I love to read. It really does have to be one of my favorite pastimes. In fact I am often late for work (bad bad girl) because I started reading instead of getting ready for work.
I desperately want a Kindle for when I travel but know that when I am at home I will most definitely not be using it. I love the feel of a book in my hand, the smell and just well….the book!!!!
So I tend to read A LOT!!! Here is my top ten from 2011….no particular order and some were published prior to 2011 but as the disclaimer says…..
OH, the summaries of the books have for the most part been taken off the authors official websites.
Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning – I really enjoyed this series. I love that it is set in Ireland (mainly Dublin) and I could picture the area and hear the accents in my mind as I read. I also love the fact that the lead character is female and she kicks serious butt!!!
DarkFever - MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks... until something extraordinary happens. When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae... As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless V'lane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands...
BloodFever - In her fight to stay alive, Mac must find the Sinsar Dubh—a million year old book of deadly black magic, which holds the key to power over both the worlds of Fae and Man. Pursued by assassins, surrounded by people she knows she can’t trust, Mac finds herself torn between two dangerous and powerful men, V’lane, a lethal Fae prince and the mysterious Jericho Barrons. For millennia the shadowy realm of the Fae court has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down and Mac is the only thing that stands between them.
FaeFever - When Mac receives a page torn from her dead sister’s journal, she is stunned by Alina’s words. Mac knows her sister’s killer is near. The sidhe-seer is on the hunt: for answers, for revenge. And for an ancient book of magic so twisted and dark that it corrupts anyone who touches it. Mac’s quest takes her into the dark, riot-filled streets of Dublin with a suspicious cop on her tail. Forced into an uneasy alliance with a deadly Fae prince and the lethal Jericho Barrons, Mac is soon locked in a battle for her body, mind and soul.
DreamFever - When the walls between Man and Fae come crashing down, freeing the immortal Unseelie from their icy prison, Mac is caught in a deadly trap. Trapped and tortured by the Fae Lord Master, Mac has no memory of who or what she is: the only sidhe-seer alive that can track the Sinsar Dubh, a book of black magic that holds the key to controlling both worlds.
Clawing her way back from oblivion is only the first step Mac must take down a perilous path, from the battle filled streets of Dublin to the treacherous politics of an ancient, secret sect, through the tangled lies of men who claim to be her allies into the illusory world of the Fae themselves where nothing is as it seems—and Mac is forced to face a soul-shattering truth. Who do you trust when you can’t even trust yourself?
ShadowFever - MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever. Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister's murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals that have lived concealed among us for thousands of years. What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief, while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh--a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King that contains the power to create and destroy worlds. In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac, and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves. Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman that haunts her dreams? More importantly, who is Mac and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card? From the luxury of the Lord Master's penthouse, to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover, to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac's journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and make a choice that will either save the world...or destroy it.
I have said it before and I will say it again………..I am a BIG Nora Roberts fan and I wait with baited breath for new releases from her. I have blogged about Chasing Fire here but below is the summary of Chasing Fire in case you want to read it again:
“The number-one New York Times-bestselling author delves into the world of elite firefighters who thrive on danger and adrenaline-men and women who wouldn’t know how to live life it wasn’t on the edge.
There’s little as thrilling as firefighting at least to Rowan Tripp. The Missoula smoke jumpers are in Rowan’s blood: her father is a legend. She’s been fighting fires since her since her eighteenth birthday. At this point, returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home even with reminders of the partner she lost last season still lingering.
Fortunately, this year’s rookie crop is one of the strongest eve and Gulliver Curry’s one of the best. He’s also a walking contradiction, a hotshot firefighter with a big vocabulary and winder job at a kids arcade.
Everything is thrown off balance when a dark presence lashes out against Rowan, looking to blame someone for last year’s tragedy. Rowan knows she can’t complicate things with Gull any distractions in the air or on the ground could mean the end but is she doesn’t find someone she can lean on, she may not make it through the summer…….”
I also read The Circle Trilogy which was FANTASTIC!!! I just loved the storyline…..plus there is a really cute vampire who plays a leading role….
Morrigan’s Cross - First in the Circle Trilogy. Her name is Lilith. Existing for thousands of years, she has lured countless men to an immortal doom with her soul-stealing kiss. But now, this woman will stop at nothing until she rules this world—and those beyond it. Hoyt Mac Cionaoith is no match for the dark siren. But his powers come from the goddess Morrigan—and it is through her that he will get his chance at vengeance.
