Review: The First Prophet by Kay Hooper

Ohhh, my poor neglected blog! :( Sigh. So what's my latest excuse? Well I've been sick :( Down with a cold... or perhaps the flu, but I think more a cold, since Valentine's Day. Seriously, this has been a rough beginning of 2013 for me. I just can't seem to get into a reading and blogging rhythm. Whenever I start getting into a routine, something will come up and disrupt it. Very annoying. So if you've been wondering where I've been, let just say I've been feeling off...

Anyway, enough whining. For now, I'm just happy I had this review up and I hope I can get on a new streak. Going to try to make it for the TBR challenge tomorrow... but more importantly, I need to blog hop! In the meantime, enjoy this review!

The First Prophet by Kay Hooper
published by Berkley in November 2012

Within the FBI, there exists a team of psychics whose powers cannot be denied. But these agents are feared—by a cabal of conspirators with only one weapon: to blind the psychics to the evils all around them.

Months ago Sarah Gallagher woke from a coma with psychic abilities she couldn’t control. They changed her life and cost her the man she loved. And now, someone is playing games with Sarah’s mind.

It begins with Sarah’s home being destroyed by fire—an act of arson that draws novelist Tucker Mackenzie into Sarah’s confidence. But he has other reasons for pursuing a woman who can see what others can’t. So does a mysterious enemy intent on eliminating Sarah, and everyone she cares about. Because it’s only a matter of time before her visions lead her and Tucker to a secret many will kill to hide. Only then will they begin to discover the scope of a terrifying conspiracy so deep and complex they can trust almost no one.

Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Series: Bishop Files, Book #1

The Story: Tucker Mackenzie is a successful author. Throughout his career, he's been on the look-out for genuine psychics, someone who could answer his questions. His latest search leads him to Sarah Gallagher. Sarah was in an accident a few months ago and after waking up from a coma, started having visions and dreams. She wants to deny her abilities, but after some of her visions have come true, it's hard to.

What Sarah also knows is that she is being watched... and when her house burns down, well it seems they are doing more than watching. Tucker wants to protect Sarah, but she is not sure it is worth as she's seen how it ends. However, when Sarah is shown that the future can actually change, that it is not set in stone, she decides to fight for her life... Except the people after Sarah have a very long reach and wherever Sarah and Tucker run, there seems to be no escape.

Unbeknownst to Sarah and Tucker, there is a group of people trying to help them, to keep the bad people at bay... In a battle of good vs. evil, who will prevail?

My Opinion: It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Ms Hooper, especially her FBI SCU series. To me, Ms Hooper has set the standards when it comes to writing psychics and mysteries involving them. So there were many reasons for me to be excited for The First Prophet, the first installment in a new psychic series. Going in, I really wanted to love it, but unfortunately, the story did not work for me as well as I had hoped.

What I love so much about Ms Hooper's psychics is that her characters usually have belief in their abilities. They are not always comfortable with their abilities because some are more curses than gifts, but they don't doubt. As a result, Ms Hooper's psychics are usually well-adjusted characters... and that's what was missing in The First Prophet. Here, Sarah has just discovered her abilities and doesn't believe in them or at least, doesn't want to. Instead of making use of them, she's afraid of what she can do and see.  I think this was the first time I read a book of Ms Hooper with the main character just becoming a psychic. Usually, it's a secondary character and there's always someone in his/her entourage to make sense of it, to help out... and Sarah didn't even have that as Tucker was a non-psychic and while he's been searching for a genuine psychic, he was still undecided whether they existed or not. The not knowing, the not understanding, the mystic and the denial... those are usually absent in Ms Hooper's books, but they were all here in The First Prophet and for me, they brought down the book and made it like any other psychic novel. And that's the main reason why I didn't enjoy The First Prophet as much as I expected.

Another reason why The First Prophet didn't work as well for me was actually Sarah's abilities towards the end. I don't know exactly where Ms Hooper is heading with this series, but it's clear that Sarah is an important character, that she is the first prophet. As such, she is freaking powerful. We've seen powerful psychics in the FBI SCU series... but some of Sarah's abilities? I don't mind Sarah being powerful, but sigh, Ms Hooper is pushing the believable a little bit.

Otherwise, The First Prophet was interesting. The storyline was quite spooky and the conspiracy, scary. The fact that no matter where Tucker and Sarah ran and hid, they were found and in matter of hours? To imagine that there is such an organized faction out there after you? Very scary. I admit that the lack of names and therefore, not knowing which faction the people, thoughts and action came from, was a bit annoying, but I understand it was to set the tone and that was a definite success LOL. Also, as a whole, The First Prophet was a lot less gory than what I'm used to with Ms Hooper's books which was a pleasant surprise. As for the characters, Sarah and Tucker were nice and likable. There wasn't much development to their characters and I'd say they weren't really the focus of the book either. It feels like Ms Hooper was setting up for the series and given the plot, that was fine. I have to say that once Sarah started believing in her abilities, once she became more self-assured, that's when I started liking her better and it's also when the story picked up :)

My Grade: C. I came in The First Prophet with some expectations of how the story, the characters were going to be and I couldn't look past them, hence all the comparison to previous books and it definitively affected my enjoyment of the book. Still, I found the whole thing quite interesting and I'm really curious to see where the series will go. So not the ideal opening to the series, but I'm definitively picking up the next book :)

Review: Haven by Kay Hooper

LOL, so my plan to keep having posts for the blog is not going so well as I'm getting distracted by TV. I'm most probably going to blog on that later this week :) However, I'm not giving up! So here's my review for Haven by Kay Hooper! Enjoy :)

Haven by Kay Hooper
published by Berkley in July 2012

Emma Rayburn lived a quiet life in the sleepy town of Baron Hollow, North Carolina, until she injured her head in a riding accident. Afterwards, her dreams were full of nameless girls being tortured and murdered, nightmares that didn't seem to have any link with her life...until her estranged sister, Jessie, returned to Baron Hollow. Now an investigator who uses her psychic abilities in her work, Jessie has long been plagued by something that happened to her as a teen girl, before she ran away from Baron Hollow. She's come back to uncover the truth - and to discover the ones responsible for the deed. Could Emma's nightmares be connected to Jessie's quest? But it isn't just the truth at stake - there's an evil that's haunting the present, an evil that has roots in the darkness of the past, and a terrifying violence that neither sister can remember...

Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Series: FBI SCU, Book #13

The Story: Jessie Rayburn left Baron Hollow at the age of 17 and never looked back. No, she didn't leave - she ran away and as fast as she could... but she doesn't remember why. She spent years drifting until she became part of Haven and found a purpose. Haven is the civilian version of the FBI Special Crime Unit (SCU), backed up by the billionaire John Garrett. It consists of private investigators who are also psychics and has more freedom than the FBI. Being a telepath and a weak medium, Jessie fit right in. Unfortunately for her, something is preventing her from using her abilities to their full potential and everyone believes it is linked to her past, the reason she ran away. Not feeling ready, but wanting to move on, Jessie decides to go back to Baron Hollow to face her past.

What is waiting for Jessie in Baron Hollow is her younger sister, Emma... and ghosts. When Jessie's boss learns of the ghosts, she decides to send someone to assist Jessie: enters Nathan Navarro, a fellow investigator in Haven. His unique ability allows him to find dead bodies... and it doesn't take long for him to find one and he's pretty sure there is more. Both Jessie and Nathan can feel a dark presence in Baron Hollow, evil.

Emma is not sure why Jessie came back home. She would like to reconnect with her sister, but Jessie keeps brushing her off, going on expeditions and being distracted and preoccupied. Then, Nathan shows up at her B&B, someone she never expected to see again. Finally, the body is found... and strangely, the woman seemed to have died the same way Emma dreamed and probably at the same time. Ever since she had a riding accident, Emma has been dreaming of women being tortured and dying... What if they weren't dreams?

