****Update, new****

Creature Horror

Urban Gothic by Brian Keene

The story begins with 6 best friends running through an urban neighborhood to a haunted house. 3 paired off couples. As with most[any:] Brian Keene novel the action waits only for you to turn the page. To say who dies first and who survives would give away a GREAT horror story, so I'll just say that the flesh munchers had crude weapons but imaginative deathes/tortures for their victims. An honorable Ob mention, hats off.

The creature/horror/monster in Urban Gothic are described at best as mutants, at worst as homacidal limb ripping pus-infected genitals and sores. If I for one moment thought 'Ah God they have gone and put torture porn to page.' I would have sadly have to leave my first ever Brian Keene novel unfinished. But...just as he can bob and weave through 6 main protaganist characters and dozens psyche and then ruthlessly chop them down to bite-size. The antagonist are able to taunt their victims verbally, phsyically and mentally throughout a house outfitted to maim.

Some parts of the story were abit fanstatic because it was a house in an urban setting but if I just switched over to that 'suspending belief' mode, I was OK. I won't get to fancy with my thoughts on this book. I love the author. He provided me an evening of leisure horror and again another keeper added to the growing Keene collection.

Hi Adrienne: I am glad that you take time to once again envelope yourself in Angel's Blood. Take your time. I truly cannot give Nalini Singh enough praise with this one!

Hi Kenjii your post about Angels Blood has made me want to read it again. I think sometimes I make the big mistake of trying to race thru a book just to see what happens next...I'm a bit impatient when it comes down to it...and end up missing out. Anyway thank you for resparking the spark:)

As an on the fence fan of UF I liked Working for the Devil =D.

Hm, I've been considering that Dante Valentine book. Sounds kind of mundane for a UF, LOL!

****UPDATE, new****
Fiction
animated series
Family Guy: Stewie's Guide to World Domination
Even though Stewie Griffin him self is only 1 year old I would recommend readers of this book be at least 12 and older for explicit the content written. Ok. In case the sarcasim was a bit misleading this is classic Family Guy. Filthy language and shocking dialog concentrated from the mouth and mind of the youngest quick witted Griffin family member. Stewie will school you with a perspective sharpened from a dozen months of miscalculated matriarcal assassinations.

****UPDATE, new****
Non-fiction
Pot Culture: the A-Z Guide to Stoner Language and Life
This book had exactly what I like about reading non-fiction. A lot of interesting information. Great quotes. Obscure references (at least to me)that now make sense when I get the definition.

it shows the vast influence marijuana has on everything and everyone it comes into contact with. I loved reading this book.

****UPDATE, new*****

Urban Fantasy

Working for the Devil v Lilith Saintcrow
The only thing for me that was hard to digest was the futuristic language that was wrapped around every material, object and person's job title.

Dante Valentine is a Necromance(able to raise spirits of the dead and relate their final wishes) and a bounty hunter. She is contracted by The Prince of Hell (Lucifer) and given a demon familiar (who needs blood, sex or fire to live). She is ordered to retrieve an artifact called the Egg from Santino, a serial killer she has crossed paths with before.

This was a book that was hard to put down. I did not pick up a lot of the descriptive but that did not stop me from totally rooting for Dante whenever someone "thought" she needed their help. She has been toughened from childhood and has psychic abilities that give her an edge on a hunt. This story focuses on hunting down Santino, her meeting up with Jace after 3 years and a rather revealing secret about him, her conflicting feelings about her pet demon, some changes she goes through.

****UPDATE****

Paranormal Romance

#1 Angel's Blood v Nalini Singh
A new favorite theme: Angels! Nalini Singh creates a world in which there are the Hunter-born [vampire hunters:], vampires created by angels, and archangels that rule over all.

Archangel Tower is where the angels can be seen flying overhead and landing. They shed angel dust and some people can be mesmerized by them. Elena Deverauex is called to aid Archangel Raphael and is terrified and curious. She knows the absolute power Raphael uses to make his point known. Mess up, you pay, dearly. However, when called she has to answer.

Raphael is like no other hero. I would almost describe him as the anti-hero for the first half of the book. He is described as the most orgasmic being ever known. Just looking at his wings, the color, imagining the texture. Looking at the look on his face as you think these thoughts knowing he knows what your thinking. It was all well played until Elena figured out Raphael was in her head making her feel hot for him! She was bold and brash. Being herself. She knew to cross the archangel could mean a cruel death, but she stood up to Raphael anyway.

The chemistry between Raphael and Elena was unlike the average paranormal romance. Raphael was apart of the Cadre of Ten and also was dealing with issues among the archangels. So while he wanted Elena he did not spend the entire book chasing/seducing her. The moments he did have with her were memorable. Elena has a scarred childhood. She works hard as a Hunter but that vulnerable side comes out and makes you wish she'd let someone hold her and say it's OK. I liked how Nalini Singh gave duality to her cahracters, and it was believable.

Secondary characters I completely adored: Ransom [hunter:], Sara [best friend, Guild Director:], Illium [blue winged Angel, totally lickable:], Venom [one of the Made from Neha Queen of Snakes:], Dimitri [one of the Seven; Raphael's vampire guard:].

The plot consisted of Elena tracking a rogue archangel that is slowly going insane, even though she can only 'scent' vampires. She is not told why she is hunting this archangel [Uram:], but she finds out from Sara about the destruction he has in his part of the world he rules. She realizes that her talents go beyond vampire hunting.

The creation of vampires, the archangel council, the behavior of archangels and overall re-telling of the nature of supernatural creatures is what made this novel a real treat for me.

