New additions to my addiction

Lately I have received a few books:

Laura Childs - Bedeviled Eggs
Tamar Myers - Butter Safe than Sorry
Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough - Catalyst
and I won an arc on another blog: Ava Gray - Skin Heat

Joanne Pence – If cooks could kill

The tenth book in the Angie Amalfi series, published in 2003.



After a series of failed culinary adventures, employment-challenged Angie Amalfi has decided to cook up something different: love! But Angie’s attempt at matchmaking fall flat as a failed soufflé, leaving best friend Connie Rogers stood up by a no-show jock. When Connie decides she’s more interested in a tarnished loner, things really start to boil over. Soon the police come looking for her in connection with a brutal robbery-homicide. And after her would-be boyfriend becomes a disappearing act, Connie and Angie set out to find him and the real killer. But when the trail leads Angie into the kitchen of her favourite Italian restaurant, she fears she’s about to discover an old family recipe that dishes out disaster … and murder!


Angie has only one thing on her mind: her engagement to Paavo! She loves the ring he gave her, showing it off at every opportunity. She is no longer interested in finding a career, she is studying marriage. Subscribing to the top bridal magazines, watching it on the shopping channel, and worse of all: matchmaking others!
And of course, sending Paavo presents. Which should not be such a problem, if she didn’t send them to his work place. The other officers enjoy themselves a lot, teasing Paavo and eating all the goodies Angie sends over. But enough is enough for Paavo, and he will have to find a way to get her to stop.

But in the meanwhile, Connie is lonely, and she wants to find a love for herself. So one night, complaining to the trio at Wings of an Angel, their favourite restaurant, Butch offers to set her up with his cousin Dennis, who plays for the Forty-Niners. Connie is really excited about that, a hot shot football player! He certainly will be able to take her places! But when he stands her up, she gets stuck with another man, also looking for Dennis. This Max is hurt, and down on his luck, looking very shabby. But still Connie feels a connection with him, and feeds him. Later on, she takes him home with her, only to have him rob her. She is furious! How could she fall for such a guy again! Didn’t she learn her lesson with her no-good ex-husband? Then she learns from Angie Dennis is sorry, and still wants to meet her. But she is weary now of men, and doesn’t fall for his smooth talking. Especially when he wants to talk about Max.

A very convoluted story unfolds: three years ago, a conwoman named Veronica stole 8 million dollars from Max’ clients, of whom Dennis was one. She ruined him, and got off with the money. But Max made sure she got for jail for it. And now she is free, and determined to take revenge for that. So when she sees Max and Conny together, and how much she resembles Conny, she thinks out a very diabolical plan. She has a diamond heist set up with some former friends, kind of mobsters, and she changes herself into a spitting image of Conny. And sets the cops after her. Paavo knows Conny, and cannot believe she murdered a courier, robbed a jeweler’s store and wounded the owner in the process. But how to prove her innocence when she is recognized in a line-up?
But Angie wouldn’t be Angie when she goes to the bottom of things and sorts it all out. And in the end, it is of course Paavo who saves them all from the real killer.

A nice story, different from the rest, but I liked it after a while.

7 stars.

J.D. Robb – Loyalty in Death

The tenth book in the In Death series, published in 1999.



New York Times bestselling author J.D. Robb’s phenomenal series has captivated readers nationwide with its tantalizing bend of romance, suspense and near-future police procedural. New York cop Eve Dallas returns to face her most ingenious foe – a ‘secret admirer’ who taunts her with letters … and kills without mercy.
An unknown bomber is stalking New York City. He is sending Eve Dallas taunting letters promising to wreak mass terror and destruction among the “corrupt masses”/ And when his cruel web of deceit and destruction threatens those she cares for mist, Eve fights back. It’s her city … it’s her job … and it’s hitting too close to home. Now, in a race against a ticking clock, Eve must make the pieces fit – before the city falls.