My Opinion: All right, before you continue on, keep in mind that I'm a huge fan of Ms Hooper, kay? :) Right off the bat, I'm going to tell you that Haven is not the best book in the FBI SCU series. However, I did like it and more importantly, it brings me hope. It brings me hope because it tells me Ms Hooper is back and on the right track :)

So, what I liked about Haven is that we finally find out more about the organization itself. Haven's been mentioned quite a lot in the last couple of books, but it remained kind of elusive. Now, we have clarifications. It's quite interesting how Haven is kind of an extension of the FBI SCU and vice versa. It's also clever because there's a lot less red tape. At the same time, I have to wonder about the risks that some of the PI might run into. Hopefully, most of them are less stubborn than Jessie and accept help and also, gotta trust Maggie and John.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and the plot; however, the book was a bit of a frustrating read. A lot of it had to do with Jessie. I didn't like her attitude or how she handled things. It feels some things could have been simplified if only she had taken two seconds to talk to Nathan and Emma. At the same time, it was very in character with her, so I guess ultimately, it works. The past that she was trying to uncover was interesting and there was a nice twist with it which I did not see coming. The serial killer case was not bad, but I wished there had been more physical clues for Nathan and Emma to follow instead of abstract feelings, intuition and clues. I guess what I'm saying is I'd have like a more procedural approach to the case. Although as usual, I feel Ms Hopper handled the psychic aspect of the book really well. Ultimately though, I think the case could have been more interesting and tighter.

I also liked Nathan and Emma's characters. Quite frankly, when I got into the book, it was a bit hard to figure out who was the heroine, Emma or Jessie? They both play big roles in the story. At the end of the day, Emma edged out Jessie - yay! Of the two, I thought Emma was just more likable and more willing also. She was the one who tried to reconnect, she was the one who was more open... I really liked Nathan's character and I'm really hoping that we'll see him in future books. Still, there's a part in me that's a bit dissatisfied. I think for this book to have been better, there need to be more development to both Emma and Nathan. Flesh them out more and have their relationship more established. I liked that the two of them had a connection prior to Haven, but I would have liked it to be explored. Perhaps Ms Hooper has plans for it in the next book. I know Ms Hooper usually writes the FBI SCU series in trilogy and while it usually features new characters, this might be an exception. Anyway, at the end of Haven, I wished I knew Nathan and Emma better. Oh and don't go into Haven thinking this is a romantic suspense book. It is not. Unfortunately, Ms Hooper has made the switch from RS to mystery/thriller a couple of years ago and it looks as if it's going to stay that way... to my eternal regret.

As usual, seeing Hollis was a pleasure :) I like how she's starting to be a really important secondary character. I'm curious to see how her relationship with Reese develops. I'm also curious to see how her abilities have evolved. Another familiar face is Noah Bishop! A FBI SCU book wouldn't be one without him making an appearance. Overall though, I think Ms Hooper kept the familiar faces to a minimum and that's good. Other familiar elements include the bad guy being a serial killer, the psychic abilities helping the case along and all the red herrings. Oh and of course, the cryptiness and goriness of the mystery. When I read Haven, there was definitively a familiar feeling... it was like meeting and talking to a friend you haven't seen in a while :) If you've read the last two trilogies of the FBI SCU series and didn't enjoy the books, you should definitively skip this one. I also

My Grade: I admit not being totally objective with Haven. Had this book been written by any other authors, based on the mystery and the plot, the grade would probably have been lower ^_^; However, what can I say? I'm just so happy there's finally a new book in the FBI SCU series, one of my all-time favorite series, and also to reunite with the familiar writing of Ms Hooper :) Like I said, Haven is not Ms Hooper's strongest book, but she's getting there. B-.

Switching of genres: an evolution?

Hi everyone :)

how are you doing? Did you have a nice week-end? I hope you're getting as nice weather as I am! It's really gorgeous outside :) Sunny and not too hot - perfect really. So Saturday was my aunt's surprise party and she was surprised!! LOL, we were sure my uncle would give it away - he's not really good with keeping secrets and lying, but he pulled it off, so kudos to him :) LOL, my cousin thinks it's more like my aunt is naive... Could be a bit of both. I guess it did help my aunt's b-day is actually a month away.

The funny story of the evening was our gift to my aunt :) We actually bought her tickets for a show we knew she would enjoy on the week-end of June 15-16 (think Quebec's version of American Idol). We told my uncle, because we wanted to be sure it'd be a hit with her and also, to know which date would be better. Well turns out when my aunt saw the ads for the show, she asked if my uncle was interesting and my uncle said "No, no." You have to know my uncle: sweetest man on the face of Earth and he rarely says no LOL. So she thought my uncle and cousin was organizing something for her that week-end!! LOL, so now she knows why he said no :P What's funny is my uncle thought it was weird my aunt didn't argue more about going to see the show LOL. Now, everyone's happy :)

***

Before I get to the main discussion topic, I'd like to give you a little update on my dilemma concerning which edition of Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong I was going to get. Remember? Well thanks to Li, I've finally made a decision  and... surprise, surprise, I'm going with the Canadian edition!!

Why you ask, when the Canadian cover was clearly my least favorite... and the weirdest? LOL. Well Li sent me a link from Ms Armstrong's forum about the cover and turns out that Random House has something really special planned!! Here are the details.

First, the edge is going to be dyed red and patterned to match this image:

LOL, I had to look up Jennie's post about Fun Book Vocabulary to ascertain what the edge was. If I'm not wrong, it's the pages on the side of a book. I wonder how thick the book is for it to be patterned with that image...

And then, the image imprinted on the actual book cover is the following:

This I really love!! If this had been the cover jacket, I would have gone with this one without a doubt :)  It still doesn't go with my other books covers, but I think it's pretty and the mood it conveys fits in my opinion.

And you'll have the cover jacket that we've all seen:

The neat thing though is apparently, the jacket will be in vellum, i.e. thin and semi-transparent, and therefore, the image imprinted on the cover will show faintly! As for the text on the cover jacket, it'll be silver and red. Obviously, it'd be better if we could see the effect right now, but so far it sounds really cool... And if it still doesn't work for me, I'll just remove the cover jacket :P

So problem solved!! And a big, big, big thank you and hug to Li for sending me the link! Otherwise, I would have pre-ordered the UK version! Thanks Li!!!

***

So now, onto today's discussion topic :) Not too long ago, I asked what was your definition of Women's Fiction. Well the reason is I wonder if Women's Fiction is the natural evolution for authors who write contemporary romance. This is not the first time this question has popped up in my mind... and I decided this time, I'd asked for your thoughts :) However, it's much harder to put it into words than I expected!!

Basically, I was looking for new releases by authors that I enjoyed in the past and realized my list of authors seems to be shrinking. Or at least, the list of new releases by these authors is definitively not as long as it could be. And I realized that in a lot of cases, it's because the authors have changed genres. Let's take Susan Wiggs for example. She started off as a romance author... but I felt there was a definitive shift throughout her Lakeshore Chronicles series. Actually, she seems to waver back and forth in that series between contemporary romance and women's fiction... but if you look at her two last stand-alones, Just Breathe and The Goodbye Quilt, those two are definitively women's fiction. Another author that comes to mind is Barbara Delinsky. When I started reading, Ms Delinsky's career was already well-established and I think her transition into women's fiction/fiction had already started. My first and favorite book by Ms Delinsky is Three Wishes... I think it's contemporary romance, but her subsequent releases lean more and more into women's fiction realm. However, there is no doubt she started off in romance :) Proof: Wendy just reviewed The Forever Instinct which is being re-issued in e-book format. More recently, an another author that seems to be making the transition slowly is Susan Mallery. Oh, her Fool's Gold series is definitively contemporary romance, but Almost Home and Barefoot Season are women's fiction books... and I wonder if it's the start of the end?

But aside for the fact that these authors are switching genres... my question is why? And I can't help but think deep down, it has something to do with the author's age. Perhaps they feel a disconnection to romance and draw inspiration from what they're going through in life? Or do you think it's because the two genres are so closely related, it's easy to cross into the other? Is it just a natural step in the evolution of things? I guess it doesn't limit to contemporary romance --> women's fiction. There's also romantic suspense --> mystery, paranormal romance --> urban fantasy. However, are these switches a conscious choice? I mean, when you take a closer look, authors who write historical romance are more likely to do it throughout their whole careers... or am I making generalization?

