Most Anticipated New Releases of May

The following list is comprised of books my friends, family, and I are most looking forward to reading. It also consists of books by popular authors and others I've heard a lot of hype about. I am not flawless and sometimes I'll accidentally leave one or more books off the list that I shouldn't. Occasionally even one of my favorites will accidentally be left off. (For shame, right?) Let me know if one of your favorites is missing. Sometimes my search techniques just don't work as well as I wish they did.

If you would like to read a book description, just click on the title and you'll magically be transported to Amazon where you can decide whether to buy the book or not. Remember a book a day keeps the boredom at bay! Happy reading.

May 1, 2012 - Bitterblue (Graceling) by Kristin Cashore
May 1, 2012 - Black Dawn: The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine
May 1, 2012 - The Big, Fun, Sexy Sex Book by Lisa Rinna and Ian Kerner
May 1, 2012 - Born of Silence (The League) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
May 1, 2012 - Crazy On You (eBook Novella) by Rachel Gibson
May 1, 2012 - Demon's Bride (The Hellraisers) by Zoe Archer
May 1, 2012 - Destined (Wings) by Aprilynne Pike
May 1, 2012 - Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 12) by Charlaine Harris
May 1, 2012 - The Drowned Cities(Ship Breaker, #2) by Paolo Bacigalupi
May 1, 2012 - Insurgent (Divergent Trilogy) by Veronica Roth
May 1, 2012 - Karma (Serendipity) by Carly Phillips
May 1, 2012 - Kiss of the Goblin Prince: Shadowlands series by Shona Husk
May 1, 2012 - The Last Boyfriend: Book Two of the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy (The Inn Trilogy) by Nora Roberts
May 1, 2012 - The Proposal by Mary Balogh
May 1, 2012 - Robert B. Parker's Lullaby (Spenser) by Ace Atkins
May 1, 2012 -The Serpent's Shadow (The Kane Chronicles, Book Three) by Rick Riordan
May 1, 2012 - Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready
May 1, 2012 - Sparks Fly: A Novel of the Light Dragons by Katie MacAlister


May 7, 2012 - 11th Hour (Women's Murder Club) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
May 8, 2012 - Beauty: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Outtake by Laurell K. Hamilton
May 8, 2012 - City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare
May 8, 2012 - Endure (Need) by Carrie Jones
May 8, 2012 - The Road to Grace (The Walk) by Richard Paul Evans
May 8, 2012 - The Sea Witch by Stephen Coonts
May 8, 2012 - The Sins of the Father (Clifton Chronicles) by Jeffrey Archer
May 8, 2012 - Underworld (Abandon, #2)  by Meg Cabot
May 8, 2012 - Until I Die (Revenants) by Amy Plum


May 15, 2012 - Stolen Prey by John Sandford
May 15, 2012 - Theodore Boone: The Accused by John Grisham
May 15, 2012 - Vampire Kisses 9: Immortal Hearts


May 21, 2012 - The Custom of the Army (Novella): An Outlander Novella by Diana Gabaldon
May 22, 2012 - Conquered by a Highlander (Children of the Mist) by Paula Quinn
May 22, 2012 - The Enchantress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel) by Michael Scott
May 22, 2012 - Fated (Soul Seekers) by Alyson Noël
May 22, 2012 - The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (The Steampunk Chronicles, #2) by Kady Cross
May 22, 2012 - Lethal Rider (Lords of Deliverance) by Larissa Ione
May 22, 2012 - Lucky in Love (A Lucky Harbor Novel) by Jill Shalvis
May 22, 2012 - Midnight's Master (Dark Warrior 1) by Donna Grant
May 22, 2012 - Shadow Bound (Unbound)
May 22, 2012 - Taken by Storm: A Raised by Wolves Novel by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
May 22, 2012 - The Taming of a Scottish Princess by Karen Hawkins
May 22, 2012 - Vortex (Cutter Cay) by Cherry Adair
May 24, 2012 - Frostbite: A Graphic Novel (Vampire Academy) by Leigh Dragoon, Richelle Mead and Emma Vieceli
May 24, 2012 - No Longer A Gentleman (The Lost Lords) by Mary Jo Putney
May 24, 2012 - Too Tempting to Resist (Lords of Midnight) by Cara Elliott


