Cult Insanity: A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement by Irene Spencer

Cult Insanity: A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement by Irene Spencer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton (Penguin Audiobooks, 2009)

5 Stars! Probably my favorite Anita Blake book yet! Choices were made, things were seen. And the mystery had a nice twist to it! Curious now to see where Ms. Blake will take the series. Especially since I see reviews up and down regarding where it goes. Definitely recommend!

Copied Blurb:
In The Killing Dance, vampire hunter Anita Blake finds herself the victim when a $500,000 price is put on her head, and the two men in her life - a vampire and a werewolf - aren't helping the situation.

My Rating: 5

Additional Audio Notes:
Publisher: Penguin Audio Books, 2009
Narrator: Kimberly Alexis

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning (Brilliance Audio, 2006)

4 Stars! A suspenseful fay novel by my favorite Highlander author! I have been meaning to get to this series for a long while now. So glad I finally did!

My thoughts: The suspense was crafted masterfully.  The main character was developed well, even if I am still not sure whether I like her or not(She is pretty girly.) Moning's world building was done creatively, and slow enough to not throw everything to the reader at once.  That being said, though, I did find the pace of the first half of the book to be forgivably slower than other books I have read in the genre.

I will be listening to the next in the series as soon as I get a chance. There were a lot of loose ends(it is a series, after all) and quite a bit of foreshadowing. Very curious to see which direction Moning goes with the Fever series! Highly recommend!

My Rating: 4

Copied Blurb:
MacKayla Lane's life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she's your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman.

Or so she thinks...until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death - a cryptic message on Mac's cell phone - Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister's killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed - a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae...

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister's death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane - an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women - closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac's true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book - because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands...

Additional Audio Notes:
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Narrator: Joyce Bean (Seriously not the best choice for this book. Mac is a young woman, and Bean sounds like an older lady. Had to work my brain past that to really get into listening to the book)

Masques: Aralorn, Book 1 by Patricia Briggs (Brilliance Audio, 2010)

4 1/2 Stars!  Fantasy was my first love and this book brought me back to just why I used to love and read it all the time. I enjoyed the character development of Wolf immensely.  His elusiveness really added dimension to the storyline. And Aralorn, what to say?  She was a very strong and likable heroine.  I am looking forward to seeing more in this world. Certainly a great listen!

Copied Blurb:

After an upbringing of proper behavior and oppressive expectations, Aralorn fled her noble birthright for a life of adventure as a mercenary spy. Her latest mission involves spying on the increasingly powerful sorcerer Geoffrey ae'Magi. But in a war against an enemy armed with the powers of illusion, how do you know who the true enemy is - or where he will strike next?

My Rating: 4.5

Additional Audio Notes:

Publisher: Brilliance Audio, 2010
Narrator: Katherine Kellgren

This Side of the Grave: Night Huntress, Book 5 by Jeaniene Frost (Blackstone Audio, 2011)

5 Stars!  This series is still one of my all time favorites! I just love Cat and Bones, and their often intense interactions. Once again, Frost delivered an exciting plot while visiting a handful of characters I was looking forward to seeing again. The Night Huntress series rocks!!

Copied Blurb:

Danger waits on both sides of the grave...
Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they've triumphed over the latest battle, Cat's new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance.
With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous "ally"—the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war—to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

My Rating: 5

Additional Audio Notes:
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Narrator: Tavia Gilbert (I think Tavia just gets better and better throughout this series!)

Falke's Peak by Anna Leigh Keaton and Madison Layle (Carina Press, 2010)

4 1/2 Stars! This book had it all! Adventure, hot guys, and seriously erotic scenes! Very hot, very yummy, indeed! To top it off, this story took place in the wilderness, my absolute favorite place to be. I listened to this in audio, and found the narrator to be really good as well. It appears that this will be a series, which will thrill me to no end.  Especially since there are more people to the Falke family that need their hea.  Off to go snap some snow shoes on and see if I can't find my own adventure;)

Copied Blurb:

She couldn't believe her eyes.
Stressed out ad-exec Dakota wandered into Catamount Outfitters in search of a guide for a wilderness excursion. She didn't expect to be greeted by not one but five of the most ruggedly delicious-looking men she'd ever seen... not to mention a live cougar guarding the shop!
The Falke brothers have more than just good looks in their genes.
Eldest brother Axel agreed to guide Dakota on her mountain trek. In cougar form, Axel's twin, Gunnar, was there as a protection from predators - but he had his eye on the sexy client instead.
Into the wild....
While the rule with clients was "paws-off", both Axel and Gunnar couldn't resist Dakota's seductive Native American beauty and determination. As cold days led to hot nights in the cabin, Axel and Gunnar wondered if they'd finally found a woman strong enough to tame them....