In the case of Sandra Brown or Kay Hooper, I always thought it was more about going mainstream, which is not a bad reason. Although when I consider Ms Hooper's books, a lot of her romance books had psychics and she liked her characters mysterious and intriguing... So perhaps her switch was really simply where her writing led her. Hmmmmm.

I guess my question is: Why do you think romance authors branch out to other genres? Is it simply the evolution of their writing or is there more underlying the switch? Is age also a factor? Is women's fiction the natural evolutionary path from contemporary romance?

Monthly Reads: January 2011

First monthly reads post of the year!! Woohoo! February kind of crept up on me. I mean, I was expecting it.... but it still took me by surprise. I'm so behind in my reviews, mainly because I took too much time wrapping up my posts for 2010 ^_^; As a result, there are many books in this post that I was planning to write full reviews, but had to take the executive decision not to. Luckily, for most of them, there are plenty of reviews in blogland :P Hopefully, that way, I'll catch up a little and won't run in the same problem next month :)


1) Wedding of the Season by Laura Lee Guhrke: B
 Upcoming Review.

2) How to Marry a Duke by Vicky Dreiling: D

Tristan, the Duke of Shelbourne, is looking for a wife and after meeting Miss Tessa Mansfield who is known as a matchmaker, decides to hire her service. Tessa is a bit miffed about the way Tristan wants to select a wife and therefore, puts together an elaborate plan in which Tristan will be courting 24 young ladies...

From the reviews, How to Marry a Duke sounded like a historical version of The Bachelor. Thinking back, I don't know why I was so interested since I've never been a fan of the tv series. Probably thought it sounded fun ^_^;... and it could have been, but instead How to Marry a Duke turned out to be an okay book. The biggest problem with this book was that Tristan hired Tessa to find himself a wife, while being attracted to her. Imagine the tv series where in the end, The Bachelor chooses the hostess ^_^; Awkward. The hero falling with the matchmaker probably would have worked better if Tessa hadn't lined up 24 young ladies and kept pushing them at Tristan. That really hindered the romance :( Then, there was also the whole plot about why Tessa didn't want to marry ever. I think that the book could have used a comedic or fluffy element. As it was, I just wasn't engaged and simply wished to be done with the book. The fact that I don't remember much of the book also speaks of my enjoyment of it :(

3) Marry Me by Jo Goodman: B+

Dr Cole Monroe finds himself practicing medicine in Reidsville, a small town in Colorado, thanks to his 16 years old sister, Whitley's meddlings. During one of his medical visits on the outskirt of Reidsville, Cole and Will Beatty stumbled over Rhyne Abbott who is clearly sick. Fearing for Rhyne's safety and recovery, Cole welcomes her into his home... and falls under her charms. However, will he be able to convince Rhyne to marry him as their pasts and upbringings don't matter?

I've read a few books by Ms Goodman; however, didn't enjoy them very much because I was blind-sided by the dark direction some of the story threads took. As a result, I hesitated a long time before picking up this book, but then, caved under the good reviews LOL. Yeah, I'm weak, I know. However, this time, I was ready for it and ended up really enjoying this book :) What stood out the most for me were the characters and I think Ms Goodman did a great job with them :) I loved Rhyne because she was so unusual, so different. Her strength and will were admirable and her upbringing definitively made her unique. I thought the confusion at times and how she's slipped into her Runt persona were realistic. I also liked Cole a lot - kind of a beta hero who show his alpha sides from time to time :) His patience and dedication, his love for Whitley... this is a doctor I would like to have. The romance was perfectly, exactly the way it should have happened :)

Secondary characters were interesting and the setting, nice. It's a small town that is building up, with all the colorful characters and dynamics needed. This is the kind of Western I like to read when I pick one up :) I'm definitively going to go back and read Never Love a Lawman and pick up any other book of this series - really hoping that Whitley will have her own :) Also, one of my favorite part of the book was Cole and his research. I thought it was very interesting and LOL, reached me :P It was also interesting to see Cole treating patients and practicing medicine; how it was done in those times with the limited equipment and knowledge.

By the way, I'd like to add how I'm amazed that the "darker" side of the storyline hasn't been spoiled in blogland. I was really surprised, but at the same time, I really enjoyed the twist :)

4) Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan: D+

Nick is recovering from a broken heart when he sees his ex coming towards him from across the club. Panicked, he asks the girl next to him if she'd agree to be his girlfriend for 5 minutes. What Nick doesn't know is that Norah and Tris, the ex, are frenemies, and that Norah already "knows" Nick. What ensues is a night out in New York full of confusion, realization and joy.

I read and really enjoyed Dash & Lily's Book of Dares back in December and wanted to read more books by these two authors. It's then that I found out that they were the authors of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist... So I went on a quest: got the DVD, watched the movie and then read the book :) So perhaps my enjoyment of the book was marred a little bit by the movie ^_^;

Overall, I thought Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist - the book - was okay, hence the grade. What I liked about the book is that we got to know Nick and Norah much better as their characters were better developed and fleshed out. There is much more layers and depths to the book while the movie is more a comedy, something to pass time. I also liked the fact that Tris, the ex-girlfriend, was more complex - her friendship with Norah, the reasons why she broke up with Nick, etc. She was more real and escaped the bad ex-girlfriend stereotype and that was good.

What brings down the whole book for me is that it left me confused. It's hard to follow the thought process of a young adult, let alone two!!! It also bothered me greatly that the two would just not communicate in full sentences, that they'd guess - and guess wrong - what the other was feeling or thinking. That really frustrated me... Finally, I just thought this book would be funnier and instead, it was quite serious and almost dark in tone ^_^;

5) Time After Time by Kay Hooper: C+

Noah Thorne is a photographer who just both himself a building as a second income. He plans to rent out the renovated lofts/condos while taking care and managing the building. His first renter is Alex Bennet, a pixie, vibrant woman who is also the decorator Noah hired. Don't let appearance tricks you however as Alex has a colorful past having been a lion tamer in a circus. Noah and Alex are inexorably attracted to each other, but Alex has a big secret and is thus reluctant to start a relationship... and it doesn't help that both are haunted by the same dreams...

This is an old category romance by Ms Hooper which was recently re-printed. Ms Hooper has a definite style that you enjoy or not. In order to enjoy, I think you have to like the mystic, but also be reading to suspend disbelief a little. As with most Ms Hooper's books, I liked this one. I enjoyed the relationship between Noah and Alex, how it started and progressed and the clear affection between them. What's more, I loved the fact that Noah supported Alex with her secret. Speaking of the secret, at first, I thought it was stretching it a bit too much ^_^; Then, I remembered Christian the Lion and I realized that it was indeed possible :P

As for the mystical element, in Time After Time, Ms Hooper tackles reincarnation. I like the twist she put in, but I think it could have been a bigger part of the book. Overall, I enjoyed this book for the characters, relationship and animals (so cute!), but I think that it was a bit draggy in the middle and everything could have come together better. Still, I liked it :)


6) Prom & Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg: B
Upcoming review.


7) In Serena's Web by Kay Hooper: C+
Upcoming review.

8) How to Woo a Reluctant Lady by Sabrina Jeffries: C+

As a ploy to extract herself from her grandmother's ultimatum (all siblings have to marry or they'll all be disinherited) Lady Minerva Sharpe has put an announcement in a ladies magazine convoking all eligible men for interviews. Unfortunately for Minerva, Giles Masters has no intention to let her interview any other man than himself. Years ago, Giles broke Minerva's heart... but he knows that Minerva still cares for him; otherwise, why else would he be the villain in her gothic novels. Having re-kindled their attraction, Giles wants to marry Minerva. On the other hand, Minerva is not about to lose her heart to Giles again, but agrees to a fake engagement, believing that her grandmother and brothers will never approve of him and thus, tweak her grandmother's plan. Who will have the upper hand?

