Kevin Hearne Book Order

Iron Druid Chronicles

* "Clan Rathskeller" - free short story in back of Hounded (also available here)
* "Kaibab Unbound" - free short story in back of Hounded
1. Hounded
2. Hexed
3. Hammered
* "A Test of Mettle" (available here)
4. Tricked
5. Trapped
6. Hunted
7. Shattered (2014)




Please note: This page was written by me, so as always, please visit the author’s website for up-to-date, author-verified information as well as for information on books that have not yet been included to this list.

http://www.kevinhearne.com/

Jennifer Estep Book Order

Elemental Assassin Series

* "Poison" - free short story available here
* "Web of Deceit" - free short story available here
* "Spider's Bargain" - free short story available here

1. Spider's Bite

* "Web of Death" - free short story available here

2. Web of Lies

* "Wasted" - free short story available here

3. Venom

* "Tangled Dreams" - free short story available here
* "Tangled Schemes" - free short story available here

4. Tangled Threads

* "Spider's Nemesis" - free short story available here
* "Haints and Hobwebs" in The Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance (7 June 2012)

5. Spider's Revenge

6. By a Thread

7. Widow's Web

8. Deadly Sting

* "Parlor Tricks" in Carniepunk

8.5. "Kiss of Venom" - ebook short
Owen's POV

9. Heart of Venom

10. The Spider (24 December 2014)
Back to The Spider's earliest becoming


Mythos Academy (YA) Series

* First Frost (ebook only short)
1. Touch of Frost
* "Halloween Frost" in Entangled anthology (ebook only short)
2. Kiss of Frost
3. Dark Frost
4. Crimson Frost
* "Spartan Frost" - ebook short
5. Midnight Frost
6. Killer Frost (25 February 2014)




Please note: This page was written by me, so as always, please visit the author’s website for up-to-date, author-verified information as well as for information on books that have not yet been included to this list.

http://www.jenniferestep.com/

Review: Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh

Title: Archangel’s Blade
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter, Book 4
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: September 6, 2011

The severed head marked by a distinctive tattoo on its cheek should have been a Guild case, but dark instincts honed over hundreds of years of life compel the vampire Dmitri to take control. There is something twisted about this death, something that whispers of centuries long past…but Dmitri’s need to discover the truth is nothing to the vicious strength of his response to the hunter assigned to decipher the tattoo.

Savaged in a brutal attack that almost killed her, Honor is nowhere near ready to come face to face with the seductive vampire who is an archangel’s right hand, and who wears his cruelty as boldly as his lethal sensuality…the same vampire who has been her secret obsession since the day she was old enough to understand the inexplicable, violent emotions he aroused in her.

As desire turns into a dangerous compulsion that might destroy them both, it becomes clear the past will not stay buried. Something is hunting…and it will not stop until it brings a blood-soaked nightmare to life once more…

In Archangel's Blade the past comes back to haunt, from the ancient to the near present. Dmitri's memories come back to the fore when someone seems intent on paying homage to his very bloody beginnings. A taunt thrown directly at him, as Raphael is still out of the country when the book starts, Dmitri will use everything he can to put an end – once and for all – to this viciousness.

For Honor St. Nicholas, a hunter for the Guild, the history is much more recent. After living less than a half-life, recovering from a brutal torture that lasted two months, she must learn to live again, and find those who hurt her. When she's contracted to help decipher a strange tattoo she finds Dmitri may just be the best one to help her…and the most dangerous to her.

Welcome back to the world we've come to know and love with Elena and Raphael. The story flows naturally, each scene building on the last until I was holding my breath wanting more. While we get more of the vampires, and the depths of violence they can descend to, this is absolutely a character driven story.

I've been absolutely fascinated with Dmitri from the start. Cruel, capricious, and lethal while still containing that honor, loyalty, and protectiveness. By the time I was just a quarter of the way into Archangel's Blade I was in love with him. He's everything I just said, but it goes so much deeper. Demanding and possessive, protective and patient, gentle – yes, gentle – and unrelenting. He is exactly who he is, not without regrets and pain, but he doesn't ever make excuses for himself either. I love that Ms. Singh doesn't try to make him softer and easier to accept. He has a razor sharpness about him that isn't dulled.

