Review: Shutdown by Laurell K. Hamilton

Title: Shutdown

Author: Laurell K. Hamilton

Series: Anita Blake, #22.6

 •Source: Free
 •Publisher: Vook
 •Publication Date: October 8, 2013

Opening Line: Have you ever had to have lunch with your lover's fiancé?

 

"A present from me to you, because our government is behaving badly. This story is for all my readers who have been impacted by the current political SNAFU – and for anyone else who might need to enjoy a free story in these difficult times.

“Shutdown”, will be available free for the duration of the government shutdown. Once the government is back in business then the short story will no longer be available on line, at least not until my publisher and I figure out what we might want to do with it. But for right now, while we’re all wondering how it got to this point, here’s a brand new Anita Blake short story, featuring our favorite bad boy werewolf, yep, I mean Richard Zeeman. Hey, I’ve been telling you, he’s been working his therapy: read on to see the results that hard work and being brave enough to own your whole self can get you." -Laurell K. Hamilton

Review: Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris

Title: Dead Ever After

Author: Charlaine Harris

Series: Sookie Stackhouse, #13

 •Source: Purchased
 •Publisher: Ace Books
 •Publication Date: May 7, 2013

Opening Line: The New Orleans businessman, whose gray hair put him in his fifties, was accompanied by his much younger and taller bodyguard/chauffeur on the night he met the devil in the French Quarter.
  

There are secrets in the town of Bon Temps, ones that threaten those closest to Sookie—and could destroy her heart...

Sookie Stackhouse finds it easy to turn down the request of former barmaid Arlene when she wants her job back at Merlotte’s. After all, Arlene tried to have Sookie killed. But her relationship with Eric Northman is not so clearcut. He and his vampires are keeping their distance…and a cold silence. And when Sookie learns the reason why, she is devastated.

Then a shocking murder rocks Bon Temps, and Sookie is arrested for the crime.

But the evidence against Sookie is weak, and she makes bail. Investigating the killing, she’ll learn that what passes for truth in Bon Temps is only a convenient lie. What passes for justice is more spilled blood. And what passes for love is never enough...

    

Review: Dysus Dreamer by J.A. Garland

Title: Dysus Dreamer

Author: J.A. Garland

Series: The Halfling Chronicles, #2

 •Source: Author
 •Publisher: Burst
 •Publication Date: July 1, 2013

Opening Line: A solid assassination takes one part opportunity, two parts discipline, and three parts disposition.

  

"A powerful half-demon is kidnapped, bloodthirsty werewolves are on the rise, and a planet is dying. A demon warrior and a Dark elf joining forces are the least of their worries."

Demon warrior, Slade Aesus, is determined to destroy the werewolves controlling his cousin. But a beautiful elf, consumed by her own vengeance, finds the wolves first. Botching her assassination attempt, Annwyn has the most powerful Packs in the world biting at her heels. Both fiercely independent, can the two join forces long enough to fulfill their missions and stay alive?

     

Review: Instinct by J.A. Garland

Title: Instinct

Author: J.A. Garland

Series: The Halfling Chronicles, #1

 •Source: Author
 •Publisher: Burst
 •Publication Date: September 3, 2012

Opening Line: Anxiety prickled Rory's chest before fanning out to raise the hairs on the back of his neck.

   

Lone wolf, Rory Archer, never failed a single mission. Now the hunted instead of the hunter, Rory unwinds a twisted trail leading back to Amber Arlington, a spirited Halfling tied to a world of Shadows. Bound to vows initially forged out of necessity, Rory and Amber's relationship surges into more than either of them bargained for, tangling them in a web of passion. Scrambling to identify their attacker before joining the casualty list, Rory is faced with doing the unthinkable, or watching Amber turned into a slave for his species.

      

Review: Familiar by Michelle Rowen

Title: Familiar

Author: Michelle Rowen

 •Source: Purchased
 •Publisher: Smashwords
 •Publication Date: May 12, 2011

Opening Line: "That one." The witch followed the direction of my pointing finger, which singled out a tiny, tawny-colored striped kitten sitting in the far corner of the pen.
   

When reluctant teen witch Brenda Collins is sent by her mother to a magical pet shop to pick out her animal familiar, she settles on a small tawny-striped kitten not realizing it’s a shapeshifter currently in hiding. Discovering the gorgeous but troubled Owen’s secret plunges the witch-in-training into a dangerous and romantic adventure that will test her magical abilities like never before.