I had high hopes for this book and was really looking forward to it because I liked the blurb, although I was a bit wary about the whole "agent" thing. In the end, I liked How to Woo a Reluctant Lady, but not as much as I hoped. The pitfall of Ms Jeffries' newest is that there were too many things going on, in my opinion. It was clear that Ms Jeffries was laying the ground for the last two books of the series, giving readers insight of who will be the love interests and the obstacles in the romance. However, put that aside and even between Minerva and Giles, there was too much. I didn't like that Giles used the excuses that he wanted Minerva to stop writing about him in fear that she would reveal his secrets to pursue Minerva. It was annoying and I thought he hid himself behind that facade for too long. I also thought that the whole story about a figure in Giles' past threatening his career and prospect was superfluous, especially given the way it was resolved. I guess I wished that the book focused more on Minerva and Giles and I thought the rest, detracted from them. I just want to get into the romance and I never really had the chance to. However, I did like the twist concerning the murder of the Sharpes' parents, it made it more suspenseful and I'm looking forward to see how it is resolved and who is the real culprit.

Overall, How to Woo a Reluctant Lady was an enjoyable book, but could have been better. It is especially disappointing as I liked the characters. Minerva was a smart, independent woman. She knew what she wanted and was going for it. I felt for Giles who was so misunderstood - of course, part of it was due to his job. Still, it's hard to have people judging you who really doesn't know you :(  As a result, I especially liked the scene where we got to see Giles at work. Despite everything, I'm still going to pick up the next book :P I'm really curious about Gabriel now... so the baiting did indeed work LOL.


9) You Belong to Me by Karen Rose: A-
Upcoming Review.


10) Wild Man Creek by Robyn Carr: B++


11) Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke: B+
Upcoming Review.


12) The Perfect Mistress by Victoria Alexander: C-

13) Animal Magnetism by Jill Shalvis: C

Brady Miller, ex-military, is a successful pilot-for-hire who spent the past couple of years flying in hot zones. Shuffled in the foster system when he was a kid, Brady doesn't stay in one place for long. His only ties are to his two foster brothers, Dell and Adam, who have finally convinced him to come back to Sunshine, Idaho. There, he meets Lilah Young, the co-owner of the town's only kennel. Juggling animals and studies, Lilah is feeling lonely and is looking for a short-term relationship. Knowing that Brady will not settle, he seems to be the perfect solution for a no-string attached fling...

This book had everything to be a successful contemporary romance and yet... it wasn't for me. What was my problem? The same as Jaclyn from Dear Author, the heroine. Lilah felt too "young" in my opinion. I don't think her age was ever mentioned in the book, but from what I gathered, I'd put her at around 23 to 25 years old... There's nothing wrong with a young heroine, but in this case, I don't think it fit the storyline or at least the hero. I think I know what Ms Shalvis was going for with the heroine, but she missed the mark. With her responsibilities and what she's been through in the past, I think Lilah should have attained a certain level of maturity... Instead, it just seemed like she was over-stretched - running the kennel and studying at night, often falling asleep in her books, perpetually running to catch up with things. The vibes that she gave off screamed "young" and I just didn't see what Brady found so attractive (except the physical), that made him want more and change his whole way. If at least, there's been some growth in Lilah's character, perhaps it would have been better, leveled things out a little, but there wasn't. At the end, Lilah is still the same person, the one who gets too attached and who's scared to try and live her life again. It also didn't help that I saw a lot of similarities between the characters of Animal Magnetism and Wild Man Creek by Robyn Carr: heroes are pilots and not staying long - check and heroines grew up poor and raised by their (great-)grandmother who took all sorts of work to make ends meet - check. However, I must preferred the characters and romance of Wild Man Creek.

Ultimately, Lilah's character failed to engage me... but also it felt like both the H/H were going through the motion of the romance. There was no extra feelings for me :( As, Brady's character... he was hard to figure out. He was a little too stoic and reserved in his feelings, words and thoughts. Also, I would have liked to see a bit more camaraderie between Brady, Dell and Adam. Oh, Dell tried and to a certain extent, Adam as well... but I don't feel like Brady did at all. They are the link in this series... and it's a weak link ^_^;

Still, the book had its moments. For me, I think the best were between Brady and Twinkles, LOL. I loved seeing Brady growing attached to that dog, it was just so sweet and cute. I'm also intrigued by the set-up for the next books: Dell and Jade, Adam and Holly. I'm starting to wonder if I'm trying too hard to love Ms Shalvis?


Books bought: +21
Books read: -13
TBR pile: +8

So 13 books read this month... I'll take it :) Given how chaotic life has been lately and the fact that I don't have that much time to read, I'm happy :) I hope though February will be better and that my TBR pile will show a negative number. Crossing my fingers LOL.

This is so sad... I so want this post to go up tonight that some books that I was planning to write full reviews and then changed my mind to write a mini-review have been switched back to full reviews LOL. Seriously, I need to learn how to keep it short!

Re-Read: Stealing Shadows by Kay Hooper

Guess what?!? There is no Hauling Sunday post this week, because... I didn't buy books!! Woohoo! Surprised? LOL, I am. This is due partly because it was so busy and hectic as I mentioned in my other post, but also because there was no new releases. However, do not worry, everything will go back to normal this week and there will definitively be a post next week :) Proof? I got 4 books today LOL.

Since I don't have a Hauling Sunday post today, I'd continue catching up on the posts for 2010 that I've been wanting to do. So today, I'm wrapping up the Re-Read Challenge :) I'm concluding this challenge with a book from one of my favorite authors, Kay Hooper.


Stealing Shadows by Kay Hooper
published by Bantam Books in September 2000

What if you can enter a madman's cruel mind as he plans his vicious crimes? What if you can see the terrified face of his prey as he moves in for the kill-but you can't stop his frenzy once he strikes?

Psychic Cassie Neill helps the L.A. police catch killers-until she makes a terrible mistake and an innocent child dies. Cassie flees to a small North Carolina town, hoping that a quiet life will silence the voices that invade her unwilling mind. But Cassie's abilities know few boundaries. And she's become certain-as no one else can be-that a murderer is stalking Ryan's Bluff.

It's his fury that Cassie senses first, then his foul thoughts and perverse excitement. Yet she doesn't know who he is or where he will strike. The sheriff won't even listen to her-until the first body is found exactly where and how she predicted. Now a suspect herself, she races desperately to unmask the killer in the only way she knows: by entering his twisted mind. Her every step is loaded with fear and uncertainty...because if he senses her within him, he'll trap her there, so deep she'll never find her way out.

In Stealing Shadows, Kay Hooper introduces FBI agent Noah Bishop, whose rare gift for seeing what others do not helps him solve the most puzzling cases. Now, Bishop's adventures continue in two new electrifying tales of psychic suspense.

Beware of what you see. It's dawn when the police arrive at the murder scene. The victim is propped against a tree, her eyes still open, her head tilted, her lips parted in a silent cry. Just as Cassie Neill predicted. Just as she saw while she was inside the killer's mind. The killer knew she was there. And next time he won't let her get away.

Genre: Romantic suspense, psychic
Series: FBI SCU series, Book #1

The Story: Cassie Neill is a psychic with the uncanny ability of entering the minds of twisted monsters and seeing through their eyes. As a result, she has spent most of her life helping the police putting those monsters behind bars. However, her gift - or more accurately, her curse - only gives her an edge and is not a certainty. A wrong interpretation can lead to a tragic end; and when a little girl dies, Cassie knows she's reached her limits and can no longer continue. She retreats to Ryan's Bluff where she's inherited a house from her estranged aunt.

The last thing she expects in this small and peaceful town is to connect with the mind of a killer, but that's exactly what happens. With no big surprise, the sheriff refuses to believe her and Cassie cannot remain on the sideline. She decides to reach out for the judge, Ben Ryan, in the hope he can sway the sheriff.

