Sookie Stackhouse Novels by Charlaine Harris {book review}

Charlaine Harris and her Sookie Stackhouse Novels.....I like'em. I got hooked on the tv show True Blood thanks to some of my friends. Lucky for me one friend had all 11 Sookie Stackhouse Novels for me to borrow. I read them all in a very short amount of time, they are quick reads. 

There were a few books in the middle that got a little boring but I read those quick too so I could get to the next book. It is always true what they say that the book are better than the movies/tv shows. 

It seems to me what the tv show did was cram most of the big plot lines from the first few books into the first season of the show, there are now 4 seasons and after reading the books and seeing the things they have changed and added and left out I'm not sure where the shows gonna go. Either way there are beautiful people and I enjoy the show. This post wasn't supposed to be about the tv show but rather and encouragement to read the books, they're fun and sexy.

Since I couldn't find a good synopsis for the books here is a quick one.... Sookie Stackhouse is a southern bell from Louisiana who can read minds. She also has found a world involving vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, fairies and anything else you can think of in the super natural world. There is love and war when you read these books you will be on edge waiting to find out what happens.

~Stacy

Law of Nines by Terry Goodkind ~ A Review

Trouble will find you

They watch you through mirrors.

'Your mother was twenty-seven when it came to her. Now you're twenty-seven, and it's come to you.'

The skin of Alex's arms tingled with goose bumps. By her twenty-seventh birthday insanity had come to his mother..

Turning twenty-seven may be terrifying for some, but for Alex, a struggling artist living in the mid-western United States, it is cataclysmic. Inheriting a huge expanse of land should have made him a rich and happy man; but something about this birthday, his name, and the beautiful woman whose life he just saved, has suddenly made him - and everyone he loves - into a target. A target for extreme and uncompromising violence.

Where do you turn when your own reflection spells doom?

In Alex, Terry Goodkind brings to life a modern hero in a whole new kind of high-octane thriller.

~ This is the first book I have read of Terry Goodkinds that wasn't one of his Sword of Truth Novels, which are some of my favorite books of all times. This book was great because it drew some of the back story from the Sword of Truth Novels. It brought the fantasy land to present day. One of the main through lines of the book is comparing technology to magic which is quite interesting.

The Alchemyst The Secrets of The Immprtal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott

Teen twins Josh and Sophie discover, in a rather explosive way, that the San Francisco bookstore owner Josh works for is really Nicholas Flamel, a nearly 700-year-old alchemist who created the Philosopher's Stone, from which he and his wife Perenelle get the Elixir of Life. Their enemy is Dr. John Dee, who works for the Dark Elders, members of the Elder Race who are the source of most of humanity's ancient myths and legends. The Dark Elders want to reinstate their dominion over the Earth.

Teen twins Josh and Sophie discover, in a rather explosive way, that the San Francisco bookstore owner Josh works for is really Nicholas Flamel, a nearly 700-year-old alchemist who created the Philosopher's Stone, from which he and his wife Perenelle ...

More

Dee kidnaps Perenelle and steals the Codex, an ancient book containing the secrets of magic, and a prophecy involving twins. But Josh accidentally ends up with the final two pages, and now Dee and his masters and minions are out to reclaim the pages, and enlist or kill the twins. As they race across the West Coast, members of the Elder Race begin lining up on both sides

Is It Any Good? Harry Potter fans will recognize the name Nicholas Flamel, and may be surprised to learn that J.K. Rowling didn't make him up. Irish author and mythology expert Michael Scott has taken elements from Flamel's legend, woven them together with myths and stories from around the world, and set the whole thing in modern-day California. The result is a slam-bang, fantasy-adventure, with enough action to keep the most rabid genre fans happy, and enough references to ancient stories to keep the mind working as well.

