Laurell K. Hamilton - Nightseer

This was her debut roman, and I had no idea what to expect. But as Laurell K. Hamilton is one of my most favourite authors, I just had to keep on reading, even when I suspected it could become creepy.

It is a stand alone, but appears like you are plunged halfway into a series, lots of events that have already happened are hinted at.



Young Keleios has a dream of her mother being killed by the evil witch Harque, and the dream unfortunately is realized. Her prophetic powers are discovered, and Keleios is sent to wizardry training on the isle of Astrantha, where she is destined to exact revenge by stalking the dreaded witch.



It is difficult of writing a review of this book. It enchanted me, and I really want to read more about this world, and especially of Keleios. Will she kill the traitors who are responsible for the death of so many friends, the fall of the Keep where she is in training as a sorceress? What will happen with the man she was forced to accept as her consort, will they indeed have children? A book that is the middle of a long epos, and I need to know more. Hard to tell, I have no possibility to embroider on the back ground of Keleios or any of her friends, or her enemies for that matter. It is very fast paced, with lots of battle, with enchanted weapons and with magic. Witches and demons, devils and elves. Magic, good and bad.
But even thrown in the midst of a story, it is a great book. Yes I want to know and read more, but still the story was easy to follow. No elaborate catching up, just action. Sometimes it was a miss not knowing more, sometimes not.

So, just read it for your self and judge the book. Not by its cover, mine is much prettier. Keleios doesn’t wear dresses for instance, but armor. Leather or chainmail.

Sabrina Jeffries - One night with a prince

This is the third and final book in the Royal Brotherhood series, and it sure did not disappoint me. As usual, very easy to read, and a captivating story in itself.



Continuing her irresistible Royal Brotherhood Series, bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries introduces the third of three half-noble half brothers -- the brashest rogue in all of London.Proper Lady Christabel, the Marchioness of Haversham, is desperate to regain some letters that could destroy her -- so desperate that she pretends to be the mistress of notorious gaming-club owner Gavin Byrne to accompany him to a scandalous house party where she can reclaim them. But when she agreed to let Byrne coach her on how a true mistress behaves, she never suspected how very...persuasive his wicked lessons would be.Gavin is secretly determined to find the letters himself and use them for revenge against the noble sire who abandoned him to grow up in London's worst slums. He's also delighted at how very successful his "mistress lessons" are: it won't be long before the luscious young widow is in his bed. But when Christabel catches Gavin in his own seductive net, he faces a difficult choice: to wreak the vengeance he's planned all his life, or to protect the woman he may -- to his own astonishment -- need more than revenge.


When her late husband sold some letters from her father to Lord Stokely, Christabel was in deep trouble. Lord Stokely uses the letters to blackmail the prince, and she just has to retrieve them. Or else the prince will be ruined, her father will loose his function as a general and war hero and be hung for treason, and she herself? So she has no choice but to ask Gavin Byrne, one of Prinny’s illegitimate children, to secure her an introduction to the houseparty slash whist tournament that Lord Stokely holds regularly. Will he do that? When she shot him a year ago when he came to collect the money her husband owed him?

But the only way for Gavin to do that, is to present her as his mistress. So the prim and proper Christabel must learn to be a mistress, and she must learn to play cards as a pro. Gavin wants the letters for his own purposes: to force the Prince to acknowledge him as his son, and his mother as his lawfull mistress, not just a whore. And to pay her an annuity so her name is cleared. Everyone thinks his mother died in an awful fire when Byrne was twelve, leaving him alone in the streets in London. But he still defends her name, and his own.
But growing up in the world of illegal gambling tought him lots of things, and has made him one of the richest and most powerful man in England, having his own gaming club. Which made him rich, and prior to lots of secrets people want to keep. Staying ahead of gossip is an important tool in his trade.

Gavin has had lots of mistresses, not caring about them one whit. Tossing them aside for the next one the moment they bore him, or tell him they love him. Always playing it safe, by having married mistresses. So if a woman would become pregnant even though he does his best to prevent it, the child will have a father. But now Christabel, she is different. She is a widow, and still inexperienced in lovemaking. Her late husband was a selfish lover (and a fast one), so she knows nothing of pleasure.
Christabel is not mistress material, she vows to make his life hell if he keeps pursuing her, but she has to act the part. And when she becomes his mistress for real, Gavin doesn’t know what is happening to him. He is feeling jealous, possessive, and he even spends the night with her, something he has never done before. Christabel is shocked with everything he teaches her, and with her own wanton behaviour when he kisses her, but she will do everything to safe her father, and keep her prince safe.

A good book, I really enjoyed the story. A great conclusion to this series. Great characters as usual, and a surprising ending.

Sabrina Jeffries - To pleasure a prince

This is the second book in the Royal Brotherhood trilogy, and I enjoyed it very much. I read it two books ago, so a review is a little more difficult to make than if I make it immediately.