As women are murdered, Ben and the sheriff quickly realize that Cassie might be their only way to stop the killer. However, Cassie is not certain she can go this once again... and Ben finds himself unwilling to let Cassie risks herself. Especially when the case is more complicated than they believed it was and connected to Cassie...

My Opinion: I discovered Ms Hooper FBI SCU series back in 2004 and simply fell in love with it. It was in-between two classes and I was at the bookstore, flipping through some books and I picked up Whisper of Evil. I started reading it and after a couple of chapters, I knew. I knew that I would love Ms Hooper and that these books were for me. So put back Whisper of Evil and set on a mission: go to every UBS in downtown Montreal to find Ms Hooper FBI SCU series books. After that, I came back to the bookstore and bought the ones that were missing :) Like I said, I just knew... and I was right :)

Stealing Shadows is the first book of the series I really enjoyed it, although it wasn't my favorite and I haven't re-read it in a couple of years... which is why I picked it up back in December. I was in a mini-slump and felt like reading a Kay Hooper and thought, why not Stealing Shadows? Sometimes, it's good a few years have passed, because you don't remember everything about the story and can go "Ohhh, right" and that's what happened :)

Overall, I really enjoyed re-reading Stealing Shadows. I pretty much like everything about it - the characters, the romance and the suspense. Cassie is very strong and independent. She might not be someone you get chummy with, but it's definitively someone you admire. It also seemed to me that she was finally living... For too long, she's focused on helping with her gifts and I can't imagine the pressure it was, the horrors she's seen... and thus, seeing her meeting Ben, falling and love and getting her HEA ending, it was great. As for Ben, he was really solid, exactly what Cassie needed. I liked that he was persistent in his pursuing of Cassie, that he did not give up and his protective side of Cassie. I have to say though, I would have liked to know Ben a little bit better, to have him a bit more fleshed out... However, I don't think it detracted too much from the book.

I would categorize Ms Hooper's Shadows trilogy as romantic suspense as opposed to her Fear and Blood trilogies being more mystery/thriller instead. That being said, the romance is on the light side. Still, I was satisfied with it. Cassie and Ben get to know each other, understand each other and build a relationship. Yes, the timeline was a bit fast, but the romance well written :) As for the suspense, I think that's what Ms Hooper does best. It was really suspenseful and complex. I think that the psychic element also allows Ms Hooper to flex the boundaries a little bit. At the same time though, it's not evident. What I mean is that because of the psychic element, not everything is explainable. For example, not everything is A --> B, sometimes, it's A --> C... and you perhaps have to suspend disbelief, so it probably doesn't work for everyone, but it does for me :) All in all, I think Ms Hooper did good balancing everything in this book :)

One of the thing I also like about this book is Noah Bishop's appearance. Noah Bishop is the pivotal character in the FBI SCU series, because he's the one who put together the SCU - Special Crime Unit. What I never caught on my first reading of Stealing Shadows though is that Cassie and Noah are cousins!! I only found that out later, on Ms Hooper's website, and after re-reading the book, I could pick up the clues. I thought that was really cool LOL.

Another thing that I really like about Stealing Shadows is that it might be the first book in this series, but it doesn't throw you in the SCU right away. Instead, it's like a preface book. It shows you a bit why Bishop wants to build the SCU, the motivation behind it and the usefulness of such an unit. I think it was a brilliant way to open the series really. Usually, in the first book, the unit would already be put together and running. You'd be introduced to all those characters and there'd be a lot of explaining about the unit, it's purpose, etc. This way, we get to experience it and I like that :)

Finally, the reason why I like the FBI SCU series and why it stands out the most for me is the way Ms Hooper has incorporated the psychic element into the suspense/mystery. The approach she's taken to explain psychic abilities is scientific and her characters are no-nonsense about it. Also, most importantly is that the characters have come to terms with their abilities and have learned to live with them... and her characters are stronger for it :) Some of them do have a vulnerable side to them, but it's not the fragility that you usually associate with psychics. Put it all together and that is why it matches with the suspense so well. Instead of the psychic abilities being mystic and something elusive, it's scientific, cold and solid and suits the FBI :)

My Grade: B. What's really hard with re-reads of romantic suspense and mystery/thriller books is that knowing who's done it takes out of the intensity... and Stealing Shadows is not an exception. However, I still truly really love this book :) Perhaps it's more sentimental than logical, but isn't that the way with books? :)

Review: Blood Ties by Kay Hooper

Blood Ties was one of my most anticipated books this month and I'm so happy I got it early! However, I was quite busy last week and so decided to wait a little before reading it... Just so I'd have more time to savor it... and it was so worth it! :D


Blood Ties by Kay Hooper
published by Bantam Books in January 2010 (HC)

The elite Special Crimes Unit, the FBI's most controversial and effective team, is a group of mavericks and misfits trained to use their unique psychic abilities to hunt the worst monsters imaginable - human ones. Led by the enigmatic Noah Bishop, the SCU team has earned a reputation for pitting their skills and cunning against killers that other cops fear. But this time Bishop and his agents face an enemy who has them in his sights, a trained sniper with a deadly plan - and more than one ace up his sleeve.

It starts with an unspeakable series of grisly murders across three states, a trail of blood leading, finally, to the small Tennessee town of Serenade. There, two more brutal murders lure the SCU into what may be the ultimate trap.

One of the first investigators on the scene, Special Agent Hollis Templeton is willing to push herself as hard and as far as necessary. Risking more than her life to help and protect her fellow SCU members, Hollis is coping with psychic abilities that are evolving in unprecedented ways, an attraction to the most complex man she's ever known, and a serial murder investigation that has just turned very, very personal.

In her time with the SCU, Hollis has shown an uncanny ability to survive even the most deadly attacks. But what she doesn't count on is that this killer intends to destroy the team from within.

The clock is ticking. The body count is rising. And as Bishop and his agents race to uncover the identity of their true enemy, not even their special senses can warn them just how bloody, and how terrifyingly close, the truth will be.

Genre: Mystery/thriller
Series: Blood trilogy, Book #3 (FBI SCU series, Book #12)

The Story: Wow... where to start? While the back blurb is quite a good summary, the story is so complex that it cannot cover it all... So I'm going to add my two cents.

The FBI Special Crimes Unit is the result of Noah Bishop's hard work, efforts and beliefs. It is an unit composed of psychics who have some sort of control over their gifts which makes them functional. As their gifts provide them a certain edge (not always good), they are the ones sent to chase the worst serial killers... which is what they are doing in Blood Ties.

Chasing after a serial killer who has dumped his horribly tortured victims in three different states, Miranda and 4 other agents - Quentin, Reese, Hollis and Diana, arrive to Serenade, a very little town out of nowhere, where a body matching the M.O. is found. Then, when a second body - one that wasn't supposed to be found, the case is becoming puzzling. Could it really be possible that such a small town would be the home of two deranged killers? However, when a sniper starts taking shots at them and after they dig deeper in the past of all the victims and find out they are all somehow connected to past cases, the agents quickly put two and two together and realize they've walked into a trap and the enemies are literally gunning after them.

Unfortunately, there's no backing out of it. The team has a case to solve and some of them have problems to sort out with their psychic abilities... while Bishop is busy trying to save the future of the SCU.

My Opinion: Okay, so here's the deal with my favorite authors. I don't have a problem being objective about the books in the review, but I tend to be more generous with the grades at the end ^_^; So a "meh" book becomes an "okay" book, an "okay" book becomes a good book and so on... It's just hard to be tough with favorite authors sometimes ^_^; However, I'm working on it. The reason why I'm bringing this up is because I have been a bit too generous with the last few books in the FBI SCU series. Quite frankly, I have been disappointed with them. Some of the stories were confusing, the characters a bit under-developed... It didn't dim my love for this series and at no time did I consider not getting this book; however, in my mind, I did write off Blood Ties and I was ready to move onto the next trilogy, hoping it'd be better.