My Rating: 4.5


Additional Audio Notes:
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd
Narrator: Gina Cedarwood

Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost (Blackstone Audio, 2010)

5 Stars! Books just don't get much better than this.  One of my favorite series ever! Looking forward to the next adventure with Bones and Cat!


Copied Blurb:
Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they’ve fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it’s time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She’s having visions of a vampire named Gregor, who’s more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn’t know about.
Gregor believes Cat is his and won’t stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who holds her heart, only Cat can break Gregor’s hold over her. She’ll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she’s ever faced … even if getting that power will result in an early grave.

My Rating: 5

Additional Audio Notes:
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Narrator: Tavia Gilbert (She does a fantastic job, as usual)

My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent (Harlequin TEEN, 2010)

5 Stars!  Love, love, love this series! Rachel Vincent has been very creative in keeping this series going. I really felt sorry for Kaylee throughout this book. Everything seemed to go wrong around her, and she couldn't seem to stop it.  Very highly recommended!

Copied Blurb:
Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them.
Until something does.
Demon breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that really can kill you. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends—one of whom is already hooked.
And so is someone else....

My Rating: 5

Additional Audio Notes:
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd
Narrator: Amanda Ronconi (She takes a little time getting used to, but really does a fabulous job!)

Silver Bound by Ella Drake (Carina Press, 2010 Audio version)

4 1/2 Stars!  Ella Drake is one of my new fav authors.  Her world building is amazing, her character sketches intriguing, and her storytelling is flawless! This is the second book I have read by this author...and I feel lucky to have discovered her!

Silver tipping is one of the main problems the H and h have to overcome throughout the book.  It is a procedure that puts the female into sexual slavery and wipes her of all her memories. I found it a sad and horrific process. It certainly kept this reader glued to the story, hoping all along they would be able to find a solution.

Definitely recommend Silver Bound by Ella Drake who truly has quite the knack for world building!


Copied Blurb:
Sheriff Guy Trident doesn't have much to do with off-worlders; he has his hands full keeping his own planet safe. But he'll do anything, go anywhere to save Jewel Quinn. She broke his heart years ago when she left to marry a Terraloft aristocrat. Now she's run away from her husband, only to fall into the clutches of slavers.
Posing as a wealthy playboy, Guy arrives at Zuthuru Station to learn he's too late: Jewel's memories have been erased. She's been tipped in silver, a process that leaves nothing behind except her body, sexually bound to pleasuring her master. Unwilling to give up hope, Guy buys her.
Jewel fights to reclaim herself, recalling a different connection to the handsome sheriff, remembering the frightened eyes of a young boy and the events that made her run. Together she and Guy search for her cure, plan her son's rescue from her ruthless ex, and test if they have any kind of future...before the past catches up to them.

My Rating: 4.5

Additional Audio Notes:
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd
Narrator: Janet Metzger

Into the Night by Kate Hoffman (Halrequin Enterprises, 2011)

3 1/2 Stars!  An enjoyable listen..:)

Copied Blurb:

The offer: a weekend in paradise with a multimillionaire lover. No strings attached…
Tess Robertson is about to get engaged—to a man she doesn't love. But when she meets dynamic, sexy Derek Nolan, she's thrilled to take him up on his seductive proposal instead!
The fantasy: a lush tropical island filled with sun, sand…and a lot of sexual exploration….
Derek can hardly believe his good fortune. Tess is uninhibited…and totally into their uncomplicated, steamy hot island romp!
The reality: paradise is only temporary….
When real life crashes back in, Tess reluctantly forces herself to leave the island and go back to the uninspired life she'd planned for herself.

My Rating: 3.5

Additional Audio Notes:
Narrator: Savannah Richards
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.