Those Who Hunt the Night

Those Who Hunt the Night
Barbara Hambly
Open Road Media
March 2011
eBook



Those Who Hunt the Night was another great find at netgalley.com and comes from Open Road Media. It is the beginning book in the James Asher Series by Barbara Hambly. James Asher is an Oxford Don who is also a veteran of the "Great Game" of British espionage. After retiring, disgusted by the actions he has been expected to take in service to Queen and Country, he has married Lydia, a young woman he has loved for years and settled down to a peaceful life in Oxford, or so he thinks. Upon returning home one evening he finds his household staff and Lydia deep in unnatural sleep, and a vampire waiting in his study. Don Simon, an ancient Spanish vampire wants James to find out who is killing the vampires of London, and the life of both James and Lydia hang in the balance.

No sparkling, sexy vampires here! Most of the London vampires are evil creatures, steeped in blood and death. Don Simon is more enigmatic, appearing to retain at least a sense of honor. But, even if James and Lydia succeed-will he let them live with their knowledge of the reality of vampires?

Set in the first decade of the 20th century, this is a very atmospheric and thrilling vampire tale. Also, I find it refreshing to get back to the more traditional idea of vampires, beings who have lived so long, they are not even remotely human. There is also a sense that the life of a vampire is no bargain, truly more of an endless existence than anything to be sought out.

Those Who Hunt the Night is a tightly plotted and often frightening story with characters that are well-rounded, characters that I came to care about. I enjoyed it greatly-so much that I plan to start Book 2 (Traveling With the Dead) right away despite my ginormous TBR pile.

Check out this video from Open Road about and with Barbara Hambly.

http://www.openroadmedia.com/authors/barbara-hambly.aspx


Rating- 4 bats

"A good book should leave you . . . slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it." ~ William Styron

   IRON HOUSE  
  John Hart     
  Thomas Dunne Books
  July 2011
                                                                                                       
 
 "A good book should leave you . . . slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it." ~ William Styron

I ran across this quotation from William Styron while in the process of reading Iron House and thought that it was particularly apt—I was more than slightly exhausted after reading this really fine thriller. I have been an admirer of John Hart’s work since The King of Liars. Iron House is several steps beyond that first novel in complexity and scope.

Michael is a professional killer whose allegiance since his teenage years has been to the only father figure he has ever known, Otto Kaitlin, racketeer and killer. Michael has met a woman that he loves and gets permission from the dying Otto to get out of the “life”. However, he knows that after Otto dies there are others in the organization that are not so willing to let him go. On the surface, Iron House is about what Michael has to do to make good his escape, but there is much more going on here; family, old sins coming to haunt the present and the possibility of redemption and change.

My thought at the outset was that Hart would have “a hard row to hoe” to convince me to like and root for a professional killer. However, he had me by Chapter Six. The early events of his life, and that of his brother, Julian, in the orphanage named Iron House are important pieces of the puzzle. Julian was adopted by the wife of a senator, and Michael fell into the hands of Otto Kaitlin, but Julian is by far the more wounded brother. There is literally nothing that Michael will not do to save those he loves from his enemies.

Iron House is meticulously plotted, proceeding at a breathtaking pace. The characters are well fleshed out and believable, from the wounded Julian to the wife of the sleazy senator to one of the scariest psychopaths I’ve ever encountered in a book. It is also extraordinarily violent but never falls into a “violence for violence’s sake” trap. Why only 4 ½ stars? The only element I found missing was a sense of place. The bulk of the action takes place in North Carolina, but the events could have taken place anywhere in America where poverty, ignorance and violence meet. As a native North Carolinian, I have always enjoyed that sense of place in Hart’s first three books. However, I doubt that my one small caveat will detract from any one else’s enjoyment of Iron House.

Rating-4 1/2 stars

Hounded: The Iron Druid Chronicles
Kevin Hearne
Del Ray
2011


Product Description-Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

I really loved this first book of a back-to-back trilogy-it was more fun than I've had for a long time! Atticus is a great character, one who has seen it all in his twenty-one centuries of life, yet manages to keep himself young in body through his magic, and young in mind through total immersion in pop culture. He is the last of the Druids and plans to keep on living despite being on the hit list of several fae baddies, primarily Aenghus Og, the Celtic God of Love. The book opens with an ambush by fae hit men and the action never stops. Along the way we meet the Morrigan, Bridget and many others in the Celtic pantheon.

While Atticus is a strong character, the supporting cast is as well drawn and fascinating as he is. Especially his Irish Wolf Hound, Oberon, with whom he has a speaking mind bond. The exhanges between hound and master are not only humorous, but endearing. Any dog lover would enjoy the relationship, and wish for a bond like it. Full of laughs and action, this is a feast for the urban fantasy lover, despite what I saw as a couple of small holes in the plot. The best part is that the next two books are coming soon!


Rating-4 1/2 Druid Staffs

Absolutely Delicious!

Frederica
BBC Audiobooks WW
Georgette Heyer, narrated by Clifford Norgate
2006
Unabridged








Product Description-Rich and handsome, the hope of ambitious mothers and despair of his sisters, the Marquis of Alverstoke sees no reason to put himself out for anyone. But when a distant connection applies to him for help, he finds himself far from bored.


I have been feeding my other addiction lately, audio books, with the works of Georgette Heyer, a tremendously prolific British writer most active in the 1930s and 40s. I had read some of her mysteries years ago and found them interesting period pieces and not much more. As I was in my book snob phase at the time I turned my nose up at the label "regency romance" and never read any of her other work. Was I ever wrong! One day I was checking on Audible and noticed that her titles had glowing reviews for both the stories and the narrators. Her books are better described as comedies of manners reminiscent of Jane Austen, full of wit and charm and yes, romance. I have listened to several, but Frederica is my favorite. 


