HEXED: Iron Druid Chronicles Book 2 - Kevin Hearne

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn’t care much for witches. Still, he’s about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty—when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.

With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor’s rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked the wrong Druid to hex.

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So very glad that I have the Iron Druid series on my keeper shelf. Both because they are signed by the author and because they are so damn FAB!
I do find myself comparing Atticus and Oberon to Harry Dresden and Mouse, but only because there is plenty of exhaustingly excellent magical action in both series and I have a crush on both (Atticus and Harry, not Oberon and Mouse).
I read HEXED because it's October and I am in a witch kind of mood. Plenty of witchery here both the black and the grey-ish. Atticus did battle against one set in HOUNDED, but they are asking for his help against truly evil witches from Germany. He cautiously joins forces with the Polish batch to do battle against the German hexen.
There's action, sadness, thrills, magic, and Oberon the Irish Wolfhound who can talk to Atticus. Love love love Oberon.
Definitely need to read next in series, HAMMERED, very soon. Would that Atticus existed, I'd visit Tempe Arizona....at least I can visit while reading....

JUSTICE: Galillee Falls Book One - Jennifer Harlow

It's hard being a regular police officer in Galilee Falls, a city with the highest concentration of superheroes and villains in the country. It's even harder watching your best friend, the man you're secretly in love with your whole life, planning to marry another woman. Detective Joanna Fallon has to contend with both. When the vilest supervillain in the city's history, Alkaline, the former crime boss who can shoot acid from his wrists, escapes from the maximum security prison, the whole city is gripped by panic. Leading the pursuit is Captain Harry O'Hara, Joanna's boss and secret lover, and the city's champion superhero Justice, who caught the villain last time, much to Joanna's chagrin. Before her father was murdered in a mugging twenty years earlier, Joanna worshiped the hero, but when he disappeared and failed to save her father, that adoration turned to contempt for all supers. After Alkaline attacks too close to home and targets Joanna as his next victim, tough-as-nail Joanna has to contend with her increasing fear while struggling to choose between her life-long crush and her new-found love.

At turns vulnerable and fierce, equally mordant and winsome, Joanna is an earnest yet emotionally damaged heroine, who despite the tough breaks of her childhood sees the good in people and vow to protect her beloved city at all costs. An ass-kicking petite firecracker with no superpowers of her own, she charges after supervillains unflinchingly, never losing her wit even when facing her toughest fight. With a coy blend of whimsy and vivid imagination, she delivers both humor and thrills in an action-packed and edgy blend of comic book cool, fantasy-noir, and bitter-sweet romance.

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Jennifer Harlow had me with MIND OVER MONSTERS: A F.R.E.A.K.S. Investigation and has kept me with TO CATCH A VAMPIRE and a book in her Midnight Magic series, WHAT'S A WITCH TO DO....now I have another series of hers to love, Galilee Falls.
JUSTICE, book one in the series, is awesome. Joanna Fallon is a straight up, hard working detective in a city that has the highest concentration of supers..both heroes and villains. She has to be extra vigilant as she is normal, no extra powers, but it doesn't keep her from catching the bad guys and putting them super-villain prison.
There is plenty of action, secret love interest or two, gut-wrenching drama. I was in tears at one scene. I had one or two things figured out, but I can see how it would be missed by the characters in the book since it was right in front of them. And it's easy to miss that which we do not want to see.
Jennifer has made it easy to suspend belief that there is a world with superheroes and super-villains and the normal people who live with them.
I loved this book and can't wait for the next in the series. Hurry up Jennifer...

BLOOD AND BULLETS: Deacon Chalk Occult Bounty Hunter - James R Tuck

This would be such a superb movie! Can't go wrong with vampires, were-gorillas and were-spiders and a wicked ancient vampire in control and out for Deacon's blood.
Excellent fight scenes abound through-out. Would love to meet Deacon and his team. James R Tuck describes each character well, not just dwelling on Deacon even as he is the main character.
Deacon could come off as only a tortured soul bent on revenge on the deaths of his family by monsters. He's more than that, though the memories could be his undoing if he let it.
I love his taste in music (hard drivin' blues) and his car, the Comet. Easy for me to get my crush on......
Can't wait to read BLOOD AND SILVER, next in the series. Let me get my Deacon on....

