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Castle Glower has always been an interesting place to live. It sprouts new rooms occasionally and takes away rooms too. Young Princess Celie, the youngest of King Glower's four children, has been busy making maps of the castle and trying to keep up with the changes. One day Celie discovers a new passage way that leads to a new tower which has a nest containing a large red egg. Celie is the only one who can get to the new location because the passage goes away unless Celie is there. She is very curious about the egg and takes care of it until it hatches a griffin.Everyone thought griffins were only mythical beasts but now Celie has one to take care of. The castle also wants Celie to keep the griffin, which she names Rufus, a secret. She is able to tell her older brother Bran who is the Royal Wizard and their friend Pogue. Together they begin to search the castle for information about griffins.Bran has asked one of his old teachers to visit because the castle has added a room filled with weapons, some of which are magical. But instead of his old teacher, Wizard Arkwright arrives. The kids don't trust Arkwright because he seems to be too curious about their interest in griffins.This was an exciting middle grade fantasy with a strong, young female lead character in Celie. My only complaint is the cliffhanger ending which makes me want to read the next book right now. Fans of magic will really enjoy this series.

Elizabeth Lowell writes great romantic suspense novels and DANGEROUS REFUGE was no exception. LA homicide detective Tanner Davis comes home after the unexpected death of his uncle Lorne. Shaye Townsend found his body. She had been working with him to try to convince him to leave his land to the Ranch Conservatory program after his death. However, her airhead boss Kimberli brought Lorned the wrong contract and made him so angry that he was on the verge of signing the papers backing out of the deal when he died.Tanner hears about what Shaye saw when she discovered Lorne's body and his homicide cop instincts told him that the death was suspicious. The County Sheriff, a political hack, determined that Lorne died of natural causes. Tanner, with Shaye's help, decides to investigate on his own.Their investigation turn up all sorts of shady characters including the politician who wants to use the governorship of Nevada as a stepping stone to the White House, the developer who had plans that included Lorne's land, the casino owner who wanted to build a bigger and better casino, and Shaye's boss who was pretty stupid but really easy to manipulate. Shaye and Tanner compliment each other nicely. He has the tough edges and the skill at investigations; she has the tact and connections that gain access to the people Tanner wants to talk to. They are intrigued with each other but Shaye is at home in Refuge, Nevada and Tanner's home is LA. The story was exciting and the climactic chase through the deserted heights near Refuge where Shaye is trying to get away from the man who wants to murder her and Tanner is racing against time to catch up was heart-pounding.I recommend this title to fans of romantic suspense.

This eighteenth book in the Honor Harrington series stars Michelle Henke, cousin of the Empress of the Manticoran Empire and fourth in line for the throne. Mike has forged a career in the Manticoran Navy and is currently Admiral in command of the 10th Fleet. Mike is out on the sharp point of the spear. The time period of this book seems to be concurrent with A RISING THUNDER which actually stars Honor Harrington. Communication is fast in this vast interstellar world but that still means that they are weeks late in getting the word from back home. That leaves Mike needing to make decisions without guidance from her government. And Mike has lots of decisions to make. The Solarian League, old and corrupt, is losing its grip on its planetary protectorates. The Office of Frontier Security has devolved into an organization that takes over planets and bleeds them of everything useful at the hands of their corporate partners. Needless to say, many revolutionary groups are rising up on these planets. Manticore's secret enemy, the Mesan Alignment, is taking advantage of this situation by offering help in the Manticoran name. Their thought is that a little investment now in advanced weapons will pay off in bad publicity later when the Maniticoran aid they are promising doesn't show up. Weber is writing a world that is getting increasingly black and white. The Solarian League, the Office of Frontier Security, and the puppet governments they support are all bad. They are stupid, venal, greedy, and have no respect for the lives of the citizens of the planets they have conquered. The Manticorans are good and stand for right, truth, and justice. The Mesan Alignment has a deep seated plan and is busy manipulating the Solarian League, the Manticorans, and everyone else in the vast universe. They will do anything to support their future goals. Hundred of thousands of civilian deaths can be written off as collateral damage. But their secrecy is disappearing. More and more of those in the know are coming to believe that the Mesan Alignment exists and are focusing their attention on it.The Honor Harrington series is a huge epic adventure. I will admit that I do a lot of skimming when pages are devoted to space battles and weapons development. I am interested in the people and what they do and think. The story is told from multiple viewpoints and from multiple locations in the vast Honorverse. I have no idea how Weber keeps track!I am always eager for the next Honorverse book and always enjoy getting lost in the adventure.

