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It starts with an art show. Jane is exhibiting her paintings at her friend Celine's Paris gallery and having great success. However, one of her paintings - Guilt - has attracted the attention of a cult based on worship of Judas. Though the image of the man in the painting came to Jane in a dream, the cultists recognize it as Judas and feel that she is blaspheming him. The only thing that will satisfy them is Jane's death as the annual sacrifice. They give her eight days to live and the deaths start piling up around her.But Jane isn't alone. She is being protected by her old friend Jock and the formidable MacDuff. She also calls in the enigmatic Seth Caleb who has unusual talents and a need for Jane. Jane isn't at all sure about him and their relationship is a prickly one. But Jane will do anything that she has to do to protect the people she loves - especially Eve and Joe. There are two main villains in this one who are equally evil but who express it in different ways. Millet is the loony who is the head of the cult and who gets off on torturing women. Roland is the behind the scenes puppetmaster who pointed Millet at Jane. While Millet wants Jane as a fitting sacrifice in the annual Offering, Roland is more interested in getting hold of Judas' 30 pieces of silver. He believes that Jane can guide him to them. The story was filled with action, danger, and excitement. The characters were well-drawn and the scenes suspenseful. I had the unique opportunity to listen to the MP3 audio of the first half of the book when I was traveling and then finishing the book by reading it from my TBR mountain. I enjoyed having a voice in my head for the characters based on the audio portion I heard. I recommend this suspense title. Johansen writes compelling thrillers about interesting characters.

I was a little concerned when I began this fifth book in the Cousins' War series because I had not read any of the previous books. However, Gregory's writing style sucked me right into this story of Princess Elizabeth of York who was the lover of her uncle Richard III and the bride of Henry Tudor. I was drawn into the worldview of this young woman who knew from the beginning that she was a pawn to be played out as those in power wanted. Elizabeth was torn between her mother who was constantly scheming to bring a York prince to power and her new loyalty to her Tudor husband and her own Tudor children. While I didn't at all like Henry Tudor who was suspicious and paranoid, I could understand how he came to be that way. He seemed to think of himself as a usurper and surrounded by enemies (and his actions acted as a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy as he created even more enemies due to his suspicions and harsh penalties). Elizabeth tried to guide him to be a better king but couldn't overcome the influence of his mother. Henry's obsession with eliminating any York heir to the throne dominated the book. While Elizabeth's brothers Edward and Richard were assumed to have died in the Tower, no bodies were found and the pretenders were constant. Adding to the confusion, Elizabeth's mother might have been able to smuggle her younger son Richard out of the Tower and send him to safety making the possibility of a real York prince a reality. Elizabeth is torn between her vows to Henry and her heart's desire to have her younger brother be alive. The writing was exquisite and the story was compelling. I couldn't stop reading. Fans of historical fiction are right to have made Philippa Gregory's books so popular. This won't be the last that I read.

D. J. MacHale is EVIL! He has written a page-turning thriller narrated by a sympathetic main character and raised more questions than he has answered. Tucker Pierce is a high school freshman on the island of Pemberwick, Maine. He and his family moved there after his father lost his job as a civil engineer in Greenwich, Connecticut. His dad has a gardening business and his mom is a free-lance accountant. Tucker loves the island with its tourists and beaches. His best friend Quinn can hardly wait to leave and do big things. But Tucker is content and happy to let things be just the way they are. He isn't an ambitious boy. He prefers to stay under the radar. He has a fear of failing at anything that keeps him from stretching himself.Tucker's idyllic life is about to come crashing down on him. A death at a football game, a strange new performance enhancing drug called Ruby, and an invasion by a US Navy division called SYLO change Tucker's, Quinn's and his new crush-turned-friend Tori's lives forever. The people are told that SYLO has come to the island because of a new disease on the island. The island has been cut off from the rest of the country. Lots of things don't add up for the kids. Why have they never heard of SYLO? How did SYLO manage to get so organized that they could bring in troops, weapons, equipment at such short notice? What are those mysterious black ships that make musical sounds when they travel? What does Mr. Feit, who is pushing Ruby, really want? Why is he running from SYLO? The kids decide that they have to escape from Pemberwick and let the rest of the country know what is happening there? However, the sea is being patrolled by Navy ships and helicopters and that won't be easy.This is an exciting story that doesn't shirk from hard things. Characters, even important ones, die. People lie and betray. And Tucker needs to step up and take a stand. He can't just let things happen. He needs to act. It isn't clear to Tucker, or to the reader, who the bad guys are. No character is all good or all evil. Like, Tucker, we are left with questions about what is happening. But D. J. MacHale's most evil action lies in the last three words of this story: TO BE CONTINUED...