What can I say about Honor to do her justice? Not only is she one of my favorite heroines now, but I would love to know her. She's strong, not just physically because I think most hunters would be, but emotionally, psychologically. She came back from one of the most horrific experiences, and she managed to retain the core of compassion, care and niceness. Then there's the part of her that just won't give up. Plus, she does vengeance really, really well.

It was absolutely a joy to watch the two incredibly strong characters come together and find love.

I loved learning more about Dmitri's past, and seeing Honor come back out of her shell after her torture. We did see a bit of Raphael and Elena, but they didn't take over the story by any means. Another fantastic thing was seeing the interactions between Dmitri and Illium. Having always loved Bluebell, it was great to see him from another perspective.

Ms. Singh takes you deep into the darkest reaches of the vampires in this latest installment of the Guild Hunter series, pulling Dmitri and Honor out into the light. Archangel's Blade is a story that resonated deeply within me, making my heart ache and then soar. All my expectations were absolutely blown away and I can't wait to read the next book in this fantastic series.



Grade: A+

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | kobo | Sony | Book Depository | Berkley

Waiting on Wednesday: Cross Bones anthology

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which
spotlights eagerly anticipated upcoming releases!

This WoW is an anthology of male/male pirate stories, including my favorite
male/male author - Riley Shane!! Who doesn't love a good pirate story, and
there are a lot of them in this anthology!

Title: Cross Bones

Authors: Rebecca Cohen, Jana Denardo, E.S. Douglas, K.R. Foster, Cornelia
Grey, Ellen Holiday, K.J. Johnson, Juan Kenobi, Maggie Lee, Emily Moreton,
MJ O'Shea, Riley Shane, B. Snow, Piper Vaughn, and Cooper West

Series:

Genre: Male/Male Romance

Release Date: August 15, 2011

Book Description (from Dreamspinner Press' website):

Ahoy, me proud beauty, shiver me timbers! I ask ye to sail me
jollyboat on the high seas, lubber, but will ye dare to accept? On offer be
a pirate's life full of danger and risk, and not just to yer neck, but to
yer very virgin heart! There's man a bodice to be ripped - or perhaps I
should say many a codpiece to be snapped - and should ye be graced enough to
cross bones with a corsair, don't be an addlepate! Heave ho, lad,
hondsomely, and show him how ye bury yer treasure!

Pirates didn't only sail the high seas in historical times. Modern day
renegades and futuristic rebels are just as ripe for asdventure and plunder.
No matter the time, place, or circumstances, bad boys steal affection as
often as they salvage treasure, and in these stories of romance, a rogue's
black heart always conceals a center of gold.

Review: Unlikely Protector by Nicole Sheldon

Title: Unlikely Protector
Author: Nicole Sheldon
Series:
Genre: Post Apocalyptic Romance
Release Date: July 15, 2011


The Mayan Calendar was right. The world ended, as we knew it, on December 21, 2012. That was the night the Supers - supernatural creatures - came out to play. Everything from dragons to dark wings (ravens that turn into men) to zombies and a whole lot more. As Moira says, the only hope was that you were eaten alive by a quick eater.

In this world, with death around every corner, surviving is the first and last thing on everyone's mind. Moira managed to stay alive for days in the urban wilderness of the world before Luke saved her from the closet she'd finally had to hide in and took her to a safe refuge.

When things start to go crazy again a few months later, Moira and Luke are thrust back together - with some intersting feelings and desires to mix it up. Can they survive long enough to find out what they have together?

Moira is a great character - smart, strong, and just a touch of vulnerability. She clings to life, almost stubbornly, even when fear is riding her hard.

Luke is silent, brooding, and stubborn. He can't survive if he cares about anyone else in this world, so he tells himself he doesn't care. But he shows so much more than that. He won't leave people behind, won't give up, and protects at all costs to himself. When Moira pushes past the barriers he's erected between them and shows him what is possible. Oh boy, do the sparks fly.

This is a fantastic story, set in a desolate, post-apocalyptic world that still manages to show the hope that can always flourish. Wonderful characters, that are layered and, quite frankly, people I'd like to know, take us through this world. They made me care, and made me want to know more.