LOKI'S WOLVES begins a new middle grade fantasy series by veteran authors Kelly Armstrong and Melissa Marr. This series will mine Norse mythology for its world building. This first volume was very much an introduction to the series and the characters.Matt Thorsen, a thirteen-year-old eighth grader, has always known he was a descendant of Thor. His family and his town are immersed in Norse traditions and mythology and are town leaders. His grandfather is the mayor and his father the Chief of Police. But Matt didn't know that he was to be the Champion when Ragnarok, the end of the world, came again. He certainly doesn't feel ready of qualified. He feels even less ready when he overhears his grandfather and the other elders say that they expect him to win but to die in the trying. Fen Brekke also knows that he is a descendant of Loki. He can turn into a wolf. But his home situation is bad. His parents are gone and he is passed from relative to relative for fostering. His only friend, and the only person he really cares about, is his cousin Laurie. Laurie doesn't know about being a descendant of Loki. Her mother is ordinary and her father drifts in and out of her life. Laurie is constantly trying to keep Fen out of trouble and Fen is determined to protect her from all dangers.Fen and Matt don't get along. But if Matt wants to rewrite the myths and survive Ragnarok, he and Fen will have to put aside their differences so that the descendants of Thor and of Loki can work together to save them all. This story is a journey story wherein Matt, Fen and Loki try to gather allies who will help them in their upcoming fight. With limited guidance from the Norns, they head off to gather allies while running from the wolf pack that wants Fen to join. They are also trying to avoid Matt and Laurie's parents who have put out APBs for those two. It is rather telling that no one seems to care that Fen is missing. The story is well-written but a little incomplete. Further volumes are definitely needed to answer the unanswered questions. This story could encourage readers to explore more Norse mythology to find out more about the old gods who are Matt, Fen and Laurie's ancestors.

THE KING'S DECEPTION was a taut, well-paced thriller that had me on the edge of my chair. This was the first book I have read in the Cotton Malone series but I did not feel that I was missing anything. Berry provided enough backstory that I felt comfortable. This book was peopled with an overabundance of villains. I didn't really think any of the viewpoint characters, excepting perhaps Cotton Malone himself, were very likable people. The CIA guy Antrim was a self-centered abuser and the SIS guy Sir Thomas Mathews was pragmatic to the point of being indifferent to the loss of life among innocents. While I thought each one of them had worthy goals, I hated the things they were willing to do to achieve them. I was fascinated with the Tudor and Elizabethan history that formed that background of this thriller. I kept going to the internet to see if Berry was making things up or if the events happened. I loved the way the story mixed current and past history and showed that events--even events that happened 400 years ago--can still have modern consequences. I liked Cotton's relationship with his son Gary though the relationship was tested in this one because of something they both recently learned. I liked the characters of Miss Mary and Tanya and want to be that kind of old lady myself someday. The writing was excellent and the plot nicely twisty. Fans of thrillers will enjoy this story.

The Gallagher Girls books just keep getting better and better. This episode takes place the fall of Cammie's junior year. Macey's dad is running for Vice President and Macey has to be along on the campaign trail. When Cammie joins her in Boston for an event, there is an attempted kidnapping which Cammie and Macey manage to foil. Cammie is determined to protect her friend and, with the assistance of Liz and Bex, help the Secret Service including Cam's Aunt Abby keep her safe. Only they need to keep their activities secret from the Secret Service in order not to blow the Gallagher Academy's cover. The mysterious Zach, who might or might not be Cammie's boyfriend, makes his mysterious appearance in this one too telling Cammie to be careful and appearing in disguise at a number of Macey's events. Cammie is torn between trusting him and wondering if he is working for the other side.This story was about home, family, and secrets. As Cammie says, "there are two types of secrets: the kind you want to keep in, and the kind you don't dare to let out." Cammie has to deal with both sorts in this exciting episode.I recommend this series highly for its wonderful characters and exciting plots.

