What I Read This Past Week

Yesterday there was a pitch session for Lyrical Press on a blog I follow, so I jumped in and pitched MY SUNNY VAMPIRE. The editor requested a partial and synopsis. Yay! I hope I sent her enough for her to yell "Send me more!" I can dream, right? Anyway, this is what I read in the past week:

Jan 31: "Love Me to Death" by Allison Brennan. This book is labeled "A Novel of Suspense" so I wondered if there was going to be any romance, because – hello! – she writes romance. Well, I shouldn't have worried. It does. Blurb on back: Six years ago, Lucy Kincaid was attacked and nearly killed by an online predator. She survived. Her attacker did not. Now Lucy's goal is to join the FBI and fight cyber-crime, but in the meantime, she's volunteering with a victim's rights group, surfing the Web undercover to lure sex offenders into the hands of the law. But when the predators she hunts start turning up as murder victims, the FBI takes a whole new interest in Lucy. With her future and possibly even her freedom suddenly in jeopardy, Lucy discovers she's a pawn in someone's twisted plot to mete out vigilante justice. She joins forces with security expert and daredevil Sean Rogan, and together they track their elusive quarry from anonymous online chat rooms on the mean streets of Washington, D.C. But someone else is shadowing them: A merciless stalker has his savage eye on Lucy. The only way for her to escape his brutality may be another fight to the death. I really loved this book. It has just the kind of romance I like, too. I got lucky and had a huge block of time to read it (waiting for my husband to finish teaching his class so we could take that adventurous trip to KY), so it only took me two days. Even without that time, I probably would have finished it quick. I just didn't want to put it down. I look forward to reading more of Lucy and Sean and I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.

Feb 5: "Swamp Magic" by Bobbi Romans. This book is a paranormal romance (with lots of sex). Blurb: Deep in the muggy swamps where there is but one rule, kill or be killed, a new species has emerged – born not from nature but spawned from evil. Octavia wasn't stupid. Those unfortunate souls who have crossed paths with her didn't just become swamp creatures, they became the least deadly of them. She hadn't counted on the strong spirits of those she'd cursed. From those murky swamp depths, a hero emerged. The type from which legends are born. Moss, whose sensual iridescent tattoos are in fact thanks to his reptilian side, still struggles to come to terms with his fate and wants nothing more than to be left alone. Beth's life becomes upturned when she reluctantly agrees to accompany her idiotic brother on a hunt for the Bog Man. When she becomes separated from the others she comes face to face with the legend himself…only no one ever mentioned how damn sexy he was. The swamp's dark history tests the duo on their survival skills as well as luring them deeper into the magic of the swamp. I wasn't happy stuff is left unresolved so the next book could be written, but that's my issue with some series, not particularly this book. I would have liked to connect with the characters more, though. I gave this three stars on Goodreads.

Feb 5: "Love is Murder" by Allison Brennan. This is labeled a "Novella of Suspense," but it's more like a murder mystery (and no romance at all, since it's before "Love Me To Death" (see above), so Lucy hadn't hooked up with Sean yet J). Blurb: After a tough breakup with her boyfriend, Lucy Kincaid needs a different kind of break. So she heads west to join her brother, an ex-cop, for a long weekend of skiing in the mountains. At a picturesque lodge tucked high in the Sierra Nevada, Lucy finds just what she’s looking for: a peaceful retreat undisturbed by Internet, television, and cell phone distractions. She also finds an unexpected group of newlyweds seeking their own idyllic getaway. But finding one of her fellow guests dead wasn’t in the brochure. And neither was the overnight snowstorm that leaves the lodge cut off from the outside world. When Lucy’s brother suspects the honeymooner’s death was foul play, he’s mysteriously stricken ill. Now, to keep him and herself alive, it’s up to aspiring FBI agent Lucy Kincaid to figure out which of the lovebirds trapped in the lodge is really a bird of prey. I really liked the story (although it was short – only 78 pages), and I got to know her brother Patrick, who is mentioned a lot in the first book but never seen. Allison Brennan actually gave me this novella when I had lunch with her at RWA 2011 (I won that chance), which was a real treat (maybe someone will feel that way about me someday!). I gave this 5 stars on Goodreads.

I'm ready to read the next book in the series and I've already ordered the third. I'll be sticking with the Lucy Kincaid books until there aren't any more to read.

Updated at 6:55pm: That editor asked for the full! I guess I did send her enough for her to ask for more. Can you see me doing the happy dance? 'Cause I am!!