Anita Blake is able to raise the dead and a vampire hunter. Vampires now have rights in St. Louis so an execution order is required to kill a vampire to stay legal. Anita stays on the right side of the law, mostly. People want bodies raised for many reasons; to settle a will dispute, forgiveness, even to find out who killed them--as long as their throat wasn't ripped out. Anita is also on the police Spook Squad that is called to investigate murders that may have been committed by vampires or other otherworld characters. She is also involved with Jean Claude, a very old vampire that becomes the Master of the City--kind of like mayor for the vampires in the area. Anita is only 5'3" but armed with her silver bullets and silver knives, she takes on the oldest and most powerful vampires she comes across, usually with a little help from her friends. The books are very graphic in describing the deaths of the victims and zombies Anita raises. The action moves the plot along and there is usually a mystery of "who done it" that gets resolved. This is the first series of Anita Blake books. I have read several and while it would be helpful to read them in order, it's not absolutely necessary. I've enjoyed them and will finish the series.

Ava is a stunning human with otherworld friends. She doesn't understand how her friends are attracted to them and is determined to remain "human". Until, she is walking home from a girls night out and is attacked by a vampire. She swallows some of his blood and now her future involves becoming a vampire. The hero is in town to hunt up a rouge vampiress and comes to her aide, killing the attacker and taking her home to help her through the transition. She and he become involved in love and the scheme to capture the rouge vampiress. The book was an entertaining romance involving the otherworld characters. Easy read.

The book takes place at various lighthouses around Scotland in the late 60's and 70's, during the Vietnam war. You may wonder how the war played into lighthouse keeping but the writer was 20 and concerned about the war and Watergate. It was interesting to read how another country was so taken with both issues. Peter applies to be a summer intern on a whim and is amazed when he is given the chance to work at the lighthouse during his summer break. During the interview, he is asked if he can cook an with a straight face, says yes. His cooking special is a grilled cheese sandwich and going out to eat. Food is very important to the people working on the lighthouse and much of their day revolves around preparing it, he was fortunate to work with an excellent cook and learned to take great notes but the day he was scheduled to make hagis required all his resources. The routine of the keepers is very strict and did vary from lighthouse to lighthouse. While sharing meals and the middle of the night shift change, stories and histories were shared. He writes much of the book in the Scottish dialect so the flavor of the county comes through. An interesting book about a lost profession.

Groucho takes a lighter look at sex and how to get some. He starts with an idea and wanders away in typical Marx fashion. It seems autobiographical in parts with much humor and Marx comments thrown in to keep it very enjoyable. If you enjoy the Marx Brothers movies, this would be a fun book to read.

I have read all of the Stephanie Plum books and this is one of the best. She has several story threads in the book which keep you interested. There are many laugh-out-loud parts of the book where people tend to look at you like you're nuts and when you try to explain what is soooo funny, they laugh. But they are mostly laughing at you because you can't hardly tell about the incident without crying. It is light reading, perfect for the beach or couch with a glass of wine.

This is a collection of short stories. I enjoyed the authors stories about dieting and Weight Watchers. Having been there, still there myself, they really hit home. After reading the book, I decided I did not like the sort story format. I did enjoy Berg's writing style tho and will read more by her.

The book is definitely a romance. Boy meets girls, sparks fly, conflict keeps them apart but is resolved in the end. The book was not overly preachy, religious beliefs provided the basis for the main character, Dr. Kara's life and when she saw the main man, Marcus, also had deep faith, they became a couple. Book was rather formulated so it you liked this one, check out all the Love Inspired publications.

The book deals with the life and almost death of a marriage. The couple has been married for 20+ years and the marriage has evolved from being best friends with much passion to roommates you work to avoid. Lucky, the husband, has won a vacation to Mexico and Addy and he are going, searching to put paradise back into their lives. Addy has been questioning her life with Lucky for a while and decides to give the trip a chance. As Lucky is loading the car, he does damage to his back. Now, they no longer are going on the trip, and Addy is forced to be a caregiver to someone she's not sure she even cares about a little. Friends help out and Lucky moves next door with Bob #1. Addy deals with the things in her life cause her stress, like cleaning and chores, and finds she has heart problems even after their split and her new helpers. More hot tub discussions with her girl support group follow and the divorce word is finally spoken. Lucky's not ready to give up on their marriage and reinvents himself. Soon all of Parker's married are watching the relationship chance and their own lives jump started. Radish uses language beautifully and shows every married person how to put some life back into their love.

