Rob Thurman "Blackout"

When I first read Rob Thurman's Cal Leandros series, I really thought it was written by a man. I liked it so much, I have read the whole series of 6 books. The series centers around a young man, Cal Leandros, who is part human and part Auphe, they are a race of destruction and were the oldest race on earth.  His older brother, Niko Leandros, is full human.  Their mother bargained with the Auphe for monetary gain and gave birth to Cal. Niko has always been Cal's mother, father, brother and all around keeper.  Cal was abducted by the Auphe, what seemed to him, for two years but in our reality a few months.
The books cronical his life after their mother's death and they move to New York City where they find all kinds of monsters.  They eventually become partners in a monster extermination business with a fawn named Goodfellow who owns a used car lot.
In "Blackout", Cal looses his memory and that's when the plot twist and turns.  A good book that I recommend for newbies to Rob Thurman or for those who haven't read "Blackout"

Flirt by Laurell K Hamilton

Finished "Flirt" by Laurell K Hamilton in one night.  It is a very easy read book.  She mixes violence, sex, and slight humor to all her books but this one was like, "Micah" and "Skin Trade" short books that didn't take long to read.  It is refreshing to read a book in one night but I do miss her hefty books that have multiple plot line.  I also like that Anita Blake is growing up and maturing before our eyes.  Sometimes she can be very immature in her attitudes about sex and relationships with her lovers and friends. I am enjoying reading her books again.

The book centers around a client who wants to raise his deceased wife.  There is also her relationship with Nathaniel and Micah.  Would she sacrifice her ethics to save the ones she loves.  It is quite impelling story line. There is sex, violence, and humor that propels the reader to finish the book. 

I recommend it to any Laurell K Hamilton fan or for newbies to her Anita Blake series.

Laurell K Hamilton

Laurell K Hamilton is interviewed in the Graphic Novel Reporter about the process she went through to make her Anita Blake series into a graphic novel.  She was very involved in the process from making sure how her main characters looked.  She needed the appearance to coorelate with the books description and her fans have ideas of what these characters should look like.  Interiors needn't be exact but the furnishing had to fit with the action in the story. Laurell K Hamilton also remarks how more intense the process is than to just writing a novel. The interview is interesting, a good read.

www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/laurell-k-hamilton-talks-graphic-novels-and-giant-cobras-interview

Sholan Series

I started rereading Lisanne Norman's Sholan World Series and I am just as interested as when I first bought the book many years ago.  She definitely had readers envisioning the Sholan home world and you forget that one of the main characters in feline in appearance. 
When I first read the book the main character, Carrie Hamilton, was annoying.  I realize now that it is Norman's great depiction of a immature woman who was raised in an agrarian society where woman are important to proliferate the world of Keiss by getting married and bearing children. 
Lisanne Norman reminds me of Robert Jordan where there are many characters and subplots.  Unlike him, Norman keeps the main characters in every book.  The series flows through the trials and tribulations of Carrie and Kusac (the Sholan character).
If you haven't read this series before pick up a used copy and read "Turning Point", the first book in the series. Kusac is part of a military on a scouting mission, he is telepathic. The scouting ship is shot upon by the Valtegans who have commandered the planet from the colonist and turned it into a R and R planet for their troops. Kusac is left when he sustained an injury and through his telepathy finds Carrie who is close to dying because her telepathic link to her sister is cut, sister is killed.

I know a very involved plot.  Norman weaves this plot for 8 books. All have an extensive plot and sub-plots to them.  If I peak your interest, pick up a copy and have fun reading!

Lisanne Norman new Sholan series book, Shades of Gray

For all you fans of Lisanne Norman, she has finally published her the next installment of her Sholan Series called Shades of Gray. I am going to definitely read this and give my review on it.
Check out Barnes and Noble synopsis of her latest book@http://tinyurl.com/4b9f3yd

Silver Borne- Patricia Briggs

I haven't been reading much books lately but saw the latest Mercy Thompson book by Patricia Briggs and bought it. I wasn't disappointed, I liked it.  I read the book in two days.
The story line if you haven't read any of the Mercy Thompson series, is about Mercy who shape shifts into a coyote.  She is a auto mechanic and is bonded to the local Alpha werewolf, Adam.  Her roommate is Samuel, who is centuries old and also a werewolf.  He tries to commit suicide but the wolf in him takes over. 
Mercy is in trouble with the Fae again, they want a book that a local bookstore owner who is part Fae loaned to her. 
It has usual violence that is associated with fantasy action novels.not excessive.  There really isn't any sex in this book or any of the Mercy Thompson series.  It is an easy read with good characterization, plot is acceptable since this is a fantasy novel, and story is good. 
The Mercy Thompson books run along the Laurell K Hamilton and Charlain Harris books with the timeline in the novels being compressed to a couple of days.  The novels take up after a few weeks or months so the whole series time line is a few years. These books have much going on, in the plot and the action of characters.

True Blood Season 3

True Blood season 3 was so exciting yet was so removed from Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series. The mixture of books was confusing to the veteran reader but I have talked to the tv viewers of True Blood and they love the storyline.

I was taken aback by the introduction of the faeries so early in the season. In the book, Sookie life is saved by a faerie named Claudine, a boxen tall brunette. She says she Sookie's fairy godmother.

I still don't like that Eric isn't his randy self in the television series who wants to get into Sookie's panties. He is so much more serious in the HBO series and with his vendetta against Russell Edington who is the King of Mississippi.
I'm anticipating Season 4 will be more the same with deviating from the book.