New Release From Charlaine Harris

Charlaine Harris' Grave Sight Part 2 Charlaine Harris Release date: January 10, 2012   Paperback: $7.99

Harper Connelly finds dead people for a living, and helps friends and family gain closure by letting them finally put their loved ones to rest. Harper has just completed a job in Sarne, Arkansas, but that doesn't mean her work is done. More people are turning up dead, and Harper might just be falling for the town's deputy, a man whose wife died under mysterious circumstances.

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Contest Info

I have decided to change some of the information for the book giveaway. Check out the contest page for how to enter.

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Heart-Shaped Box / Joe Hill

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Aging, self-absorbed rock star Judas Coyne has a thing for the macabre -- his collection includes sketches from infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy, a trepanned skull from the 16th century, a used hangman's noose, Aleister Crowley's childhood chessboard, etc. -- so when his assistant tells him about a ghost for sale on an online auction site, he immediately puts in a bid and purchases it. The black, heart-shaped box that Coyne receives in the mail not only contains the suit of a dead man but also his vengeance-obsessed spirit. The ghost, it turns out, is the stepfather of a young groupie who committed suicide after the 54-year-old Coyne callously used her up and threw her away. Now, determined to kill Coyne and anyone who aids him, the merciless ghost of Craddock McDermott begins his assault on the rocker's sanity. 
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My Take
4 Stars


Heart-Shaped Box is my first Joe Hill book. I purchased this book because the synopsis was interesting and I thought it would be a good Halloween season read. While I was waiting for the book to arrive in the mail, I decided to scope the internet to what other books Joe Hill has written. In doing so, I found out that Joe Hill is actually Stephen King's son.

Heart-Shaped Box drew me into the story from the very first page. Jude is an aging rock star with a love of collecting strange and morbid things. With the help of his assistant, Danny, Jude purchases the suit of a dead man. As if that isn't strange enough, the suit supposedly has the dead man's ghost attached to it. As soon as the suit arrives bad things start to happen.

I wish I wouldn't have found out that Joe Hill was Stephen King's son until after I read this book. I had the mind set that this book was going to scare me (which is what I was looking for), which it didn't...not even a little bit.

I did enjoy the book. I really liked the story, and it flowed well. It just wasn't scary. It should be classified as more of a suspense-type novel than horror. The ghost in the story, Craddock, was creepy, but just not scary enough for me to say this is a clear-cut horror novel. I did feel a little let down that it didn't scare me, and that was the only reason I couldn't give this book 5 stars. However, I did give it 4 stars because regardless of whether is scared me or not, it was a page-turner and I did really enjoy reading it.

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Top 100 in Paranormal Books

According to FictFact, these are the top 100 paranormal series. Do you agree?