If you're looking for a fantasticly built world, and a strong romance, you can't go wrong with Unlikely Protector. Quite simply it was a joy to read, and I eagerly turned the pages looking for more. I highly recommend it and will definitely be looking for more from this Ms. Sheldon.

Grade: A+

Book Link | Kindle | nook

Waiting on Wednesday: Unlikely Protector

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which
spotlights eagerly anticipated upcoming releases!

This WoW is by a debut author, Nicole Sheldon, and I'm really excited for
it's release on this Friday!

Title: Unlikely Protector
Author: Nicole Sheldon
Series:
Genre: Post Apocalyptic Romance
Release Date: July 15, 2011


Book Description (from author's blog):

What would you bring to the plate if the world ended? Moira is finding that her knowledge of wine and club clothing isn't much help in the end of times, but her ability to problem solve has landed her a job at the camp she and a few other survivors live in. But she can't seem to solve the problem of her ever constantly growing sexual tension for the man who saved her life and brought her there.

When their safety is threatened and the camp has to move, will Moira find new safety and solve her biggest issue in the process?

Review: Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

Title: Dragon Bound
Author: Thea Harrison
Series: Elder Races, Book 1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: May 3, 2011

Half-human and half-wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful-and passionate-of the Elder races.

When I first saw this book, and read that it was going to be about dragons - one of my favorite things to read about - I was excited and anxious to get my hands on it. Then the awesome reviews started...just one or two here or there.

Then the flood came. Review after glowing review saying this was the best thing since the literary version of sliced bread. Me, being well me, I became skeptical. I just couldn't believe that something that had NO (at the time) critical reviews pointing out anything that was wrong could possibly be true. I tend to avoid trends, fads, and anything that gets glowing praise unless it's from a good friend that knows my tastes. It wasn't until several people, whose opinions I usually agree with, gave it fantastic reviews that I decided to give it a shot.

It started off fairly good, and I was excited again. Pia, a good girl caught in a bad situation, is running for her life. She made the mistake of trusting an ex-boyfriend and everything is now spiraling out of control. Dragos, alive since the forming of the universe apparently, has a ton of power, money, influence...and is bored out of his mind. That is, until someone breaks into his very guarded horde and steals something from him.

After that it started to go downhill. I think the biggest problem for me was the characters. Pia and Dragos just never completely settled into character. Pia switched from being submissive, scared, unsure of her place to yelling out orders, smoothing things over, and generally becoming a 'queen.'

For example - she's just been brought to Dragos' penthouse. She's not sure of her place there, is she a prisoner or a guest. She's naked in bed with Dragos, conflicted about how she feels in his arms. The "breakfast fairie" (no I'm not making that up) busts into the room to deliver their morning meal, sees them in bed (why isn't the bed in a separate room?) and Dragos FLIPS out about Pia being seen in bed in a less than ideal state. He's growling at the fairie who is stammering out apologies. Pia just takes over. Calms Dragos, apologizes for him to the faerie and asks her to knock before coming in next time. Her FIRST morning there.

Dragos went from very wooden thoughts, actions and dialogue - to slang, street-talk, and things I'd equate a teenager saying. In addition he was a bit too possessive, demanding and protective. Almost the entire 2nd half of the book takes place in Dragos' Cuelebre Tower....and the one time Pia decides to leave it, well of course she gets kidnapped.

The mystery of what type of Wyr Pia was intrigued me for a little bit, until I realized that the first thing I guessed was the truth. Dragos apparently didn't know until she'd changed though. That doesn't do a lot to convince me of his superior intellect.

Then there's the whole problem with the evil Dark Fae King. He's supposed to be smart, ahead of the game, and calculating - apparently evading Dragos for a very long time. Yet Pia manages to fool him, outright lie to him, escape from him (in a very unbelievable scenario) and get almost all the way home before he catches up.

Lastly I'm going to address the dragons (and gryphons, thunderbirds, and harpies) that make up most of the shifters we've met to this point. There's nothing especially special about them. They're like every other shifter I've read - that's not a bad thing necessarily, but it doesn't make them special either.

In the end, I think part of my grade is because of the insanely high expectations that all the glowing reviews set for me. If I had gone into this book with normal new-to-me-author expectations I may have thought it a good book. As it was, it felt fairly average with little to make it stand out from the crowd.

