Library Love: Take 1: Dead and Stinkin'

When I went to the library two days ago—yes, I know I was there only days before, shush—I lingered and browsed. That was unusual because my visits mostly entail a rush over there to pick up books held for me.

I fruitlessly searched the Juvenile Fiction shelves for Rosa Jordan's Lost Goat Lane. It's sequel, The Goatnappers, is not at all pleased by this because it will have to remain unread. Defiantly, I grabbed a couple of nearby books. I have no idea what any of these children books are about. I'm simply amused by the titles. What can I say? I'm a risk taker.

Next, I visited the New Arrivals which weren't all that new. Then it was off to the Thriller and Fantasy books. As my bag complained, I insisted on a visit to the audiobook section. It comprised about 30 titles—a meagre offering—but I grabbed what I could.

As the books were scanned at checkout, I was asked, "Where do you find these books?" I think it must have been the Demon Seed and Dead and Stinkin' titles...

These books followed me home (a larger bag next time?):

Happy Bookaholic's favorite books »

Review: His Darkest Hunger (Jaguar Warrior Series: Book #1) by Juliana Stone

Jaxon is armed and seething. Someone will definitely die and he knows who it will be: Libby Jamieson. Oh, my...violence.

So what did the woman do to fill him with such fury? Let's see...she worked with him, had an affair with him then someone he cared about died when she disappeared. She obviously betrayed him and he is ready to pay her back. Oh, yes, the "traitorous bitch" is going down.

Just one problem; he can't pull the trigger.

His Darkest Hunger moves along at a fast pace with sexy characters fighting one foe or another. The hero is buff and intense. The heroine is beautiful and strong. With shifters, a vampire, magic, a military unit and an unresolved love affair, this book has the ingredients for an entertaining fantasy romance.

After Libby is reunited with their unit, it is evident that there is a greater mystery to be uncovered than any of the team members suspected. One dimensional bad guys quickly appear while secrets are slowly revealed. And though they fight on the same side, the good guys aren't always kind to each other due to misunderstandings.

Jaxon is efficient in combat and is a very capable lover, but he is trying at times. He is arrogant and full of mistrust. He rushes to conclusions and uses people. He does shift into a sleek and deadly jaguar though.

Libby is my favorite character in this novel. She has the most complicated emotional journey. She endures abuses and rises above her incapacitation to survive. Her bravery exceeds that of all the other characters. They have talents and skills that surpass her own but she is smart and unwilling to be kept either as a prisoner or a dependent mate. She does what she must to accomplish her goals.

I read a review comparing this to the Bourne series. i wouldn't go that far. Jaxon's description is similar to Matt Damon as Jason Bourne but I saw no evidence that he is as clever, and though I was never bored, I cannot say that I was ever amazed. I will, however, concede that there is an appreciable amount of semi-thrilling action scenes.

Juliana Stone's His Darkest Hunger is a tale of steamy love and betrayal with a happy ending for a tough fantasy hero who finds his match in a strong heroine.

Warning - The ending of this book is one huge arrow pointing to the sequel: His Darkest Embrace. Do not read as a stand-alone book if you are obsessed with knowing everything about characters. Be prepared for the switch from Libby and Jaxon to the next couple as you approach the final pages. Book #2 in the Jaguar Warrior Series is His Darkest Embrace. It features Jagger, Jaxon's younger brother, and an eagle shifter.

Things you'll do in His Darkest Hunger:

 • Exercise your killer jaws

 • Fight like you mean it.

 • Blow ish up

 • Uncover a mystery

 • Travel to a lush tropical location.

 • Make love like it's your favorite dish.

Nitpicking:

 • Grammatical errors

 • Some repetition (his jaguar this, his jaguar that)

My Checklist:

 Scenery √

 Story depth ✗

 Gush-worthy ✗

 Action √

 Sex √

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QUOTES & NOTES:

"He was a jaguar, and like most of his kind, had somewhat insatiable needs. Women were like candy. They were gobbled up and spat out when the flavor began to get stale."  Jaxon's a wanton wretch.

    "'Damn, Jax! By the looks of things, I'd say you were happy to see me, but since I'm your brother, I'm really hoping that's not the case.'
    Jaxon's tense muscles deflated in an instant and luckily for him, that included the large one that had been standing at attention between his legs." TMI? All those teenage years. Jagger probably saw his brother wanking off.