Well I was a bit too quick in my judgment... because Ms Hooper definitively came back very strong with Blood Ties. Very strong. In my opinion, I'd say Blood Ties has been the best book since Chill of Fear or even Hunting Fear :D So this was a great surprise and made me very happy :D

I think what made this book so good was the fact there was no new H/H. Instead, all the characters that were playing important roles were ones that we have met in past books: Noah and Miranda Bishop, Quentin Hayes and Diana Brisco, Hollis Templeton, Reese DeMarco and etc. This was a good idea because it allowed the readers to catch up with the characters, but also allowed Ms Hooper to focus on the storyline. Blood Ties is definitively a complex story - it's not only about a case to be solved, but also the story arc spanning the whole Blood trilogy and wrapping up some loose ends from previous books as well. I believe if Ms Hooper had
introduced new characters, their development would have been disatisfying and the storyline would have suffered.

Seriously, it was great to re-visit some characters. Finding out what they've been up to, at which stage of life they are. I really enjoyed the camaraderie in the SCU. I think the SCU is really the place where they are the most comfortable, at home. It helps them so much being surrounded by people who don't doubt their gifts and understand it. LOL, the SCU is like a very big family with papa Noah and mama Miranda :P Once again, Hollis has a pretty big role in Blood Ties and her character is really getting interesting. It's also great to see her finally getting a love story :) and I'm sure Ms Hooper has more in store for her. The other character that gets a lot of "screen time" is Diana, who was introduced in Chill of Fear. I really enjoyed catching up with her... While her past has not been as tragic as some of the characters (Hollis), it was still hard and I was wondering how she was coping. To read about her in Blood Ties made it more realistic. Having spent half of her life medicated, in daze, she now has to find out who she really is... that was an interesting part of the story :D

As for the story itself, it was really interesting. I thought it was quite complex and multi-layered. Ms Hooper really did a good job at peeling one layer at the time and revealing all the villains and their motives. There were a lot of "ohhh" and "ahhh" moments, especially concerning the overall story arc. Quite frankly, I didn't think much of the overall story arc, but Ms Hooper really did a good job linking everything... One of my "Ohhh" moment :) I also found the amount of romance in this book satisfying. Of course, it's not as much as in romantic suspense, but compared to the past couple of books, I'm happy. I mean, at the beginning of the series, the first two or three trilogies could have passed for romantic suspense... but not Blood Dreams and Blood Sins. The romance was very minimal, quasi non-existent. While nobody is going to mistake Blood Ties with a romantic suspense, they are some relationships that are going forward :) Again, I think this is due with the fact that most characters were recurring ones.

So yes, I enjoyed the characters and the story and was very satisfied with Blood Ties. I do believe now that I would have enjoyed Blood Dreams and Blood Sins more if I've had read the whole trilogy in a smaller period frame instead of one book a year. There are just so many details that you forget in one year ^_^;

There was also a small section at the end of the books for additional information: mini-bios for the recurring characters as well as the definitions of the psychic abilities. It's pretty much the same information that you can find on Ms Hooper's website. I think it was a good idea to add that section, especially since the SCU and Haven are growing so much and it's a great way to refresh our memory. However, I could have done without the footnotes found throughout Blood Ties, I thought they were distracting ^_^; And personally, I don't think anyone should read Blood Ties without having read a few key books in the series... Then again, I have a pretty good memory, but I know not everyone feels the same.

Finally, a little warning about Ms Hooper's books. The books in the FBI SCU series have a very peculiar style. First, the settings are all very similar - Special Agents of the SCU called to isolated town to investigate on possible serial killer. Then, there are all the psychics abilities and etc. I do think there's very little foreshadowing to the identity of the serial killers at the end and so, I'm not sure everyone is going to find the mystery satisfying. However, all this is part of Ms Hooper's style. In order to enjoy Blood Ties, I believe you need to know her style and enjoy it. Also, I wouldn't pick Blood Ties to star the series. So what I'm trying to say is, if you've read Kay Hooper's FBI SCU series books in the past and enjoyed them, you're going to like Blood Ties. If you haven't liked them, then this is not for you... and if you want to give this series a try, start at the beginning :)

My Grade: B++/A-. This time, I'm not being too generous LOL... and sorry about the long review ^_^;

Re-Read: Hunting Fear by Kay Hooper

This month, I've chosen a book by another of my favorite authors: Hunting Fear by Kay Hooper. I actually had time to re-read Touching Evil and Out of the Shadows, which are two other favorites of the series... but I think my mood somehow affected my reading of those two... so I won't be reviewing them, at least not today.

For those who are new to my blog, Kay Hooper is one of my favorite authors. I discovered her a few years ago, when I was still studying and went all around town to get my hands on all of her FBI SCU aka Bishop series books... they are simply just so good :D


Hunting Fear by Kay Hooper
published by Bantam Books in August 2004 (HC)

He's no ordinary kidnapper. Not only does he strike again and again, but he collects the ransom, gets away safely, and leaves his helpless hostages dead. Now, after months of eluding the best that law enforcement can put against him, this monster has left nothing in his wake but a cold trail of unconnected victims.

He's no ordinary cop. Lucas Jordan, a key agent and profiler in Noah Bishop's Special Crimes Unit, has an extraordinary skill: he locates missing people. But his uncanny ability comes with a price, and his methods rouse mistrust in the hard-nosed cops forced to call him into their investigations.

Now Jordan has come to Clayton County, North Carolina, where the latest in a string of kidnapping victims has turned up dead. Complicating the situation is the presence — and predictions — of someone who's even more of an outsider than Jordan himself: carnival psychic Samantha Burke, a woman out of his own haunted past. Her warnings meet with skepticism from the local police but spur Jordan on to do what he does best: hunt fear.

But the killer he is hunting is hunting Jordan — and he's already several moves ahead in a twisted game whose rules Jordan must learn in order to have a fighting chance. For his psychopathic opponent has extended a very personal challenge — and he's about to threaten the one life the profiler values even more than his own...

Genre: mystery
Series: FBI SCU, book #7

The Story: Lucas Jordan and his partner, Jaylene Avery, are called into Golden to investigate a kidnapping. Lucas and Jaylene believe that this is the latest kidnapping in a series that have started 18 months ago, from the East-side of the country to here. In every case, a ransom is demanded, paid and the victim, killed. In every case, the FBI showed up too late - either the victim was already killed or had very little time to live. Lucas and Jaylene do not think this case will be any different and think that all they can do is try to find a clue, something... till Samantha Burke.

Samantha Burke makes a living as a carnival mystic; however, she is indeed a psychic - a seer. Three years ago, she tried to help Lucas in a case and both the case and her relationship with Lucas ended up... badly. Now she is in Golden, telling Lucas the the kidnapper he is hunting is actually playing a game with Lucas. Having observed Lucas and knowing that he finds the victims by sensing their fears, the kidnapper has put in place a chilling and gory game... and Golden is the end point... and Samantha believes that Lucas cannot win without her.

My Opinion: This is one of Ms Hooper's best book in the series. Best book. I simply love it and am so glad I chose to re-read it. The plot is thrilling, intriguing and well-written. The cases are actually a bit gory, but it just adds to the book, especially when the theme is fear. Although I knew the story, I still found myself at the edge of my seat and turning the pages as fast as I could. What's great about Hunting Fear is that the storyline spans over a week or two. Yes, there is a sense of urgency, but the story is not rushed and compressed into 2 or 3 days, making any development in relationship unbelievable... and again, the plot is just flawless in my opinion and there are a couple of twists that I did not expect :)

Character-wise, I think Ms Hooper had winners with Samantha and Luke's characters. I love them and love their relationship. Ms Hooper also did a great job incorporating and developing their relationship. Samantha is a strong woman, a survivor. No matter what life handed down to her, she accepts and overcomes the obstacles and comes out of it stronger. As for Luke, he's strong as well... but closed down. Keeps to himself and I think that's why he got scared of Samantha the first time around. She got too close and he wasn't ready. However, the two of them together have so much chemistry... I love their banter and how Sam kept needling him. Being with Samantha makes him a better man and a complete one. By the way, I would have liked to know about his past...

