Throwback Thursday (146)

I found this picture of Trinity College Library, and thought it would work for this meme with a little play with lighting and adding the words.

Let's talk about those books already on the shelves, yours or the stores.

I have a post for books I'm looking forward to coming out;

Looking Forward To...

But what about all those wonderful books that are ALREADY on the shelves.

Whether it be on your shelf waiting to be read or on the shelves in the stores waiting for you to give it a good home.

So, I thought I would share a book a week that is just waiting for me to travel through it's world.

Now... where do I start? Lets go by Published Date on the books...

This Week:

I love my anthologies and this one was on the top of my list to get. I've not read Charlaine Harris or Nalini Singh or the series Meljean Brook's short is for. But Ilona Andrews - OF COURSE! This anthology has a taste of them all for me.  Ilona Andrews story is the main reason I picked this up. And I'd forgotten I had it until now!

Goodreads Synopsis:
In these hound-eat-hound worlds, anything goes... and everything bites.

Follow paranormal bodyguards Clovache and Batanya into Lucifer's realm, where they encounter his fearsome four-legged pets, in Charlaine Harris's The Britlingens Go to Hell. 

Seek out a traitor in the midst of a guild of non- lethal vampire trackers, one that intends to eradicate the entire species of bloodsuckers, in Nalini Singh's Angels' Judgment.

Find out why the giant three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hades has left the underworld for the real world-and whose scent he's following-in Ilona Andrews's Magic Mourns. 

Embark on a perilous search for the kidnapped niece of a powerful vampire alongside her blind- and damn sexy-companion and a hellhound in Meljean Brook's Blind Spot.

These four novellas by today's hottest paranormal authors will have hellhound lovers everywhere howling.

I've heard back from a few bloggers that they would like to join in this meme post, so I'm adding a Linky for you to join in.  Grab the picture above, and join in.  All I ask, is if you can acknowledge my blog in the post so others know where to come back to.

Throwback Thursday (98)

I found this picture of Trinity College Library, and thought it would work for this meme with a little play with lighting and adding the words.

Let's talk about those books already on the shelves, yours or the stores.

I have a post for books I'm looking forward to coming out;

Looking Forward To...

But what about all those wonderful books that are ALREADY on the shelves.

Whether it be on your shelf waiting to be read or on the shelves in the stores waiting for you to give it a good home.

So, I thought I would share a book a week that is just waiting for me to travel through it's world.

Now... where do I start? Lets go by Published Date on the books...

This Week:

I was thrilled! to be given a copy of this book not so long ago by Meljean Brook for beta reading her short stories.  I really liked the world Meljean created in steam and so much more.  Ooo, I can't wait to read this one and the others too.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Passion runs as hot as a fever dream in these all-new stories by four New York Times bestselling provocateurs of the paranormal...

In Angela Knights's Blood and Roses, a vampire warrior and his seductive captor join forces to stop a traitor from unleashing an army of demonic predators on their kingdom.

New in Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling series is Whisper of Sin, in which a woman in lethal danger finds an unlikely protector- and lover- in a volatile member of the DarkRiver pack.

Virginia Kantra continues the haunting tales of the Children of the Sea inShifting Sea, the story of a wounded soldier rescued by a strange and enigmatic young woman.

Meljean Brook launches a bold new steampunk series with Here There Be Monsters, as a desperate woman strikes provocative- and terrifying- bargain to gain overseas passage.

I've heard back from a few bloggers that they would like to join in this meme post, so I'm adding a Linky for you to join in.  Grab the picture above, and join in.  All I ask, is if you can acknowledge my blog in the post so others know where to come back to and join as well.  Thank you.

Book Review: Angels of Darkness

Angels of Darkness
Angels Wolf

By:  Nalini Singh

Publisher:  Berkley Publishing

Publish Date:  October 2011

Format:  ARC

Genre:  Urban Fantasy, Romance

Series:  Anthology

Recommendation:  If you like a tale of finding love.  This is the story for you as it happens to Angels and vampires.

Book Synopsis:
Tales of alpha angels...from four alpha authors.

They soar through the night, unearthly creatures of legends and lore. Four masters of urban fantasy and paranormal romance explore the rapture of the heavens above, and the darkness below in four all-new stories of angels and guardians, and good and evil.

First Sentence:
Nole had been given a promotion in being assigned to the lushgreen state of Louisiana, but the position was a double-edged sword.

My Thoughts and Summary:
This book is an anthology with 4 novellas.  There are 4 of us reviewing each story separately.  I have the first story.  Please stop by the three fellow reviewers who are reviewing the other three stories.  The stories are read by: (click to go to the other reviews)
   Melissa (My World...in words and pages) - Angel's Wolf by Nalini Singh
   Mihir (Fantasy Book Critic) - Alphas: Origins by Ilona Andrews
   The Qwillery - Nocturne by Sharon Shinn
   Bastard (Bastard Books and other crap) - Ascension by Meljean Brook

Angel's Wolf by Nalini Singh

Noel is a vampire who is "promoted" to the Louisiana section under a 600 year old goddess looking Angel known for her strength and power to hold such an area for so long, Nimra.  Noel looks at the promotion as he is being tossed away no longer the man he once was not so long ago, taking him from the spot in line for Senior position to a little guard.  But since the attack that broke his body, then was brutially repaired by his vampire ability, he hasn't been quite the same.  As Noel works to find out who tried to kill Nimra, in her own court, he learns there is more to this position than he thought and just might start to feel more inside since that deadly attack.

This novella of about 90 pages is a telling from both views of Noel and Nimra.  I liked that we got both views here, to see a little of what each character is thinking.  But this story took a while to get going for me, about half of the pages felt like description trying to set up the characters and world.  It felt like so much time was spent here rather than the story.  I didn't feel the sudden attraction Noel and Nimra felt for each other.

But as the story got going and secondary characters where introduced it felt to pick up some for me.  The second half of the story is where I started to care more for the characters and getting to see the story unfold more helped.  I liked the little mystery we had of finding the would be murderer and the way the story ended with Noel.

This is a short story of two strong characters finding comfort in someone unexpected that helps them through.  And even a new spot in the world they thought they didn't belong  in.  And there is a little mystery here of finding the guilty party.  A short love story if you will.

I was hoping to get a good feel for Nalini's writing as I've wanted to pick up her full novels, but I'm not sure after reading this novella.  I might want to read a few pages before I pick it up.


I read this short story for an honest review.