The 8th Confession by James Patterson

ISBN:  9780316018760

Publisher:  Little, Brown & Company

Rating:  B

In this 8th installment of The Women’s Murder Club, we are charged with finding the murderer of a homeless street saint “Bagman Jesus” and trying to figure out what and who is killing High Society types for there appears to be no cause for their deaths.

In the case of Bagman Jesus, the cops are told not to bother working his case because they MUST focus on the high society murders  because a lot of the victims have friends in high places.  Cindy Thomas, crime reporter for the Chronicle, refuses to let this case die because she was one of the people who found him.  His death was marked with extreme brutality, shot 6 times in the face and beaten beyond recognition and from the gathering of the homeless around his body Cindy is convinced that he was important even if society says he is not.

On the flip side, the socialites that have been murdered, show no outward signs of the crime.  Claire Washburn the county Medical Examiner, can see no inward signs of a crime either.  All the tests come back negative and that leads Claire to tell the cops that they need to do their jobs in order to figure this one out because forensics is tapped out.

It’s an interesting plot to have 2 crimes, one of which is obviously a murder and that the cops don’t take notice of, and one of which doesn’t appear to be a crime but they are told to focus on this crime as opposed to the homeless man who was brutalized.   Cindy was more integral in this story much like she was in 1st to Die, and I liked seeing and hearing from her more.  The “club” effect seems to have died along the way now they are more involved in each others lives as opposed to solving crimes together.  I miss the times of talking about the cases over margaritas, and getting everyone’s perspective.

While the characters are growing and becoming distinct I miss the core of this group and as a reader that saddens me.  Instead of working together I feel like the characters are working independent of each other on the same case, but they aren’t a unit anymore.  I want my WMC back.

I felt that the cases were peripheral and that they didn’t impact the characters in a “real” way.  It felt that the police procedural was just added as a way to move the story along and not meant to impact the story.

Skin Trade by Laurell K Hamilton, Anita Blake Vampire Hunter 17

ISBN:  9780425227725

Publisher:  Penguin Group USA

Rating: A

There will never be another series for me that can make me laugh, make me cry or make me hurt for the heroine other than Laurell K Hamilton’s Anita Blake series.  From the beginning of this long running series starting with Guilty Pleasures I wasn’t sure if Iwould like Anita because she was a little too cold for me.  As my journey’s to St Louis became more frequent, I learned to see beyond the mask of “The Executioner” into the heart of the character, and I knew Anita would be a character I carried with me always.

There are fans of the Anita Blake series who lost faith in the character and in the author and that saddens me beyond measure because they truly do not know what they are missing.  Skin Trade is almost the perfect blend of “old Anita” and “new Anita”.  Anita was back to her hunting days and dealing more with who she is on her own level and learning to be one with the ardeur rather than fighting it.

As a fan in this series, I feel incredibly vindicated to see that how I felt about Anita and why she needed to grow as a character was the point in having the ardeur affect our heroine so distinctly.  Sure she is 5 foot nothin’, 100 and nothin’ and can kick some series ass, she still needed to learn that affection isn’t a negative and caring and loving aren’t weaknesses.  She had to learn that giving and receiving love are strengths.

It’s awesome to see Anita kicking bad guy butt again and not only dealing with vampire politics, but I missed Jean Claude and Nathaniel more than I could express, but I cried for Requiem and I felt for the Wicked Truth.

I can not wait for the next installment and I wish I had the pleasure of knowing in advance what is going to happen to my favorite heroine.

Confessions of a Lingerie Addict by Jennifer Ashley

ISBN:  9780505526366

Publisher:  Dorchester Publishing

Rating:  A

I LOVE challenge reads that make me happy that I finished.  I have had this book on MT TBR probably for a year, but I always looked past it.  Not because it didn’t sound cute, but something just sparked my interest more.  After finishing The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, I felt like I needed something a little more fun and Confessions of a Lingerie Addict definitely fit my bill.