30 years ago, a terrorist group called Apollo wanted to take over the government. With inside help, they took out the Pentagon, thousands of people were killed. Military staff, but also office workers, their families and children. And now history is repeating itself. A new group calling itself Cassandra is hitting New York. Making demands of the city, the freeing of prisoners, ransom money. Or they will destroy New York landmarks, the heart of capitalism. Is it a coincidence they choose buildings Roarke owns? They target Lieutenant Eve Dallas to receive their communications, and just as she got a high profile murder on her hands. The PA deals for a manslaughter two, which is a laugh of course. She just knows it was premeditated, and now the murderer will inherit millions. But with those new threats, she has not much time to dig in the case, the background.
They manage to safe Radio City, but barely, and the terrorists take out a popular hotel restaurant, loaded with people. They are totally without a conscience, hundreds of people were murdered, employees and visitors.

In the meanwhile, Peabody’s little brother Zeke is visiting town. He is a great carpenter and has accepted a job for the Branson’s. He met Mrs. Branson last summer, and fell in love with her. But she is married, even though he knows she is unhappy in her marriage. Is it a coincidence, it was the Branson’s brother who was murdered last night?

Eve is running into dead ends with her investigation, the people she suspects are getting murdered. Finally she decides to turn to hard copy, not trusting the computers at Cop Central anymore. And Roarke and his unregistered are really coming in handy.
Then Zeke kills the other Branson brother, to protect Clarissa Branson. Her husband supposedly beats and rapes her, and that has been going on for years. But things just don’t klick for Eve. How come a woman so much in shock gets rid of the body of her husband in just a few minutes, and why does she disappear out of the hospital? Zeke is tormented, as a Free Ager, he is unaccustomed to violence. But he also cannot accept the truth, that he is been used, that he “murdered” a droid.
And in the end, everything comes neatly together, the loyalty to a dead father and his dead ideals, and to money.

Another great book, and in this one, finally Peabody and McNab find each other. The start of a bumpy relationship. Mavis has made it as a star, and Summerset is still a pain in Eve’s ass. Eve and Roarke almost die in the Statue of Liberty, but they make it, and they triumph. A great story, filled with suspense, even the second reading.

8 stars.

Lynn Kurland – Dreams of Stardust

The third book in the De Piaget series, published in 2005.



Jake Kilchurn travels the world to unearth exquisite stones for this one-of-a-kind creations, but it is during an unexpected side trip to Seakirk castle that he meets a cadre of ghosts discussing a timeless beauty who lived centuries ago.
Amanda de Piaget is busy doing what she does best – fending off suitors – when she stumbles on a different kind of man. He is unconscious, dirty, and oddly clad. But unlike the other men who find themselves at Artane, Jake knows nothing about her – and Amanda finds herself strangely drawn to him.
Time has brought them together to the safety of its walls, but only time will tell if they’ll escape those who would try to tear them apart…


Jake Kilchurn is on the road for some business for his father, when his oldtimer Jaguar can’t take the bad weather anymore. He gets shelter in Seakirk Castle, where he is entertained by the butler, and a bunch of ghosts. He hears about the legend of Artane, the castle he is going to visit, and the beautiful women who once lived there.
The next day, he is off on his business, still not quite believing what happened at Seakirk, when his car gets in a spin, and a blinding light flings him out of his car .. and back in time. 800 years back in time, where he gets to meet the most beautiful woman ever, and her little brothers. He falls in love with Amanda instantly, but as a merchant, there is no way he will be allowed to wed her. So her brothers, who like him, start training him in the knightly skills. And so Jake spends his days in the lists, training with a sword, and horseback riding and such, and in the evenings among the few members of the family left behind, mostly playing chess.
The only one who can beat him is Amanda. First there are only the youngest two brothers, John and Montgomery, but soon Miles arrives, just in time to send of one of Amanda’s more persistent suitors. He too takes a liking to Jake. But then Nicholas comes home, and he hates his guts on sight. So Jake has a difficult hurdle to overcome. But he is determined to succeed, to go back to the future to sell his company, and come back bearing enough gold and the jewels he designed, to buy a title and a castle, so he can be an accepted suitor.
Even Amanda’s oldest brother, Robin, takes a liking to Jake, and helps him with his training.