This second book in the Gallagher Girls series takes place the second semester of Cammie's sophomore year. She is still getting over breaking up with Josh. But things are changing at the Gallagher Academy for Extraordinary Young Woman. This semester boys are coming in an exchange from the boys' training school for spies. Cammie is thrown when one of boys--Zach--seems to be taking a personal interest in her. Or is he? Cammie doesn't speak boy and so there are lots of opportunities for misunderstandings between the two of them. After all, he is a spy too. It doesn't help that once the boys arrive, the school goes into Code Black. Apparently someone is trying to break in or out--and this time it isn't Cammie. Cammie and her friends are determined to find out what it going on, even if it means bugging the boys' rooms. This was another fun episode in an entertaining series about a group of young geniuses who are learning to be spies.

Meet Lucy: "She was a contradiction: A brainy Ph.D, whose curriculum vitae read like a woman who didn’t get out much, in a dress that proclaimed she never stayed home." And meet Alec: "Gerald’s playful words, five o’clock shadow, and slightly long hair all seemed to suggest a man of desultory casualness...But her instincts told her this was wrong. Gerald was a serious man who only pretended to be lighthearted and casual." I didn't mention it but Alec Gerald is a dragon--the king of the dragons. If he doesn't find a mate soon he will stop being able to change into his dragon form. Lucy isn't looking for a mate; she's looking for a way to get her brother out of debt with some serious mobsters. The mobsters want Alec's jewels and need Lucy's credentials as a gemologist to pave the way for them. Lucy and her brother Joey have been alone in the world since they were kids. They learned cons and grifting from their father but Lucy has put that life aside. Joey has not. In fact, he is always looking for the next sure thing. Alec knows that Lucy is his mate as soon as he meets her. Lucy thinks they are just going to have a weekend and then go their separate ways. When Alec confesses to being a dragon, Lucy is sure that he is just doing some sexual role-playing. After all, there is no such thing as dragons.Alec is busy trying to convince her that she is his mate and busy arranging a gathering that will give the dragons under his control a chance to find their true mates. But he has an enemy who wants everything that Alec has.This was a fun story with entertaining characters. I enjoyed it very much.

This story was sweet and cute and, oh so, satisfying. Sam D'Angelo is spending the summer before her senior year working for the local newspaper as an intern. Her main job is writing the obituaries. Her fellow interns are AJ and Tony. She loves being in the newspaper office even though it is separating her from her best friend Shelby who is spending their "last summer" partying and drinking. Sam gets involved in writing feature obits which make her look into people's lives to write about what made them memorable. She also gets involved in investigating the mayor or a nearby town who seems to be hiring lots of people who never show up for work. Sam also has to deal with romance. She and Shelby had a falling out when Shelby got a little drunk and told a fellow student who just happens to be the captain of the football team and student council president that Sam had a crush on him. And Sam did—when she was in junior high. But it was still an embarrassing thing for a friend to do. Then there is Tony at work. He is handsome and a real flirt who makes a play for Sam until Sam gets the assignment he wanted. Best of all, there is AJ who becomes her friend. It takes her quite a while to realize that AJ would like to be more than buddies.I loved the family relationships in this story too. Sam has a great relationship with her lawyer parents. They are supportive and really care about her life. Sam also has a great relationship with her widowed grandmother who has lived with them since her husband died. This was a story about growing up and accepting changes. Friendships changed. Relationships changed. And Sam changed as she started to learn what was important to her and what she wanted. I really liked this story and can't wait to share it with my high students next Fall.

Suzanne Johnson adds to the ambiance of New Orleans--already having a touch of the paranormal--by adding wizards, the historical dead, and other preternatural creatures. Drusilla Jaco--better known as DJ--is the sentinel in charge of keeping control of all the new pretes. Her partner is shapeshifter Alex Warin who provides the muscles (and violence) that aren't part of the repertoire of Green Congress wizards like DJ.Their cases this time have to do with feuding mer people, dead wizards, and polluted river water. More and more preternaturals are finding a home in New Orleans and the surrounding area since the magical barriers fell with the flooding that Katrina brought. Now two clans of mer need DJ to settle where each can live (and keep them from killing each other.) She and Alex are also called in to determine if the dead body found nearby is human or supernatural. If it's human, the case will be turned over to the human police. If is is supernatural, the crime lands on Alex and DJ. They discover that the mutilated corpse belonged to a wizard who had put magic aside and was teaching biology at Tulane. His widow raises questions for DJ because, as an empath, she ought to be able to read her emotions but she can't. The final thread has to do with polluted river water that is making the mer sick and needs to be corrected before it starts involving humans.Beyond the mystery, a lot of the story deals with DJ's relationships to a number of men in her life. She has conflicted feelings about her partner Alex. They have decided to be friends without benefits but she is getting different messages from Alex now. Then there is Jake, Alex's cousin, who has turned into a loup-garou. There was a possibility of a romance before that happened but now they need to decide if they can make the relationship go given that loup-garou have a tendency to lose control and go on killing sprees. Last on DJ's dance card is Jean Lafitte who is one of the historic dead. I like the way DJ is torn between relationships with each of them for different reasons and how each one fits into her life. The world building in this story is well-done and the setting is perfect for a paranormal. DJ is not a typical urban fantasy kick-ass heroine but she has her own strengths and talents and is a great character. All of her men are also hot in their own varied ways. I look forward to reading more adventures in DJ's future.This book is the sequel to Royal Street but stands alone well. A third book in this series--Elysian Fields--will be released on August 13.