DARK AND STORMY KNIGHTS - edited by P N Elrod

It was a dark and stormy knight, and nine dark defenders embarked upon a most perilous quest….

They’re the ultimate defenders of humanity—modern day knights who do dark deeds for all the right reasons. In this all-star collection, nine of today’s hottest paranormal authors bring us thrilling, all-new stories of supernatural knights that are brimming with magic mystery and mayhem.

John Marcone sets aside his plans to kill Harry Dresden to go head-to-head with a cantrev lord in Jim Butcher’s Even Hand. Kate Daniels is called upon for bodyguard duty to protect Saimen, a shifter she trusts less than the enemy in Ilona Andrews’ A Questionable Client. Cormac must stop a killer werewolf before it attacks again on the next full moon in Carrie Vaughn’s God’s Creatures. And in Vicki Pettersson’s Shifting Star, Skamar gets more than she bargained for when she goes after a creature kidnapping young girls—and enlists the aid of her frustratingly sexy neighbor.

When everything’s on the line, will these knights complete their missions and live to fight again another day? Find out in Dark and Stormy Knights!

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As with almost all anthologies I read (or partially read), there are shiny awesome novellas and there are the middling good, then the *whaaaat*. Some of this might have been due to the time of night and the night of the week I was reading each one. I will hold onto this one and try again as I know the auhors are all favorites of mine, so it must have been timing that had me thinking other than most favorable thoughts.

TO CATCH A VAMPIRE: A F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad Investigation - Jennifer Harlow

CLASSIFIED: F.R.E.A.K.S. Do Dallas

Beatrice Alexander, telekinetic special agent, is still adjusting to life among the F.R.E.A.K.S. while wiping out zombies and other supernatural threats. When Bea learns about her “special assignment” investigating a series of human disappearances with Oliver Montrose, her gorgeous but annoying vampire co-worker, she reluctantly agrees to go undercover. Disguised as a married couple, they infiltrate the gothic vamp scene in Dallas. While sniffing out clues, Oliver’s convincing public—and not so public—displays of affection have Bea swooning in her bustier and fishnets. Between contending with her fake husband’s ex-lover Marianna and feeling guilty for hiding the mission from her werewolf crush Will, Bea discovers she’s not the only F.R.E.A.K. keeping secrets. Clubbing with the undead turns bloody when Oliver’s old enemy, the Lord of Dallas, decides to seek his revenge. Caught in the crossfire, Bea is up to her neck in blood-sucking trouble.

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I wish Jennifer Harlow was one of those prolific writers or wrote faster or I'd found out about her after she had a bunch of books, especially in this series, so I could have a bunch of them on hand.
Maybe by not having so many out there, each one is that much better for it. I adore this series and there are only two, so far, in the F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad Investigation series.
First one, MIND OVER MONSTERS, was superb from the very first page. I loved meeting and getting to know Beatrice Alexander and watching her come to grips with her abilities and her new life with the Squad.
Now Bea has been fighting the good fight against supernatural beings for a few months. First book was zombies, this book is vampires in Texas. And she has to go undercover with Oliver, the vampire working with F.R.E.A.K.S. He has been after Bea since meeting and she has been spurning his advances. Oliver reminds me of Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer in his dangerous humor. He does seem to truly care for Bea, but Bea has her heart set on werewolf Will.
Absolutely fun to read, fabulously written and I want Jennifer Harlow to write more and a bit faster....pretty please? More Bea, Will, Oliver and the rest of the F.R.E.A.K.S.!!!

THE TAKEN: Celestial Blues Book One - Vicki Pettersson

Griffin Shaw used to be a PI, but that was back when gumshoes hoofed the streets . . . and he was still alive. Fifty years later, he's an angel, but that doesn't make him a saint. One small mistake has altered fate, and now he's been dumped back onto the mortal mudflat to collect another soul—Katherine "Kit" Craig, a journalist whose latest investigation is about to get her clipped.

Bucking heavenly orders, Grif refuses to let the sable-haired siren come to harm. Besides, protecting her offers a chance to solve the mystery of his own unsolved murder—and dole out some overdue payback for the death of his beloved wife, Evie.