But when Jake gets back home, he runs into a lot of trouble. His father (who dislikes him very much) has already declared him dead and taken over his possessions, his trust fund and his bank accounts. He even has him committed to a lunatic hospital and kept sedated. It takes Jake a month before he can escape, and find out who he can still trust.

The Lord of Seakirk and his bunch of ghosts are very helpful, and he has his own very intriguing story. Now Jake has to take his gold, and find his way back to the past, to Amanda. But is she still waiting for him? No telling how much time has passed since he left/came back.


I really loved this story. I believe it is the first book I have read in which the hero travels back in time, and decides to stay. Usually a knight comes forward, or a woman travels back to find her highlander. It was good the meet the whole Artane family again, get an update on Anne and Robin. But I did get to know Amanda a little better, she is not easy on herself, and Jake’s accomplishments makes her doubt her own self. Jake is a great hero. He cannot fight with a sword, but he does know martial arts, which come in very handy too. Together they are just great. A fine love story, no love scenes however.

8 stars.

J.D. Robb – Conspiracy in Death

The ninth book in the In Death series, published in 1999.



At a time when human nature remains as predictable as death, a killer plays God – and puts innocent lives in the palm of his hand ….
With the precision of a surgeon, a serial killer preys on the most vulnerable souls of the world’s city streets. The first victim: a sidewalk sleeper, found dead in New York city. No bruises, no signs of struggle. Just a laser-perfect, fist-sized hole where his heart had once been. Lieutenant Eve Dallas is assigned to investigate. But in the heat of a cat-and-mouse game with the killer, Dallas’s job is suddenly on the line. Now her hands are tied … between a struggle for justice – and a fight for her career ….


Lieutenant Eve Dallas gets called to a homicide, discovered by a scooper team. They check on the homeless to see if they are still alive, which is not easy in this harsh New York winter. On scene, Eve finds very sloppy work by Detective Bowers, and reads her the riot act. Bowers resents that, and files a complaint against Eve, which is her particular hobby. Eve is furious by this smear on her record!
The homeless man is indeed murdered, and his heart is stolen. It is taken with surgical precision and in very difficult circumstances. Why would anyone steal the heart of a terminally ill person? It is not worth anything on the black organ market, and there are no known cults who do stuff like that. Everything points to a high class surgeon. The victim was anesthetized too. So Eve is poking her nose in the top ranking surgeons of the city, the Drake clinic. And they really don’t like that! They close ranks on her, but luckily Roarke is on the board, and they will have to cooperate with her. But threats follow soon after: a self-destruct droid tries to warn her off with a severe beating, but he doesn’t know Eve very well, and Eve beats him. A notorious senator is putting the pressure on the department to close the case, after all, it is only a sidewalk sleeper, and the medical profession doesn’t need the fall out of this. But it only makes Eve more determined to solve the case. Especially when she discovers like crimes in other cities, and a new one on her own path.
But the difficulties with Officer Bowers are not over either. The woman files an other complaint against Eve, and harasses her on scene. Luckily Peabody has recorded it all. But when Bowers gets herself killed, Eve is a suspect, and they demand her badge and weapon. This devastates her. After all, she has build herself up again by becoming a cop. What is she, when she is no longer a cop?
The team goes on without her, but not for long. Roarke and Eve dive into the case, the medical world of organ transplants and research. A doctor from the Canal Street clinic where a lot of poor people are treated helps out by translating all the medical mumbo jumbo for Eve, and gets almost killed in the process.


A really good story again. The suspense is intense, and the emotions run high. It really had me crying for Eve a few times. Dr. Mira and Roarke are there for her, but in the end, she will have to do it herself.
Peabody and McNab are still on odds with each other, but in this book we meet Dr. Louise and Truehart, who will have a larger part in the rest of the series. Also Baxter and Webster, two other cops are playing their part.

8 stars.

