Bathtime Books

Description: Distant member of the royal Rampling family, Lucy Trenton's ability to detect majick has embroiled her in a dangerous intrigue that threatens her very life. Her only hope lies in her most persistent suitor, ship captain Marten Thorpe, but Lucy isn't sure she can trust him.... Review & Summary: This is a review from Curled Up with my own comments added. The intital entry in a series of novels about the port city of Crosspointe, The Cipher  also works completely as a stand-alone book. Lucy Trenton, a customs official and distant cousin of the king - she calls him "Cousin William" is a loyal servant of the crown. Still, although she thinks of herself as a law-abiding citizen and looks down on anyone who dares to bend the rules, she has a few secrets, too: since childhood, she has been able to sense majick. The only one who believed her when she was a child was a mysterious stranger who scared her thoroughly. After her experience with him, she sto...

Description: Being a mechanic is hard work. Mercy Thompson, for instance, just spent the last couple of months trying to evade the murderous queen of the local vampire seethe, and now the leader of the werewolf pack - who's maybe-more-than-just-a-friend - has asked for her help. A book of fae secrets has come to light and they're all about to find out how implacable - and dangerous - the fae can be. OK, so maybe her troubles have nothing to do with the job. But she sure could use a holiday ... My Review : This book picks up more or less where the last one ended.  Mercy is still working on her issues with intimacy after her rape and the subsequent panic attacks that it has left her with.  We are also trying to figure out what she is to the pack, and what this means for her relationship with Samuel. There are three concurrent plots in this novel.  1) Adam and Mercy's relationship. 2) Samuel and his attempted suicide. 3) The kidnapping of Finn, a bookstore owner w...

Description: Harper Blaine was your average small-time P.I. until she died—for two minutes. Now Harper is a Greywalker—walking the line between the living world and the paranormal realm. And she’s discovering that her new abilities are landing her in all sorts of “strange cases.” But for Harper, her own case may prove the most difficult to solve. Why did she—as opposed to others with near-death experiences—become a Greywalker? When Harper digs into her own past, she unearths some unpleasant truths about her father’s early death as well as a mysterious puzzle. Forced by some very demanding vampires to take on an investigation in London, she soon discovers her present troubles in England are entangled with her dark past back in Seattle—and her ultimate destiny as a Greywalker. My Review: Harper Blaine is an intriguing and engaging heroine.  Although parts of the plot move a little quickly overall Richardson does a commendable job pulling the reader into the story. ...

Description: For once, Joanne Walker's not out to save the world. She's come to terms with the host of shamanic powers she's been given, her job as a police detective has been relatively calm, and she's got a love life for the first time in memory. Not bad for a woman who started out the year mostly dead. But it's Halloween, and the undead have just crashed Joanne's party. Now, with her mentor Coyote still missing, she has to figure out how to break the spell that has let the ghosts, zombies and even the Wild Hunt come back. Unfortunately, there's no shamanic handbook explaining how to deal with the walking dead. And if they have anything to say about it which they do no one's getting out of there alive. My Review: Let me preface my review by saying that I really like CE Murphy. I like her heroines, and her references to pop culture, and the vivid worlds she creates. But I don't really like this book that much. Why? Because there were so many va...

Description: Some wounds take time to heal...and some scars never fade. Rachel Morgan, kick-ass witch and bounty hunter, has taken her fair share of hits, and has broken lines she swore she would never cross. But when her lover was murdered, it left a deeper wound than Rachel ever imagined, and now she won't rest until his death is solved...and avenged. Whatever the cost. Yet the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and when a new predator moves to the apex of the Inderlander food chain, Rachel's past comes back to haunt her. Literally. Review: I'm still a bit tired of writing reviews for this series. Since it worked so well last time, let's let someone else have a stab at it. This is a good one from SF Site, it's by Jennifer McCann and I mostly agree with what she has to say, especially about the unveiling of Kiston's killer. What a let down. With more angst and upheaval than a junior high school dance, Rachel is a taste treat. Still trying to...

Description: To save the lives of her friends, Rachel did the unthinkable: she willingly trafficked in forbidden demon magic. And now her sins are coming home to haunt her. As Rachel searches for the truth behind a terrifying murder, an even greater menace threatens, for the demon Algaliarept will stop at nothing to claim her, and the discovery of a shocking family secret throws Rachel's entire life into question. If she is ever to live free, Rachel must first walk willingly into the demonic ever-after in search of long-lost ancient knowledge. But when you dance with demons, you lay your soul on the line...and there are some lines that should never be crossed. Review: I am tired of writing about Harrison's style; her plot, her issues, and these books; which mature nicely, yet I get rather tired of reiterating the same thoughts over and over again. So I'm going to give someone else a chance to speak of Ms. Harrison and her spunky group of misfits. The following is an abr...

Description: Despite dating one vampire and living with another, Rachel Morgan has always managed to stay just ahead of trouble... until now. Morgan's already complicated personal life -- living in an old church in the Hollows of Cincinnati with vampire Ivy Tamwood and a pixie named Jenks -- turns downright chaotic when an insane demon inexplicably ransacks her home, a mysterious murderer begins a brutal killing spree, and her best friend, Ivy, suddenly packs up and moves out. After vampiric crime boss Piscary and villainous councilman Trent Kalamack learn about a demon-crafted artifact in Morgan's possession, she becomes the unwilling focus of an otherworldly power struggle that will change her forever. For every action has its price, and when the demonic Algaliarept dares to walk openly under the sun, even Rachel Morgan can't hide forever. My Review: Rachel has herself a heap full of trouble, and this time she doesn't even have a clue what is happening. This novel is...