May 29, 2012 - Blood Lite III: Aftertaste by Kevin J. Anderson
May 29, 2012 - A Blood Seduction: A Vamp City Novel by Pamela Palmer
May 29, 2012 - Along Came a Duke: Rhymes With Love by Elizabeth Boyle
May 29, 2012 - Charmed By His Love (A Spellbound Falls Romance) by Janet Chapman
May 29, 2012 - Dark Frost (Mythos Academy) by Jennifer Estep
May 29, 2012 - Darkness Before Dawn (Darkness Before Dawn - Trilogy) by J. A. London (Please note this is a Young Adult book written by romance author Lorraine Heath and her son)
May 29, 2012 - Dreamless (Starcrossed)
May 29, 2012 - Hot for Fireman: A Bachelor Firemen Novel by Jennifer Bernard 
May 29, 2012 - A Night Like This (Smythe-Smith Quartet) by Julia Quinn
May 29, 2012 - Rescue Me by Rachel Gibson
May 29, 2012 - Seeker of Shadows by Nancy Gideon
May 29, 2012 - The Storm (The Numa Files) by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown
May 29, 2012 - Summer Days (Fool's Gold, Book 7) by Susan Mallery
May 29, 2012 - Tangle of Need (Psy-Changeling) by Nalini Singh

A word from Lisa Rinna about her new book, 'The Big, Fun, Sexy, Sex Book':

Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy) by Jennifer Estep

• Title: Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy)
• Classification: Young Adult (Ages 13 and up)
• Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: K-Teen; 1 edition (July 26, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0758266928
• ISBN-13: 978-0758266927
• Author's Website: http://www.jenniferestep.com/

Sexual Content: Main character indirectly witnesses (hears) a girl giving a guy oral sex, but it doesn't go into great detail. Also, whispers of students having sex.

     "Reapers of Chaos are everywhere, even here at Mythos. They can be anyone--parents, teachers, your fellow students. And they will do whatever it takes to get what they want." 
     "What is is that they want, exactly?" I asked...
     "The Reapers want one thing--to free Loki from the prison realm that the other gods have placed him in. And we, the students and teachers here, the members of the Pantheon, are at war with them, trying to prevent that from happening. That's what all the students here are being trained for. To learn how to fight with whatever skills and magic that they have to keep Loki from escaping from his prison."...
     I frowned. "So what happens if Loki gets free? What would be so bad about that?"
     "Because the last time Loki was free, he raised an army to try to kill the other gods, to enslave mortals, and to bend everyone to his will. Hundreds of thousands of people died, Gwen. And hundreds of thousands more will die if Loki is freed once more. The world as we know it will be utterly destroyed."

Starting a new school can be hard, but when you you literally don't fit in with those around you it can be even tougher. Such is the life of Gwen Frost. Six months ago her mom died and her life was drastically changed. Her grandmother pulled her out of her old school and enrolled her at Mythos Academy. The thing about Mythos is that the kids there aren't exactly what you would call normal, they're warriors as in Amazons, Valkyries, Vikings, Romans, etc. Something from every "ancient culture, myth, or fairy tale that you'd ever heard of and lots you hadn't." Truth be told, Gwen isn't normal either, she's got a gift or a curse, depending on your point of view, called psychometry that allows her to "know, see and feel an object's history." It allows her to be able to track things that are lost and she uses that talent to make a profit by letting individuals hire her to find their lost items. What Gwen doesn't realize, but soon will, is that she's more like the other student's then she ever would have believed. When the most popular girl on campus is murdered and an ancient artifact is stolen she'll discover just how special she really is.