Joining forces, Kit and Grif's search for answers leads beyond the blinding lights of the Strip into the dark heart of an evil conspiracy. But a ruthless killer determined to destroy them isn't Grif's biggest threat. His growing attraction to Kit could cost them both their lives, along with the answer to the haunting question of his long afterlife . . .

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I have been on a streak of finding superb books to dive into. THE TAKEN was definitely one of them. A nifty premise with the angel hierarchy as the backbone.
Griffin Shaw is an angel, one of the lower of the totem pole. He collects souls to bring them to the beyond, but he's been sent to Earth to make right a wrong. Someone is taken before her time.
Katherine 'Kit' Craig is the friend of the woman taken too soon. She's a journalist and needs answers. Along comes Griffin to help, much to both their dismay.
He's been an angel since the 50s and he's a bit confused in this world, or the mudflat as he calls it.
Kit is a 'billy' or rockabilly, dressing like she's in the 50s and generally embracing the lifestyle. To her and her friends it was a much more romantic time than now. Griff knows better.
He has an agenda besides helping Kit find out who murdered her friend. He needs to know who murdered him and his wife.
Awesome book and fab entry into what I know is going to be a superb series, just like Vicki's Zodiac series.

HOWLING AT THE MOON: Tales of an Urban Werewolf - Karen MacInerney

Romance is about to get a little hairy.

Sophie Garou seems to have it all: a great job at a prestigious accounting firm, a closet that rivals a Nordstrom showroom, and a terrific boyfriend who isn’t afraid to use the “M” word. There’s just one little itty-bitty problem: Sophie is a werewolf–and her time of month has a whole new meaning.

Needless to say, life among yummy flesh-and-blood humans is no piece of steak . . . er, cake!, but regular doses of wolfsbane tea and a mother who runs a magic shop have helped Sophie keep her paranormal pedigree under wraps. Still, when a sexy, golden-eyed werewolf prowls into town, Sophie finds herself struggling to keep her animal impulses in check–not to mention trying to keep things on track with her super hot (and super human) lawyer boyfriend. What’s more, someone is threatening to expose Sophie for what she really is. And when her mother is accused of selling a poison-laced potion, Sophie must sniff out a culprit before the fur hits the fan.

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Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! A super cool werewolf urban fantasy series! I already dig Karen MacInerney's Grey Whale Inn series (and I've only read the first in the series) and was hyped when I learned she also wrote a UF series.
Sophie Garou is a werewolf hiding in plain sight. She has a super job and a fab boyfriend. But no one knows she furs up from time to time except her mom who helps out with her daily wolfsbane tea infusions.
But someone knows her secret and is threatening to tell.
I had a great time reading this and look forward to reading the rest of the series as I get to them.

SPELL BOUND: Women of the Otherworld - Kelley Armstrong

Oh, how I love this series! Empowered women with powers working together as much as they can. Yes, there are men in the mix and they help too, but the series is Women of the Otherworld....

I've 'watched' Savannah grow up in this series and she's an adult now and growing more powerful in her abilities. Except now, something has happened to her powers and she has to rely on her mortal abilities as well as gettng a little help from her friends.

TRICK OF THE LIGHT: A Trickster Novel - Rob Thurman

Whole new way to look at UF for me. I thought I had it all figured out, but got blown away by the discoveries as I read. Highly excellent and with enjoyable to read characters and plenty of action to keep me happy. Takes place in Las Vegas, too, gotta love that.
Apocalypse pending unless the main character, Trixa, gets into action and finds the Light of Life, an artifact. She's used to doing things for herself, but now she has to step up and help the world.
Superb, superb, superb!

SANDMAN SLIM - Richard Kadrey

SUCH a fab series start!! I cannot wait to read more of this series and more of this author.
Highly graphic, violent, superbly addicting. James Stark (aka Sandman Slim) was sent to Hell, survived Hell, came back to Earth from Hell and he's bent on revenge on those who sent him South.
Things have changed in the 11 years he was in Hell, so the book is about revenge as much as it is about Stark figuring out how to get along on present day Earth.
So FREAKIN' GOOD!