We also get to see some other characters from the series that we've come to love, although know very little about: Bishop, Tony, Quentin and Galen. What I like is the fact that they provide insight for the readers, without over-stepping. And as always, I love her explanations of psychic and electromagnetic signatures and so on. Seriously, after reading these books, I do believe that psychics exist. She does write them very well - and I liked that a lot of her characters have adapted to their abilities and made a life for themselves.

Anyway, I personally believe this is Ms Hooper at her best. A solid relationship as well as interesting characters with a scary and thrilling plot. Although I'm a big fan of the series, I have to say that her latest books haven't been as good :( The balance hasn't been there between plot and characters/relationships... Also, Ms Hooper has to be careful not to take the easy way out. In a lot of instances, I find that the cases are suddenly resolved with a psychic phenomenum. I mean, she makes a lot of effort into writing her agents and the investigations and the cases... and then, the end seems to be resolved a bit too easily... almost rushed, as if she doesn't have enough pages to write. However, I'm still hopeful :)

Hunting Fear is definitively a classic of the series... and I wish Ms Hooper would write more like this one :) Also, I was re-reading Out of the Shadows this week-end... I want a book for Bonnie and Seth!!

My Grade: A. What can I say? I still love it, same as when I read it for the first time. This one is just compelling and I'm so glad I re-read it :)

Review: Blood Sins by Kay Hooper

I've been a fan of Kay Hooper and the FBI SCU series ever since I discovered the series while I was doing my undergrad... I loved the books because of the blend of mystery, romance and psychic abilities and Ms Hooper's ways of explaining it.

It is unfortunate that I've started reading Ms Hooper's books after she moved from romance to romance mystery/thriller... thanks god for re-issues/re-prints though :) Although I have to admit, I much prefer her FBI SCU series to her romance books. However, I have been a bit disappointed with her recent entries in the series... I found both Sleeping with Fear and Blood Dreams okay reads... if it was any other authors, it'd be good with me... but since it's Ms Hooper, I expect to be wow-ed.

So what did I think of Blood Sins?

Blood Sins by Kay Hooper
published by Bantam Books in December 2008

Some sins can't be forgiven...
because some sins no one survives.

"New York Times" bestselling author Kay Hooper has touched our darkest fears but none so dark as in her latest thriller. Here's a psychopath who lures his victims with a promise no one can resist... and demands a price no one would knowingly pay.
Young, vulnerable, attractive, Tessa Gray made the perfect victim. Which was why Noah Bishop of the FBI's Special Crimes Unit recruited her to play the role of grieving widow. As the supposed new owner of property coveted by the Church of the Everlasting Sin, she'd be irresistible bait for the reclusive and charismatic Reverend Samuel. His fortified compound in the mountains near Grace, North Carolina, had been the last known residence of two women murdered in ways that defied scientific explanation.

Though hardly as naive or as vulnerable as she appears, Tessa knows she has a lot to learn about using her unique gift. She also knows that Bishop and the SCU have to be desperate to rely on an untried psychic agent in an undercover operation so dangerous. And desperate they are. For the killer they're hunting is the most terrifying they've ever faced and shakes even the most seasoned agents: a soulless megalomaniacal cult leader who can use their own weapons, talents, and tactics against them.

By entering the cult's well-guarded compound, Tessa will be exposing herself to the dark magnetism of a psychopath on an apocalyptic crusade of terror that spares no one, not even the youngest victims. And Samuel has protected himself within a fanatically loyal congregation, many of whom occupy surprising positions of power within the community. Even Grace's chief of police, Sawyer Cavenaugh--a man Tessa will have to trust with her life--may be unable to protect her. Because no one, not even Tessa herself, can guarantee she's strong enough to resist--or powerful enough to battle--a killer who's less than human.

Genre: mystery, thriller
Series: FBI SCU series, Book #11 (Book #2 of the Blood trilogy)

The Story: Blood Sins doesn't pick up right after Blood Dreams stopped; however, it is definitively a continuation. In Blood Dreams, Noah Bishop's team was able to stop a killer, but realized that the killer was only a puppet... in Blood Sins, they are after the puppet master, a sect leader named Adam Deacon Sammuel. Since the authorities have no evidences that Sammuel has been murdering people, Noah Bishop cannot send anyone of his team... however, the resourceful man has turned to the FBI SCU's civil group sister, Haven.

Haven already has someone infiltrates the compound, but when that person is killed, it becomes imperative to the FBI SCU and Haven to stop Sammuel. Hence, they send Tessa Gray as bait.

My Opinin: Okay, so my summary wasn't very good, but it's hard to summarize it, since it's quite complex. First, let me start by saying: there's no romance in this book, at all. Yes, Tessa and the chief of police, Sawyer Cavenaugh, share some attraction, but they hardly know each other, let alone start to build a relationship. I find it unfortunate... I always liked Ms Hooper's blend of romance with her mystery... On the other hand, this makes the book more realistic in my opinion. I mean, the story spans over a couple of day, perhaps not even a week... so any relationship would have been unbelievable.

Secondly, this book is more focused on action and stopping the cult leader, then on the characters. To tell the truth, we hardly get to know Tessa and Sawyer... We know what kind of people they are, why they do what they do and what they think of the case, but we don't go any deeper. To tell the truth, I didn't mind that much... Usually, I think that most of the FBI SCU novels can stand alone; however, Blood Sins was clearly the continuation of Blood Dreams. The goal of this book was to stop Sammuel and it would have been difficult for Ms Hooper to develop both... especially given the length of the book (it was a bit short, coming under 300 pages). As a result, Ms Hooper made a choice, to develop the story... which I guess would explain the lack of development of the characters. In which case, it explains the lack of romance elements. I'm not sure how other readers will take it, but in my case, I didn't mind it.

So how was the story then? I think it was very good and that Ms Hooper did deliver. The readers will definitively be surprised at some of the twists :) I know I was. I thought the story moved at a fast pace, was tightly written and I enjoyed it. I liked the fact that Noah Bishop played a more active role than in the previous books. We also get to see familiar faces such as Quentin Hayes, Hollis and Galen. We also get to catch up with some very old characters - although they don't appear, they are mentioned, and I can't help to think that Ms Hooper is building up for something more :) Those who have been curious about Galen, he plays a more active role too in this book and we get to learn what is his ability (or at least one of them). I also like how Ms Hooper has Hollis as a recurring character... she first appeared as a victim, then a rookie agent... and we've seen her grow and change... I wonder what Ms Hooper has in store for her :)

I'd say that this book is less gory than Blood Dreams, although there is something a bit disturbing... but then again, we're dealing with a cult, so it is to be expected. I also liked how this book was tied to the previous one. When she first started this trilogy, Ms Hooper did indicate that unlike her previous trilogies, the Blood trilogy would have an overall storyline spanning the three books. Ms Hooper also does a good job preparing for the next book, planting questions and preparing a threat for Bishop and the FBI SCU. I'm definitively looking forward to the next book.

Unfortunately, although I enjoyed this book a lot, I have to say, it was not perfect. I've always liked how Ms Hooper was able to explain the psychic abilities - them resulting from electromagnetic energy and so on. I think that Ms Hooper has to be careful in the future, because there's a fine line with psychic abilities and supernatural powers... In this book, Sammuel was able to steal the psychic abilities of others and the description Ms Hooper used made me think of supernatural powers instead... a bit more like X-men and Heroes. I know that the difference is very minime, but still... If someone in the FBI SCU would start being able to control elements or time travelling, it would ruin everything.

Also, there were many unanswered questions left. Some of them were to prepare for the next book and that is fine with me... but others... For example, what was Ruby and Cody's abilities? I think that sometimes, Ms Hooper uses psychic abilities and the paranormal in a way that's convenient for her... sometimes, things happened and they are just attributed to psychic events... and while in the past, she was almost always able to provide an explanation, it wasn't the case in this book... and I think that she has to be careful about that.

My Grade: B+. Overall, I did really enjoy the book, much more than the two last ones. Although the book wasn't perfect and didn't wow me (which is why, it didn't get a higher grade), it allows me to hope for the next one :) Can't wait to see what Ms Hooper has in store for my favorite group of FBI agents ;)

Around the Web...