Gwen is smart, gutsy, and a tad stubborn. She doesn't have the mad fight skills of her warrior classmates and that makes her a bit vulnerable. Luckily she seems to not be noticed much by the other students and blends in to the background. She finds she can use this to her advantage because her classmates tend to talk about things in front of her without giving it a second thought. Jasmine's death really disturbs her and she doesn't buy the faculty's claim that Jasmine was killed by Reapers. She arrived at the crime scene moments after the attack and was knocked unconscious. If Reapers, who have a reputation for being vicious, were involved why didn't they kill her as well?

The day after the attack Gwen is surprised to find nobody really seems all that upset by Jasmine's death and a lot of people didn't really like her. Everyone pretty much acts like it's just a typical day and nothing all that significant has happened. She finds that a bit "creepy" and decides it's not right that nobody cares and decides to find out what exactly happened to Jasmine. She just can't leave things well enough alone and during her attempt to uncover the truth behind Jasmine's death, she discovers more about herself, her family and the world than she'd ever imagined. Plus, she'll make a few friends along the way.

Overall, I gave this one 4 out of 5 roses. It was filled with action, suspense and interesting characters. It kept my attention and had a twist I didn't see coming. It kept my attention and I couldn't wait to read the next book. So I didn't. The review for 'Kiss of Frost' should be up tomorrow. :)

Notes to keep you in the know:

In case you were wondering if any of the mythology used by Ms. Estep was pulled from recorded mythology: According to the World Book Encyclopedia, "Loki, LOH kee, was a god of Norse mythology who was known as a troublemaker and trickster...Most stories portray him as evil, though some myths tell of occasions when he helped the gods...The principal myth about Loki concerns his role in the murder of Balder, the handsome son of Odin, the chief god..When the gods learned what Loki had done, they sentenced him to be chained across three rocks, with a snake dripping poison onto his face. His wife Sigyn, caught the drops of poison in a bowl. But each time the bowl filled up and she left to empty it, the venom struck Loki and made him twist in agony." ('Loki' by Carl Lindahl via World Book Encyclopedia. 2005 edition, L volume 12,  page 426) 

Painting of Loki's Punishment:

Loki by Mårten Eskil Winge (1825–1896) photographed by: http://webart.nationalmuseum.se/work/work_image.aspx?id=18044

Order of Series:

Confessions From an Arranged Marriage (The Burgundy Club, #4) by Miranda Neville

• Title: Confessions from an Arranged Marriage (Avon Romance)
• Classification: Adult Fiction
• Genre: Historical Romance
• Format:  Paperback, 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon; Original edition (March 27, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0062023055
• ISBN-13: 978-0062023056

Author's Website: http://www.mirandaneville.com/

     Surveying the room, his glance came to rest on her. His lips twisted into a derisive half smile and their eyes met in mutual displeasure. He shoved his back away from the wall and ambled over to her.
     "Our dance, I believe, Miss Montrose." He hadn't changed one bit.
     Minerva felt a strong desire to slap his arrogant face. "Lord Blakeney," she said with the merest hint of a curtsey. I believe 'our dance' was over half an hour ago."
     "This one will do just as well."

Miss Minerva Montrose had a plan and it was a good one. She wanted to be close to a man who would wield political power and be his helpmate. She knew her politics and had hand picked the man she felt would be the best candidate for what she was looking for in a husband and his name was Thomas Parkes. She'd selected him based upon newspaper articles which discussed his "budding" political career. She'd managed to capture his attention and hoped he'd offer for her soon and that they could be wed before the end of the season, but that was before Lord Blakeney ruined everything...

Lord Blakeney was a scoundrel. His parents, the Duke and Duchess of Hampton, had hoped his self imposed two year exile to a country estate had curbed his wild ways and gotten him to grow up. Upon arriving back to London, however, it became clear it hadn't as he seemed to pick up his bad habits where he had left off. Tonight he managed to be late to the opening of the ball his parents were hosting. The Duke and Duchess were presenting Miss Minerva Montrose to the ton for her first season. He and Ms. Montrose were acquainted and shared a mutual aversion for each other. He had no intention of spending any more time than necessary with the "ambitious miss"'. He only wanted to get back to his newly acquired mistress. In a strange twist of fate, of his own making, he changed everything when he accidentally mistook her sleeping form for that of another. When the two were found in a compromising position, he'd ruined her in the eyes of the ton and thereby sealed and intertwined their fates. The two would have to wed.

I truly enjoyed this book. Minerva was such a fun character and I liked her from the very beginning. She was an ambitious woman living in the wrong time. A time when women were not thought to be good for much more than breeding, needlepoint, and looking pretty. Can you even imagine being intellectually equivalent or superior to a man only to have your opinions scoffed at because of your gender? Minerva had hoped to find a loophole to her circumstances by marrying someone who would admire her for her brains and not just her beauty. When scandal forced her to marry a man who looked to be the exact opposite of what she wanted, she thought her hopes and aspirations were dashed.

Lord Blakeney (aka Blake) was thought to be a lazy handsome devil who was undeserving of his future position as a Duke. What nobody, but a select few, knew was that he had a secret. He attempted to hide his reading difficulty by feigning disinterest. In a time when learning disabilities, like dyslexia, were still unknown, he struggled with both reading and writing. He'd always felt a bit of a failure and was embarrassed by it.

At first I really disliked Blake. His resentment of his father's treatment of him for not being able to learn manifested into a rift between the two that seemed insurmountable. His plans for vengeance, which involved Minerva, were unfair. She entered the marriage in good faith and had no clue why he acted the way he did. Luckily, he later redeemed himself in my eyes, and I ended up adoring him. While it took some time, the two slowly began to like each other and then things quickly heated up between the two.

Overall, I gave this one 4 out of 5 roses. I enjoyed all the turmoil and misunderstandings. I liked how the drama that was unfolding was set against the backdrop of a politically charged period in time, a period of reform. The contrasts between Minerva being both vulnerable yet strong and innocent yet wise were fun. The story gives us a lovely glimpse of the woman she'll become and the marriage she and Blake will share. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one gets a STEAM rating - too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed.

Avon Impulse Author Roundup - A Call For Submissions

Avon Impulse is doing a call for submissions. They're "looking for some skilled, creative writers to bring our ideas to life". All stories can be submitted through their form at www.avonimpulse.com. So what specifically are they looking for? Romances based on the following themes:

Take Us Out to the Ballgame 
50,000 – 70,000 words

Sensuality level: from steamy to super-sexy
Contemporary
Must be received by May 30th

What walks the halls of Stormclyffe House?  

15,000-20,000 words

Sensuality level: from Moderate to Super-Sexy

Historical or contemporary
Must be received by May 30th

Home for the Holidays (also known as, “Gain Ten Pounds at the Holidays!”) 

15,000-20,000 words

Sensuality level: Sweet and Romantic

Contemporary
Must be received by July 1st 2012

Five Golden Rings (Christmas story) 
15,000-20,000 words

Sensuality level: moderate to sexy
Historical
Must be received by August 1st

NEW YEAR’S EVE AND OTHER DISASTERS!
15,000-20,000 words
Sensuality level: from Moderate to super-sexy
Historical or contemporary
Must be received by September 15th

For more detailed information about the themes and how to submit your entries visit the original post at: http://www.avonromance.com/2012/04/24/write-for-avon-impulse/ Avon asked I spread the word and the above information came from the original post, I just downsized it. Happy writing and good luck!

Paris in Love: A Memoir by Eloisa James

• Title: Paris in Love: A Memoir
• Classification: Adult Nonfiction
• Genre: Memoir
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Random House (April 3, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 1400069564
• ISBN-13: 978-1400069569

Author's Website: http://www.eloisajames.com/

Cancer, when it rears its ugly head at you or a loved one, shows no mercy. If you're lucky, you can catch it in time and banish it. It is an indiscriminate killer and it can seemingly strike anyone at random. When a person is faced with this disease they can choose to fight or succumb. Luckily, Ms. James caught her cancer in time and fought and won her battle. Her mother however, was not so lucky. Two weeks before her own diagnosis, Eloisa's mother had lost her battle with cancer and passed away. Cancer makes us face our own mortality head on and makes a person get their priorities straight. How did Ms. James deal with the reality check she was given? Well, after getting an okay from her doctor, she basically ran away from home and to Paris, in an attempt to leave all her worries behind. I wish we all could do this as it seems like a very therapeutic thing to do. To take a sabbatical from our daily lives and fully enjoy it for a while. If you could do such a thing, where would you want to go or do? Think about it. Eloisa James did and then she and her family acted upon it.

So the first thing you might wonder about "Paris in Love" is if it is a book about a woman obsessed with cancer who talks about it and her experience with it? The answer is it definitely is not. It's basically a book about living life and enjoying what you have. It's about looking at the wonder of it all (life) and at finding the humor in it. It's also about family and friends and making the time to appreciate  each other.

The book gives you an insight into the daily life of Eloisa James and her family as they attempt to blend in to life in Paris for a year. It gives you a taste of the city itself as well as its people. You get glimpses of places Eloisa traveled to such as Italy, Germany, and London as well. She paints the reader a picture upon her pages with words and humor:

- 'People kiss all the time here: romantically, sadly, sweetly, passionately; in greeting and farewell...I hadn't realized that Anna had noticed until yesterday when I suggested perhaps a single-mother situation in her classroom could be explained by divorce. Anna didn't agree. "They don't get divorced here," she reported. "It's 'cause they kiss so much."'

- 'French chickens come with heads and feet still attached...my butcher cradles the bird like a baby, then waggles its head toward Anna, Turning the bird into a clucking version of Jaws.'

- 'It's raining...The umbrellas look like wildly colorful mushrooms sprouting from the pavement. From down the street, they seem to bloom, low and colorful against the gray buildings.'

-'Venice is like the dream of a sleeping shopaholic--The little, gorgeous footbridges rise into the air and come down into yet other streets of shop windows, shining with gold, velvet, and glass, The streets blend together as if one were wandering in circles, always presented with more to desire, more to buy.' 

Eloisa also lets us follow the drama her daughter faces with an arch rival at school. As she puts it, "Every Peter Pan has his Hook, Harry Potter his Malfoy...Anna's nemesis is Domitilla." Plus, we get to follow the lovelorn meanderings of Florent, Alessandro's language exchange partner--Florent attempts to help improve Alessandro's French while Alessandro helps Florent with his Italian. Alessandro, in case you were wondering, is Eloisa's husband who is originally from Italy. Florent's reason for wanting to learn Italian is that he has a crush on a waitress he met in Italy and would like to converse with her. Eloisa gives us her insight on whether French women truly don't get fat and why they always looks so stylish. Additionally, Eloisa created a list of places to see, things to do, and places to go to buy at the back of the book.

Overall, I found this an enjoyable read. I rated it 4 out of 5 roses. I usually don't go for non fiction books, but when you combine Paris and Eloisa James, I just couldn't resist. I found Ms. James' daily observations charming, witty, thoughtful and humorous. I can't help but wonder if perhaps Eloisa's bad hair year might have somehow reflected a bit of what was going on in her own life. She started out not quite herself, but slowly after a year of healing for both the body and soul, while living in Paris enjoying life, she once again resembles her former self. In the introduction Eloisa states, "I never learned to live in the moment, but I did learn that moments could be wasted and the world would continue to spin on its axis." She brings things full circle at the end when she claims, "We learned to waste our moments--together."