Though the good-vs.-evil and kids-with-secret-powers themes may be well worn by now, nothing about this story -- from its setting and characters to its intricate use of myth to create an alternative history of earth -- is typical. Though an appendix with references for all the characters and places mentioned in the story would have been welcome, this book, the first of a planned series, is plain old-fashioned fun, with an intellectual gloss that will give fans something to look into while waiting for the next in the series. (review from amazon)

After fleeing Ojai, Nicholas, Sophie, Josh, and Scatty emerge in Paris, the City of Lights. Home for Nicholas Flamel. Only this homecoming is anything but sweet. Perenelle is still locked up back in Alcatraz and Paris is teeming with enemies. Niccolo Machiavelli, immortal author and celebrated art collector, is working for Dee. He's after them, and time is running out for Nicholas and Perenelle. For every day spent without the Book of Abraham the Mage, they age one year-their magic becoming weaker and their bodies more frail. For Flamel, the Prophecy is becoming more and more clear.

It's time for Sophie to learn the second elemental magic: Fire Magic. And there's only one man who can teach it to her: Flamel's old student, the Comte de Saint-Germain-alchemist, magician, and rock star. Josh and Sophie Newman are the world's only hope-if they don't turn on each other first.

***

Nicholas Flamel's heart almost broke as he watched his beloved Paris crumble before him. The city was destroyed by Dee and Machiavelli, but Flamel played his own role in the destruction. Sophie and Josh Newman show every sign of being the twins of prophecy, and Flamel had to protect them and the pages from the Dark Elders.

But Nicholas grows weaker with each passing day. Perenelle is still trapped in Alcatraz, and now that Scatty has gone missing, the group is without protection. Except for Clarent-the twin sword to Excalibur. But Clarent's power is unthinkable, its evil making it nearly impossible to use without its darkness seeping into the soul of whoever wields it.

If he hopes to defeat Dee, Nicholas must find an Elder who can teach Josh and Sophie the third elemental magic-Water Magic. The problem? The only one who can do that is Gilgamesh, and he is quite, quite insane.

***

San Francisco:
After fleeing to Ojai, then Paris, and escaping to London, Josh and Sophie Newman are finally home. And after everything they've seen and learned in the past week, they're both more confused than ever about their future. Neither of them has mastered the magics they'll need to protect themselves from the Dark Elders, they've lost Scatty, and they're still being pursued by Dr. John Dee. Most disturbing of all, however, is that now they must ask themselves, can they trust Nicholas Flamel? Can they trust anyone?

Alcatraz:
Dr. Dee underestimated Perenelle Flamel's power. Alcatraz could not hold her, Nereus was no match for her, and she was able to align herself with the most unlikely of allies. But she wasn't the only one being held on the island. Behind the prison's bars and protective sigils were a menagerie of monsters-an army for Dee to use in the final battle. And now Machiavelli has come to Alcatraz to loose those monsters on San Francisco.
Perenelle might be powerful, but each day she weakens, and even with Nicholas back at her side, a battle of this size could be too much for her. Nicholas and Perenelle must fight to protect the city, but the effort will probably kill them both.

London:
Having been unable to regain the two final pages of the Codex, Dee has failed his Elder and is now an outlaw-and the new prey of all the creatures formerly sent to hunt down Flamel.
But Dee has a plan. With the Codex and the creatures on Alcatraz, he can control the world. All he needs is the help of the Archons. But for his plan to work, he must raise the Mother of the Gods from the dead. For that, he'll have to train a necromancer. And the twins of legend will make the perfect pupils. . . .

*Up coming books

• The Warlock
• The Enchantress

Here is a website if you want to learn more...
http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/alchemyst/

I've never read this series but since my sisters and I love Harry Potter so much and since it's our book of the month I thought that this was appropriate.

***

Review - Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert

Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert: Gabriel Blackstone is an unscrupulous hacker and unrepentant "remote viewer" who can't resist his ex-lover's request to look into her stepson's disappearance. His investigation leads him to a rambling Victorian home that bewitches him-as do its beautiful, enigmatic owners, the Monk sisters. The pair are solar witches, obsessed with alchemy and the Art of Memory, a practice invented by the ancient Greeks.

