume [and it's what got me through that part] is that she was just completely caught in the moment and everything just seemed right. Which could happen... but with me, it'd only be after I downed more alcohol than usual... and normal is about 1-1/2 bitch-beers [I know.. I'm a light-weight].

Also, there were a lot of random things that happened. The wedding baggage, the fight scene about 30 pages after the "Chrechte mating", a couple attacks towards Abigail and the way she finds "stuff" out about her husband. I was thinking it'd be something more... dramatic, or the how she found out would make a big scene about her not knowing. That's as covert I can be about it without ruining it for everyone :D

Then, there's the ending... If you didn't know before, you know now... I don't like it when things just "work out". I like a little conflict and insecurity, then reassurance or compromise. And Lucy Monroe was so much closer to that than I've seen in a while. It was still a tad too fluffy for my 100% approval. But that's my problem and I wouldn't hold anyone back from reading it just because of that.

NOW THE GOOD!!!! I love the good part :D The hook was AMAZING! I felt drawn in to the story in the very first sentence. The rest of the first paragraph in the prologue told me I was in for a delicious treat.

Lucy Monroe is a fantastic writer. If we were in Harry Potter world, I'd say her writing put me under the Imperius Curse since I couldn't put the book down. I read it in less than a day, which has been difficult to do lately with such a "GO!-GO!-GO!" schedule. If I had to describe her writing in 1 word, it would be enthralling. Or maybe enchanting.

I absolutely loved Talorc and Abigail's first meeting. It was so sweet the way he took care of her, though the marriage was last on his to do list. And how lucky are they both that an arranged marriage actually brings you a decent person?! Talorc's protective nature pops in constantly, and I love, love, love it. Then, when her secret is out in the open, he has such an affectionate way of getting her attention. 

I do wish I could have read more about Niall and... his mate [I don't want to ruin everything!]. But it made me happy to know that... "stuff" happened [hehehe].

So, to answer the reason for why I read the book... No, Lucy's Alpha's are not too Alpha. That's just ridiculous. They definitely are in their own league, but if you love Alpha's like I do [they're always at the top of my list of fictional hunky men] then you'll love her Alpha. At least Talorc, Niall, and Barr since I have yet to read Moon Awakening [sadface].

Ratings:

1. Cover +1

2. Hooked: +1

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: mmmm: +2

5. Re-readability: +1

6. Suggest to others: +2

7. Lost time: +1

8. Readability: +1

yay! Another 10 out of 10!! Despite the random weird parts, I loved this book. I noticed that on the front of the cover Susan Wiggs is quoted: "Lucy Monroe will capture your heart." and she's not joking. I've added her to my favorite authors =) I was so happy to find that she was writing another in the series :D


Author Website
Author Blog


Other Review:
Babbling About Books and More
Demon Lovers Book Reviews and More


I would recommend this to anyone who can read. That's all the criteria you need :D

Wolf at the Door by Christine Warren

Wolf at the Door by Christine Warren

Series: The Others

Paranormal/Romance

March 2006

St Martin's

$6.99

Why I read: I was looking for a new series to start and enjoy, and this one had several done already.


One Favorite Quote: "Did you just call me Benji?"


[update: I realized recently *cough*today*cough* that I read the series out of order... I thought this was the first in the series. But no, it's the 4th. I'm going back to read the 1st! Of course, I also read the 6th before realizing this, so I'm all mixed up. Please note that if there were any inconsistencies that I noticed, it's probably due to coming in to the stories in the middle of the series. I can't change what I said because it was how I felt. It also proves that you should start at the beginning of every series! Bummer, I know. I can't believe I messed up! Ugh]

Barnes and Noble Synopsis:

Christine Warren’s spellbinding new series takes you into the enthralling world of The Others—mystical creatures who have long kept their true natures hidden from human eyes. Now, these werekin, shapeshifters, vampires, and witches must choose between revealing their powers or fighting a sinister sect hell-bent on their destruction…

WHEN DANGER MEETS DESIRE…
Sullivan Quinn didn’t travel 3,000 miles from his native Ireland and his wolf pack just to chase rabidly after the most delectable quarry he’s ever seen. Quinn is in America on a mission—to warn his Other brethren of a shadowy group willing to use murder and mayhem to bring them down. But one whiff of this Foxwoman’s delicious honeysuckle fragrance and he knows that she is more than a colleague or a conquest…she is his mate.

THEY’LL DISCOVER…
Anthropologist Cassidy Poe is a world-renowned authority on social interaction, but the overpowering desire she feels around Quinn defies every ounce of her expertise. Working by his side to uncover The Others’ enemies poses risks she never expected—to her own safety, to those she loves, and to her heart, as every encounter with Quinn proves more blissfully erotic than the last…

THE ANIMAL WITHIN…
Now, with no one to trust but each other, Quinn and Cassidy face a foe that’s edging closer every day, threatening to destroy the life they’ve always known, and the passion they’ve just discovered…

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My review:

It took a while for me to get in to the book. Even the initial contact between the two main characters kind of bothered me. Quinn seemed really stalker-ish. Given enough time, I found that not to be the case, but that initial feeling was uncomfortable.

I felt that plot took a distant second place after a while. Or maybe I misunderstood the plot. Which is very possible! They have to find who is trying to "out" the Others before they do, and it felt slow getting to the finding part. In fact, I don't even know if they did find the who/what. They found the root cause, just not the who/what [does that make sense? you're probably staring at this thinking "what the hell are you talking about crazy]. wAt this point, I keep telling myself.. who cares? They got to the root of it, what more do you need? But I felt like this whole time I wanted to know who the puppet was and I all I got was a sort of puppeteer. Maybe I need to re-read the last few pages to make sure I'm not being an idiot.