This book is a story that has both humor and heart. Cammie Morgan is the narrator and to book is supposed to be a report of a "mission" that this young spy undertakes. Cammie has been attending the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women where her former-CIA mother is the headmaster. Her father, also a spy, died on a mission and both Cammie and her mother are still dealing with his loss.Cammie's sophomore year begins with a few changes. She gets a new roommate--Macey McHenry--who is very different from her other roommates Bex and Liz. Macey is the daughter of a Senator and a Cosmetics Empire heiress and she comes equipped with attitude and street smarts. Sophomore year also comes with the girls' first Covert Ops class and a new Covert Ops teacher--Joe Solomon who could give James Bond and Indiana Jones pointers. Cammie is known as the Chameleon. She can fit in and remain unseen. But on her first Covert Ops assignment, a town boy sees her. Josh is cute and funny and nice. Cammie wants to get to know him better but to do so, she has to create a Legend--a story about an ordinary girl and go undercover. The town people in Roseville have a prejudice against the Gallagher girls thinking they are all rich, spoiled, and stuck up. Gallagher Academy fosters that attitude because it helps conceal that the school is training spies. With some help from her friends, Cammie manages to sneak out of the school on numerous occasions and go on dates with Josh who just gets nicer and nicer. It gives Cammie her first real chance to be an ordinary girl and she falls in love. But she knows the relationship can't last, since it is built on lies, and what happens when it ends is a growing experience for her. The dialogue is witty and filled with asides about attending a spy school for geniuses. The plot is well done and the characters well-developed and engaging. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to continuing the series.

This latest in the Harry Dresden series is packed with action and emotion and the stakes are higher than ever for Harry. This book is not one for a newcomer to the series, though. It seems to me to be very necessary to read at least CHANGES and GHOST STORY before tackling this epic volume because threads woven into those come together in this book.Almost anything I say about the plot of this book could constitute a spoiler and, even though the book has been out since November, I don't want to ruin the plot for anyone. I think that I can safely say that despite becoming the Winter Knight and being tasked with killing Maeve, Harry is still unmistakably Harry. He is always ready with a smartass remark no matter how inappropriate the situation might be for one. And Harry is always willing to put himself in the line of fire if it means protecting those he loves. He is also constantly battling to be Harry and not be taken over by the mantle of the Winter Knight.The writing is powerful and emotionally intense. I found myself needing to take breaks from this story to decompress even though I was very eager to find out what happened next. The book is very descriptive and filled with characters out of myth and nightmare. We also see characters we have become familiar with from earlier books in the series--Harry's vampire brother Thomas, Harry's apprentice Molly, Butters, Mac, Toot Toot, and even a little bit of Mouse. Fans of urban fantasy have to get to know Harry Dresden. I highly recommend this series and this book.

My students favorite Scaredy Squirrel has another exciting adventure where he has to explore the perils of camping. A need to find an electrical outlet - so that he can watch camping shows from the comfort of his tree - has Scaredy gearing up and anticipating the dangers in the woods. Perils include skunks, mosquitoes, quicksand, the three bears, penguins, and zippers. My students particularly enjoy trying to figure out why Scaredey includes what he does in his survival kid and laugh when they see how he uses the items. Watts child-friendly charts and diagrams give kids great experience in interpreting charts and diagrams and are seeded with subtle humor that has adults chuckling too. The message that adventures usually turn out well and that the fears are out of proportion is clear. But Scaredy is still Scaredy and at the end he has changed - but just a little.

