Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

Magic Bites
Ilona Andrews
Ace – The Berkley Publishing Group
April 2007
978-0-441-01489-7

In a world that fluctuates between technology and magic, Kate Daniels is a mercenary who deals in magical problems for the Guild. When her guardian is murdered Kate sets out to track down his killer and finds herself in the middle of an ongoing feud between the necromancers who control the vampires, and the organized shapechangers known as the Pack. Each side blames the other for the mysterious killings that are occurring in the Atlanta area, and Kate is sure that someone knows more than they’re telling.

Curran, as alpha of the Pack, takes the deaths of his shapechangers personally. Joining in an uneasy alliance with Kate, they work to solve the mystery behind the murders. As the body count grows so does the danger involved, but Curran is willing to put himself at risk to save the members of his Pack.

Nick works for the Order, the same organization that employed Kate’s Guardian. With skills that show his own strengths, Nick will join the fight and hope to destroy those responsible for the brutal killing spree.

With some big help from some tentative new friends, Kate follows leads until she finds the truth. Staying alive may prove to be more difficult than she originally thought, and keeping everyone else alive could bring her own life to an end.

Magic Bites is a magical place to visit, where ready or not, life around you can change in the blink of an eye. Ilona Andrews pens a fabulously well detailed world that smoothly slips between magic and technology for the reader. Well imagined with clearly drawn characters, this is a book that fantasy and paranormal lovers are sure to enjoy/

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews

The Becoming by Jeanne C. Stein

The Becoming
Jeanne C. Stein
Ace – The Berkley Publishing Group
December 2006
0-441-01456-9

Anna Strong’s life as a bounty hunter requires her to be tough enough to deal with the criminals she brings in. On a job with her partner she’s assaulted by the man she’s been paid to take into custody. For her troubles Anna is bitten and turned against her will. She wakes in a hospital with no recollection of what happened, but as the night in question filters back into her memory Anna is more shocked at her own behavior than that of her assailant. Now with a little help from Avery, Anna pursues the renegade vampire who took her human life.

Avery is a doctor as well as a Night Watcher, a vampire who keeps an eye on their community. When Anna is brought in to the emergency room Avery knows exactly what has happened to her and it’s his duty as a doctor as well as a Night Watcher to keep her under observation. Anna’s boyfriend Max is away for the most part, so seducing her is an easy enough task. Avery will do everything in his power to push Anna into leaving her mortal life behind, but she’s not so easily swayed and it may just turn into a fight to the end.

The Becoming has all of the key elements needed to make it an intriguing and powerful start in this first installment of the Anna Strong Chronicles. Ms. Stein pens a well-built paranormal world for Anna’s introduction into the vampire ranks, and gives readers a taste of the dangers that come along with Anna’s new found immortality. Deliciously sexy and delightfully seductive, it will keep you riveted and craving more.

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews

Kitty Takes A Holiday by Carrie Vaughn

Kitty Takes a Holiday
Carrie Vaughn
Warner Books
April 2007
978-0-446-61874-8

Kitty Norville hosts a radio show and happens to be a werewolf. She’s currently taking a break from her show and from life in general. Agreeing to write a book, Kitty finds a cabin in the mountains to suit her needs for some peace and solitude. When someone begins leaving sacrificed animals on her porch, Kitty figures the locals don’t want her around, but when Cormac shows up at the door with her injured lawyer Ben, things are turning downright ugly. Livestock are dying, someone is trying to curse her and Kitty has two arguing men to deal with, without having to worry about the evil that’s waiting for her out in the dark. When it finally makes its move, Kitty will fight with all she has, but sometimes even her wolf’s strength isn’t enough.

Cormac Bennett is a bounty hunter who spends his time tracking and killing the things that most people don’t believe in. When a particularly difficult case gets Ben injured, he goes to Kitty for help. With part of his case left unsolved, Ben barely alive, and Kitty’s life in danger, Cormac calls in a friend to help make sense of the evil that’s actively stalking them. Discovering what it is wasn’t so difficult, but actually finding a way to stop it will be something entirely different. They’re going to need a whole lot more than luck to survive this one.