Nothing very new today... I started The Brass Bed by Jennifer Stevenson... but quickly realized that it wasn't for me. I don't know... First, I hate love triangles... when my heroine gets with a hero, I want them to stick together and not look around. However, in The Brass Bed, it seems the heroine, Jewel, as the choice between Clay, a con artist, and Randy, a sex demon... Hmmm. The worst is that this is a trilogy and I guess the love triangle won't be resolved soon. Luckily for me, I didn't buy the 2 other books. For once, I was wise :)

I was going to switch book, but then, we lost power... which came out of nowhere... no storms, no strong wind... Since it was so dark, I just decided to go to sleep. You could hear my sister: "No!! I don't want to go to sleep!!" LOL, lucky for us, it wasn't while we were watching So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD). I don't know when the power came back, but my sis still wasn't asleep... so I guess it wasn't very long.

So I was looking around the web to kill time... Hmm, I'm annoyed because Chapters still haven't shipped The Tribute by Nora Roberts and Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik to me yet. I've just checked online and apparently, they have copies in store... However, since both these books are hardcovers, I think I'm going to wait... Ugh... Hopefully, I'll be able to wait ^_^;

I was putting books in my wishlist and I came across Kay Hooper's new cover!!! Her next book is Blood Sins, book 2 in the Blood trilogy, and is to be released in December 16! I've been looking for that one... Still no synopsis though... I really wonder who's going to be the agents that will appear in it :)

Since July just started, I remembered to check Kelley Armstrong website. Seriously, it's fun when authors update their website at some fixed dates. For Kelley Armstrong, it's always at the beginning of the month (usually on the 1st)... To kick of the summer, she has an excerpt of her next book in the Women of the Otherworld series, Living with the Dead. Click here to read :) Have to say, I like what I've read so far...

Review: Blood Dreams by Kay Hooper

Blood Dreams by Kay Hooper
published by Bantam Books in December 2007

He's the kind of killer we instinctively fear the most. A killer without boundaries, without conscience, without any fear of being caught. And his latest victim is terrifying proof that no one is safe: the daughter of a powerful U.S. senator.

Now, with the national media calling for justice and a grief-stricken father seeking vengeance, Bishop and his FBI Special Crimes Unit find themselves in a unique situation. This time even psychic cops aren't enough to stop evil. Aid comes in the form of a fledgling civilian organization of unorthodox crime stoppers. Operating outside of any government oversight, without sanction or official authority, they are comprised of a membership every bit as talented and eccentric as Bishop's SCU — if not more so. And that is no coincidence. For Bishop helped launch this organization barely two years before.

Dani Justice knows all about monsters. They haunt her nightmares — and her life. But she never expected to find herself doggedly on the trail of a real flesh-and-blood predator so cunning, he's eluded the best law enforcement could send up against him; so deadly, he doesn't hesitate to kill even a senator's daughter. Or a cop.
Dani doesn't want to hunt this killer. She doesn't want to risk the life she's made for herself, or her hard-won peace. But she doesn't have a choice. Because his bloody rampage has hit far too close to home. Because Dani alone commands a weapon powerful enough to destroy him. And because Dani knows something even Bishop doesn't. Dani knows how the hunt ends. It ends in fire. And blood. And death.

What she doesn't know is who will survive.

Genre: thriller, psychics
Series: FBI SCU, book 9 - Blood trilogy (4th trilogy), book 1

The Story: Dani and Paris Justice are twins and psychics. Like many, they wanted to put their abilities to use and thus, have been recruited by Haven. Haven is like the FBI Special Crime Unit (SCU)’s little sister. The organization was Noah Bishop’s idea, because he knew that not all psychics have the mental strength to be a FBI Special Agent. It is led by John Garrett and Maggie Barnes (from Touching Evil) and its purpose is to support the FBI SCU, either psychically or by investigating cases that the FBI SCU cannot… just like this one.

Dani’s dreams are not simple dreams, but visions… and she has the ability to walk in them as well as bringing others with her. However, what she sees often have tragic or sad endings and this has caused Dani to run away from Ventura instead of committing to her long-time friend and lover, Marcus Purcell, now sheriff of Ventura. After years of running, Dani is back in Ventura. On the surface, she is back to support Paris who is going through a painful divorce…In reality, she is back because of a recurring vision – a rare occurrence which emphasizes its significance and importance.

A serial killer has been striking a city (sorry, can’t remember which one, Boston?); however, when his latest victim is a senator’s daughter, the case gets more media attention and becomes very high profile. As a result, all of FBI SCU’s high profile agents are assigned to the case. Although Bishop believes that the hunting ground of the killer has changed to Ventura, the new FBI director is not convinced of the FBI SCU’s reputation and instincts and does not want to risk his career and so insisted that Bishop and his agents remain in the city. Bishop has no other choice than to rely on Haven and Dani’s visions… the problem is that details in Dani’s vision keep changing as the investigation goes further… and Dani is not sure if they’ll be there in time and who’s going to make it.

My Opinion: If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of Kay Hooper and especially, her FBI SCU series. The last book in the series, Sleeping with Fear, was interesting but not as enjoyable as the previous ones. So, I’ve really been looking forward to the start of this new trilogy, especially after reading that Ms Hooper was going for something a bit different. In the previous trilogies, the books were stand alone and all that connected them really was the theme/titles. In this new trilogy, each book has a case that is solved, but there is also a storyline taking place throughout the three books. Add in the fact that the release date of Blood Dreams was pushed from July to December and you had a reader in need of her FBI SCU fix with quite high expectations.

Okay, so what did I think of this book? I liked and enjoyed it, but it wasn’t the best of the series. A warning, the case was extremely gory and chilling so you better read this book with all the lights on and preferably when it’s not storming outside :P A large part of the book consists of the characters investigating the case, coming up with theories, possibilities and profiles, which were all interesting, but as usual the tension builds in, they are time-pressured, etc. and the whole storyline pretty much culminates in the capture of the killer with little clues of his identity throughout the book. I personally don’t mind as I still enjoy the book, but I know it is an issue for some readers. Remember, the FBI SCU deals mostly with serial killers and are called in when there’s little to go on… so I guess it’s become the natural course. So you get fair warning J The book was also a nice balance between the introduction of Haven, the setting for the trilogy and the case itself. In short, there wasn’t a dull moment, but at the same time, I didn’t feel like it was too much (you know what I mean?).

What was unfortunate in Blood Drams however is that I didn’t get to know Dani and Marcus as well as I’d wish to. They are the main characters and do have their story; however, they clearly weren’t the focus. Perhaps it would have been better if there has been less characters; however, they all seemed necessary. Of course, I also have to keep in mind that Blood Dreams is not a romance novel; it’s more like a mystery or thriller and although part of a series, the main characters change from novel to novel. Therefore, it’s understandable that the characters aren’t as “fleshed” out as I’d wished.

Another thing I had difficulty to deal with is how Bishop is viewed in this book. Bishop and Miranda are the pillars of the FBI SCU and often have to take difficult decisions. The agents in the FBI SCU are very loyal to Bishop and although they often wonder, they never really questions Bishop’s authority and decision. It’s another story with Haven, some people do question Bishop’s authority. Why should he be the one pulling the strings… Is it really better to sacrifice one person and save a hundred? I love Bishop and so, it makes me feel uncomfortable that this is brought up… but I guess it only makes the book even more realistic… because it was bound to happen.

For those who wonder, recurring characters in this book include John Garrett, Noah Bishop and Hollis Templeton. There’s also mention of Miranda, Quentin and Maggie Barnes. I wonder when Hollis will have her own book… although I wasn’t a fan of hers at first, I’m starting to really like her and look forward to her own book.

So my verdict? I think it was a good addition to the series and a good start for the trilogy. I enjoyed it; however, I will hope for more in the next book. This is not a romance however, therefore, some of you might want to skip it.

Grade: B