With his uneasy suspicion that one of the sisters is a killer, Gabriel sets out to determine which. But the more entangled in the case he becomes, the more deeply he is drawn into the sisters' entrancing world-losing hold of reality even as he falls into mortal danger...

- This book was not the easiest book to get hooked on. But once I was hooked....well, I was hooked. I had to know how it ended. I feel like the main concept of the book was a bit mind blowing, it is a quick read and it's not your typical witch type of book. It is set in modern times which makes it a bit interesting for me in the fact that there are probably people out there who on the outside act like the witches in this book act. I'm not saying that they have powers just that the behavior could potentially be much the same.-

Finding Faith

Alright so maybe "Finding Faith" isn't the best title to this post, however, I found faith in humanity when I stumbled upon a fabulous book store today. This book store is called Wild Rumpus, it is a children's book store. Seems simple enough, but it is better then you could imagine! There are animals all over this place! They have chickens that have cages that they can come and go as they please! I watched the cutest little girl holding a book twice her size follow the black chicken all over the store trying to pet it. They have lizards and chinchillas and cats and something else that you have to look through the floor to see (but I couldn't see) and birds! This place is awesome, they also have some of the pre-teen kinda books. They have book clubs and story times.

This is a really great place, I had a lot of fun. Maybe to much fun, my friends had to drag me out of the store. Speaking of entering and exiting the store, there is another best part.......they have a mini door inside the bigger door for little dudes to go in and out, I clearly used the little door because it was there! Had to be done :0) Another bonus for adults is on the outside of the building they have a basket where they give away free adult romance novels, wink wink, nudge nudge.

Here's the link and if you are ever in Minnesota you should check it out!

http://www.wildrumpusbooks.com/

Cheers,
Stacy

The book that built the bookstore. 
According to the website history tab, this book was their "blueprint"
for building the book store. Check out the website for the whole story!!!

Timeline by Michael Crichton -- A Recommendation

I recently read a book called Timeline by Michael Crichton. I couldn't put the book down! After talking to Lisa I was reminded that this is one of her top five favorite books and rightfully so. I guess I am recommending an old recommendation. Here is the synopsis:

In an Arizona desert a man wanders in a daze, speaking words that make no sense. Within twenty-four hours he is dead, his body swiftly cremated by his only known associates. Halfway around the world archaeologists make a shocking discovery at a medieval site. Suddenly they are swept off to the headquarters of a secretive multinational corporation that has developed an astounding technology. Now this group is about to get a chance not to study the past but to enter it. And with history opened to the present, the dead awakened to the living, these men and women will soon find themselves fighting for their very survival–six hundred years ago. . . .

Even Cowgirls get the Blues by Tom Robbins - A Recommendation

Sissy Hankshaw, an almost flawlessly beautiful small-town girl with big-time dreams, hitchhikes her way into your heart, your hopes, and your sleeping bag in Tom Robbins's magical, funny, and most famous novel. Follow Sissy's amazing odyssey from Virginia to chic Manhattan to the Dakota Badlands, where FBI agents, cowgirls, and ecstatic whooping cranes explode in a deliciously drawn-out climax. This is Tom Robbins at his offbeat, outrageous, and inventive best.
Stacy Says- This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I think that Tom Robbins is a brilliant author and I look forward to reading more of his work. The way he uses words is truly beautiful. There is a truth to humanity with a twist of silliness that comes out in this book and because of that I intend to read this again some day to make sure I didn't miss anything.

Extreamly Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Jonathan Safran Foer emerged as one of the most original writers of his generation with his best-selling debut novel, Everything Is Illuminated. Now, with humor, tenderness, and awe, he confronts the traumas of our recent history. What he discovers is solace in that most human quality, imagination.