Top Ten Words of Wisdom from Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunters

Top Ten Words of Wisdom from Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunters

(I am including Nick because in at least one reality there is a Dark-Hunter connection)

10) "Everyone suffers at least one bad betrayal in their lifetime. It’s what unites us. The trick is not to let it destroy your trust in others when that happens. Don’t let them take that from you.”
― Sherrilyn Kenyon, Invincible

9) "I learned a long time ago not to judge people by what they look like, sound like, or by the clothes they wear. Just because a house is nice and shiny out front doesn’t mean it’s not rotting on the inside." (Kyrian) 

― Sherrilyn Kenyon, Infinity

8) "Nothing is ever truly set by fate. In one blink, everything changes. Even though it should be a clear, sunny day, the softest whisper into the wind can become a hurricane that destroys everything it touches." (Acheron)
― Sherrilyn Kenyon, Sins of the Night

7) “No one can ever make you feel inferior without your permission, Tory. Don’t give it to them. Realize that it’s their own insecurities that make them attack you and others. They’re so unhappy with themselves that the only way they can feel better is by making everyone as unhappy as they are. Don’t let those people steal your day, baby.”
― Sherrilyn Kenyon, Acheron

6) “Acheron always says that our scars are there to remind us of out pasts, of where we've been and what we've gone through. But that pain doesn't have to drive or determine our future. We can rise about it if we let ourselves. It's not easy, but nothing in life ever is." (Sundown)
― Sherrilyn Kenyon, Retribution

5) “Mistakes don't have to define us. They're how we learn and grow. They show us who and what we don't want to be. It's why they're mistakes.”
― Sherrilyn Kenyon, Infamous

4) “Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss other people. Life's too short to worry about what other people do or don't do. Tend your own backyard, not theirs, because yours is the one you have to live in.”
― Sherrilyn Kenyon, Infamous

3) “One word can give someone the strength they needed at the moment or it can shred them down to nothing. A single smile can turn a bad moment good. And one wrong outburst could be that tiny push that causes someone to slip over the edge of destruction.”
― Sherrilyn Kenyon, Infamous

2) “There are always three sides to every memory…yours, theirs, and the truth, which lies somewhere in between the two”
― Sherrilyn Kenyon, Seize The Night

1) "We have three kinds of family. Those we are born to, those who are born to us, and those we let into our hearts.”
― Sherrilyn Kenyon, Bad Moon Rising


Top 10 list order was determined by me and quotes were selected by me. Special thanks to Goodreads for cataloguing some of my favorite quotes making it easier for me to access and find them. This list was very difficult to whittle down to just 10. Assume any and all errors are mine because they most likely are. :)

Early Review of Kiss of Pride (Deadly Angel, #1) by Sandra Hill

• Title: Kiss of Pride: A Deadly Angels Book
• Classification: Adult Fiction
• Genre: Paranormal Romance/Comedy
• Format:  Paperback, 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon; Original edition (April 24, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0062064614
• ISBN-13: 978-0062064615
• Author's Website: http://www.sandrahill.net/

Over a thousand years ago when Vikings were at their most powerful, God could no longer ignore their many sins. One family in particular, the Sigurdssons, caught his attention when they raided Lindisfarne, a Saxon monastery. Each of the seven sons in the family had "offended God by committing one of the Seven deadly sins in a most heinous manner." Just as God was handing down a judgement that would condemn the men to an eternity in Hell the archangel Michael intervened to his everlasting regret.

     "I agree that these Sigurdsson men have gone too far, but maybe they would change if given a second chance..."

And so a different judgement was handed down...

     "This I say unto you, the Viking race will dwindle off into nonexistence, but not by death. No, they will blend into other cultures, losing their identity. Their pride is too great to stand alone. Hereafter, no one will worship Norse gods ever again."
     "As you say, Lord, "Michael paused before asking, "And the seven Sigurdsson sons?"
     "These seven sinners must prove themselves sevenfold. By sins they were judged, by grace they will be saved. For seven hundred years, they must roam the earth doing good works. If they fail, Satan may have them for his unholy domain."

And so Michael's and the Sigurdsson's fates were sealed. To make sure their penance was a little more difficult, the seven brothers were turned into Vampires, and so the first Viking Vampire Angels (aka Vangels) were created. Their mission to thwart the plans of Lucifer's Vampires (aka Lucipires) whose goal was to collect the souls of sinners before they had a change to repent. Because Michael was the one who suggested they be given another chance, they were put under his guidance.

As the years passed more and more years were added on to the Vangels original sentences because boys will be boys and Vikings will be Vikings. Perhaps by the grace of God, however, they lived in virtual obscurity until the Vangels masquerading as pretend vampires in the small town of Transyvania, Pensylvania caught the eye of a reporter from the World Gazette. Alexander Kelly who had once been nominated for a Pulitzer was being assigned a puff piece in an attempt to gently ease her out of her grief. Two years prior her husband and child had been murdered. She was still grieving, and this was her boss' way of trying to ease her out of her misery and get her back to writing. Little did she know this assignment would change her life.

This book made me think Ms. Hill was trying to capitalize a bit on the current popularity of angels and vampires. The series had a hint of Nalini Singh's Guildhunter series because of the Angel and vampire connection, but whereas Singh's series is a fairly serious paranormal romance series, Ms. Hill decided to slant her series toward humor. To tell you the truth, the humor just wasn't my cup of tea, but even so I still had to laugh despite myself. Nothing against the author, it was just a tad bit too silly for my taste. I just kept shaking my head and thinking, "Oh, no she di'int.", but oh yes she did. It was an okay read for me, I didn't hate it, but I definitely didn't love it. Now, I know there will probably be some who will absolutely adore this series, so I'll try to give you a taste so as not to discourage anyone whose sense of humor may be in sync with this series. First off, the Vikings are supposed to refrain from sin which they are finding very difficult (hence the added years to the original sentence). So you have a bunch of horny Viking males doing their best to abstain from sex and many other sinful indulgences. Secondly, they are living in a town dedicated to monopolizing on the recent Vampire craze. It is the perfect place for Vangels to blend into the background.

The two main characters are Vikar and Alex. Vikar's sin is Pride and he struggles with it daily. Described by Alex, Vikar was "the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen" with "dirty blond hair down to his shoulder blades, with pencil thin braids framing each side of his face...He had the most beautiful eyes and almost perfect facial features." Even though Alex's initial thoughts are that Vikar is a couple of fries short of a happy meal, she slowly starts to believe his crazy story and starts falling for him.

Here are some of my favorite Quotes/ Lines/ Moments that give you a taste of the book:
- 'Now she'd met all seven brothers. Vikar. Trond. Cnut. Harek. Ivak. Sigurd. Mordr.
  "And she is...?" one of the brothers demanded to know, and not politely.
  "Mine," Vikar said.'

- "I saw what you were doing in the storeroom, Vikar. That was Sex. Believe you me, if anyone knows sex, 'tis me," Ivak persisted.
  Vikar's face was probably turning as red as a sunexposed Lucipire. "Near-sex," he repeated.
  His brothers burst out laughing including Cnut, who felt the need to share, "He told me and Harek  that selfsame story. 'Twould seem Trond gave him the idea that near-sex was not real sex." 

- "Vikar?" Mordr prodded, "Where is the wench?"
   "Taking a bubble bath."   
  Silence reigned then as five male minds went haywire imagining the frothy scene.

- 'In the window were displayed the covers of several pornographic videos... 
  "Ah, but I'm in the mood for good literature," Ivak said with a grin, "How about these? A Tale of Two Vampyres. The stakes of Wrath. Or that one. " He pointed to the left. "Great Neckspectations."...
  Vikar worried that they were embarrassing Alex, but then she said, "My favorite is Vlad Really Did Impale Her."
  His brothers glanced at him, then Alex, and burst out laughing.' (And no I didn't list all the titles.)

Overall, I gave this one 2 out of 5 roses. There were parts I liked and I did laugh, but it was just an okay read for me. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one scored a FAN rating - the temperature in the room seems to have suddenly gone up a couple of degrees and a fan would be nice.