New Years Day, Brenda Scott wakes up with MR HOTTIE in her bed, but no recollection of how he got there.  When he wakes up he looks at her and bolts out the door.  Since being dumped by MR RICH and PERFECT, Larry Bryant, Brenda decides she is now sexy at least under her clothes when she walks into a ultra expensive lingerie store and decides to stock her wardrobe.  She feels that the lingerie gives her a secret strength and when MR HOTTIE runs her over, she feels like it’s too good to be true.  But will he still like her when he finds out that the sexy lingerie is not really who she is?

I laughed at Brenda’s insecurities because the author nailed them to a “T”.  There is just something women find mysteriously sexy about beautiful lingerie, we save those special pieces for those special nights.   The fact that Brenda used the lingerie as a way to become bold endeared her to me as a reader and as a woman.  There is always that one way your hair looks, or that one pair of pants, or those one pair of 9 inch heels that makes you feel like you can conquer the world even if it’s only in your head.

I still smiling thinking about this book because it truly made me feel happy to be a girl and to know that I am not alone in my quirkiness.

Patty Jane’s House of Curl by Lorna Landvik

ISBN:  9780804114608

Publisher:  Random House Publishing

Rating:  A

This is the story of Patty Jane and her sister Harriet and the people that become their family along the way.  That is truly the best way to summarize this story.  There are so many intricate moments, and moments that matter that I would have to re-tell the story in order for someone else to understand.

Lorna Landvik invited me into 1950’s Minnesota, into the lives of Patty Jane and Harriet Dobbin.  I fell in love with their sisterly bond immediately as they stole flowers from neighborhood gardens for Patty Jane’s wedding bouquet.   There are moments like this one that linger in my mind, but not all of them are happy memories.  Patty Jane’s life has been ripped apart by alcohol, and she has lost more than her fair share and experienced more pain than she should in her young life.  However, it is what you do to survive those moments that matter and Patty Jane became a strong woman who always thinks of others first.  This is truly a novel that demonstrates strength of character.

While reading this beautiful novel I laughed and I cried which now has more of this authors books on MT TBR.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows

ISBN:  9780385341004

Publisher:  Random House Publishing

Rating:  B+

It is 1946, the year after the German Occupation of the Channel Islands off the coast of England has ended.  Here lies a story of rebirth and change and coping through friendship and books.  There is a quote on the dust jacket of this book that instantly connected me to this book; “I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” How profoundly true this sentiment is, especially to someone who loves books as much as I do.

My only wish is that I felt as amazed by this book as the women who recommended it to me.  Don’t get me wrong, I think it was beautiful and poignant, but as sometimes happens I was left expecting too much.  I try not to read books like this at the height of their popularity because it doesn’t matter, someone’s feelings will always be in the back of my mind and it will influence my interpretation of the book.  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society will remain one of these instances.

Barrows and Schaffer wrote a beautiful story and although for me the characters never reached their full potential there were moments of perfection.  Moments matter especially when a book tugs at your heart strings as this one does, however I wanted all the moments to matter and I am feeling that some moments just didn’t belong.  I will say knowing Guernsey is a real place and they did have to rebuild after the Occupation; that I want to see how far they’ve come which shows how alive the setting became and how important it was the story.

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi

ISBN:  9780446581271

Publisher:  Grand Central Publishing

Rating:  A for story telling quality, but I can’t grade the reality

This is a true crime novel, one of the world’s biggest unsolved crimes in Italian history is the serial murders of couples as they make love in their cars in olive groves or other secluded areas.

Douglas Preston, co author of the Agent Pendergast novels the first of which is The Relic, wants to write a novel based in Italy and in order to learn the local police procedure he moves to Italy with his family in order to do research for his novel.  What he doesn’t know is that he has rented a house that years ago played a part in one of the serial murders.  Preston is introduced to local crime reporter, Mario Spezi, who will be Preston’s guide into the world of Italian police procedure.  However, what Mario has to offer goes deeper than anything even Preston could imagine as the plot for one of his books.  It is Spezi who tells of the serial murders and Spezi who has spent 20 + years investigating this case a part from the police because he feels they are off in the wrong direction.