J.D. Robb – Midnight in Death

The eighth book in the In Death series, published in 1998 in the anthology Silent Night, but also published as a novella (which I have).



Eve’s name has made a Christmas list, but it’s not for being naughty or nice. It’s for putting a serial killer behind bars. Now the escaped madman has her in his sights. With her husband, Roarke, at her side, Eve must stop the man from exacting his bloody vengeance – or die trying…


This is only a thin novella, but a very suspenseful story. An evicted murderer Eve has put away three years ago, is on the loose again. And he is going after all the people who put him in a cage. The judge is his first victim, tortured and strangulated to death, then left naked in a public spot in New York. Arrogant as he is, he leaves a list with his next victims on it. An Eve’s name is last on that list. As he dumped his first, he already is working on his second victim. And the guards Eve puts on the next ones, are no good at all. This murderer may be mad and evil, but he is no fool. And his good looks will get him cooperation anywhere.
Eve knows who the killer is, how he works, who his victims are, but she still cannot stop him as she cannot find him. Even with the help of Roarke, Peabody, Feeney and McNab, she still cannot prevent the killer for going after someone dear to her.
But in the end, she figures him out again, and then the battle will be between the two of them, as they both knew was the killer’s goal all along.

A good story, told just after the horrible last case. Eve hasn’t had time to recover from it, neither has Peabody. But they will do their job, just because that is who they are.

7 stars.

Jayne Ann Krentz – Shield’s Lady

This book was published in 1989, under the name Amanda Glass. As I didn’t have it, I am very pleased it is been re-issued recently.




Sariana is a cool, confident business woman, an outcast from the East, determined to regain her rightful status. Gryph is an intense mercenary respected and feared throughout the opulent cities and savage frontiers of the West. Brought together by fate and bound by a powerful force that both captivates and frightens them, Sariana and Gryph must join forces on a deadly journey that will test their love to its limits – and could save their world from a danger only they can stop.

It took me a while to get into this story, but later on I got captivated by the world Jayne Ann Krentz made. Two spaceships full of colonist leave Earth, but get separated on their planet of destiny. One full of artists and such, the other full of higher management kind of people. So instead of one society with all kinds of people, they evolve very differently from each other. But still very much divided in Clans and Classes. The East is about practicality, success in business, finance, where money is power. The West is much looser, with more inventions and art, where everything has to look good, with elaborate mansions and dress and such.
Then there is the Shield class, something different altogether. They were not among the colonists, but appeared out of space to safe them. They were made a long time before, on a previous colonisation project from old Earth. So they are human, and somehow more. They have their own laws and customs, but they are a dying race. They can mate with only a few woman and have sons, never daughters, they live on the frontiers, fighting bandits and such. Which will bred woman wants her daughter to leave society for a live like that?

The West knows nothing about those Shields. They believe it is only one of the many legends the easterners have invented, and not much truth to it. Sariana was not businesslike enough for the Academy in her home town, and was denied entry. Which cancelled her wedding plans and her status in her family and clan. So she escaped to the East to make a name for herself there, and convince her family that she was a good business woman after all.
She gets hired as the business manager of the Avylyn Clan, a clan of jewellers. There are on the brink of ruin, and Sariana has to get them solvent again, without the rest of society learning of it. Then a certain prisma cutter is stolen, and they suspect a rivalling jeweller clan. The only course of action open is to hire a Shield to find the cutter and bring it back.
Sariana is attracted to the Shield, and thinks she will have a short affair with Gryph, but she is tricked into marriage. Something she just cannot and will not believe or accept without a fight. But then some people are after Sariana and Gryph takes her with him on his quest to keep her safe.


Yes, I liked the story. I loved Sariana, but I though Gryph too high handed in the beginning. It did not matter what Sariana thought or wanted, he had found his Shield Mate, and she had to obey him. Luckily, in the end, he came to his senses.
Of course, there is a lot more to this book than I have written here, but I don’t want to spoil the whole story. I wouldn’t mind reading more about this world and the people and creatures that live there.

7 stars.