		Series Name	Author Name
1.		Sookie Stackhouse (Southern Vampire)	Charlaine Harris
2.		Black Dagger Brotherhood	J. R. Ward
3.		Mercedes (Mercy) Thompson	Patricia Briggs
4.		Night Huntress	Jeaniene Frost
5.		MacKayla Lane (Fever)	Karen Marie Moning
6.		Dark Hunters	Sherrilyn Kenyon
7.		Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter	Laurell K. Hamilton
8.		Midnight Breed	Lara Adrian
9.		Fallen Angels	J. R. Ward
10.		The Immortals After Dark	Kresley Cole
11.		Rachel Morgan / The Hollows	Kim Harrison
12.		Lords of the Underworld Series	Gena Showalter
13.		Night Huntress World	Jeaniene Frost
14.		Alpha and Omega	Patricia Briggs
15.		Mortal Instruments	Cassandra Clare
16.		Demonica	Larissa Ione
17.		The Carpathians (Dark)	Christine Feehan
18.		Highlander	Karen Marie Moning
19.		Argeneau Vampires	Lynsay Sands
20.		Women of the Otherworld	Kelley Armstrong
21.		Psy-Changelings	Nalini Singh
22.		Breeds	Lora Leigh, Michelle Rowen
23.		Dream Hunters	Sherrilyn Kenyon
24.		Meredith Gentry	Laurell K. Hamilton
25.		Guild Hunter	Nalini Singh
26.		Riley Jenson Guardian	Keri Arthur
27.		Chicagoland Vampires	Chloe Neill
28.		Undead	MaryJanice Davidson
29.		Love at Stake	Kerrelyn Sparks
30.		Lord of the Rings	J.R. R. Tolkien
31.		Georgina Kincaid (Succubus)	Richelle Mead
32.		The Nightwalkers	Jacquelyn Frank
33.		Ghostwalkers	Christine Feehan
34.		Atlantis	Gena Showalter
35.		Shifters	Rachel Vincent
36.		Vampire Diaries	L. J. Smith
37.		Kitty Norville	Carrie Vaughn
38.		Drake Sisters	Christine Feehan
39.		Infernal Devices	Cassandra Clare
40.		Dragon Kin	G A Aiken, Shelly Laurenston
41.		The Guardians of Eternity	Alexandra Ivy
42.		Pride	Shelly Laurenston
43.		Immortals	Alyson Noel
44.		Lords of Deliverance	Larissa Ione
45.		Leopard	Christine Feehan
46.		Sign of Seven	Nora Roberts
47.		Vampire Chronicles	Anne Rice
48.		Weather Warden	Rachel Caine
49.		The Edge	Ilona Andrews
50.		Alien Huntress	Gena Showalter
51.		Parasol Protectorate	Gail Carriger
52.		Novels of the Others	Christine Warren
53.		Dorina Basarab, Dhampir	Karen Chance
54.		Three Sister's Island	Nora Roberts
55.		Soul Screamers	Rachel Vincent
56.		The Darkyn	Lynn Viehl
57.		The Shadowdwellers	Jacquelyn Frank
58.		Silver Dragons	Katie MacAlister
59.		Darkness Chosen	Christina Dodd
60.		Key	Nora Roberts
61.		Warriors of Poseidon	Alyssa Day
62.		Arcane Society	Amanda Quick, Jayne Ann Krentz
63.		World of the Lupi	Eileen Wilks
64.		Sisters of the Heart Series	Christine Feehan
65.		Mageverse	Angela Knight
66.		ACRO	Sydney Croft
67.		Night World	L. J. Smith
68.		Arcane Society : Dreamlight Trilogy	Amanda Quick, Jayne Ann Krentz, Jayne Castle
69.		Jane Jameson	Molly Harper
70.		The Chosen Ones	Christina Dodd
71.		Doomsday Brethren	Shayla Black
72.		Feral Warriors	Pamela Palmer
73.		Primes Series	Susan Sizemore
74.		Tales of an Extraordinary Girl	Gena Showalter
75.		Tairen Soul Saga	C. L. Wilson
76.		Light Dragons	Katie MacAlister
77.		Elemental Witches	Anya Bast
78.		Shifters Unbound	Jennifer Ashley
79.		Morgan Kingsley	Jenna Black
80.		Accidental Friends	Dakota Cassidy
81.		Dragonfire	Deborah Cooke
82.		T-FLAC	Cherry Adair
83.		Brotherhood of Blood	Kathryn Smith
84.		Outcast Season	Rachel Caine
85.		Greywalker	Kat Richardson
86.		Belador	Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dianna Love
87.		The Gatherers	Jacquelyn Frank
88.		Kyndred	Lynn Viehl
89.		Vampire Kisses	Ellen Schreiber
90.		Wyndham Werewolves	MaryJanice Davidson
91.		Allie Beckstrom	Devon Monk
92.		The Midnight Trilogy	Cynthia Eden
93.		Sentinel Wars	Shannon K Butcher
94.		Night Watch	Cynthia Eden
95.		Vegas Vampires	Susan Sizemore, Erin McCarthy
96.		Harmony World	Jayne Castle
97.		Primal Instinct	Rhyannon Byrd
98.		Night Creature	Lori Handeland
99.		Wings in the Night	Maggie Shayne
100.		Nocturne City	Caitlin Kittredge

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Upcoming from Kerrelyn Sparks!

On Sale March 27th, 2012!

WANTED: UNDEAD OR ALIVE!

Love at Stake book #12
ISBN# 978-0061958069
Starring Phineas McKinney, aka Dr. Phang…
The Love Doctor gets a dose of his own medicine!

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After Sundown / Vampire Trilogy bk 2 / Amanda Ashley

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Edward Ramsey has spent his live hunting vampires. Now he is one of them. Yet Edward's human conscience - and his heart- compel him to save beautiful Kelly Anderson, and soon their growing love is his reason for living. And as the ancient, stunning and merciless vampire Khira seeks supremacy among Los Angeles' undead, Edward and his former nemesis Grigori Chiavari, once Khira's lover, must unite to stop her - before the city, and everything they cherish, is in her power...AFTER SUNDOWN.