Dance of the Gods - With one vampire determined to rule the earth, the Circle of Six prepares to battle for their lives – and their hearts.
Valley of Silence - The battleground has been chosen for the final showdown between those selected by the gods and the minions of the vampire Lilith. But there is one vampire who dares stand against her. And his love for the scholarly queen of Geall will complete the circle of six – and change the face of eternity.
I have also blogged about The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes before. I really enjoyed this books unique twist:
“Welcome to 66 Star Street……
In the top floor flat lives music exec Katie. She spends her days fighting off has been rock stars and wondering how much cheesecake you’d need to eat yourself to death.
Below her, a pair of muscular Poles share with a streetwise cabbie named Lydia who has a sharp tongue, an even sharper brain but some unexpected soft spots.
On the first floor is Fionn the gardener who prefers the company of parsnips to people. But he looks like a fairytale prince and when he’s offered his own television show, he’s suddenly thrust into the limelight.
And at the bottom of the house live Matt and Maeve, who are very much in love and who stave off despair by doing random acts of kindness.
But a mysterious visitor has just landed at 66 Star Street and big changes are on the way. Old secrets are working their way to the surface, bringing love, tragedy and an unexpected optimism. And life will be very different for everyone……”
The acclaimed new novel from the author of The Corrections. Patty and Walter Berglund were the new pioneers of old St. Paul - the gentrifiers, the hands-on parents, the avant-garde of the Whole Foods generation. Patty was the ideal sort of neighbour who could tell you where to recycle your batteries and how to get the local cops to actually do their job. She was an enviably perfect mother and the wife of Walter's dreams. Together with Walter - environmental lawyer, commuter cyclist, family man - she was doing her small part to build a better world. But now, in the new millennium, the Berglunds have become a mystery. Why has their teenage son moved in with the aggressively Republican family next door? Why has Walter taken a job working with Big Coal? What exactly is Richard Katz - outre rocker and Walter's old college friend and rival - still doing in the picture? Most of all, what has happened to poor Patty? Why has the bright star of Barrier Street become a very different kind of neighbor, an implacable Fury coming unhinged before the street's attentive eyes? In his first novel since The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen has given us an epic of contemporary love and marriage. Freedom comically and tragically captures the temptations and burdens of too much liberty: the thrills of teenage lust, the shaken compromises of middle age, the wages of suburban sprawl, the heavy weight of empire. In charting the mistakes and joys of Freedom's intensely realized characters, as they struggle to learn how to live in an ever more confusing world, Franzen has produced an indelible and deeply moving portrait of our time.
P C Cast is also a new discovery for me. She co-authors the House of Night series with her daughter and I had thought that her target audience was teenagers. How thrilled was I when I discovered that momma writes some adult books as well. “This thrilling fantasy book series transports teacher Shannon Parker into the world of Partholon, a land rich in goddesses, centaurs, magic and passion”. I think the Divine Series takes you to a different world and I found myself dreaming about centaurs and rolling plains.
Divine by Mistake - The only excitement Shannon Parker expects while on summer vacation is a little shopping. But when an antique vase calls to her, she finds herself transported to Partholon, where she’s treated like a goddess. A very temperamental goddess… Somehow Shannon has stepped into another’s role as the Goddess Incarnate of Epona. And while there’s an upside – what woman doesn’t like lots of pampering? – it also comes with a ritual marriage to a centaur and threats against her new people. Oh, and everyone disliking her because they think she’s her double. Somehow Shannon needs to figure out how to get back to Oklahoma without being killed, married to a horse or losing her mind…
Divine by Choice - Shannon Parker has finally come to terms with life in the mythical world of Partholon. She loves her centaur husband, her connection to the goddess Epona and the pampering that comes with both! She’s almost forgotten her old life on Earth – especially when she discovers she’s pregnant… Then a sudden burst of power sends her back to Oklahoma. Without magic, Shannon can’t return to Partholon – and so she needs to find help. Trouble is, it might take the form of a man as tempting as her husband. And along the way she’ll discover that being divine by mistake is a lot easier than being divine by choice…
Divine by Blood - Conceived in a lie and trapped in a tree throughout her gestation, Morrigan’s birth was truly magical. After that start, she spent the next eighteen years raised as a normal girl in Oklahoma. Upon discovering the truth of her heritage, her rage and grief take on a power of their own, carrying her back to the world of Partholon. Yet, instead of being respected as the daughter of the Goddess Incarnate, Morrigan feels like a shunned outsider. In her desperation to belong to Partholon, she confronts forces she can’t fully understand or control. And soon a strange darkness draws closer…
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