NEPTUNE'S TEARS was an engaging science fiction romance with excellent world-building and interesting characters. Zee is seventeen and an empath-in-training who works in a hospital. She is very happy in her career and very focused until she meets David Sutton, accident victim and alien.Aliens arrived on Earth when Zee was six and were not what anyone had been expecting. They were just like us except taller. They were also interested in our art and culture. David had been injured when a large shelf of Nancy Drew books fell on his head. Zee was supposed to convince him to stay in hospital but he was determined to leave. Then insta-love takes over and they both feel a connection...London and, in fact, the world is being subjected to attacks by anarchists. One common weapon of choice is the shock bomb. A shock bomb explosion precipitates David and Zee's second meeting. They work together to help the victims. Then they begin dating thought David keeps telling her their relationship is impossible.Weaving around the romance is Zee's relationship with one of her elderly patients who is dying of liver cancer. Mrs. Hart and Zee form a deep friendship and Mrs. Hart acts as a sounding board for Zee and encourages her to grab at life and love with both hands. Zee is also developing a new psychic talent. She might be a very rare diviner who will be incredibly useful in stopping further attacks by the anarchists. The story is filled with interesting detail, friendship, and romance. The only flaw that I can find is the extremely abrupt and unresolved ending. I sincerely hope that a book two is in the works.

What an amazing story! It takes an author as talented as Nalini Singh to turn a character we have seen as frightening and immensely dangerous into a romantic hero, but she manages it ably. Kaleb Krychek has been searching for Sahara for seven years. She was kidnapped at the instigation of his "mentor" Santano Enrique and used as a lever to keep Kaleb subservient to Enrique. When the story begins, he has found her and found her badly damaged.Sahara Kyriakus had been tortured over and over again in an attempt to get her to use her very unique and powerful telepathic gift. She managed to escape by creating a labyrinth in her own mind to protect herself. She is a person of great strength and great integrity. She is also in love with Kaleb. They have known each other since she was seven and he was 13. She makes herself into his only friend and his lifeline to his humanity. The flashbacks to their childhoods helps convert the Kaleb we've seen into a sympathetic character.As the two get to know each other again, the outside world isn't taking a backseat. Pure Psy is stepping up its efforts to "purify" the Psy no matter how many acts of terrorism it will take. The Council has disintegrated and fallen apart and Kaleb is getting ready to take control of the PsyNet before Pure Psy or the flaws within the net manage to destroy it.The climactic battle with Pure Psy sees a coalition of humans, changelings and Psy and reunite many of our favorite characters from earlier books in the series as all factions need to work together to keep Pure Psy's chaos from coming to pass.The story is filled with intense emotion and great action scenes. The emotional intensity between Kaleb and Sahara was breath-taking and heart-breaking. I strongly recommend this episode in the Psy-Changeling series.

I just came to the end of my eARC of INK and was surprised to see a glossary at the end. This would have been useful to have before (or while) reading the book. I did stumble over many of the Japanese words in this story that didn't always seem to be translated for the reader. I could feel what Katie felt being dumped into a culture not her own and trying to survive without drowning. Katie had the added burden of dealing with the sudden death of her mother which precipitated the move to Japan. She is also living with an aunt that she doesn't know very well.It seems natural that Katie would be looking for connections and anchors and she seems to have found one in bad boy, artist, and kendo star Yuu Tomohiro. Of course her first impression of him comes when she accidentally overhears him cruelly breaking up with his girlfriend. He is hard for her to understand because sometimes he is kind and other times he is cruel. This seems to me to be a case of insta-love where she falls for his pretty exterior when not knowing anything about him.The story takes a turn for the paranormal when Katie sees Tomo's drawing move and lift themselves from the paper. Katie's curiosity has her following him around town while he tries to discourage her interest. We gradually learn that he is a Kami and is afraid of the talents he has. Being a Kami also brings him to the attention of the local yakuza who want to use his powers for evil. Somehow Katie is enhancing Tomo's powers though her role wasn't really clear to me.I think the strongest part of this story was the setting and seeing how Katie adjusts to living in Japan. I thought the romance was the weakest because I didn't see Tomo's attraction. I thought the mythology of the Kami was interesting and hope it is developed more in later books in this series. Fans of the paranormal and especially my young anime fans who adore all things Japanese would be the best audience for this debut novel.