Morbid Romantic

Book Review & Personal Blog

Since I no longer have the time to post daily about what books come in the mail, I will be doing it on a weekly basis. It would free up a few more precious seconds of my time.

Bitten & Smitten by Michelle Rowan (Paperbackswap)
After a blind date bites Sarah Dearly on the neck and is killed by vampire hunters, she discovers she’s not only a vampire but also has been left to learn the ropes of the night by herself. Thank goodness for wise “master” vampire Thierry de Bennicoeur, who saves her life, shows her to the nearest vampire hangout and wins her heart in the process. Next comes a mix of misplaced trust, stakings and bad double dates, all with the goal of outwitting the vampire hunters and getting Thierry to see that Sarah’s the one for him. Rowen perfectly balances suspense and wit by tossing in one-liners just when the novel could start getting too serious (“I just need to wash my face and brush my fangs first and we can get out of here,” Sarah says). Mentions of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Anne Rice ground the novel and make it a true modern girl’s guide to (vampire) life.

Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran (Hardback from author)
After the death of their parents, twins Alexander and Selene and younger brother Ptolemy are in a dangerous position, left to the mercy of their father’s greatest rival, Octavian Caesar. However, Caesar does not kill them as expected, but takes the trio to Rome to be paraded as part of his triumphant return and to demonstrate his solidified power. As the twins adapt to life in Rome in the inner circle of Caesar’s family, they grow into adulthood ensconced in a web of secrecy, intrigue and constant danger. Told from Selene’s perspective, the tale draws readers into the fascinating world of ancient Rome and into the court of Rome’s first and most famous emperor. Deftly encompassing enough political history to provide context, Moran never clutters her narrative with extraneous facts. Readers may be frustrated that Selene is more observer than actor, despite the action taking place around her, but historical fiction enthusiasts will delight in this solid installment from a talented name in the genre.

Fugitive by Cheryl Brooks (ARC from publisher)
When a Zetithian fugitive meets a beautiful Earth woman, their passion may cost them both their lives… Manx is a Zetithian fugitive with a feline gene that gives him remarkable sexual powers. He has been in hiding in the remote jungles of Barada Seven ever since being marked for extermination by the violent Nedwuts. Artist Drusilla arrives on Barada Seven, enticed only by the promise of finding a nature paradise there. But she discovers a wildlife she wasn’t expecting when she encounters Manx. Reckless with desire for the beautiful Earth woman, Manx risks his life to win her as his mate. It’s only a matter of time until the Nedwuts find them, but it will take all of Manx and Drusilla’s passion, skill, and ingenuity to survive.

Shifting Love by Constance O’Day-Flannery (Won in a contest)
Tor debuts its new paranormal romance line with best-selling O’Day-Flannery’s tale of a shape-shifter who works for a mysterious foundation that has been trying to enlighten humankind for centuries. Magdalene O’Shea, who fears that she is destined to end up alone because of her shape-shifting abilities, owns a self-help bookstore, but her secret mission is to teach men to love. While she loves her unknowing clients, she doesn’t fall in love until she meets talented businessman and widower Julian McDonald, the mysterious foundation’s secret pick for their next political insider. Things nearly end in disaster, however, when they fly to Julian’s Bermuda home and Maggie goes for a midnight swim as a dolphin and is captured in a fishing net. When she is rescued by Julian’s housekeeper in barracuda form, she discovers that there are other women shape-shifters who have found love. This combination of romance, adventure, and the paranormal is especially enticing because of its hints of a Da Vinci Code-like secret society.

Shinju by Laura Joh Rowland (Paperbackswap)
Seventeenth-century Tokyo is the setting for Rowland’s debut novel, a murder mystery starring the Senior Police Commander in the district of Edo. Sano Ichiro, a samurai whose academic background puts him at odds with most of his peers, discovers two bodies in the Sumida River, a man and woman bound together in what appears to have been a shinju, or “double love suicide.” The man is a peasant, the woman the high-born daughter of an important official. Told by his superior to close the case without an investigation, Sano, suspecting murder, determines to investigate on his own. He orders an illegal autopsy and learns that the victims did not drown but cannot make his discovery known. Amidst many tribulations, he uncovers a trail of corruption and intrigue that ultimately leads him to suspect a member of a royal family. Replete with convincing details, the setting’s time and place provide lively and diverting passages; the plot, however, twists only occasionally before its fairly predictable, politically rooted resolution. Rowland crafts a competent mystery her first time out, shows sure command of her background material and demonstrates that she is a writer of depth and potential.

Related posts:

1. In the Mail This Week Across the Endless River by Thad Carhart (Review copy...
2. In the Mail This Week Marked (House of Night, Book 1) by P. C....
3. In the Mail (06.04) Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne Du Maurier Jaded by the...
4. In the Mail (08.22) Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See...
5. In the Mail (06.17) Dead to Me by Anton Strout Psychometry-the power to...