Heiress Ainsley McLeon is fleeing gunmen who want her dead when she crashes her $500 truck into a tree in Montana. She was sure she saw a tiger in the truck bed, or, was she hallucinating. It doesn't take long for her to make a place for herself working in Luc's bar despite his surly nature and conviction that she shouldn't be there.Luc is a bear shifter who lost his parents, wife and child in a flood while he was away working for the FBI. He is determined to protect his heart by never loving again. And, most of all, he doesn't want to fall in love with a human woman for fear of hurting her with his bear-like strength. Ainsley is feisty and smart and frightened. Someone is trying to kill her and she is afraid that it is her uncle and her brother. She overheard them talking about embezzlement. Luc and Ainsley are so right for each other. Both have emotional baggage but both are strong people. And the chemistry between them warms up the Montana winter nicely. This was a fast-paced story filled with emotion. I found it very entertaining.

This story was a combination of fantastical elements and elements common to all middle schoolers. It had a couch with dragon feet that could tesser (Loved the shout out to A Wrinkle in Time!), a talking domino, an inside out universe, and a villain who wants to use mind control enhanced by cell phones and snack food to take over the world. It also had an orphaned main character, a color blind main character who loved science, and a main character who was dealing with an alcoholic and angry father. River, Freak and Fiona are the only kids still living in an abandoned subdivision. An underground coal fire has made the area dangerous. When they come upon an old sofa outside an old and scary mansion, they don't imagine that they will soon be involved with trying to save the world. I liked the sly humor that permeated this story. I also liked River's thoughtful narration. I liked the way he was equally accepting of the magical sofa and his own state as an orphan. He was a typical middle schooler cycling by the moment from child to young adult. He was also courageous and intelligent. The plot which involved a rare zucchini color crayon and a villain with Compulsive Completist Disorder which compels him to drop his plans of world conquest to complete his collections. The story is filled with action that will appeal to middle schoolers. From exploring the dangerous Hellsboro with its underground coal fires to runaway hot air balloons, the action never stops. I think this book will appeal to many upper elementary and middle school students.

ENEMY WITHIN was an intense futuristic romance. Alexandria Rose Idylle has survived torture by aliens who captured her and then months of medical rehabilitation. She has lost command of her ship and confidence in her own mind. She is working on her father's research ship when it is taken by pirates. These pirates are from a rival humanoid empire and they have come looking for Ari. In this universe, the aliens engineer plagues to keep the humans in check. Now it looks like someone from the human world is working with the aliens. Ari doesn't know if it is someone on her side or on the pirate's side. But she has to find out fast so that she can protect the people she swore to serve. The hero of this story is Cullin Seaghdh who is the cousin of the queen of the Claugh nib Dovvyth and who acts as the queen's spymaster and protector. He has admired Ari since he first heard of her as a student who mastered a sport using energy blades. She is second best in all the know worlds but doesn't know that he is the best. The intensity in this story comes from the descriptions of the torture that our heroine received at the hands of the alien Chekydran. Further intensity comes from watching Ari deal with flashbacks and deal with not knowing if she has been programmed in some way that will be harmful to her people. The story was well written and the world building well done. The romance builds nicely as Ari and Cullin learn to trust each other despite huge reasons not to do so. The story was fast-paced and engaging. I recommend it to fans who like epic science fiction with a touch of romance.

This was a short, sweet contemporary romance with just enough danger to add a little excitement. Michael Brant returns to his home town to try to reconcile with his critically ill father. He had left many years before because of a scandal that left him heart-broken and feeling guilty. Cat Edwards had come home to the same town because she was tired of running. Both characters had troubled pasts. Cat was trying to live down her mother's reputation which sent them fleeing when Cat was young. Her mother had affairs and was very selfish. She had sent Cat back to her father when she was seventeen and then disappeared. Cat's reputation was colored by that of her mother's. To compensate, Cat tried to be invisible.They meet when Michael rescues Cat from an over-enthusiastic drunk. Her best friend had convinced her that she should let loose to get over the humiliation supplied by her cheating boyfriend. Cat doesn't know Michael or know about his past troubles. She accepts him as he is which is unique for the rich son of one of the town's founders. They have a number of conflicts to overcome. Both are suffering from misplaced guilt. They want different lifestyles in that she is home and he can't wait to leave. They are thrown together when someone starts making threatening phone calls to Cat. The caller also attacks Cat's roommate and trashes her father's bookstore. Michael suggests a fake engagement so that he can protect her. It isn't long before both of them want the engagement to be real and want to find a way to compromise so that the other can fit into their life.This was an engaging romance that would be just right to read at the beach while sipping a tall, fruity drink. Don't think about it too closely though. I didn't think the villain made much sense.