Meet Oskar Schell, an inventor, Francophile, tambourine player, Shakespearean actor, jeweler, pacifist. He is nine years old. And he is on an urgent, secret search through the five boroughs of New York. His mission is to find the lock that fits a mysterious key belonging to his father, who died in the attack on the World Trade Center. An inspired creation, Oskar is alternately endearing, exasperating, and hilarious as he careens from Central Park to Coney Island to Harlem on his search. Along the way he is always dreaming up inventions to keep those he loves safe from harm. What about a birdseed shirt to let you fly away? What if you could actually hear everyone's heartbeat? His goal is hopeful, but the past speaks a loud warning in stories of those who've lost loved ones before. As Oskar roams New York, he encounters a motley assortment of characters who are all survivors in their own way. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close boldly approaches history and tragedy with humor, tenderness, and awe.

Stacy Says- When asked to describe what this book is about I could not tell you, I just know that you should read it.

Stacy Recommends ~The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
             

This ingenious fantasy centeres around Milo, a bored ten-year-old who comes home to find a large toy tollbooth sitting in his room. Joining forces with a watchdog named Tock, Milo drives through the tollbooth's gates and begins a memorable journey. He meets such characters as the foolish, yet lovable Humbug, the Mathemagician, and the not-so-wicked "Which," Faintly Macabre, who gives Milo the "impossible" mission of returning two princesses to the Kingdom of Wisdom...

Stacy Says: This book has now been added to my top five/four favorites list. I believe that this book should be read by children and adults across the land. It is filled with adventure and life. I have few words to describe the way I feel about this book besides the fact that everyone should read this book.

Stacy Recommends The Last Song by Nicolas Sparks

The Last Song by Nicolas Sparks

Seventeen year-old Veronica “Ronnie” Miller’s life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father… until her mother decides it would be in everyone’s best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie’s father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church. The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story about love in its myriad forms – first love, the love between parents and children – that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that deeply felt relationships can break our hearts… and heal them.

My opinion.....
I really enjoyed this book, yes there was a cheesy love story but I thought the book was more about Ronnie and her dad, Steve. Which to me is great since I have not read many books that focus on father/daughter relationships unless it's a corrupt relationship. Reading Nicholas Sparks you expect to cry a little, which I did when I read this book. I also loved the way this book used music. Music is a huge part of this book and I think that music reaches out to people in many different ways, which I enjoyed how music was present and absent from this book all at the same time. I am a little disappointed that there is a movie coming out, starring Miley Cyrus of all people. I will more than likely not be seeing this movie.

Whatcha' Reading Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday at Tiffany's by James Patterson -- A Book Review

Janet: I really did not like this book. I thought the whole thing was a little ridiculous...I guess I wasn't expecting her to end up with Michael. I think that she should have figured things out for herself and maybe Michael would come into her life again to help her see that she could find someone better on her own. It was creepy to me that she knew this guy when she was nine. I know that I was supposed to get caught up in the romance of it all, but I just thought it was weird. So, overall, I did not enjoy it much.

Lisa: This book is Drop Dead Fred meets City of Angels. You have a little girl with an imaginary friend whom she is suppose to forget all about, but doesn’t. Then in-between “jobs” he’s in New York to help her once again. I don’t ever remember having an imaginary friend, but if we go by what these authors are saying we wouldn’t remember would we? Of course that’s just stupid because the parents would remember and then tell them, as they got older. I’m being a bit technical I know! Overall I think it was an average book. It was a nice easy read and it entertained me for the time.

Stacy: All in all I thought it was a decent book, I probably wouldn't read it again, however it was good for what it was. It was a quick read and it kept me entertained. I did think that there was a bit of a creepy factor that he was her imaginary friend...I'm not sure why.


Q & A:
1.Michael says that the role of an imaginary friend is to make children feel less alone and to help them find their place in the world. Do you think imaginary friends help children deal with their lives or keep them from dealing with life head on? In what other ways do we use our imagination to cope with life or hide from it?