Beautiful Lady Regina Tremaine has turned down so many suitors that she's called La Belle Dame Sans Merci. The truth: she won't marry because she carries a dark secret. She sees no good reason, however, why her brother shouldn't court the lovely Louisa North -- even if the girl's brother, the notorious "Dragon Viscount," objects. Marcus North, Viscount Draker -- bastard son of the Prince of Wales -- is rumoured to be a monster who holds women captive in his dark castle to have his way with them. He has been exiled from polite society for years. But when Lady Regina makes a plea on her brother's behalf, Marcus proposes an outrageous deal: her brother can court Louisa so long as Marcus can court Regina. Can the beauty and the beast survive a proper courtship when the devastatingly improper passion between them threatens to cause the scandal of the century?



Marcus is convinced that Lord Simon Foxmoor is only courting his sister Louisa to get her into Prinny’s clutches, and he is not about to letting that happen! His precious sister will have nothing to do with that debaucher! He may be his father, but that gives him no rights to his sister, or rather, half sister! He is her legal guardian.
But when Lady Regina confronts the Dragon Lord in his own den, to plead to give the two a chance, as they are in love, and when denied they will only meet clandestinely, away from chaperones and such, he gives in. Kind of. Simon can court Louisa, if he can court Regina! Regina really likes Louisa, so she gives in. And strangely enough, she is attracted to the enormous man. He has no manners, he dresses badly, he could really use a haircut and a shave. Can she, the most sought after lady in the ton at the moment, tame the Dragon?

But she won’t marry him, not matter how delightful his kisses and caresses are. He can never know about the fact that she cannot read. How will she ever be a proper wife, a Viscountess, when she cannot do her own correspondence, run a household? Her own cousin and companion and former governess, has always kept her secret, protected her from even her own family, and helps her with everything. She has memorised music and such, so she can sing and play when needed. Regina is determined not to pass along her deficiency to her children. But Marcus wants to marry her, not matter what. And when he does find out, soon after the wedding, he is determined to teach her to read. Her severe headaches don’t sway him, he keeps trying. He just doesn’t believe she cannot learn, she is very clever after all. She is not defected in the brain!

And then Simon tries to abduct Louisa, even when he has promised to wait two more years till she comes of age. And Marcus has no choice but to tell his baby sister the truth, and that Prinny wants to meet her, and use her for his own purposes. Louisa is very upset that Simon has toyed with her affections, and has her own revenge on him.

A good story, nice characters, and I am curious about the third brother. What will happen with him? What woman will bring him on his knees?

New book for my collection

I have been away for the weekend, escaping the summer heat from the city to the relative coolness of the forest. And when I came home I found a book on my doormat that I have been waiting for.

Yasmine Galenorn - Night Myst

I am very curious about this brand new series by one of my favourite authors!

Of course, I have read some books during the weekend, reviews will follow shortly! My next weekends are to look forward to also, being away, and I don't know if I will have much reading time.

Sabrina Jeffries - In the prince's bed

This is the first book in the Royal Brotherhood series.



Miss Katherine Merivale is desperate to make a respectable match-if only her childhood sweetheart would propose! Until he does, she can't touch the fortune she's inherited. So the last thing she needs is notorious rogue Alec Black putting her proposed marriage at risk with his distracting, smoldering gaze and moonlit kisses. Alec, the Earl of Iversley-and one of three bastard sons of the Prince of Wales-is secretly searching for an heiress bride to pay his debts. Fiery Katherine seems the answer to his prayers, and her passionate response to his stolen kisses and practiced seduction soon assures him that she is his. But Alec knows Katherine is looking for a love-match, and he wonders …what will happen when she discovers his deception?

Three bastard sons of the Prince of Wales find each other, and agree to help each other to get what they want in life. Alec needs a rich bride, to restore his estate. An other brother needs respectability in society, so his half sister can find a decent match, and the third brother needs nothing much at the moment.

Alec has to marry an heiress, and he went about it coldhearted. But when he actually met Katherine, he admired her. Her looks, her character and before he knew it, he felt bad about deceiving her about who he was, and why he wanted to marry her. He didn’t only want her money, he wanted her. But when she found out, could she ever forgive him? Or would she run back to her childhood sweetheart, who wanted to marry her after all?

A good story, one I really enjoyed reading. Even though not at original plot, Sabrina Jeffries makes it original. I love her writing style, her humor, her characters. It is very easy readable, and I just wanted to know what would happen next. Of course, the happy ending is a given, but the journey there was a pleasure to read.

On with the next one!

Barbara Bretton - Casting Spells

This is the first book in the Sugar Maple series, and I loved it very much. It has a bit of every genre I love: paranormal, witches, cozy mystery, contemporary romance.



Sugar Maple looks like any Vermont town, but it's inhabited with warlocks, sprites, vampires, witches - and an ancient secret. And Chloe Hobbs, owner of Sticks & String, a popular knitting shop, has a big secret too. She's a sorcerer's daughter in search of Mr. Right - and she's found him in Luke MacKenzie, a cop investigating Sugar Maple's very first murder. Bad news is he's 100% human, which could spell disaster for a normal future with a paranormal woman like her.