The Marquis of Alverstoke, rich and easily bored, is not known for his benevolence. When he is approached by a distant relation, Frederica, and asked to sponsor her beautiful sister, Caris, in a London season, he decides to comply. This is no kindly impulse on his part-he simply wants to annoy his sisters who also have daughters to launch into the matrimonial pool. He finds Caris to be a beautiful "ninnyhammer" but to his own surprise becomes more and more involved with Frederica and her brothers, Jessamy and Felix. Having never had a happy family life, he is enchanted by the family and Frederica in particular, the one woman who never bores him.


Frederica is full of humor with many laugh out loud moments and a wonderful "happy ever after" ending. The evolution of the Marquis from a cold, selfish man to a loving one is a pleasure not to be missed, ably narrated by Clifford Norgate.


Rating- 5 Well-tied Cravats

The Return of Lady Julia and Brisbane

The Dark Enquiry                    

Lady Julia Grey Mystery

Mira Books

June 2011


Product Description- Partners now in marriage and in trade, Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane have finally returned from abroad to set up housekeeping in London. But merging their respective collections of gadgets, pets and servants leaves little room for the harried newlyweds themselves, let alone Brisbane's private enquiry business. Among the more unlikely clients: Julia's very proper brother, Lord Bellmont, who swears Brisbane to secrecy about his case. Not about to be left out of anything concerning her beloved—if eccentric—family, spirited Julia soon picks up the trail of the investigation. It leads to the exclusive Ghost Club, where the alluring Madame Séraphine holds evening séances…and not a few powerful gentlemen in thrall. From this eerie enclave unfolds a lurid tangle of dark deeds, whose tendrils crush reputations and throttle trust. Shocked to find their investigation spun into salacious newspaper headlines, bristling at the tension it causes between them, the Brisbanes find they must unite or fall. For Bellmont's they'll face myriad dangers born of dark secrets, the kind men kill to keep….


I was delighted to get the galley for The Dark Enquiry and meet Deanna Raybourn at the same time as I have been a fan of the series since the first book, Silent in the Grave. Silent in the Grave has one of the best "grabber" openings ever---"To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor". If that doesn't catch your attention, nothing will! One of the thing I enjoy most about the series is the way Ms. Raybourn plays with classic forms in her books, from whodunit to country house murder to gothic thriller.


The Dark Enquiry carries on the quality seen in the previous four books with a solid mystery and a good foundation for a long running series-I hope! The enigmatic half gypsy, half Scots Brisbane is becoming less inscrutable and more willing to show his feelings. Julia is becoming his investigative partner in truth, yet coming to understand why Brisbane is often overbearingly protective of her. So often a series with a romantic partnership comes to a halt after marriage, but I think Ms. Raybourn has jumped that hurdle. Both Julia and Brisbane are so complex that I can foresee enough complications to keep me interested.


Some, but not all of Julia's huge and eccentric family make an appearance and "The Mad Marches" are as entertaining and exasperating as ever. However, I do miss Monk, Brisbane's former mentor and majordomo. Hopefully, we will see more of him in the future.


By the way, if you are an audio book fan, the audible download editions are excellent and highly recommended.


Rating- 5 Gypsy Violins

And Now for Something Completely Different

I was really delighted to receive this ARC from St. Martins, as paranormal romance/fantasy is just about my favorite brain candy. What a fresh and unexpected spin on the genre First Grave on the Right is, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Charley Davidson is a P.I. in New Mexico and also THE Grim Reaper-not one with cape and scythe, but a grim reaper who shines brightly and is tasked with persuading the recently dead to cross over into the next world. In the course of her work she is occasionally called on to solve the murder of those recently killed. The book begins with the murders of three law partners who call on Charlie to solve their deaths before crossing over. In the course of her investigation she runs into some extremely nasty corporeal beings and encounters with the Big Bad (a hooded entity who has has saved her life several times)who just may be the man of her dreams.

Charley is a wonderful character, full of heart and humor. She is surrounded by a supporting cast of friends and family, most of whom I'd like to meet again in future books. Cookie, her assistant, is just about the best friend anyone could wish for. Then there is Reyes, the mystery man she has meet before in the flesh and thinks is now visiting her in her dreams.

The only reason I hesitated to give First Grave on the Right a full five stars was that I found the "world building" in the first part of the novel a little slow paced for my tastes. I will give it 4 1/2 stars though and say I'd thoroughly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a fast paced, paranormal read.

Rating- 4 1/2 scythes

Historical Fiction at Its' Best--With a Touch of Romance

The Winter Sea

Susanna Kearsley

Sourcebooks

2010

Product Description: In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown.Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth-the ultimate betrayal-that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her...

Susanna Kearsley is most often described as the logical heir to Daphne DuMaurier, Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt. As a young adult I discovered the books of all three of those great ladies and was immediately launched into many, many hours of happy reading. To a small-town North Carolina girl, they epitomized romance and intrigue in far-away times and places. They also made me into a life-long anglophile. 

I was completely enthralled by The Winter Sea from the very first page. Kearsley has successfully woven two stories, one from the past and one in the present, no small task for a writer. I was very familiar with the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, but not that of 1708. Kearsley obviously does her research, with historical figures appearing throughout, but her story is built around ordinary people caught up in great events. The story of Sophia touches the heart and will stay with you for a long time. I am not ashamed to say that I wept with both sorrow and joy in the course of this magical novel. I also acquired a burning desire to see the real Slains Castle!

Rating-5 Hearts