Though I probably will check out the sequel because Tricks was the one character that I thought was supremely interesting.


Grade: C-


Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | kobo | Borders eBook | Sony | Book Depository | Berkley

Review: Solstice by P.J. Hoover

Title: Solsitce
Author: P.J. Hoover
Series: Stand-Alone
Genre: Dystopia/Paranormal Young Adult
Release Date: May 4, 2011

Where Mythology and Dystopia meet...

Piper's world is dying. Global warming kills every living thing on Earth, and each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles which threaten to destroy humanity. Amid this Global Heating Crisis, Piper lives with her mother who suffocates her more than the chaotic climate. When her mother is called away to meet the father Piper has been running from her entire life, Piper seizes an opportunity for freedom.

But when Piper discovers a world of mythology she never knew existed, she realizes her world is not the only one in crisis. While Gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper's life spirals into turmoil, and she struggles to find answers to secrets kept from her since birth. And though she's drawn to her classmate Shayne, he may be more than he claims. Piper has to choose whom she can trust and how she can save the people she loves even if it means the end of everything she's ever known.

Solstice has a pretty interesting setup. The world is basically on fire. They've had to learn to live with 113 degree Fahrenheit days, barely getting relief at all at night. This is where we're introduced to Piper. A young woman, seventeen, still in high-school, Piper is raised alone by her mother - never knowing her father.

When she meets two young men at school, who make her feel things she's never experienced before, things really start to change. Shayne shows up in one of her classes - saying he'd been there all year - and Piper feels an instant connection. She meets Reese through a mutual friend, and is irresistibly drawn to him, even losing a bit of her better common-sense when he's around.

I don't want to give away too much, because the story is pretty intricately tied to the mystery of who everyone is. Though this is set up as a dystopian/mythological story, and I can definitely appreciate the skill with which P.J. Hoover combined them, it's much more a mythology or paranormal story.

The beginning is firmly entrenched in the dystopian aspect of the world though - a world dying from global warming, and that's really the impetus that drives it. It's fascinating seeing what humans in Hoover's world have come up with to combat and survive the heat. I wanted to know more, dig deeper, understand better.

It does begin to get bogged down a little bit, losing some of the interest when we're put more through the paces of introducing the mythological aspect. And without saying anything to spoil what it is essentially a retelling of, I will say that if you have even a rudimentary knowledge of classic myths you'll recognize these characters fairly early on. What kept me reading from that point was to see if there were going to be any unexpected twists thrown in. There weren't.

Solstice is an interesting story that sometimes gets lost in the details. I would recommend it for younger readers (middle-school and up) as I do think it's a fun way to retell this particular myth (which has always been one of my favorites). I look forward to reading more of Ms. Hoover's work in the future.


Grade: C

Book Link | Kindle | nook

Review: The Starlight Rite by Cherise Sinclair

Title: The Starlight Rite
Author: Cherise Sinclair
Series: Stand Alonen
Genre: Science Fiction Erotic Romance
Release Date: August 3, 2010

Blurb from Goodreads:

Her voice is known throughout the galaxy; her face is completely unknown.

Fleeing her monstrous husband back on puritanical Earth and the police assassins he's hired, singer Mella Archer becomes stranded on the frontier planet of Nexus. Desperate to survive, she picks the wrong target--Dain, the head of planetary security.

Dain is amused by the attempted theft, and when Mella is sentenced to serve time indentured as a bedroom slave, he buys her contract. As he introduces the repressed Earther to the pleasures of sex with a dominating warrior, he slowly comes to realize that the little thief has stolen his heart.

When the monster arrives on Nexus and has lunch with Dain, Mella is panic-stricken. Her owner must be part of the conspiracy to kill her, and it will only be a matter of time before the monster discovers that she's still alive. She attempts to escape. She fails. Embittered by her lies and mistrust, Dain returns her to Indenture Hall to be sold again.

Now the monster has found her. And she has nowhere left to run..

I’m not generally a fan of science-fiction romance. I’m not sure why, I’ve just never really been able to get into it. You wouldn’t think it’d be so far off of my fantasy romance, or paranormal romance – both of which I love, but it just is for me. However, because I love Cherise Sinclair, I dug right into The Starlight Rite

Dain and Mella are both great characters, interesting, three-dimensional, and I came to care about them. The world is well-thought out and it was enough to intrigue me into wanting more.