I did something really weird with this book though. I stopped reading it for about a month at the very end... What?! Who does that? I think I was in a reading slump and I just was hung up on the root cause and who the Light of Truth that's trying to expose them is, and the fact that I didn't understand what was going on. Once again, my problem. I'm sure Christine Warren explained it perfectly for the non-challenged people.

The only honest and true complaint I have is that the resolution to the conflict of exposure ended too suddenly for it to be normal. But the ending for me is huge. I understand the need for the fluff at the end, but nothing is wrapped up in neat little packages in real life, and I just feel that books should portray that sometimes [yes... i know it's not real, but for it to be relatively believable even in a fictional world, I don't like neat endings--that's one reason I hate chick flicks]. 

OKAY! That was the bad.. Here's the good:

Christine Warren's writing was great! Most of it flowed together flawlessly [I say mostly, because as with all books, some sentences had to be re-read several times to understand what she was saying].  Their romance, though it had a rough start... a really awkward rough start, it was believable. Some parts were fluffed, but whatever. I could believe that they actually had a connection to each other. Their foreplay and/or sexual encounters were.... awesome! :D Very blush worthy if someone catches you reading those pages. ;)-

Another really neat thing she did was that she didn't make Quinn an Alpha. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Alphas [mmmmmmm]. But he didn't need to be an Alpha to be dominant. He also had a great and unique role in his pack that I haven't heard of before. I think it might have been too much, so that was a perfect decision made by Christine Warren.

Ratings:

1. Cover +1

2. Hooked: +.5

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: meh: +1

5. Re-readability: +.5--might skim through

6. Suggest to others: +1

7. Lost time: ... not really +1

8. Readability: +1

Looks like it's a 7 out of 10. Which makes me happy that I have my rating system. I would have felt that after the month of a break [from all books really] that I should rate it lower.

Website

Twilight

Hehehehehehehe...

[pssst... click the link below to giggle with me]

http://theoatmeal.com/story/twilight

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

Silver Borneby Patricia Briggs

March 30, 2010

Fantasy/Paranormal/Romance

Penguin

Why I read it: I've read all the others in the series, and I love Mercy, Adam, Samuel, Jesse, Warren, Kyle, Darryl, Aurielle, Honey, Bran, Charles, etc.

Synopsis from Barnesandnoble[dot]com.

When mechanic and shapeshifter Mercy Thompson attempts to return a powerful Fae book she'd previously borrowed in an act of desperation, she finds the bookstore locked up and closed down.

It seems the book contains secret knowledge-and the Fae will do just about anything to keep it out of the wrong hands. And if that doesn't take enough of Mercy's attention, her friend Samuel is struggling with his wolf side-leaving Mercy to cover for him, lest his own father declare Sam's life forfeit.

All in all, Mercy has had better days. And if she isn't careful, she might not have many more to live...

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Despite already knowing about the series and wanting to read it so desperately, the cover looks amazing. As always. One thing that someone told me they noticed is that her tattoo's don't match on ever cover. Which, I've never put to the test, but I can see that there's a lot more. And I can't remember her ever talking about tattoos in the book [besides the wolf paw--erm, coyote paw], but that's probably my early Alzheimer working its magic. Even if her tattoos change, I still love the girl on the cover.

I can't remember how the hook was, but I didn't really need one. The hook was already in place when I finished the last book. I always want to know the deep secrets of Mercy and Adam's relationship. But I don't know why I expect it when every time, Patricia Briggs lets me know that Mercy doesn't want to show that part. Or maybe it's Adam. He is the chauvinistic quiet guy that doesn't like "claiming" his woman with the other ultra-sensitive-eared werewolves in the house. *giggle*

I really really really didn't want to finish this book. Which is a sign of an awesome read. Because if I did, then I would either find the last of their story. OR [and hopefully it's this rather than the other], I'll have to wait way too long for the next one. And really, 1 day is too long.

After I finished, I felt angry, sad, happy, excited, eager, sweet, and all the above. It left off one way, but I couldn't help but feel everything that happened in the book and everything that would happen in the [hopefully soon] next book

I will probably re-read this book several times. Just like I have every other Mercy Thompson book. I will however, skip over the fae parts. I read on someone's blog (can't remember where, sorry) that the fae parts could have been left out and it would still have been a great story. And to be honest, I would probably skip over those parts when I re-read this book. MOstly because I love Adam and Mercy and they're every thought/desire should be out there for me to read consecutively.

This book is great for EVERYONE. It doesn't have any feel like Twilight werewolves. There is romance there, but it's minimal, the development of the characters is fantastic. Male, female, 16-73. All can read the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs.

Ratings:

1.Cover: +1

2. Hooked: +1

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: Pos +2

5. Re-Readability: +1

6. Suggest to others: +2

7. Lost time: Nope +1

8. Grammar:+1

so it looks like I have my first 10 out of 10. My 2nd book in my 30 books this year, and I get a 10! I'm so excited :D. I know I won't be able to get this lucky for long, so I won't expect it, but doesn't it feel nice to have awesome books to read? YESS!!!

Others in series:

Moon Called

Blood Bound

Iron Kissed

Bone Crossed

Silver Borne

Homecoming (Graphic Novel Series #1)