Dragons are real and, unlike the Disney version, they are mindless beasts who eat humans. However, there are few dragons and they can have very long gestation periods. Most humans have relegated them to the realm of myth. But now the latest eggs are preparing to hatch and slayers are being born to battle them. These Slayers are modern teenagers. The only thing they have in common is that they are descendants of the ancient knights who battled dragons to near extinction and that their pregnant mothers came near enough to a dragon egg to trigger the dormant slayer DNA in their babies. Tori Hampton is a spoiled senator's daughter when she arrives at the camp. She has always had dreams of dragons and has always known that they were dangerous. She wrecked her father's crystal dragon collection when she was small. She has studied all the myths. She has also studied martial arts, archery, shooting, horseback riding and skating. She is smart and athletic. She has been wanting to attend this camp for several years but her parents convinced her to give other camps a try. She is finally at dragon camp where she joins other slayers who have had the advantage of knowing what they were and training together since they were pre-teens. Tori has a hard time fitting in at first with the other teens even though two of them are hot boys who are the team captains of the two training teams. Jesse and Dirk are both convinced that Tori won't last as a Slayer. Tori isn't at all sure she even wants to try. She would rather that someone other than her be the one who has to fight dragons. Finally, her sense of duty and patriotism kick in and she gets with the program. Each Slayer has a special talent that can be used to battle dragons. Tori knows that she has exceptional hearing but that isn't one of the talents that their leader - Dr. B. - has identified. It isn't long before they realized that Tori can hear what is happening around the dragon eggs.The few remaining dragons and dragon eggs have been preserved by a family that can link minds with the dragons and who want to use them to take over the world. Our Slayers need to stop the man in charge - Overdrake - because it looks like his plan could work. Just a few dragons over Washington, DC who are the size of large airplanes and who shoot out a field that wrecks all electronics could be enough to force the government to give in. This story has the kids training and has them conduct a raid on the facility where Overdrake is waiting for the eggs to hatch. Along the way, Tori learns about her own talents. The group also discovers that they have a traitor in their midst who has been passing information on to Overdrake. That person's identity would be a spoiler so I won't share but his/her moral conflict between his/her duty to his/her family and duty to his/her friends was well-done.I can't wait to read the sequel which will be coming out soon. Fans of teens who have to do heroic deeds will enjoy this story.

INFLUENTIAL MAGIC was an entertaining new urban fantasy novel that provides a new take on faeries and vampires. Willow Roswen is a faery complete with wings. Her magic is life magic. She uses her magic on herbs and other living things to infuse them with magic. She runs a cupcake shop and sell her projects. However, in her research, she has found some other products that could be put to questionable use. One of the most liable to misuse is a product that lets someone influence the person it is given to. It is especially being misused by her aunt who runs an organization called the Void.Willow is still haunted by the death of her twin brother. When her life is threatened, she is partnered with her ex-boyfriend who has become a vampire. Vampires and faeries don't mix. Vampires have death magic; faeries have life magic. Willow has a secret ability to sense vampires which makes her especially vulnerable to a vampire's touch. Willow is having a hard time getting over the change in her ex-boyfriend who had dumped her seemingly without reason. While she still loves him, she can no longer trust him or agree with the way he lives his life.As is usual in many urban fantasy novels, this one has a love triangle. In this case her other love interest in a faery named Talisen who was her brother's best friend and who has been her friend since they were children. Willow has had a crush on him forever but is afraid, that if their love doesn't work out, she will lose his friendship too. She has watched Talisen after relationship after relationship and doesn't want to be yet another failed relationship.This story has lots of plot lines One of them is the investigation into her brother's death. Still another has to do with the buying and selling, using and misusing of influence. Another yet has to do with her aunt's desire to send Willow to testing to find out why she can sense vampires and learn about another new power she has recently discovered.The story is well-written; the world building works; the characters are well-rounded and interesting people. Fans of urban fantasy will enjoy this one.