Janet- Being honest, I think imaginary friends are ridiculous. But PJ had a 'little PJ' that would just appear wherever he wanted him. I thought that was cute and I liked that he was using his imagination, but that was it. I definitely think that using your imagination to get you though tough times can take on many different forms. I know that if you can control your thoughts, you can control a bit of every situation. Like when I was in labor, I counted. I imagined the numbers as I said them and it had a calming effect on the hardest physical times of my life.
Lisa- I think it keeps them from dealing with life head on. Instead of having a real friend at school that she could confide in she had to make one up. Of course this books wants you to believe that they aren’t imaginary at all, but invisible friends. Daydreaming is another way people cope or hide from life.
Stacy- I think without our imaginations we would be lost. Imaginary friends only help kids; they have friends to fit their needs.

2.When Michael leaves Jane on her ninth birthday, Jane is devastated and says, "I'll never forget you Michael, no matter what." Do you think there is one perfect love for each of us? How influenced are we by portrayals of love and love affairs in the media, movies, and on television?

J- I do not believe that there is one perfect person out there for each of us. I do think that your choices in your life can help define who the person you are with will be. I believe that there can be a connection between two people that can be unexplainable. I also think that sometimes, even said connection or even love, is not enough to hold two people together. I think all of the outside sources in our lives can give us a skewed idea on love. I think true love is wonderful but it takes sacrifice and compromise (but not too many!), which much of the media leaves out.
L- I don’t believe in a perfect anything. Nothing is perfect. When I was younger I used to think that there was one person for everyone. I was also a pessimist and believed whenever I heard of a young boy dying on the news that he was probably my one. I know a bit morbid as well huh? I think personality-wise people can match in so many different ways. It’s all about choice. I think the media and such give us the impression that everyone cheats and has affairs and so on. I don’t believe it’s as commonplace as that although I don’t doubt it happening.
S- I don't think that there is one love for everyone; I think that there are many different kinds of love for everyone. Yes it would be everyone's dream to just be able to see someone and know that that was his or her perfect person, but that's not how life works.

3. Jane's play Thank Heaven, is based on her childhood friendship with Michael. Would you have an interest in seeing the play? Do you prefer the play's ending where Michael leaves Jane on her ninth birthday or do you prefer the book's ending where Jane and Michael meet again as adults?

J- I think that I like the plays ending. Obviously there would be no story if it did, but I think Jane needed to figure things out on her own.
L- It is hard to say really. In the scene where she buys herself a diamond ring is suppose to show that she’s an independent women (Destiny’s Child song playin’ right now!) but to me this is a contradiction to the whole story. She needed him to feel whole. I think if you can’t be happy with yourself your chances of ever being happy are slim.
S- I would see the play, I am a theatre person and I think that ending the play where he leaves and doesn't come back brings some emotion to it. It really makes the audience feel something. As a movie though you would need him to come back, because viewers would suggest that. That's the difference in movies and plays.

4. Michael gives up has immortality to be with Jane. Do you think he could have made another choice? Do you support his decision? If you had been presented with a similar situation, what would you have done to be with the one you loved?

J- I think Michael's decision was out of his hands and I would do anything, realistically, to be with the one I love.
L- I don’t think he knew he was making a choice. He was slowly falling in love and it happened. I don’t believe love is enough. Michael’s “life” concerns so many other people that if it were a conscience decision I would object. As for what would you have done to be with the one you loved…is moving to England mean anything?
S- I think that you only have one life to live and if you can't be with the one you think you are meant to be with then what is there to live for. Mine as well give it a shot right?

5. Michael takes Jane to Nantucket because he doesn't want to waist a minute of the time they have together. Michael says, "Is it so difficult to imagine or believe that a man and a woman can find happiness together for a little while, which, after all, is all that we have?" Is this the moral of the story for you? If not, what is?

J- I do think that it is the morale of the story - to cherish the moments you have together.
L- I never believed Jane was supposed to die. It was all the sudden thrown in and thought it a bit odd that he would have thought that when his job is to help kids deal with things that are wrong in their life; in Jane’s case a neglectful parent. Life is short. I think the moral of the story for me is that love can be found in unexpected places or that friends make the best lovers or something like that ;0)
S- I do not think this is the moral of the book, I am not sure what it, but I don't think it's that just because it is suggested. I will have to get back to you.

Woman in Red by Eileen Goudge - A Book Review by Stacy

Returning home to the snug offshore community of Gray's Island, Washington, after nine years in prison for the attempted murder of the drunk driver who killed her son, Alice Kessler finds that much has changed. For one thing, her intended victim, Owen Wilson, now confined to a wheelchair, has been elected mayor and uses his infirmity to great political advantage: blackmailing police and court officials, green-lighting controversial property developments, and mercilessly intimidating anyone who dares oppose him. Wanting only to lead a quiet life so she can rebuild a relationship with her surviving son, Jeremy, Alice quickly discovers the depths of Wilson's need for revenge when Jeremy is falsely accused of rape. Desperate to clear Jeremy's name, Alice must rely on one of the few people brave enough to stand up to Wilson, recovering alcoholic and former Manhattan district attorney Colin McGinty. He has come to Gray's Island still mourning his wife, who was killed on 9/11, and finds strength in Alice's fierce determination to save her son and put her past behind her. Goudge's skillful storytelling slyly juxtaposes bucolic imagery and congenial, if not particularly complex, characters with an incisively sinister, often surprising tale of secrets kept and promises broken.

** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED**

Cocaine and Blue Eyes by Fred Zackel - A Book Review - by Stacy

Brennen got a thousand dollar bill in the mail, and all he had to do was find the blue-eyed California beauty who had slipped out of a cocaine dealer's bed . . . and neglected to slip back in again. But the dealer was already dead, and what was Brennen going to do with those big, blue eyes? "The American private eye story was in the Dumpster when Fred Zackel fished it out at the point of a gun. He revived the form, electrified readers and critics, and started the juggernaut that shoved aside the paperback romance to establish the mystery as the most popular category in the world. Finally, the generation that grew up since COCAINE AND BLUE EYES has the chance to meet Michael Brennan. An event like this ought to have a national holiday connected with it."

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult -- A Book Review

Here's what we had to say about Jodi Picoult's novel My Sister's Keeper!
All is a go so lots of spoilers!! We await your comments!! We can't wait!! ;0)
Note: See earlier post for our answers to the Book Club questions!!

Janet: I enjoyed this novel's ups and downs. I love Picoult's trademark twists. I could not connect to Sara on any level in this story, no matter how hard I tried. Besides the main issue of her conceiving Anna just to save Kate and all the following medical procedures, I also felt that a good mother would never give up on a child (Jesse). I think this even spoke to me louder than the rest. How could you let that happen? How could you love child so much as to let another (or two, in this case) go? I enjoyed Anna's character and was very sad that she was the one who ended up dying. Overall, I really liked this novel.

Lisa: I really enjoyed this story. It is one of those situations where you don’t know what you would do or how you would feel if it were you. Although I think I agree with the father more. I think I know myself well enough that if I love any of my other kids as much as I love my daughter I could not use one of them to save the other. She didn’t want to send Anna to hockey camp because of what might happen to Kate if she were gone. WTF? So, she gave Anna life, but not to actually live. I didn’t really like the ending. I was hoping that Anna got to live her life and that Kate had some sort of miracle lived for another couple of years then passed away peacefully. I don’t know? But after all that and Anna dies anyway?

Stacy: As a whole I really enjoyed reading this book. It kept me interested, the characters were interesting, I agreed with Brian's role as Anna's father over Sara's role. I didn't like Sara much, no matter how many times she said she loved Anna and Jodi tried to show us through back stories and such, I still never believed it. I believed she loved Anna to some degree but I just felt her heart was with Kate and Kate only. We can say all we want that we would never do to our kids what Sara did to Anna, but do we really know that?Campbell and Julia's characters and story was a nice side story that I think helped make the book a little less intense. I have to say I really thought that Anna dying was the wrong choice, a powerful one, but not the one I wanted. I wanted her to give Kate her kidney by choice and have Kate go into an 8 year remission. Maybe I'm a sucker for happy endings.

For Love of Evil by Piers Anthony - A Book Review

Parry was a gifted musician and an apprentice in the arts of White Magic. But his life of sweet promise went disastrously awry following the sudden, violent death of his beloved Jolie.
Led down the twisted path of wickedness and depravity by Lilah the harlot demoness, Parry thrived -- first as a sorcerer, then as a monk, and finally as a feared inquisitor.
But it wasn't until his mortal flame was extinguished that Parry found his true calling -- as the Incarnation of Evil. And, at the gates of Hell, he prepared to wage war on the master himself -- Lucifer, the dark lord -- with dominion over the infernal realms the ultimate prize!

I started reading this book before I realized it was the 6th book in a series. I am not sure if reading the other books would make this book any better. As a fan of Piers Anthony I was quite disappointed in this book. It would jump from one story of the book to the next in one sentence. It would be a better book if there was one concrete story to go by.

The Masters Of Time Series by Brenda Joyce - A Recommendation

Highland warriors sworn to protect Innocence through the ages….
Malcolm of Dunroch has been chosen by the secret Brotherhood, a nameless society of pagan knights sworn to defend mankind. He is a novice to his extraordinary—and dangerous--powers. But he has already broken his vows--for an innocent woman’s death is on his hands. Malcolm is determined to fight his dark sexuality, denying himself all pleasure…until fate sends him another Innocent, the beautiful bookseller, Claire Camden.Desire is the first weapon
Since her mother's murder, Claire has done everything possible to make a safe, secure life for herself in a city where danger lurks on every street corner, especially in the dark of the night. But nothing can prepare her for the powerful and sexual medieval warrior who sweeps her back into his time—a treacherous, frightening world where the hunters and the hunted are one and the same. Claire needs Malcolm to survive, yet she must somehow keep the dangerously powerful Master at arm’s length. For she has no wish to die in his bed like the others—in the throes of dark, forbidden pleasure…

Highland warriors sworn to protect Innocence through the ages….

A golden man, he is called Black Royce—a battle hardened soldier of the gods. His vows are his life—until he is sent to New York City to protect a Healer from those who would use her powers for themselves. The moment Royce sees beautiful, feisty Allie Monroe, he knows she will be his only weakness—and he is right.Destiny is a dangerous thing
Allie Monroe is more than an heiress. She is a Healer, willing to do anything to save victims of the evil that lurks in the city at night. But alone, she can do only so much—until destiny sends her the darkest Highlander of them all. Then evil strikes and Royce is destroyed before Allie's eyes. Now Allie will do anything to save Royce—even if it means going back in time to a dark, dangerous world to be with him. And confronting their enemies could cost not only their lives, but also their love—for all eternity.

Highland warriors sworn to protect Innocence through the ages….

Aidan, the Wolf of Awe, has abandoned the Brotherhood and forsaken his vows. Feared by all and trusted by none, he hunts alone, seeking vengeance against the evil that destroyed his son. He has not saved an Innocent in sixty-six years--until he hears Brianna Rose’s scream of terror across centuries, and leaps to modern-day Manhattan to rescue her…
Her Seduction... His Salvation.
Brie spends her time fighting evil from the safety of her laptop—and fantasizing about the medieval Highlander she met just once. She is also a gifted empath. Still, her life is pretty ordinary—until she awakens one night consumed with Aidan’s pain and rage—which she is feeling across centuries! And when Aidan suddenly appears in the city and takes her hostage, Brie cannot believe how dark and dangerous he has become. She knows she should be afraid, but instead, she will fight across time for his redemption… and his love.

A HIGHLANDER DRIVEN BY VENGEANCE.
A dark, ruthless Highlander, the Black Macleod has refused his destiny. His life is revenge for the massacre of his family. His enemies' insults—that he is a man of stone—only amuse him. But Fate is impatient, and when a woman from another time dares to summon him, he cannot resist her powers—or her…THE WOMAN WHO WILL SAVE HIM.
A schoolteacher by day, Tabitha Rose uses her magic to protect others by night. When the vision of a dark Highlander, bloody and burned, appears to Tabby, she knows she has been called to help him, no matter how frightening he might be. But what Tabby doesn’t expect is to be taken against her will to his dark violent time. And when evil begins to stalk her, she realizes she must fight for far more than his destiny—she must fight for her love….

Highland Warriors, sworn to protect innocence through the ages...
Ian Maclean’s arrogance hides a terrible secret—for decades he was held prisoner by demons. Not a day goes by that he isn’t tormented by his darkest fears of powerlessness. Now he is about to sell to the highest bidder a page he’s stolen from the Book of Power—if one women doesn’t stop him. Every Rose woman has her destiny
Slayer Samantha Rose’s latest mission is to recover the stolen page—and get payback from the only man who’s ever rejected her. What she hasn’t counted on is the raging attraction between them—or her growing realization of what Maclean has survived. As the powers of the evil from his past gather, Sam will do anything to help him—even if it means following him into time and facing his worst nightmares with him...

If interested check out more at http://mastersoftimebooks.com/

I have read the first three and can't wait to read the last two.

Rule of the Bone - A Recommendation

Is a 1995 novel by Russell Banks. It is a bildungsroman about the 14-year-old American narrator, Chappie, later dubbed Bone (named for a tattoo that he gets), who, after having dropped out of school, turns to the guidance of a Rastafarian Jamaican illegal immigrant. The novel is split into two halves, the first of which concerns his family struggles in America, and the second takes place in Jamaica. Some critics, such as the New York Times' Michiko Kakutani, describe the book as descending from other novels about rebellious teens, such as J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye and Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The book contains frank descriptions of drug use and sexual abuse, which coupled with the age of the narrator, has contributed to the book's controversy.

This book looks at faith and life from a different light. If you've ever known a kid like Bone you'll appreciate his struggle between right and wrong, and what's important for survival. This is a great book that kept me reading!

Tweak Growing up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff - A Book Review

Book Summery
Nic Sheff was drunk for the first time at age eleven. In the years that followed, he would regularly smoke pot, do cocaine and Ecstasy, and develop addictions to crystal meth and heroin. Even so, he felt like he would always be able to quit and put his life together whenever he needed to. It took a violent relapse one summer in California to convince him otherwise. In a voice that is raw and honest, Nic spares no detail in telling us the compelling, heartbreaking, and true story of his relapse and the road to recovery. As we watch Nic plunge the mental and physical depths of drug addiction, he paints a picture for us of a person at odds with his past, with his family, with his substances, and with himself. It's a harrowing portrait -- but not one without hope.
Nic Sheff is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. Still in his early twenties, he continues to fight daily battles with his addictions. His writing has been published in Newsweek, Nerve, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Tweak is his first book.
My Review
Since this is not a fiction book it is a bit difficult to review since I am reviewing the person. I think that it takes a strong person to write about their weakness and put it out there for the world to read. What bothers me about this book is that Nic just wasn't some poor punk kid struggling on the street. He grew up with wealthy some what famous parents where he was around celebrities on a regular bases. This doesn't make his story any less sad or hard to read, it just doesn't make me feel as sorry for him. After Nic wrote Tweak book his father, David Sheff wrote a book called Beautiful Boy. Now I feel like the family, who doesn't need the money, is making a ton of money off of this boys addiction. That is what I have a problem with. I can not decide if I liked or disliked this story, I took it for what it was. But I didn't feel like there was a strong message to end the book. He relapsed after he had written the book. Which I suppose shows that addiction is an on going battle and you have to keep fighting every day. On the other hand you could argue that it doesn't give people much hope. I know and understand that addiction is a strong and powerful thing, I'm going to have to end with being on the fence about this book.