Ever After by Kim Harrison

Wow!!!! Wish there were more stars to give. I think this is the best in the series so far. I laughed, cried and shouted at my book. I also grieved when I finished it as I now have a long wait for the next book.

I love how much Rachel has grown and changed, she thinks before acting, well most of the time....lol. Her friendship with Trent is still prickly but so good for both of them.

When Nick turned up it was obvious that he was up to no good but stealing babies was just plain wrong. I felt terrible for Jenks when he caught Jax and ripped his wings.

I laughed when Rachel told Étude off (Bis's dad). But the way that Kim described how Rachel felt when she was flying on the gargoyle was so descriptive. I now want a gargoyle, a pixy, a fairy, an elf and a demon all of my own, and yes I know I'm a grown woman but I don't care. I want!!!!!

I'm liking how Jenks is with Belle and how Ivy is trying to save Nina but I don't know if she will be able to. I hope so.

Lucy and Ray are both adorable and my heart broke for them and Quen when Ceri was killed but at the end when Al turned up drunk and grieving for her as well was just so touching, I couldn't help but laugh and cry.

I love Rachel's interactions with Newt, she's got just the right amount of fear that makes her stand up to her and protect those around her from Newts insanity.

I think I'm going to have to re-read the series over again just to stop the withdrawal symptoms.

Automatic Woman by Nathan L. Yocum

As the saying goes "third times the charm" and that's how many attempts it took for me to get into this book.

The first 50 pages I kept having to re-read because the words just weren't sinking in.  Finally, after Jolly had been released from the holding cells, the story got going.  It got a bit silly though, what with all the famous people popping up, Darwin, Rasputin and Stoker to name a few.

Once he finds out what's going on and who all the players are and what he means to them, that's when it gets better.  There's some great fight scenes and he shows that he can work a case as well as the next guy, he's not just a bruiser but I found it all a bit predictable.

I liked his scenes with Mary and found myself hoping he managed to sort everything out just because Mary deserved a happy ending.

I would recommend this to anyone who was just getting interested in this genre but it wouldn't be at the top of my list for recommendations.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

This has to be in my top ten favourite reads, I loved it. It's beautifully written, carefully tempting you with the choicest of words to describe a love story with a twist or even a Zombie story with a twist.

R isn't like all the other Zombies to start off with, he's got a name, he's a hoarder and a thinker, such fantastic thoughts in his head, he can also speak, it's unfortunate that he's limited to two or three words. His friend and hunting buddy is "M", he's also got a limited vocabulary. Whilst hunting one day, R kills a human male but something makes him save the girl that's with him. He takes her back to his place, keeps her safe from all the other Zombies and gradually falls in love with her.

Julie soon realises R is different and as she spends time with him, he becomes more Alive. She teaches him to drive a car that he's kept and eventually, when he realises he needs to let her go, they escape in his car.

When she tricks him and drives off, leaving him on his own, he sets out to see her again. His friend M helps him trick the guards at the stadium were she lives into letting him in. Whilst he's with her he keeps changing but it turns out he's not the only one. M manages to get in touch and tells him more Zombies are becoming Alive.

There's just two blips on the highway to true love, one is Julie's father and the other is the Boney's from the airport were R lived. They are extremely old and seem to know what's happening and will go to great lengths to stop it, including charging the stadium en-masse.

Julie's father is a soldier and lost his wife to the curse that has caused the Dead to come to life but it seems like he lost more than that. He can't see that R isn't a monster and when she kisses R and she changes into something else, he can't see her either. He's no better than the Boney's.

With the happy ending that all good love stories need, Warm Bodies is a fabulous tale of love conquering all, including Death.

Siegfried Vol 1

Normally I love Graphic Novels but I just couldn't get into this one. I've tried several times to read this and it just isn't getting any better for me.

The artwork is fantastic with a brilliant array of colours and shades but that's the only thing I did like. And that's a difficult thing for me to say as I love to read.

