Back from the Mountains

Kayla and Kyle had a beautiful day for the wedding and a beautiful setting. They were married on the veranda overlooking a lake in the Smoky Mountains. It was a small intimate service with family and Kayla's best friend Cassie as maid of honor. The Pastor had a sense of humor that made things less tense. They will head back to Oklahoma this weekend and we wish them the best.

Here are some reviews from Harriet. I'm behind on my rest.

Dark Slayer
Christine Feehan
Berkley, Sep 2009, $25.95
ISBN: 9780425229736

The vampire hunter Ivory, and her seven Carpathian wolf pack and her normal wolf pack head home after killing two vampires only to find a dying man. To her horror she knows this Carpathian is her lifemate. He tells her to leave him die as the evil Xavier uses his body to cause death. He is Xavier’s grandson and sold his soul to save his daughter and sister. Ivory knocks him out and takes him to her hidden shelter while Xavier searches for Razvan. She will heal him and if he still chooses death, so be it.

Ivory sees a child tied in snares, which is a trap. With her wolves she kills a ghoul, but her brother master vampire Sergey escapes before the Carpathian healer Gregori and Prince Mikhail arrive. They offer to heal her, but she refuses as she wants nothing to do with Carpathians. Though not fully healed Razvan knows his lifemate is in trouble. She has given him hope that she can kill Xavier as she told him that is why she lives. Razvan arrives placing a knife to Mikhail’s neck. Mikhail calmly tells Gregori to heal Ivory. He does and is stunned that she was once sliced into many pieces and should be dead. Ivory and Gregori heal Razvan. She explains her only friends are the wolves as her brothers chose the power of the vampire and sacrificed her. Ivory and Razvan plan to kill Xavier or die trying.

The relationship between the lead couple is fresh and gender bending as she leads the excursions against Xavier. The Carpathian support cast is strong especially the wolf pack, the prince and the healer while the malevolent villain is brilliant using modern science as well as magic to attack his foes and the heroine’s brothers, though we meet only one of them, are pure evil. This is a super entry, which long time fans will enjoy including the addition of background information appendices though newcomers will feel awed by the Feehan mythos. Harriet Klausner

Ryann Watters and the King’s Sword
Eric Reinhold
Creation House, 2008, $17.99
ISBN: 9781599792880

In Mount Dora, Florida, the archangel Gabriel directs young Ryann Watters to find the King's Sword. To help him on his heavenly quest, Gabriel gives him a ring, a staff, and a horn. At the same time Gabriel and Ryann discussed the mission, dark winged fallen angel Ekron directs orphan Drake Dunfellow to stop his enemies from binding him; giving him weapons too. Ryann recruits his best friends Atlanta transplant Terrel Peterson and soccer superstar Liddy Thomas to join him on the quest.

The ring leads them to a hidden portal that takes them to Aeliana. After crossing over, in Aeliana, the three buddies meet Drake who tries to prevent them from getting the King’s Sword. Drake has allies too as the fight between evil and good on the spiritual plane occurs even with tweeners.

RYANN WATTERS AND THE KING'S SWORD is a super middle school quest fantasy that contains a strong cast especially the four Mt. Dora neighborhood recruits. The spiritual and mundane war hooks the reader from the moment they meet the prime four players (and learn the most intimate secrets of each of them). Young fans will enjoy trekking in Aeliana with the heroic trio who use biblical references of champions overcoming impossible odds to win the day while they battle to prevent Drake and his minion from turning the land into perpetual darkness. Harriet Klausner

Shadowfae
Erica Hayes
St. Martin's, Oct 2009, $18.99
ISBN: 9780312578008

In Melbourne, vampire mobs control whole neighborhoods and fight one another over disputed territory, which makes much of the Australian city unsafe for humans and other paranormal beings though some people and others enjoy being part of the mob. Succubae and incubi seem to be everywhere in the city offering sexual pleasures to mortals in exchange for their souls or in the case of immortals their essence; many partake of the “Rapture”. Meanwhile everyone avoids fairies who are dying in epidemic numbers from some sort of unknown disease that no one else contracts.

Demon Lord Kane owns succubus Jade and incubus Rajahni Seth under an agreement that is for a millennium. Both want to be free of their assignation, but each is bound unless they can offer up the right soul needed for a separation freedom spell. Jade and Raj need the same spell, but as they fall in love, each wants to let the other have the essence to escape their indentured servitude.

This is an intriguing Australian erotic urban fantasy in which vampire gangs, other immoral immortals acting like teens, and Rapture sexual encounters seem genuine. The story line comes across as an intriguingly dark paranormal version of The Gift of the Magi due to the change from teen like behavior to a adult relationship of the lead couple. This reviewer never fully understood the celestial laws guiding the taking of souls nor the contract laws guiding indentured demon servitude (especially the consideration on the part of the heroes), but readers will thoroughly enjoy this entertaining tale of forbidden love. Erica Hayes has a great future ahead of her as a bestselling author. Harriet Klausner

Hunting Memories
Barb Hendee
Roc, Oct 2009, $15.00
ISBN: 9780451462916

Just a few centuries ago, the vampires had rules that let them go undetected by humans and the most important one was to drink mortal blood without killing the source. The blood diner would use hypnotic telepathy to erase all memories of the encounter. The second rule is that a vampire could not create more than one vampire per century. When the powerful Angelo created three sons in one century; two of whom were flawed. One of the offspring Julian Ashton had no psychic powers and his blood meals brought attention to himself that led to vampires wanting him euthanized. Instead he killed the psychic vampiric rivals; which violated vampire rules.

Julian created Eleisha Clevon, but her psychic skills manifested on their own thanks to the mortal telepath Wade. She fought her sire and won forcing Julian to flee to his Cliffbracken in Wales with his tail between his legs. Eleisha and another vampire Rose de Spenser exchange letters about forming an underground vampire movement for vamps hiding from Julian. He learns of their plot and comes to the United Sates to stop Robert, an elder who knows the rules, unlike the made vampires of today from making contact with his enemies. He intends to kill Robert and anyone else in his way; however his opponents are gaining in strength, resolution, and conviction as they plant to take him down.

This sequel to BLOOD VAMPIRES is an enjoyable and creative (not just of new vampires) cocktail cleverly blending urban fantasy mixed with strong horror elements. Eleisha is teaching Phillip how to drink blood without killing the prey; he, the son of Angelo would do anything to keep her safe because she gave him a reason to live. HUNTING MEMORIES is a thriller of a vampire tale as Julian is coming to take care of his enemies. Harriet Klausner