When she was six, Chloe’s parents died in a car accident, and she was taken in by the local healer, and raised by the towns people. But they are no ordinary people. Witches, vampires, were-animals, ghost, elves, trolls and fairies, they all call Sugar Maple home. Modeled after the famous town of Salem, Massachusetts, there is one big difference: this town is spelled to be safe, safe from outsiders, and safe from harm. Protected by a power full witch 300 years ago, the town is kept safe by every next generation of Hobbs sorceresses.

But Chloe’s mother fell in love with a human, and their daughter doesn’t posses magic. And now the spell is weakening. A powerful fairy woman is threatening to take the town and all its inhabitants with her behind the veil that separates the worlds. And only Chloe can stop her. But Chloe doesn’t have her powers, she doesn’t have the book of spells her ancestor wrote. Her mother came into her full powers when she fell in love, but Chloe hasn’t found the man for her yet.

Then a woman is found dead in the ice, and the real world encroaches on their little town. They have no crime, so there is no police, no-one dies, they just cross over, so there is no cemetery or hospital. But now a human police inspector is send over to investigate Suzanne’s dead. Was it just an ice skating accident, or foul play? As Suzanne was dating a married politician, it is important that he is not tied to her death. He stood her up on their date, so did she meet someone else?

When Luke MacKenzie meets Chloe Hobbs, the towns mayor and owner of a knitting shop, sparks literally fly between them. Chloe chalks it up to static electricity because of all the wool, but those sparks only fly when they are together. And she cannot seem to stay away from him too. How is she to protect the towns secrets from this snooping inspector, who doesn’t believe in magic even when accidents keep happening to him.

Then Isadora ups the stakes, when she and her evil son Dane are searching Chloe’s home, and destroying it in the process, searching for the Book of Spells. Gunnar, her other son, is a close friend of Chloe, and he tries to help her as much as he can.

Falling in love with Luke has set Chloe’s powers free, and totally out of control. She is kind of freaking out when she sees all the ghosts residing in town, all the energy she always felt and now sees what or who is causing it, the real looks of her friends, and not the same things strangers see when they enter town. But Isadora is not giving her the time to learn to control her powers, when she searches the knitting shop for the book. In the fight Gunnar gives his life for Luke’s, Dane gets killed too, and Chloe gets the strength to Banish Isadora from this realm. But not for good …

But can Luke face living in a world of magic, is love enough for him and Chloe, or will she lose him like all her ancestors did their loves?

What makes this book a bit difficult to read, is that it is told by Chloe and Jake, both from their own perspective. And both in I-form, which is something I don't much like. The story has to be really good for me to be able to ignore it.

Sabrina Jeffries - Married to the Viscount

This is the fifth and last book in the Swanlea Spinsters series. Even though there is no mention of Swanlea or any of those spinsters in this book … it is a spinoff of the original characters. And I liked it a lot.



One kiss... Abigail Mercer was breathless with anticipation at being reunited with Spencer Law, whom she met once and later married by proxy. But now the dashing Viscount Ravenswood denies all knowledge of their union! Far too many witnesses have made it impossible for the secretive Spencer to reject his "bride" without causing a scandal. So he has proposed a marriage in-name-only until they can locate his mysteriously absent younger brother - who is responsible for everything! - and untangle this messy affair. Abigail is incensed, irate...and irresistibly attracted to this handsome, infuriating man who hides his smoldering passion behind a proper exterior. So the lady will agree to his terms on one condition: Spencer must seal their bargain with a kiss. But he finds that one deep, lingering, unforgettable kiss isn't nearly enough. And keeping his hands off his pretty wife is going to be much harder than he thought...



As usual, a very fast reading book. I love the humor, the strong characters, and how Sabrina Jeffries gives a not original story line an original twist and a joy to read.
I was curious which woman would get Spencer, Viscount Ravenswood, on his knees. He was pretty arrogant in the previous books. But of course he did not propose himself, his brother set him up by forging his signature and letters. Spencer never wanted to get married, he was so sure he was not capable of siring children. And every woman wants children of his own …

He doesn’t believe Abby, when she tells him she would love adopted children every bit as much as her own. He himself and his brothers were not enough for his stepmother after all. But he didn’t have all the facts, didn’t know how his father treated her. No wonder she ran off with an Italian count when Spencer was at boarding school. All those years he modeled other woman after his stepmother.

There is the secondary storyline of the potion Abby made in America, the thing that brought her in contact with Nathanial and Spencer in the first place. Sold in America as a Mead for indigestion, lady Brumley (the Galleon of Gossip) tells Abby she’d better sell it as perfume instead! And she helps her launch the brand new Heaven’s Scent at her own breakfast party. So no Nat has run of with her dowry, leaving Abby penniless and dependent on Spencer, she has funds of her own. And that makes Spencer furious! He doesn’t want her to leave him, and he doesn’t trust her to stay his wife when she doesn’t have to. But love can make people do stupid things, and he almost destroys Abby’s love for him with his foolish actions.

A good story, and I am curious about the next trilogy, which I will probably start tomorrow.