Cammie wakes up in a strange location and soon learns that she has lost 4 months. She remembers leaving school in early June and finds that it is now October 1. Her first call is to her mother and she is soon back at Gallagher Academy where things have changed. Her friends don't quite know how to deal with her. As one says, they can be angry with her for leaving now that she is back. Also, she fears that Zach, her almost boyfriend, has become her best friend Bex's boyfriend. Cammie is determined to remember what happened during her lost summer. She, along with her mother, aunt, friends and Zach, begins retracing her steps. They begin at Joe Solomon's hidden cabin and the search takes them to Rome and Scotland too. Each step of the way yields some clues to her summer and to the fate of her father and why the Circle of Cavan is looking for her. The story was exciting. The writing was fast-paced. The characters were well drawn and well-rounded. This is a compelling series and I can hardly wait for the conclusion in UNITED WE SPY.

In each Gallagher book the stakes get higher and the action darker. The action is this story is non-stop. Everyone is determined to protect Cammie from the Circle of Cavan who wants her for some unknown purpose. Mr. Solomon is outed as a double agent who has been working with the Circle since he was a boy. Cammie, Macey, Bex, and Liz can't believe that could be true but all the adults are telling them that it is. That sort of betrayal is especially hard for Cammie to accept because he was her father's best friend. She is determined to find out the truth about him no matter what it will take.The mysterious Zach makes another appearance and some of the mystery about him is revealed. I liked the relationship between Zach and Cammie. I really like the relationship between Cammie, Bex, Macey and Liz. Each of them has strengths and foibles too. Cammie's voice is perfect for this story and I love her PRO and CON lists which range from teenage trivial to life-altering. Fans of the Gallagher girls won't want to miss this one and will be eager for the next.

THROWN BY A CURVE is another sensual sports romance by Jaci Burton. Major League pitcher Garrett Scott has hurt his shoulder and is afraid he won't ever pitch again. This has become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy since it is causing him to blow off his rehab. When Alicia Riley, new sports therapist for the team, tells him to get his head out of his rear, he decides that he wants her in charge of his rehab. Of course, they are immediately attracted to each other and star in each other's sex fantasies. Alicia wants to keep things professional because she doesn't want to lose her job or her professional reputation. After Garrett gets over the grouchy and argumentative stage and after they begin living in the same house in Florida, Alicia overcomes her objections. As is the case of most romances, neither wants to tell the other when they realize that they have fallen in love which leads to all sorts of difficulties. I liked that both characters were strong characters and their relationship was balanced. Alicia certainly wasn't going to put up with any of Garrett's antics. I also liked getting a chance to catch up with the other Rileys from earlier books. The strong family dynamic filled with support and love is one of the things that make these romances so memorable. The dynamic also provides a contrast between the two characters with Alicia having strong family support and Garrett having a much more dysfunctional family. The strong friendships between Alicia and her gal pals and Garrett and his college buddies are also positives for this romance. Fans of spicy romances will enjoy this one.

BLOODLINE was another engaging mystery by Felix Francis who is continuing his father's legacy for heart-pounding mysteries. Mark Shillingford is a race caller and television presenter. His twin sister is a champion flat racing jockey. When she, seemingly, commits suicide, Mark needs to know why. Investigating will lead him into danger and bring out strengths he didn't know he had.Mark and Clare are the youngest of their family and have a contentious relationship with their father. Neither of them chose to follow his path to university and a city career. Both wanted to be jockeys but Mark grew to be too big and too heavy. He drifted into race calling and television reporting and has been a great success. He is not an argumentative person and is rather indecisive. He presents the picture of being very laid back. He drifted into a relationship with a married woman and, although he is 31, he still lives in the apartment he and Clare moved to when they left home at seventeen.His sister's death galvanized him and his investigation leads to discoveries of race fixing, blackmail and murder. Along the way his is strangled near to death and the near victim of a hit-and-run but neither cause him to back off in his investigation.I really like Mark as a main character. His determination to find out what really happened to his sister Clare changes him and his family. I liked his dogged persistence as he unraveled the mysteries surrounding his sister. I also really like that all of these mysteries shed light on some field of endeavor. It was interesting to find out all about the ins and outs of doing live television coverage of horse racing. Fans of mysteries can't do wrong with Dick or Felix Francis.