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My Take
3 Stars


After Sundown is the second book in Amanda Ashley's Vampire Trilogy. This book is suppose to be centered around vampire-hunter-turned-vampire Edward, and his love interest, Kelly. Although their story is told in this book, the characters from the first book, Grigori and Marisa, are a big part of this book also.

Edward is full of self-hatred after being made a vampire by Grigori to save his life. He is on the path to self destruction. Edward begs Grigori to destroy him, but Grigori refuses. He asks Edward to give it six months, and if he still wants to be destroyed, he will do it. Edward reluctantly agrees to this.

Kelly has lost everything. She has no job, no money, nothing going on in her life. She feels hopeless and decides she wants to end it all. She jumps from a pier into the water. What she doesn't know is that Edward is sees her plunge into the water.

Edward and Kelly seem to find some sort of salvation through each other and find a purpose for being. Although the story isn't really unique, but it is sweet.

It seemed to me that the author took two stories and combined them to make this book work. There's Edward and Kelly, then we have Marisa and Grigori's story continuing at the same time. Then to tie everything together, the author has the appearance of the "bad vampire" Khira. Edward, Grigori, Kelly, and Marisa, along with Tom the vampire hunter, come together to try to stop her.

I don't think this book was as good as the first (Shades of Gray) in this trilogy, but it wasn't bad. I did enjoy it, but I wasn't fighting sleep to keep turning the pages.

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Happily Never After / Jeaniene Frost

Synopsis (Goodreads)


Isabella Spaga is about to reluctantly walk down the aisle with Mr. Dangerously Wrong…but not if dashing vampire Chance has anything to say about it. As a favor to Bones, Chance has come to derail this wedding of beauty to the beast. Now if only he can keep his hands off the bride. From New York Times bestselling author Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress world, it’s the wedding of the season…that everyone wants to miss. (Originally appeared in Weddings From Hell anthology)

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My Take
4 Stars


If you like the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost (or even if you've never read one of her books), you will love this short story.

Chance is asked by Bones to help out a dear friend of his from his past. Chance has to stop a bribe-induced wedding, and save the reluctant bride's brother from mobsters.

If it's been a while since you've read the Night Huntress series, you might have to think a minute or two to remember who Chance was. But, honestly, once you start reading this story, it doesn't matter. You will love Chance anyway!

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Shades of Gray / Amanda Ashley / Vampire Trilogy 1

Synopsis (Goodreads)

The fifth vampire romance by bestselling author Madeline Baker writing as Amanda Ashley! Lost in darkness, Grigori found new sustenance in the light of Marisa's love, and new purpose in his life. Only he could protect her from the evil that stalked the night. Now, hungering for her bittersweet caress, he vowed to show her that not all of the undead were monsters, and that somewhere between the black and white of damnation and desire lay infinite shades of gray.

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My Take
4 STARS


I read this book for the first time two years ago, and recently re-read it. I loved it the first time, and loved it the second time around.

Shades of Gray is the first book in this trilogy, and tells the story of Grigori and Marisa. Marisa unknowingly awakens an evil vampire named Alexi Kristov from the confines of a death sleep. Grigori, a vampire also, has been trying to destroy Alexi since he destroyed his family when Grigori was mortal. Edward Ramsey, a vampire hunter, joins Grigori to try to track down and destroy Alexi once and for all.

One thing that I really liked about this book was the fact that Marisa did NOT fall immediately head-over-heels in love with Grigori when she first meets him. It actually takes a while in the book before she admits to herself that she is in love with him.

If you are looking for some down and dirty sexual scenes, you won't find them in this book. Amanda Ashley is known for writing sexual tension, but light (and I do mean light) on any sexual scenes. I actually like the fact there are authors out there writing vampire romances like this.

I like the characters, and I like the ending in this book. It pretty much tells you whats to come within the next book (about Edward Ramsey).

If I had to pick on one thing that bothered me, I would say I didn't like the cover of this book. The edition that I have looks like a historical romance instead of a vampire romance. If I had just looked at the cover instead of reading the synopsis, I would have passed over it. The cover has since been updated with two other editions.

I noticed one typo on page 338. It reads: 'Grigori slid a glance at Maria.' Maria was actually suppose to have been written as Marisa.

Overall, I think this book was a great read. I love Amanda Ashley's vampire romance books.

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