Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

ISBN:  9780312383282

Publisher:  St Martin’s Press

Rating:  A

What can I say?  Another visit to the ‘Burg has come and gone, and I already miss that band of unruly bond enforcement agents.  Being that I am HUGE Ranger fan, FINGER LICKIN’ FIFTEEN was a much needed addition to my collection, but it just is never enough.

In this installment, Lula witnesses a murder and is being stalked by 2 very inept killers.  Stephanie has to stay with Ranger because Joe and her are fighting and Lula snores like a trucker, and Ranger hires Stephanie to figure out who is burglaring his customers making him look like the fool.

There was a little bit of something for everyone in FINGER LICKIN’ FIFTEEN and I am curious to see what else can happen.  There are those who are done reading this series, feeling like it is going no where and will continue down that path to nothing.  However, for me as a reader, I love this series.  It is because of the combination of Stephanie and Evanovich that I am the reader I am today.  They inspired enjoyment out of my reading and have kept me spoiled ever since my first introduction to them in ONE FOR THE MONEY.

I will always love this series for the shear fact, that it was my first.

Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell

ISBN:  9780451227454

Publisher:  Penguin Group USA

Rating:  A

Lily Ivory is a natural witch who tends to hide her heritage.  When she was young and didn’t understand her power she used to cause problems for those who teased or made fun of her.  She spent most of her life hiding her reality while reveling in the history of the clothes she sells in her Vintage Clothing store.  Lily has spent most of her life flitting from one place to another without setting any roots, however when she follows the signs to San Francisco she finds that a family is not always something you are born into, it just is.   Follow Lily as she learns she is exactly the right person at exactly the right place, and finds out she is stronger than she ever knew.

Blackwell wrote amazingly 3 dimensional characters in paranormal fiction world, and vampires weren’t even included.  It is obvious that she has lived her characters history or researched the subject matter of witches in large detail.  I found the blend of personal struggles and paranormal struggles to be the perfect brew.  There wasn’t an overuse of the magical elements, but you always knew they were available should they be required.

There was a slight romantic element in this first book and I hope that the next installment to be released in June 2010 will bring more life to the romance and more life to the characters.  I love it when I can find a new series to capture my heart.

You’ve Got Murder by Donna Andrews

ISBN:  9780425189450

Publisher:  Penguin Group USA

Rating:  B

When I began reading You’ve Got Murder I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to finish it.   Being such a character driven reader I wasn’t sure how I was going to like an Artificial Intelligence Personality being my lead character, however Turing Hopper showed her “humanity” through out the story.

Turing’s programmer Zach has gone missing and she notices and enlists the aid of two human co-workers, Tim and Maude,  to help her do the physical “looking” for Zach.  However, what none of them know is that there are some truly evil guys looking for Zach as well and are now on the trail of Tim and Maude.

Although Andrews did a wonderful job of creating the character of Turing and making her more human than I originally thought, the book and the plot were rather dry and bare.  I didn’t truly feel any edge of my seat excitement or thrills that in my opinion should have been a part of this story.  The plot line was clever and could have gone many different ways, however it went as expected and truly didn’t give me anything special.  While I may go and read more in this series I am not begging to have them right now.