SHELTER was an exciting mystery with charismatic characters and a well-developed plot. Mickey Bolitar is living with his uncle Myron in New Jersey. His father died in a car accident and his mother became a drug addict. Myron and his father were estranged and Mickey is not warming to his new uncle. Mickey is only a sophomore in high school but is very mature for his age. He and his parents traveled the world working for a non-profit organization. They came back to the US to make a more settled home for Mickey for his last three years of high school. Mickey is a talented basketball star, much like his uncle Myron.Now that Mickey is living with Myron while his mother is in rehab, he is starting school in the town where his father and uncle were raised. He makes friends with Ashley, who is also a new kid, and is then distressed when after three weeks of school she disappears. He also makes friends with Ema who is an overweight, goth girl who is one of the school's social outcasts and Spoon who is a unique character and who adds some humor to the story with his non sequitur trivia. Of course, Spoon also has access to school keys since his father is a janitor there. Together the three investigate Ashley's disappearance and learn about the white slavery trade, Nazi war crimes, and what Mickey's parents were really doing in their time overseas. I liked all the characters and especially liked Mickey. I look forward to reading the next book in the Mickey Bolitar series--especially since this one left some tantalizing questions that need answers.

CROSSFIRE is classic Dick Francis. Captain Tom Forsyth encountered and IED in Afghanistan and lost his right foot. He has just gotten out of the hospital and is beginning a six-month leave. He wasn't a good patient being both bitter and impatient. Because the army has been his life since he was seventeen, Tom is at something of a loss about what to do. He decides to go to his mother's home in Lambourn where she is a famous race horse trainer despite the fact that they really don't get along.When he arrives, he finds that his mother is under more than the usual stress and that she is being blackmailed. It doesn't take long for Tom to get deeply involved in trying to find out who is blackmailing her and solving the problem that led to the blackmail in the first place. This one delves into hedge funds, murder, and modern vices and has Tom using the lessons he has learned as a warrior and the guidance of Sun Tzu's The Art of War as he solves the puzzle. This was a mystery with a hero who is competent in his own field and who brings that competency to his investigation. Tom is smart and honorable. He is dealing with and adjusting to the probable loss of the career he loved. His mother's problems give him a new focus. While this one is wordier than early Dick Francis books it is still a fast-paced story filled with tension and danger. I really liked it and recommend it to mystery fans.

POISON PRINCESS begins the Arcana Chronicles which are a combination paranormal/post-apocalyptic series. The star of this book is Evie who begins the story just home from the Children's Learning Center, a behavioral clinic for kids. Her mother had sent her there because of her visions, hallucinations and disturbing drawings. She is wealthy, privileged and just a little spoiled. She is also trying desperately to fit into her old life of cheerleading, designer clothes, and just the right boyfriend while hiding that she is terrified that the hallucinations mean that she is insane. She has aural hallucinations and hears snatches of baffling phrases. She also has visions that take her to strange settings. She also has visions of of a boy who keeps issuing cryptic comments and commands. She has a strange affinity with plants too. The flowers in the school commons turn their faces toward her. She thinks that a lot of these things could be explained by her grandmother but she was committed to a mental home when Evie was eight. She didn't get a chance to do much more than tell Evie that it has something to do with the Major Arcana of Tarot cards. A new bridge has paved the way for kids from the other side of the water--poor, Catholic Cajun kids--to come to their school. One of the kids is Jackson Deveaux, quintessential bad boy. He is handsome, tough, and has a killer Cajun accent. He and Evie do not hit it off. She thinks he is rude and crude; he thinks she is stuck-up. Then the disaster happens, something, maybe a solar flare, scours the Earth and evaporates the lakes and oceans. Most people died immediately. Those who didn't were either turned to bagman who are rotting away and who are constantly seeking any moisture, cannibals, slavers, and bands of militia who are "enlisting" all the men and capturing the women. Evie and her mother survive because the heavy oaks that surrounded their plantation home kept the house from catching fire. They manage to scavenge the surrounding area for supplies, but when Evie's mother gets hurt, Evie is in desperate straits.Jackson has survived the devastation too. Now he has come to the plantation to see if Evie survived and to gather supplies as he tries to stay ahead of the militia. After her mother dies, Evie convinces Jackson to go with her from Louisiana to try to find her grandmother in North Carolina. Together they have all sorts of perilous adventures and gather other members of the Major Arcana. Along the way Evie has to learn about what her place is in the Arcana and what she is able to do. This was an entertaining beginning to a series. I look forward to finding out what happens next for Evie, Jackson and the other kids.