Unfortunately, there was one aspect of this story that just didn’t work for me. And even more unfortunately it was a major aspect of the story. The plot.

This is most definitely a ‘capture’ fantasy type of book. And I’m not saying anything that isn’t in the blurb, so I knew it going in. It just didn’t work for me. The lack of choice is a fairly big deal, and it comes up over and over again throughout the book. There's one scene in particular that almost broke it for me. Even though we get from her POV that she enjoys what's happening, she still thinks about her lack of choice in the matter.

While The Starlight Rite didn’t work for me, I am sure there are many others that it will work for. Ms. Sinclair’s writing is as good as it always is and the subject matter isn’t handled badly, this is just one of my pet-peeve issues and I couldn’t get past it enough to truly enjoy the story.

Grade: C

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | Sony | Book Depository | Loose Id

Review: The Unfinished Song: Initiate by Tara Maya

Title: The Unfinished Song: Initiate
Author: Tara Maya
Series: Unfinished Song, Book 1
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: December 22, 2010

DEADLY INITIATION

A DETERMINED GIRL...
Dindi can't do anything right, maybe because she spends more time dancing with pixies than doing her chores. Her clan hopes to marry her off and settle her down, but she dreams of becoming a Tavaedi, one of the powerful warrior-dancers whose secret magics are revealed only to those who pass a mysterious Test during the Initiation ceremony. The problem? No-one in Dindi's clan has ever passed the Test. Her grandmother died trying. But Dindi has a plan.


AN EXILED WARRIOR...
Kavio is the most powerful warrior-dancer in Faearth, but when he is exiled from the tribehold for a crime he didn't commit, he decides to shed his old life. If roving cannibals and hexers don't kill him first, this is his chance to escape the shadow of his father's wars and his mother's curse. But when he rescues a young Initiate girl, he finds himself drawn into as deadly a plot as any he left behind. He must decide whether to walk away or fight for her... assuming she would even accept the help of an exile

When I was first offered this book to review, I thought it sounded absolutely fascinating – not quite like anything I’d ever read before. I was definitely right.

The book starts out rather slow. There’s a lot of description of the place, the people, the setting. It was a little hard to get into at first, because I was having trouble following the story among all the descriptions.

But it wasn’t too far into it that the story really picked up. When Dindi is taken for her Initiation, and Kavio is kicked out of his tribe, everything starts to get interesting.

I could not put my Kindle down. The story flows beautifully, and naturally, from this point forward, and I was up late into the night finishing it.

Dindi is an great character. She dances in secret, she’s not supposed to before becoming a Tavaedi, with the fae and wants nothing more than to be able to continue to dance. She’s not entirely sure of herself, but she’s sweet and kind.

Kavio is something else entirely. He’s strong – physically, mentally and emotionally. He willingly takes his punishment as exile, when all he was doing was trying to save his tribe. He fights off those that would do more harm, saves young girls from drowning, and doesn’t expect anyone to give him any trust or belief. He sets out to make his own way – refusing to let that way be less than what he was, he strives for better.

I really loved both main characters, as well as being incredibly interested in a few of the secondary characters we got to know (Gwenika comes to mind immediately). The Corn Maiden – I sure hope we're going to learn more about her!!

The real prize here though, is the world. It’s an intricate, beautiful, harsh world. Ancient, ancient times – think Neolithic – with tribes that remind me of the Native American or African tribes of old. Magic and fae still populate the world, and if you have magic you are admitted to an entirely different class of the tribe. The customs and interactions between the tribes were fascinating. I could see the influence of a few different ethnicities and histories, and they were seamlessly woven together into a brand new whole.  Honestly, it delighted me.

Tara Maya has given us a beautiful new fantasy world. The Unfinished Song: Initiate will pull you in, immerse you in the people and stark beauty of Faearth, and leave you wanting more when you’re done. I know I definitely can’t wait to start The Unfinished Song: Taboo to see what’s next for Dindi, Kavio and the rest.

Grade: B

P.S. There is a cliffhanger at the end, but the second book The Unfinished Song: Taboo is already out and it looks like the final book in the series should be out next month!

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook