Then I had some surgery in March. We returned from NC in time to begin a string of doctors appointments and medical tests. The surgery was the last week of March and it was very successful. I too am recovering with remarkable speed and ease. Thank you God for the good family genetics!
What time did I have for reading? For those of you who are rabid readers like me you are more likely asking the question when did I have time for everything else in between books? Well, to be honest there was a lot of waiting going on. In NC we sat for a week at Zack’s bedside or in the OR waiting rooms patiently (or not) for Doctors to tell us what was going on and for Zack to wake up. There was more waiting as I went through my on procedure. I spent my time wisely with several books. I will tell you honestly when we first got to NC and Zack’s status was uncertain I couldn’t read. I couldn’t concentrate enough to follow a story. I went to the craft store and picked up some yarn and hooks and crocheted granny squares. The repetitiveness of looping yarn over hook was soothing and I could listen to what was going on around me while I crocheted. Once we were told he was out of the woods and the tears dried up I picked up a book and lost myself. Enough about accidents and doctors, what the heck was I reading? Well, let me tell you…..
Lynsay Sands “The Lady is a Vamp” is a fun romp with the Argeneau family of vampires. This time Jeanne Louise Argeneau who has been working on research to discover why 2 of her relatives have to use fresh blood instead of the bagged stuff has been kidnapped. The kidnapper is a human who works in the research facility with Jeanne Louise. He has figured out what she is and he wants her to turn his daughter who is dying from cancer. Romance, silliness and mix-ups ensue. You know how it ends and that’s okay because it is the story not the ending that counts with Lynsay Sands. I think I have mentioned my one complaint regarding Ms. Sands writing and that is her abuse of the word wryly! A page doesn’t turn without reading it once or twice and in a 200+ page book that is a lot of wryness. Please Ms. Sands pull out your thesaurus and discover some new expressions. I give the book a B.
Next up was Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove series spin off. “The Inn at Rose Harbor” is set in one of my favorite make believe towns of Cedar Cove. The story follows Jo Marie Rose, a young widow who has decided to start over after losing her husband Paul to the Afghan War. After a year of mourning she quits her job, moves away from big City Seattle to little town Cedar Cove and buys a bed and breakfast. She renames it Rose Harbor Inn in honor of her husband. I really enjoyed coming back to Cedar Cove. The story revolves around Jo Marie’s first two guests who have come back for opposite reasons but find they are putting to rest some similar emotional demons. All the neighbors of Cedar Cove are here. I was so happy for Jo to meet Grace and Olivia. Peggy Beldon stopped in with sage advice as an experienced Innkeeper. It was a wonderful mix of new and old melding together and creating a heartwarming story of regular people living regular lives and finding meaning in them. This was book one of the series and I have already got book two on my pickup list, “Rose Harbor in Bloom.” B+
Christine Feehan got the juices going with another Carpathian adventure. This time it takes place just below a volcano in a Brazilian rainforest. Dax is a Carpathian hunter who has trapped himself into an ancient volcano with the evil vampire Mitro. His mission to keep the vampire contained and if possible kill him. He has been fighting this battle for nearly a milenium but he hasn’t done it alone. Arabejila was Mitro’s lifemate and he chose evil over her. She and Dax trailed him to the volcano and cursed him to the fiery prison. It has been the responsibility of her descendants to come to the volcano every so many years to refresh the curse and keep the evil one imprisoned. It is now Riley and her mother’s turn to once again perform the world saving task. Of course this is Christine Feehan’s world and things go wrong. The silver lining is Dax discovers his lifemate in Riley. No one does and erotic scene better than Feehan! She is downright Lava hot!!!! And she does it with sexiness and class. I am giving this one a B only because the storyline is pretty much the same in every book but somehow it just doesn’t matter. Yum!
Jayne Ann Krentz’ is moving her “Dark Legacy Series” to merge her paranormal crystal storyline with her Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle personas. “Dream Eyes” is a current times story revolving two powerful psychics in Gwen Frazier who can see ghosts and manipulate dream energy and Judson Coppersmith who is a powerful hunter. The two of them come together to solve the mystery of Gwen’s dear friend Evelyn’s death and the possible connection between this murder and a series of murders that happened a couple of years prior. The only problem is the serial killer is dead. Gwen knows this because she was the one who killed him. It is a pretty good mystery and of course the romance is great. What made me perk up my ears in this story was Judson uses a piece of unusual amber to tune and recharge his psychic strength. Sounds a lot like what Jayne Catle’s Ghost Hunters do, doesn’t it? I think it will be fun if and when she finally has the first expedition to Harmony and finally find out who those aliens were. She gets a solid B.
Why did I choose this book? To be honest I liked the cover of the book. The big cups of hot chocolate with floating hearts I couldn’t resist. It just shouted sweet romance and it didn’t disappoint. 
with bread baking and stew in the crock pot. It was that comforting and lovely.
My First book of the new year is Iris Johansen’s “What Doesn’t Kill You.” It is a spin off of the Eve Duncan series and unfortunately not as good. Catherine Ling from Eve’s series is the main character here. Other characters like CIA Chief Venable, the mysterious Hu Chang, and John Gallo who was the father of Eve’s murdered daughter join Catherine in what should be a fast passed race against time to save a potential important figure. There was too much thinking and talking and not enough doing. There was one note to all the characters. They all talked a lot about their thought processes without ever explaining anything. Too many pages waiting for action. It ended with a sequel in mind. Let’s hope there’s a little less talking and a lot more satisfaction in the next one.
P.C. Cast’s “Possessed.” 
these characters. I see a lot of myself in Carlotta. She is a caretaker and loves her charges and yet longs for the day when they can take care of themselves. Her brother Wesley reminds me of a young man I know. He wants to do the right thing but his compulsions and insecurities are always getting in the way. Obviously this is the 6th book in Ms. Bond’s series and I like them. There is a nice love triangle tension thing going on. The mystery of the Charmed Killer played well across the last 3 books and I am rooting for Carlotta to pick the right guy. I also want to kick her father’s ass. Sorry for the profanity. This has a Stephanie Plum feel to it without the tongue in cheek humor of Janet Evonavich’s writing. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of light moments in Ms. Bond’s writing but I never laughed out loud at anything either. Finally, there are 2 great plot twists at the end which, for me, made the whole book worth it. One spoiler, it isn’t the discovery of who the Charmed Killer is either.
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