"'I should have downed you ten minutes ago. I would have too, but seeing as certain parts of your body were a little vulnerable, I thought it best to give you a chance to wind down. I mean, that thing looked so rigid I was afraid it would snap in two.'" Ditto (my previous note)

“'You taste of heaven, feel like sin, but you always have and always will look like an angel to me. There is not one inch of flesh on your body that I don't want to taste.'" Likely the sweetest thing Jaxon said to Libby about her scarred and abused body.

"'I knew that you didn’t love me enough to claim me as yours, and yet I still craved your body like it was liquid candy.'" Jaxon must be an exceptional lover or Libby was desperately infatuated.

"He wasn’t extremely bright. She had always been able to tell when he was thinking. It took a lot of energy for him to do that sometimes." Haha. The stupid villain. Always better than being held by a smart one.

Libby was in danger, and he felt like a third fucking tit, less than useless. What? Ha. I'm sure there are lots of uses for a third. Now wonder rabbits copulate so much...

"'Miss me much?'

'Yeah, like the plague.'

'Now don't go getting all sugary sweet on me..'" Ah... Love in its early stages.

Book Review: The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

Check-Lit: Scenery/setting √   Story depth ≈   Gush-worthy entertainment ✗   Suspense ≈    A little sexy sexy - The book has only the merest hints of such activities.

"Ninety years is a long time to wait," and you’d think that after waiting that long, Haven, who is talented, seems reasonably smart and is gifted with memories of a previous life to guide her, would get it together, find her love and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, the problem with giving someone a head start is that they will easily succeed unless you find a way to hinder them and this is where the problems began.

There were several times during the story, when I felt like the author was simply filling pages to make a novel. The setup was good with the romantic reincarnations but I think the author made several errors as she plotted her way toward the end. It would have made for a more intriguing and romantic story if Haven and Iain had worked together in this lifetime to correct the wrongs from their past battling the mean folks at. Instead, Haven becomes an insecure ninny in New York and runs around like a terrible sleuth wasting everyone’s time. Where Iain uses all of his memories and resources to solve mysteries and reveal miscreants, Haven undoes all the good he does and believes every mean word said about him by the very people she had reason to mistrust. She repeatedly attacked him in fits of anger, accusing him of wrongdoings for which she had no evidence. I could not reconcile Haven’s vacillation with the mental processes of a reasonable person. I wished Iain would find his soulmate in another because Haven was too damaged to be happy with him. “Sometimes love makes people go a little crazy,” Iain said to Haven, “The insanity won't last…I hope." I foresaw a future where he’d be pining away for a girl locked up in a padded room.

At the end of the story Haven's only redeeming quality was her persistence. She arrived at all the wrong conclusions but at least she kept looking for answers.

If this were not a fictional romance, Haven’s actions would have gained her nothing but misery. She did not deserve a happy ending, at least not with Iain, but it's nice that she got one, if only because it ended the book.

  Bah. It took much of my self-restraint to get through this one without causing injury.

Things you'll do in The Eternal Ones:

 • Dream of a sexy lover

 • Get paid for making dresses

 • Faint often

 • Be threatened with damnation

 • Travel to New York

 • Date a SupaSta!

 • Travel to Italy

 • Be easily confused

 • Run for your life

Nitpicking:

 • Who am I kidding? Almost everything in the second half is absurd.

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Quotes & Notes:

"Love makes no sense." Well kids, I tell you to go to school but you insist on being heros and heroines in YA romance novels.

"Love is chaos." It is in the Haven & Iain dictionary.

"Love and faith go hand in hand." Ahh... So true. If you are going to trust someone enough to love and be with them, you must share with them and believe in them until you have solid evidence that you should not.

"My faith is big enough to accept all of God's wonders." Nice, Mr. Snake man. I doubt you'll be standing in the middle of a freeway believing God will spare you until he tires of your boastful shenanigans, though.

"How could Constance be so stupid?" No Haven, how could you be so stupid? Why would you believe anything said by the woman [Padma/Veronica] you instinctively hate more than anyone you've ever met before?