The depth of this book is shocking.  I can not even begin to understand the way the Italian police works because they allowed journalists to traipse around the crime scenes and look at the bodies.  I know that I would be like Spezi if I had witnessed what he had seen.  Even now days after finishing this book I can’t seem to find the words to express how disgusted I am at the level of corruption that this case has spurned.  How many false arrests, how many promotions based on those false arrests and the idiots who force the evidence to fit their suspect.

I myself felt dirty as I closed the book knowing that these horrific crimes were still unsolved, but knowing that the crimes are unsolved because of the corruption and lack of dignity of the Italian police makes it that much harder to come clean.

Goddess Games by Niki Burnham *YA*

ISBN:  9781416927723

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Children’s

Rating:  B

Claire, Seneca, and Drew are three girls from different worlds who end up living together as they work at an exclusive resort in Colorado.  Seneca is the daughter of an Oscar Winning Actress, Drew is a runner who is there to escape and Claire is the towny who is trying to make sense out of her life.  Can there possibly be a common thread between these 3 young ladies?

I was at the library and I saw the title of the book and it intrigued me.  Very rarely is a title something that lures me in, but this one did.  I went in to the library to pick up books that came in for me and that I was eagerly anticipating reading, but I had to peruse the new releases and I decided I had to read this one.  Goddess Games is the story of 3 different girls learning more about themselves in this one summer than a lifetime spent trying to figure it out.  Young fans of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants will enjoy reading Goddess Games.  There is a similar bond that begins to form between these girls and how they learn to trust each other and themselves.  I am not sure if this will be a series, but I think it could make a really cute one.

As an adult reading a book that is classified as young adult, I felt that the writing was age appropriate and the author didn’t write as if she knew only teens would read it.  

The characters really do come to life and although the “love story” aspect was minimal as a reader I found myself hoping they’d find it and see what was in front of them.  Seneca and Drew were real for me from the beginning, but Claire seemed slightly forced and off center.   Even though she was the towny I felt that her character was an after thought for most of the book.

I will be looking into some of Niki Burnham’s back list both her young adult writings  and her writings as Nicole Burnham as well.

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

Mercedes Thompson book #3

ISBN:  9780441015665

Publisher:  Penguin Group USA

Rating:  A-

Zee asks Mercy to aid the Fae in a murder investigation on the reservation, but Mercy doesn’t know the whole story because the Fae don’t want you to see too much.  

Mercy is loyal to a fault, it is absolutely one of her best qualities.  However, her loyalty could end up costing her more than she can afford.  Mercy needs to decide between her past and her present in order to figure out her future, should she choose Samuel or Adam.  This decision goes deeper than just whom she loves, every choice she makes has repercussions.

I adore the way that Briggs writes her characters; flawed and real.  I admit that I was quite upset with how Blood Bound ended, but I feel like I was vindicated in Iron Kissed.  As readers I am sure we know better than the author does with how our favorite series should play out, but I admit that I am glad that Briggs brought Mercy back to her roots and allowed us to see her again.  After finishing Iron Kissed, I realized that I felt like Mercy was missing. 

The politics in this series are fascinating, but not overt and I love watching He-Man Werewolves learn to treat women as equals not only has property.    I was touched beyond measure with a scene between Ben and Adam and had me feeling that my reaction to Ben was the correct one, so as a reader I am even more impressed with the way Briggs writes because she was able to convey to me his true nature while his actions give way to something more sinister.

I just went to Briggs website and found out thankfully that the Mercedes Thompson series will be at least 7 books long and that means I still have 4 more book to read and I am eagerly anticipating Bone Crossed.