#2 Atlantis Rising[Warriors of Poseidon Bk1:] by Alyssa Day
Riley Dawson is an empath, able to read the thoughts and feelings of others. Conlan is an Atlantean prince who has sworn to protect humankind. He meets Riley after saving her from a group of thugs and is immediately affected by her presence. Riley is shocked at her feelings towards this stranger but never-the-less sucuumbs to her desire.

What I liked about this novel was there where several characters and plots but Alyssa Day was able to keep each one interesting and believable. I am looking forward to completing the series by reading: Atlantis Awakening, Atlantis Unleashed, Shifter, and Wild Thing

#3 Atlantis Awakening[Warriors of Poseidon Bk3:] by Alyssa Day
Erin (witch, gem singer) meets Ven (Atlantean warrior) and plan to take down Caligula (master vampire). I liked this story (series) because even for the multiple storylines and character cutaways you still have a rich feeling of storytelling and can't wait to get finished and continue with the next book in the series. Atlantis Unleashed is Justice's story. His long blue braid always had me a little bit curious about "is he for real?" So I think we learn more about his background in the next book. I also have yet to read the 2 novellas connected to this series. I hate that Alyssa Day does not have more books out there to catch up on. I like the whole Atlantis hero based storyline.

****UPDATE****

Male/Male romance

paranormal, shifter-themed
Bound by Leather v Mychael Black and Shayne Carmichael
For my first time reading Mychael Black and Shayne Carmichael I really enjoyed it. The story was short and sweet at only 28 pages but any writer worth their salt can do so much with as much.

Nathaniel is a were and wants to serve. He meets Master Raphael and wants to be mastered, by him.

The thing about D/s and shifter stories are the basic elements. Pain, pleasure, domination and submission. To establish these traits so quickly without feeling rushed was great! The fact that the D/s relationship was discussed, tested but not truly established was refreshing. Not all D/s themed stories have to have the rules written. The subs can buck and not be broken. The character dialog made we wish for a longer story. I'd have love to see where this ended at page 100, 200, or 300.

4.5 of 5 really. Looking forward to more from both authors and under their various pen names and genres.

****UPDATE****
Erotica

Male-Male
Secrets, Skin and Leather by Sean Michael
I don't find corsets on men attractive at all. I liked that they liked it. The kohl. The rouge. The toys. The attraction Dillon has for Dal when he spots him in little more than make-up and a tight corset sets the mood for this sorcher of a novel.

The unassuming start [a business meeting:] leads into an anticipatory meeting between Dillon and Dal[a.k.a Scott Daly:]. Only Dal doesn't know he's been spotted. Once together there are more than sparks. These two set flame to the bedsheets and inked pages. They are great together and the kinkiness doesn't seem over the top [for them:]. It is tailor made for the way Dillon and Dal want to please each other.

There is sex 'o' plenty but for this Sean Michael novel I felt the characters wanted something more from the start. Dillon was fansinated with Dal's response to his touch but also he found himself drawn to Dal in an emotional way, almost immediately. [4.5 of 5:]

Horror

Cabal by Clive Barker
The Rising by Brian Keene
City of theDead by Brian Keene

Futuristic Romance
The Empress New CLothes by Jaid Black

Urban Fantasy

Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress, Book #1) by Jeaniene Frost
One Foot in the Grave (Night Huntress, Book #2)
by Jeaniene Frost
new_user's review-Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland

Paranormal Romance

Monja Lisa Blossoming by Sunny
Mona Lisa Awakening by Sunny
The Calling (Devotion Calls, Book 5) by Caridad Pineiro

Black Authors

Sleeping with Strangers Eric Jerome Dickey
Borrow Trouble Mary Monroe and Victor McGlothin

Romantica

Loving Lies By Lora Liegh
Blackstar: Future Knight by Cheyenne McCray
Nauti Nights (Nauti #2) by Lora Liegh

M/M romances

Pledge Slave by Evangeline Anderson
The Assignment by Evangeline Anderson
Broken Boundaries by Evangeline Anderson

Fiction (Non-Romance)

The Devil's Footprints by Amanda Stevens

Contemporary Romance

Sex Appeal by Lori Foster

Anthologies

Midnight Pleasures
Man of my Dreams
Tie me Up, Tie me Down
The Hard Stuff
Ghost Cats
Lover from another World
Built
Good Girl Seeks Bad Rider Anthology

Clicking on the link(s) will lead to my reviews on GR. Please feel free to leave comments and rate the review if you liked it =D.

I base my ratings (mostly) on the CASSL system. For erotica the P.H.F (for REALLY hot books).

A breakdown of CASSL:

C=Character: What I do here is think about the character development. Sometimes it is not strong but the story is good. I don't think about that. I think only about the characters. What did their parts bring to the story. How did I feel when I was reading thier view of the situation. Those are just some examples.

A=Author: This is simple. Most repeat authors get an auto full star. New authors (after reading) may get 1/2 of no star and sometimes I give no or full star depending on the quality of the overall writing style. New author (debuts and such) sometimes blow me away and I give them a full star.

S=Setting: This has to do with world building or how the characters interact with the world around them. For authors that don't "mess with" the real world but take time to lovingly describe the "dewdrops in the grass" or what have you. This is where I present this rating.

S=Story: Unique, realistic, emotional. All those are the stories that get the highest ratings from me. The ones I can picture in my mind. I can later recall in vivid detail and relate that in my reviews. Without giving too much away in spoilers =D.

L=Love it or Leave it? This is my overall grade. No story is perfect. So I weight the whole story and see if I can give it that final grade that can perhaps pull it to a 5 star rating or perhaps even 3.5 so I can leave a decent review.

Breakdown of my P.H.F rating:

This rarely comes into play during my reviews because I reserve for those HOTdamn moments I experience in romances. Personal Heat Factor can be determine easily for yourself when your reading the book and, yeah, its a little hotter in here. When thinking about a particular scene you have to remember where you are for a moment.