A federal marshal, Hawk, becomes an outlaw himself after his wife an child are killed. He pursues the "bad" guys and takes no prisoners. The 4 governors of the neighboring territories hire a man to kill Hawk as he chases a gang who robbed the town bank and victimized some ranchers. Hawk gets the gang and the trackers himself dies. Hawk disappears again to regroup and wait for the next occasion to do good. The reader will sympathize with Hawk and want him to live to fight another day.

The story revolves around the life of Wyatt Earp in Tombstone. The familiar characters of Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers. Life was hard in the west and Earp's sense of right helped bring order to the town. Earp is enamored with Josie, the girl of a rich man. She of course chooses Earp and the outlaws side with Benson, the power hungry ex-lover. The action moves along quickly and your sense of right by any means is proven. If you like Parker's Spenser series, you will like this book.

The book is an urban fantasy. It is basically a love story involving supernaturals set in contemporary times. Witches belong to covens and sorcerers are part of cabals. Each believes their magic is superior so they rarely work together. Paige needs a lawyer and the only one volunteering is a sorcerer. Lucas is also the reluctant heir to the Miami branch of the Cabal--think Mafia families. Lucas shows he's up to the job and romance results as well. The follow-up book is Industrial Magic. Lucas and Paige must work with all the Cabals to find who is murdering the young children of the Cabals. Wouldn't you know it'd be a vampire! Other supernaturals, a necromancer who is haunted by a ghost, werewolves and vampires help in the chase to resolve the mystery.

The story is set in medieval England. The main character is an orphan named Mouse. She was abandoned at Dunston Manor as a baby and worked in the scullery doing menial tasks. She was subject to much work, little food and very little positive attention. When Mouse is discovered eating the leftovers from the family’s meal, she is beaten and runs away. She hides in the woods and while wondering, meets interesting people who help her find food and shelter. Mouse sees a puppet show in a village and falls in love with the puppets. She hides in the puppeteer’s wagon and works her way into the act and the master’s heart.

The book illustrated life during medieval England, the class distinctions, the importance of stories to entertain and the bonds of strangers as they travel.

The time for the book is 1299 and the Crusades have ended. Elenor is the orphan Lady of Ramsey who considers the village her family. She is promised to Thomas from nearby Thornham. The marriage will united the farmers of Ramsey with the mills of Thornham, Each is the last of their line so the marriage must happen. The village priest worries for them. Elenor is only 14 and Thomas was changed by the Crusades. Religion is the heart of the village with the Penitents and their chasing evil away with fasting and the scourge and those that invite good and chase meaness by enjoying their bodies and getting drunk. All make their way to the confessional. Father Gregory invites Elenor and Thomas do penance for the whole community and make a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James in Spain. The trip has many hardships but they meet others making their own pilgrimages. The companions helped each other with stories and dealing with basic needs of travel. Along the 4 month trip, Thomas and Elenor become friends and realize being married would be good.

The book ends with the 2 reaching the shrine. Now I have to read the sequel to see how they return. The book illustrates the hardships of travel and how good stories pass the time. Religion was very important during the time and the nuns, priests and holidays are showcased in the book. Life was hard and needs were simple.

This is a teen-age love story where the guys cooks for his friend so the girls likes him. The cook is in love with the girls himself. It was fairly predictable but fun to read plus had some recipes I’d like to try.

The novel is set in Ireland but the place is incidental to the book. It involves 3 women that live on a street in a small village and how secrets from their past is still influencing their lives today. One woman rebelled as a 17 yr old with a man for a band and has a child by him. To shelter her daughter she invents a father with a wholesome past and lives her life for her daughter. The daughter thinks this is boring and rebels with---a boy in a band. The book is certainly character driven as each woman must confront the secret.