Dresden Files: Fool Moon Vol 2

This is the second part of the graphic novel, Fool Moon. Although it's a different medium for the story, it loses nothing in its telling. In fact, it's enhanced by the brilliant artwork. As usual Harry is up to his neck in trouble and has to save not only his own arse but quite a few others, including Gentleman Johnny Marcone. That must really stick in the throat.

I would recommend any of the Dresden Files in either book or graphic novel medium to anyone interested in reading an urban fantasy.

I received this book free from the publisher with the intent to review but this has in no way influenced my review.

Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward

This was another in the series that I wasn't as thrilled about. Don't get me wrong, I like Phury and was glad that the series had moved on to his story but damn, it didn't half drag on, or seemed to as this was one of the shorter books.

I think it seemed to take longer because there was too much being put into it. We have the situation with John and co, we've got Rhev and the blackmail, we've got Lash and the Omega, all the drama about Phury's drug problem, being the Primale and his dealings with the Chosen and it just seemed too much for the book.

I really hope book 7 is better.

Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward

Glad to say this series is back on track. Vishous finds his mate, his mother and gets his visions back, well not all at the same time and not without some trauma in between.

First he's told who his mother is and how he came into being (such a terrible childhood and pretrans period), what a total bastard his father his, then he gets told what his destiny is. To become the Primale and basically be nothing more than a stallion at stud, his role to get the Chosen pregnant.

Whilst out hunting for lessers, he gets shot and ends up in a human hospital. There he meets Jane, who is a surgeon and he realises that she's his mate. When the Brotherhood arrive and take him back home, he insists the Brothers take her too.

Over four days, as he heals and she also works on Phury, who got jumped by lessers, they fall in love. V finds himself not wanting to wipe her memory but knows he's going to have to do it.

Whilst all this is going on John finally hits his transition but still has problems coping emotionally, luckily Z is there for him as he understands what he's gone through.

We meet Cormia who has been chosen to be the Primales first Chosen, but she's terrified about what will happen as she has never seen a male before.

After quite a roller coaster of a story were Phury agrees to take V's place as Primale, V goes to Janes and undoes the wipe. She agrees to bond with him, but when she runs outside with his coat late one night, she gets shot by a lesser and dies.

V is devastated and tries to resurrect her but his mother (the Scribe Virgin) steps in and stops him. As a way of making up for all the bad things that had happened to V at the hands of his father, she makes a sacrifice of her own and brings Jane back as a ghost, but she will be solid if V is touching her.

We also see what a nasty bitch the Directrix is, scaring Cormia with what would happen to her when she was with the Primale, threatening Layla when she tried to calm Cormia and the icing on the cake, she's the one who shot V. Phury found out after he took up the Primale mantle and dealt with her accordingly.

Next stop book 6. :-)

Lover Revealed by JR Ward

What to say about this book, well for one thing, it wasn't my favourite, another was it seemed to take a long time to get going.

All the "I'm not worthy, I'm not good enough" from both Butch and Marissa was frustrating. When they finally get sorted and then for her to try laying down the law made her no better than her brother.

I like the way things are between Butch and V, I was so upset when V realised that Butch was his best friend and that he also had feelings for him. I thought it was written with great care.

I had already worked out what was going on with the Scribe Virgin and the Omega and I've a good idea as to what's going to happen with them later in the series.

I'm hoping book 5 gets back on track.

Lover Awakened by JR Ward

I thoroughly enjoyed this book in the series, I was all over the place emotionally with what happened to Zhadist ,what he was going through and putting everyone around him through.

I liked the fact that the story didn't gloss over Bella's time with the lesser or hide the emotional damage and what she needed after to feel safe. I wanted to slap Z silly (yes, I know he's just a character who lives in books) for his responses to her and his twin.

I can honestly say I cried at what happened to Wellsie, (I know it's a sad bit but I'm also clinically depressed). And poor John, how frustrating to not have a voice at all.

I wasn't surprised to find out that Rhev turned out to be who he was, there's a few things that are going on that I thought might happen but that's not a bad thing. I still found the writing to be all over the place, one persons POV, then another persons.

I can honestly say I'm a Black Dagger fan for life now,