Sunset Bay by Susan Mallery

ISBN:  9781416567172

Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Adult Publishing Group

Rating:  A

Eighteen year old Megan Greene is gawky, awkward and as her mother says not pretty enough.  The only boy she’s ever dated, Travis,  ended up in prison which only gives her mother more fuel to add to the fire.  Megan’s relationship with her sister, Leanne, is strenuous to say the least.  While her relationship with her parents is one of unmistakable confusion, her mother berates her and her father reveres her.  Twenty eight year old Megan is a successful account on her way to making partner in her firm.  She’s engaged to the blonde adonis cardiologist and life couldn’t be better.  However, life in Megan’s world was about to be flipped upside down and there is nothing she can do to stop it.  Who will be there for her when she is lost and falling apart?  The answers will surprise you.

Susan Mallery writes absolutely believable characters even when they are characters you are meant to hate.  Mallery is an author that I know I can depend on to find enriching characters, after all she did create one of my all time top 10 heroes in Walker Buchanan.  

Sunset Bay was an emotional rollercoaster and I wasn’t sure how I would feel once I closed it because I really was mad at Megans sister Leanne, and to be honest I think that was like 20 pages in which should explain how intensely Mallery can write her characters.  I’ve never had a sister, let alone a younger sister so I shouldn’t feel a need to band together and protect Megan from Leanne’s manipulations, but there was.  Ultimately once Mallery moved on to current day Megan, 10 years later, I was comfortable with characters if not a bit disappointed in Megan’s strength.  I need my heroines to be strong in any sense of the word, physically or emotionally and in Sunset Bay I was looking for a strong character with a sense of herself and that is not how it started.  Mallery wrote a story of depth and growth and the mantra of what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.  Megan lived inside her own little bubble for most of her life until something came along and burst that bubble.  How was Megan we met 10 years ago going to survive having her life ripped out from under her?

I would recommend this book for anyone who loves a good family novel with lots of personality.  I really enjoyed this book and I could probably babble about it for a long while and give away lots of spoilers, but I just can’t do that.

Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur: Riley Jenson #1

ISBN:  9780553588453

Publisher:  Dell Publishing

Rating:  B

Riley Jenson is a dhampire; half vampire and half werewolf.  Her affliction is one that she shares with her twin brother Rhoan and once they reached adulthood they were ceremoniously removed from the pack they were raised in and forced to find their own way in life.  Rhoan is a Guardian or assassin for the Directorate of Other Races while Riley is an admin in charge of setting the assignments for the Guardians.  The Directorate was created to protect humans from the less than pleasant supernatural issues.  When Rhoan goes missing on a mission, Riley finds herself thrust into a world she has been fighting for most of her life;the life of a Guardian.  Rhoan’s disappearance comes at the time when the moon is riding high and wreaks havoc on Riley and other wolves due to their hyper sensitive need to mate.  Riley learns that she may not be able to trust those she allowed close to her, and ultimately may have to trust the naked Vampire with no memory, Quinn, who shows up at her door and says he is friends with Rhoan.  Riley must learn to trust in Quinn and her own instincts if she will be able to save Rhoan.

It took me a while to be comfortable with the overall storyline of Riley and her hyper sensitive need for mating, not because I’m prude, but because one of her partners, Talon,  just gave me the creeps.  Which in the end is the point and Arthur did an amazing job creating that creep factor.  The characters are very diverse and each has a distinct quality that separates them from each other and since there were a lot of characters to keep track of in this debut novel of the series, it helped to feel who the characters were as well as remembering their names.

There was a lot of action and tiers of the plot and I wasn’t sure how it was all going to tie together at the end and ultimately the overall plot will carry over to the future books of this series, but Arthur was able to resolve the issues that were specific to Full Moon Rising and make me a fan.  

Full Moon Rising is full of heat and passion and a lot of sex and for those who dont’ like a lot of voracious sex in your books this is definitely not the book for you.  

Arthur took a particularly sensitive issue involving a date rape type drug and wrote it with clarity and feeling which allowed me as a reader to experience the anger, resentment, disbelief and betrayal that Riley felt.  Arthur’s writing exceeds the words on the page as she translates these words into real emotions which for me as a reader is the mark of a favorite.