Kitty Takes a Holiday is fantastically action filled as Kitty’s adventures continue. With some help from her friends, Kitty manages to find herself up against some of the darkest evil she has ever had to face. Ms. Vaughn has developed another fabulous edition in Kitty’s paranormal world. Running off at the mouth and flying by the seat of her pants, Kitty will catch readers up in the chaos that’s her life and keep them riveted until the end.

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews

Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead

Succubus Blues
Richelle Mead
Kensington Publishing Corp.
March 2007
978-0-7582-1641-0

Georgina Kincaid is a succubus who more often than not wishes that weren’t the case, but becoming what she is was a choice she made. Working as an assistant manager at a local book store and having friends among the mortal and immortal world are the good parts of her life, but having a demon boss who oversees her duties as a succubus can really be the pits. When Georgina meets the author of her dreams at a book signing in the store, they fall into a tentative friendship. She knows it can’t be more because if she so much as kisses Seth she’ll be draining away his life. Immortals are dying and that shouldn’t be possible, so when the blame is placed on Georgina she finds herself in the middle of a dangerous mystery.

Seth Mortensen is a bestselling author that’s made the book store’s café his new home away from home when he’s writing. Relationships aren’t something Seth is good at, but he has a genuine interest in Georgina. The closer he seems to get to her, the quicker she pushes him away. Theirs is a confusing relationship full of mixed signals, but Seth is content to take things slowly. When he finally learns why Georgina refuses to date, their relationship may never be the same.

Succubus Blues is an urban fantasy brimming with sexual tension and fabulously fun creatures from the paranormal world. Ms. Mead pens a well developed tale for her love starved succubus and the men who are near and dear to Georgina’s lonely heart. An enchanting story that will have readers eagerly awaiting the author’s next release.

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews

The Chick and the Dead by Casey Daniels

The Chick and the Dead
Casey Daniels
Avon Books
March 2007
978-0-06-082147-0

Pepper Martin sees dead people. Things haven’t always been that way, but ever since she bumped her head in the cemetery she seems to be popular among the ghosts. With a temporary lay-off from her job as a tour guide at the cemetery, Pepper finds herself with another case to solve and the perfect job to help her along. When Didi Bowman materializes and asks Pepper to prove that her sister Merilee is not the author famous for So Far the Dawn, that it’s actually Didi’s work, Pepper would like to run in the opposite direction. Knowing first hand that ghosts won’t give up until they’ve gotten what they want, Pepper gets busy trying to find the proof she needs to prove Didi’s case and taking a position on Merilee’s staff is just the way to do it.

Quinn, the sexy Homicide detective, has plenty of questions for Pepper and clearly has more than a passing interest in getting to know her better. The mysterious Dan Callahan appears with cryptic messages, and having no real explanations he hastily disappears, leaving Pepper to wonder who or what he actually is.

The Chick and the Dead is book two in the Pepper Martin Mystery series. Ms. Daniels is definitely a hot new voice in paranormal mystery and this intriguing series is quickly gaining attention from readers of both genres. Well-written, the story unfolds at a comfortably steady pace and swiftly gains the reader’s attention with a captivating storyline and tantalizing characters.

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews

Kissing Sin by Keri Arthur

Kissing Sin
Keri Arthur
Dell – Spectra
February 2007
978-0-553-58846-X

Riley Jenson, born half vampire and half werewolf, has quickly become a commodity that some very scary people want a piece of. It isn’t so much her they want, it’s her blood. With Riley’s blood comes the answer to stronger, faster, more resistant soldiers and these men will stop at nothing to hold that power.

Riley awakens covered in blood and immediately realizes she’s in deep trouble. Unsure of where she is or how she got there Riley’s thoughts center on escape. Riley finds Kade, a horse shifter, being held captive in the stables among others of his kind and they waste little time plotting and executing their escape. With creatures hot on their trail they manage to outmaneuver them long enough for a rescue, but how long will she remain free before another attempt is made on claiming her life?

Kissing Sin is the second book in the Riley Jenson Guardian series. The action and adventure starts on page one and continues through every page of this fabulous read. Several sexy and very diverse men have their eye on Riley, but settling down is not on her to do list just yet.

Ms. Arthur is a marvelously creative author, and has built a solid world for her characters to reside in. Fast paced and filled with deliciously sexy characters, readers will find Kissing Sin a fantastic urban fantasy with a hot serving of romance that continues to sizzle long after the last page is read.

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews