Kylie Logan – Mayhem at the Orient Express

The first book in the League of Literary Ladies series, published June 4, 2013.
Genre: cozy mystery
Cover: nice, but not so pretty as I am used to with cozy mysteries. Why is there no snow in the picture?



Most folks aren't forced by court order to attend a library-book discussion group, but that's just what happens to B and B proprietor and ex-Manhattanite Bea Cartwright, hippy cat lover Chandra Morrisey, and winery owner Kate Wilder after a small-town magistrate has had enough of their squabbling. South Bass, an island on Lake Erie, is home to an idyllic summer resort, but these three ladies keep disturbing the peace.
The initial book choice is Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, and that sets their mouths to watering. The Orient Express is the island's newest Chinese restaurant. They might not agree about much, but the ladies all love the orange chicken on the menu. But their meal is spoiled when the restaurant's owner, Peter Chan, has the bad fortune of getting murdered. Now, with Christie as their inspiration, the League of Literary Ladies has a real mystery to solve…if they can somehow catch a killer without killing each other first.



After something happened to her in New York, Bea Cartwright has moved to South Bass, an island on Lake Erie, where she has opened a Bed and Breakfast in an old mansion. Bea really does not get along with her new neighbours at all, and when the local judge has had enough of their endless fights, he sentences them to a weekly bookclub, to learn to get along. And to safe his wife’s precious library from losing their funding.

Bea is from New York, and is working hard to get her B&B ready for opening. Kate owns a vineyard, and really dislikes all the trucks coming and going to the B&B, making noise in front of her house. Also, the B&B is a monstrosity of a house, and she really would have preferred it to be demolished, and the land used for her vineyard.
Chandra is some kind of New Age woman, burning incense, chanting, loudly playing music no one else likes. And Bea hates her because Chandra’s cat keeps peeing on her flowers. So they all dislike each other and now have to play nice.

Their trio is augmented with a fourth member, who really does want to belong to a bookclub, Luella Zak. Their first item is to pick a book to read, and that choice is limited to books the library has 5 copies of, and books they all have to like. Bea is adamant about not wanting to read a thriller. And so they settle on the classic Agatha Christie – Murder at the Orient Express. Only Chandra does not want to read the book, she will watch the movie instead.

And so the ladies quickly leave the library again, intent to continue with their own lives. Somehow, they all end up at the Orient Express in the village, the new Chinese Restaurant. Where they find the owner murdered.

With the snow storm going on worsening, cutting power to big parts of the island, all four ladies and some other guests end up in Bea’s B&B, where there is still power and warmth. They decide to figure out who killed Peter, using the book as a guide on how to go about it. The local police officer doesn’t care much for their opinions, especially as he is Chandra’s second ex husband.


Another new cozy mystery series, and unfortunately, another one that just did not work for me. There are a lot of hints about Bea’s past adventure with a stalker, but nothing is just plain explained. I hate that. It has no bearing on the book either, so why not just tell us? The possible love interest for Bea does know her story as he recognizes her.
There were lots of clues in the book, and the ladies just overlooked them or jumped to the wrong conclusions. I did not foresee everything in the book, but I did see a lot coming.
There was nothing for me to like about Bea, Chandra or Kate. Only the hardworking fishing woman Luella, I did like her and how she sometimes took charge of the bickering trio.

The book itself is well written, and well paced, but for me it just lacks some things. I need to be able to connect with the main characters, and care for what happens to them. I won’t be reading anything else by this author. If you are intrigued by this, just read some other reviews and give it a go.

6 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

Faith Hunter – Skinwalker

The first book in the Jane Yellowrock series, published July 7, 1999.
Genre: urban fantasy
Cover: I like it.




Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind -a skinwalker of Cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires - and hunts the undead for a living. But now she's been hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katie's Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who's killing other vamps.
Amidst a bordello full of real “ladies of the night” and a hot Cajun biker with a panther tattoo who stirs her carnal desire, Jane must stay focused and complete her mission … or else the next skin she’ll need to save may be her own.


Jane drives into New Orleans on her Harley Davidson, and attracts a lot of attention from the locals. One of them even follows her on his own motorcycle. Jane has been hired by the vampire Council of New Orleans to hunt a rogue vampire, who is killing and maiming his victims. Her contact is one of the more famous vampires, Katie, a known madam, who supplies her fellow vampires with willing blood and sex donors. But when Jane meets Katie, disarmed by Katie’s bodyguard, or so he thinks, Katie looses her calm when she senses that Jane is not human, but something other, something predator, and she really wants to know what Jane is. But Jane doesn’t know herself, and she won’t tell her. She came here for a job, and that is it.

Katie has provided a house of her own to Jane, according to the contract, at the back of her own property. She has even had her head gardener add the rocks that Jane has requested, and he has made it look very natural. But the first thing Jane does, is disable all the camera’s and other surveillance equipment the house and gardens are riddled with. She needs her privacy, and no one is to spy on her. Her inner Beast makes it an easy job, as she smells where people have lingered, hiding the small cams and such.

That evening, changing into a big cat, a mountain lion, Jane sets out to hunt the Rogue, going to the places where he killed before. But there is something off about his scent, he is dying, he is rotting, and vampires just don’t get sick, they don’t die of natural causes. Jane has to be careful to be back home in time to change back. Apparently, she can only change at dusk and dawn, otherwise she is stuck in this form for the whole day. The change also leaves her famished. As Beast she consumes lots of raw steak, but as Jane she prefers a huge portion of oatmeal and tea.

Jane is supposed to have dinner with “the girls” every evening in the big house, and as first she is hesitant about meeting them. They so have nothing in common. But when she learns their stories, and finds out that Katie rescued them from worse things, and that they are safe, well cared for and very well paid for what they do, her attitude changes.

When the rogue attacks Katie and the girls, it is Jane who saves them all, even when she has to call in Leo, the head of the vampire council, to help out. A bit of vampire blood goes a long way to heal a human, without the risk of turning them. Finding the rogue vampire, or whatever he is, and killing him is not going to be easy. It is an old one, with lots of escape routes from his hiding place.


I have seen so many people talk about this series and how good it is, especially over at Preternatura blog, so when I had the chance to buy the first 2 books for a few euros, I jumped at it. As hyped books often don’t work for me, I was a bit hesitant to start it, but I need not worry. I loved it from the very first page. And I immediately ordered the rest of the series as soon as I finished the book.

It is very difficult to write a review about this book. I want to tell you all how awesome it is, but I also don’t want to spoil the many surprises in the story. So much happens in this book, it is very fast paced and filled with action.

Jane learns a lot about the vampire society by visiting the local vampires and talking with their human servants, but she also learns a lot about herself. About her past, her people and her heritage. I enjoyed learning those things with Jane and Beast. Beast also reveals some things to Jane and Jane understands why Beast is often so angry with her. But they share the same body, no matter the shape it is in.

I very much enjoyed the world Faith Hunter has created, the vampire society is intriguing and very old, but what I like best, is Beast and how Jane is intertwined with her. When Beast has taken over their body, Jane is still present in Beast’s mind, and sometimes it is Beast who takes control over Jane’s body, especially in dangerous situations. The legend of the skinwalker is amazing, and not like any other skinwalkers I have read about previously.

The story is fast paced, lots of action and danger, but there is also time for Jane to make herself a pot of tea, and to talk with her best friend Molly, who is a very powerful witch, and her little daughter, who is even more powerful. Jane is very tough and self reliant, and totally kick ass. She drives a Harley, doesn’t really care how she dresses, she loves to dance though, and can do martial arts. As some of the men who try to intimidate or hurt her, discover. I don’t know if Jake will become a love interest or not, or perhaps one of the human servants we encounter in the story. I don’t think a love interest is needed in the story, but Beast is thinking it is about time they had some kits of themselves. Jane will stay in New Orleans a bit longer, and I am looking forward to discover what else is in store for her.

8,5 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

New additions to my addiction

Here is a list of the books and bookrelated goodies I received in the last few weeks, some have been read already:

From Bookdepository:

Cecy Robson – A cursed embrace
Lorna Barrett – Murder on the half shelf
Annette Blair – Tulle Death do us part
Anthology: Blood by Moonlight - Jocelynn Drake; Terri Garey and Caris Roane. (3 wishlist authors).
Diana Pharaoh Francis – Blood Winter
Diana Pharaoh Francis – Bitter Night
Diana Pharaoh Francis – Crimson Wind
Julie Hyzy – Grace under pressure
Julie Hyzy – State of the Onion
Linda O. Johnston - Beaglemania
Jean Johnson – Hellfire
Bella Andre - Can’t help falling in love
Maggie Sefton – Poisoned Politics

Secondhand books:
Leslie Kelly – She’s got the look
Leslie Kelly – Here comes trouble
Leslie Kelly – She drives me crazy
Jennifer Greene – Blame it on Paris
Jennifer Greene – Blame it on Chocolate
Alexandra Potter – You’re the one that I don’t want
Anthology: Summer Fever - Stephanie Bond; Leslie Kelly; Heidi Betts; Kate Austin; Jennifer Greene.
Marilyn Kaye - Better late than never
Marilyn Kaye - Finders Keepers
Marilyn Kaye - Here today, gone tomorrow
Marilyn Kaye - Now you see me
Marilyn Kaye - Out of sight, out of heart
Marilyn Kaye - Speak no evil


Books I’ve won/for review:
Suzanne Johnson – Elysian Fields ARC
Susannah Sandlin – Omega
Susannah Sandlin – Storm Force
Jeri Smith-Ready – Shade

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

One question for Sierra Dean.

As you perhaps already know, I am a big fan of Sierra Dean’s Secret McQueen series (reviews can be found on my blog). I have read and enjoyed all the books and novellas in this series. I have read the fun and surprising novella in the Misfits and Mayhem series.
Sierra recently self published a Young Adult book, called Autumn. I have bought it from Smashwords, and am looking forward to reading it.

Autumn, the first book in the Dog Days series, published as ebook on June 11, 2013.



Cooper Reynolds's life is going to the dogs... literally.
As if being a high school senior in a small Texas town wasn't hard enough, Cooper has bigger things to worry about than who he'll take to prom and whether or not the Poisonfoot Padres will win homecoming. He has less than a year before his eighteenth birthday, when a curse placed on his family will doom him to live in coyote form forever.
The last thing he needs to complicate his already messed-up life is a girl, but fate has other plans in mind for him when it brings Eloise "Lou" Whittaker to Poisonfoot. She's grouchy, sarcastic and has no love for her new Texas home, but she might be exactly the right person to help Cooper break the curse.
The clock is ticking, and Cooper will have to decide if he's willing to let Lou in on his dirty little secret before it's too late.


On August 6 you will publish your first contemporary sports romance with Samhain. I have read and reviewed the ARC of Pitch Perfect, and I am still amazed that you made me love reading about baseball.

Aurian: Hi Sierra, can you please tell me and my readers what your plans are for the future? I know that Secret Unleashed will be published in October, and I can hardly wait for that. I ofcourse went to your website and discovered that you have already planned Cold Hard Secret for July 2014 and A Secret to die for, for December 2014, which is so very far away. But will that really be the end of the Secret series and world?
What are you working on at the moment, what have you finished that is not published yet, are there even more genres you want to try?

Sierra: Oh my goodness, the “What’s next?” question is always the biggest.

Now that I’m writing full time I feel like there’s so much more coming than I could talk about without seeming silly. I’ve been contracted already for the second Boys of Summer book, Perfect Catch, and have at least two more books in that series planned right now. Honestly, though, I like all the boys on that team so much I could easily see myself writing at least six of those books if people enjoy them.
I’m also branching out into less specific contemporary romance. Next March I have Chasing Kings coming out, which is a story about a small town book store owner who meets and falls for a porn star while she’s in Vegas. That one is a standalone story.

The last two Secret novels, Cold Hard Secret and A Secret to Die For ARE the end of the Secret Series, I’m sorry to say. There will be no final cliffhanger. Secret’s story will come to a (hopefully) satisfying conclusion. As for that WORLD, however, I’m not totally done with it. Following the conclusion of Secret’s series, I still have plans for two additional Misfits & Mayhem novellas, featuring characters from the series, and likely cameos from everyone’s favourite hybrid bounty hunter.

Additionally, I started a YA series this year called Dog Days. The first book, Autumn, is already out, and the second will be arriving in November. The final two books of that series will come out in Spring and Summer of 2014.

As for my 2014 writing schedule, I have two new contemporaries planned, another baseball book, a sci-fi romance, and much more on the horizon. There will be no shortage of new Sierra Dean novels in the coming future.

Aurian: That is great news Sierra, I am particularly looking forward to the sci-fi romance. The more books, the happier I am.


If you want to know more about Sierra and her books, you can find her here:
Twitter: @sierradean
Website: http://www.sierradean.com/
Facebook: here

Dakota Banks – Deliverance

The third book in the Mortal Path series, published March 27, 2012.
Genre: urban fantasy
Cover: love it



Kill… or be damned.
A demon’s assassin for centuries, Maliha Crayne has gone rogue, determined to safe a life for everyone she’s destroyed in order to free herself from an eternity of enslavement, damnation, and excruciating torment. But as the powers that sustained her in the past fade, she is wary of trusting those closest to her – especially her lover, Jake. And her closest friends are beginning to disappear, one by one. Amid her anger, suspicion and sorrow, her life is spiralling out of control.
Worse still, a beautiful Renaissance murderess is recruiting Maliha as her new assassin. Maliha is turning into a lethal puppet with an evil Immortal pulling the strings, forced to kill innocents or see her missing friends die horribly. Suddenly trapped in a moral no-man’s land, Maliha is damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t. .. and time is rapidly running out.


The book starts with action, which is a great way to start a book. Maliha is chasing Xietay, Yanmeng’s son, who is a real bad guy. He turned his own parents in to the secret police, and now he is running a human trafficking business. Xietay has evaded her for a while now, so when she unexpectedly ran into him, Maliha could not ignore it. But how will Yanmeng feel about her killing his son? Is blood thicker than water, will she loose his friendship?

When she gets home, her favourite doorman Andy is gone. Did he really retire as Chick tells her, or did something bad happen to him? She tipped him very well over the 30 years she has been living in this building, and with the investment advice she gave him, he is a multi millionaire by now. But when she receives his bloodied cap in an anonymous package, she is not sure what happened, and has Hound and Amaro investigate. Andy did buy a ticked to Antigua, but there is no trace of him to find.

Then Yanmeng is kidnapped, and Maliha is blackmailed into becoming someone’s pet assassin again. To keep him safe Maliha is doing as she is told as much as possible, until the whole complot is revealed. Now she really has to find Yanmeng soon, as she cannot continue killing for these people. How much can she trust her friends, or Jake? Are they in danger because of her? But Hound and Amaro don’t want to leave her, Yanmeng is their friend as well, and they will help her investigate.


I loved this book, and I was kept glued to the pages to find out what happened next.

Maliha is one kick ass assassin, trying to make amends for all the killing she did in her 300 years of being a demon’s assassin. She tries to save lives now, and kills only bad guys if they are in need of killing. And with each kill, she is rewarded or punished by Anu, the main god of the ancient Sumerians. Maliha is also on a quest to find the seven shards of a lens, in order to read the Tablet and banish the seven Sumerian demons from interfering on earth. The human race is quite capable of monstrous behaviour all on its own, they don’t need to be deceived by demons.

Maliha does not have many friends, but she cares about those she does have. And she wants to protect them, but she does not trust them with all of her secrets, so she is not happy when Jake spills some of those to the others. Nor is she certain she can trust him, especially after the visit by Master Liu. He does seem to be in love with her, but he is so very secretive and dismissive about things she finds important.

When Yanmeng, her oldest friend, gets kidnapped and his body parts start reaching her, she falls to pieces for a while. And it takes some new training by Master Liu to get her head back on track.

I did miss some things in this book, the casual sex Maliha usually has after a mission. She only has some with Jake, and that was behind closed doors, no real love scenes in this book. And I was happy that there are not so many memories of her own little Constanza in this book. I just skip those scenes and memories.

I like Dakota Banks’ writing style a lot, it is perfect for my tastes. The action, the brutal killings, how Maliha slowly learns to trust and love again, and how she never gives up, no matter how bad she hurts. She is aging, and loosing her “superpowers” slowly, but she is still determined to rid the world of the demons, and to make amends.

If you have not started this series yet, I do recommend it, and I think a lot of men would enjoy it as well, as it does not really have romance in it.

9 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

Linda O. Johnston – Beaglemania

The first book in the Pet Rescue Mystery series, published March 1, 2011.
Genre: cozy mystery
Cover: cute



Lauren Vancouver is the head of HotRescues, a no-kill animal shelter north of Los Angeles, but it's often human nature that puts her in the path of danger.
At a particularly nasty puppy mill, Lauren helps rescue four adorable beagle puppies that were dumped down a drainpipe, and she’s pretty sure who is responsible. Efram Kiley, one of the mill’s employees, has a history of dog abuse. And it seems he a bone to pick with Lauren, because he soon shows up at HotRescues and stirs up trouble by threatening her. When Efram is found dead at the shelter, Lauren becomes the prime suspect, and she’ll have to sniff out the real killer to keep herself out of a cage – for life...


When Laurel Vancouver is tipped off about an upcoming police raid on a puppy mill, she immediately goes there to help with saving the animals. When she sees her “volunteer” Efram Kiley working in the mill, she gets very mad at him. Efram gets paid to work at her shelter to learn how to handle pets with kindness, after he reported his missing dog and it was discovered as an abused animal. But Lauren had already found the dog a new and loving home. And now she has caught him red-handed, which is reason enough to make sure Dante stops the payments and to kick him out of HotRescues.

But Efram doesn’t like that at all, and he threatens Lauren, the other employees, and the animals in the shelter. Lauren sure is not happy with that, and is glad someone can help her kick him out, but still, she decides to spend the night at the shelter, to make sure everything is all right. When Lauren wakes up to the dogs incessant barking, she sets out to investigate, to find Efram’s body on the floor. When she tries to find out if he is still alive or not, she is caught redhanded by the police, who were alerted by the alarm company. And so Lauren becomes the nr 1 suspect.

When other nasty things keep happening at the shelter, all trying to make Lauren look bad, there is just one solution: find out who the killer is herself, as both the police or her security firm are not doing anything at all to help her.


I was hesitant about starting this series. I do like animals, but I cannot handle cruelty against animals. You can do whatever you want with people, even children, and I could not care less. But don’t touch animals in the wrong way. So, even though they are not abused in the book, there are dogs in this book that have been abused and are nursed and trained back to health.

I had a difficult time reading this book. I just did not like Lauren, and usually I do like heroines closer to my own age, who are confident and able to handle everything life throws at them. Lauren was very controlling; she kept repeating that after her first marriage with the love of her life, and the second disastrous marriage to a cheating lowlife, she was not interested in dating and men at all. But she does kiss the hot police officer a few times. And the thing that kept bugging me the most was the many, many mentions of her Blackberry.

Also, those lovely beagle puppies on the cover are only mentioned in the first chapter of the book, when they are rescued (not by Lauren!) and are not even residing in her shelter but in a public one. The main characters of another series by Linda O. Johnston play a big part in this book, which I also did not like as I have not read that series. It is okay if you tell about previous books later on in a series, but don’t tell about previous series please. It would have been better kept completely separate in my opinion.

The book is in first person, also not my favourite POV, and the writing style just was not for me. So, although this really is not a bad book, and the mystery part was not something I could guess soon, I don’t think I am going to read more books in this series.

5 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

New books to look forward to for August 2013

This is the list of new releases for the month of August 2013 I am looking forward to:

Cherry Adair – Stormchaser – Cutter Cay 4
Kalayna Price – Grave Visions – Alex Craft 4
Jennifer Estep – Heart of Venom – Elemental Assassin 9
Alexis Morgan – A soldier’s heart – Snowberry Creek
Kate Collins – Seed no evil – Flower shop mystery 14
Lynn Viehl – Her Ladyship’s Curse – Disenchanted & Company 1
Maggie Sefton – Poisoned Politics – Molly Malone Mystery 2
Robin D. Owens – Heart Fortune – Celta 12
Christine Feehan – Dark Storm – Dark 23 PB
Debbie Macomber – Rose Harbor in Bloom – Rose Harbor 02
Jayne Castle – Deception Cove – Rainshadow 02
Michelle Sagara – Cast in Sorrow – Chronicles of Elantra 9
Moira Rogers – Impulse – Southern Arcana 5
Sara Humphreys – Tall, Dark and Vampire
Suzanne Johnson – Elysian Fields – Sentinels of New Orleans 3

I have read a total of 25 books this month, which is amazing.

Did I match my reading solutions for last month? Yes, easily this time!

I have read 6 cozy mysteries:
- Heather Webber – Deeply, desperately
- Annette Blair – Tulle Death do us Part
- Heather Webber – Absolutely, Positively
- Linda O. Johnston – Beaglemania
- Kylie Logan – Mayhem at the Orient Express
- Julie Hyzy – State of the Onion


9 books longer than 1 year on my shelf, although the Jean Johnson books are re-reads:
- Jean Johnson – The Master
- Jean Johnson – The Song
- Jean Johnson – The Cat
- Jean Johnson – The Storm
- Jean Johnson – The Flame
- Jean Johnson – The Mage
- Marjorie M. Liu – Within the Flames
- Nora Roberts – Irish Rebel
- Nora Roberts - Reflections

and 1 book I have won:
- Susannah Sandlin – Absolution.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian