STORMWALKER (The Stormwalker Series Book #1) Allyson James

STORMWALKER (The Stormwalker Series Book #1) Allyson James

May 2010 (Penguin Group) Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages

Great scary story with amazing romance and fascinating characters

Everyone spends a part of their life fighting off the demons that chase us. In the case of Janet Begay, a Stormwalker who has the ability to call the power of any storm and bend it to her will, that is a literal statement with actual demons chasing her down and trying to kill her. Janet’s mother is the evil Goddess of the Beneath who is trying to convince Janet to join her in ruling the dark side of the underworld and taking over the planet. What Janet’s mother needs is a body to serve as her vessel to rise from the Beneath and she sees opportunity in Janet’s body and mind. But Janet knows she is key to whatever her mother is up to and fighting off everything that comes her way is not always easy and when she goes home because being that close to the mystical energy of the vortex from where her mother rules is dangerous but has to be done. Janet did not turn out to be the daughter of her mother’s nightmare and running from the past has worn Janet down and now she has come home to face the demons literally and rid herself of their controlling influence knowing full well it may mean losing her own life.

But trouble seems to come along for any ride Janet takes and before she has dusted her boots off she finds herself in jail and squaring off with the local sheriff, Nash Jones who is none too pleased to have her in his town. Janet is there to solve the disappearance of the sheriff’s fiancé who one day never came home. He is part of a group of non-believers in all things mystical and believes if he the sheriff could not find her she is dead and he does not want anyone stirring up bad memories. But Janet is a master of stirring up all kinds of bad things and this is one mystery she will solve, once she gets out of jail.

While she is there Janet also decides to reopen a hotel and renovate it to its former glory – what the heck it gives her something to do between demon fights and working out the issues with her boyfriend Mick who refuses to answer any questions with a straight answer. How is it possible she knows this man’s body so intimately but not his last name? She knows he has magic and supernatural abilities but he refuses to give her a real reason for anything. There is so much trying to stop her and few helping that when even a coyote turns out to be on her side she says okay to his help. But some truths are revealed that even Janet discovers she didn’t want to know about and tries her best to reconcile fact from fiction and fight to keep both feet planted in reality.

Wow what a great book this is. The action never stops, the characters are so believable you feel they might be your neighbors, the romance is over the top hot and storyline is scary enough to make you not want to stop reading until you figure everything out – which you never really do because there is more books in the series…..

Mary Gramlich is The Reading Reviewer located at www.marygramlich.com

THE MESSENGER OF ATHENS by ANNE ZOUROUDI

THE MESSENGER OF ATHENS

The Mysteries of the Greek Detective Series

ANNE ZOUROUDI

July 19, 2010

Little, Brown & Company – Hardcover - 336 pages

ISBN-13: 9780316075428

Sit back and be amazed at the genius of this crime solver!

Hermes Diaktoros, aka The Fat Man, is quite the quandary of a man. He is most certainly not with any branch of law enforcement nor a certified private investigator. But he assuredly is man who can take a mystery, get the silent to start talking and solve the crime while keeping his shoes nice and white.

This time the case presented to him is the mysterious death of a young married woman and trying to determine whether she murdered or did she commit suicide as the police were so quick to conclude. Irini was both sweet and innocent with her one mistake in life to fall in love with one man while married to someone else. She made some poor decisions based on innocence and dreams of a better life but when she became rejected by her lover did she commit suicide or was she pushed off that cliff? Hermes thinks the police refused to investigate due to laziness and corruption and while he will tolerate some incompetency it appears the police force does not have the proper respect for the dead is not above coercion to obtain its goals and this he will not tolerate.

The Fat Man has unique methods of getting people to talk and once they start talking it becomes impossible to get them to stop and when the truth comes out about what happened to sweet Irini even he is shocked and the actions he takes against those that ruined her and took her life are well deserved and quite unique.

This first book in The Mysteries of the Greek Detective Series is unique and interesting and I look forward to those that will follow. The Fat Man is colorful and interesting but always maintains such a high respect for the dead that you always admire his unique gift and ability to solve the crime. The setting here is described with such detail you feel you can taste the salt on your tongue and the sharp snap of the strong coffee. Amazing!

Mary Gramlich is The Reading Reviewer located at www.marygramlich.com

DESIRE ME (The Legend Hunters Series Book #2) Robyn DeHart

DESIRE ME (The Legend Hunters Series Book #2) Robyn DeHart

June 01, 2010 (Grand Central Publishing) Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages

Great read from start to finish!

We all spend a portion of our lives on some personal quest or goal. Some of us may seek love or friendship while others are looking for another type of adventure where the mystical and imagined are involved. Everyone seeks fulfillment for their quest in their own way and that is what Maxwell Barrett, Marquess of Lindbergh has been doing his entire life with his search for the lost City of Atlantis. Max’s search is for something that has no tangible proof of its existence but he believes it did exist and finding the remains will see all of his dreams have been fulfilled.

At the age of 13 Max found a clue ridden map validating in his mind the existence of Atlantis which placed him on a mission to find the lost city and prove his worth among the other legend seekers at his exclusive club Solomon’s. He has spent years trying to decipher the twists and turns of the riddled consumed map with its’ yet to be revealed clues but not for a lack of trying. An unexpected twist of fate leads him to Sabine Tobias who not only has answers to his many questions but also has the ability to split his heart wide open with something he never felt before love.

Sabine leads a secretive and very obscure life with her aunts running an emporium filled with creams and lotions designed to keep a woman youthful. Everything about her seems to be a ruse and the more Max looks the more he finds intriquing as he uncovers her secrets and all too soon learns that her knowledge of Atlantis is built not in dreams but reality as she is a direct descendent of the mythical land. Max warms his heart and opens his arms to her sweet and innocent ways but never turns his back knowing that she is keeping something from him and as much as she is telling him there is another side to this cream that seems to make every woman look younger and he wonders again does this involve Atlantis/

It also appears he is not the only one looking at her and her aunts and the darkness that is following them is so evil that it can destroy everything and use Sabine’s secrets against her. Max is also dealing with the mysterious deaths one after another of the highest ranking generals in her majesty’s service. They are each killed in horrid and vile fashion and he wonders if this also has something to do with the map and secrets it holds and keeps asking himself is Sabine and the search for Atlantis worth his life – quickly he answers with a resounding yes.

Once Max and Sabine combine their efforts and go from one clue to the next trying to find where Atlantis is buried more trouble brews that they must fend off as well as the combustible emotion they stir in one another. Neither is quite sure how to control their feelings or if there is any future for them once they have found the City. So many questions and so much running around seeking answers that when they finally find the largest piece of the puzzle and realize the answer has been looking them in the face nothing is the same between them or for them.

While Book #1 in this series was exciting this 2^nd book is action packed and provides quite the mysterious romp with Max and Sabine. They are wonderful characters and have such depth of emotion that you know the goal here is to find Atlantis but in the end the quest is for love and you want them to succeed at both.

Mary Gramlich is “The Reading Reviewer” located at www.marygramlich.com

SO COLD THE RIVER by Michael Koryta

SO COLD THE RIVER by Michael Koryta

June 09, 2010 (Little, Brown & Company) Hardcover, 528 pages

ISBN-13: 9780316053631

This book will fascinate, scare and mesmerize you into nonstop reading!

Eric Shaw has seen his film making career implode, his marriage spiral out of control and watched what could have been turn in to it what used to be. He is now a videographer for other people’s lives and thinks he has hit rock bottom. But when a strange chain of events finds him taking a job from a woman who wants to know about the strange bottle she has in her possession of a substance called Pluto Water is and how it relates to her dying father-in-law’s legacy well is it off to Indiana. There he hopes to discover what Pluto Water is, who Campbell Bradford really was and figure out why there are so many secrets in such a small town.

Before Eric is even checked into the hotel he starts having visions and feels the supernatural charge of the area. He has always had these visions and held them in check his entire life with only his wife, Claire fully understanding and accepting of his gift. But Eric had decided to drink from the bottle Pluto Water and that event seems to have triggered a new type of vision where the past and present collide and bringing the dead back to life. There are number of ill effects the water is causing on Eric’s body and he suffers from withdrawal if he is does not keep drinking but the more he drinks the worse the visions are and the closer the haunting becomes. When the dead begin to speak directly to you it is best to pay attention and perhaps takes notes.

While doing his research Eric befriends a doctorate student named Kellen Cage who is also researching Campbell Bradford but it becomes apparent very quickly that while they are searching the same name, the person they are looking at is not the same man as they may have the same name the age or legacy don’t add up. Kellen’s person was vile, evil and caused destruction before disappearing to parts unknown. They talk to locals who try to assist but have to avoid the only living relative who it turns out is as mean and evil as his great-grandfather with an even bigger chip on his shoulder and grudge against humanity.

The longer Eric stays in town and the more water he drinks, the worse the visions become and the more real they seem to be. Even with Claire’s assistance Eric is fighting something inside him that he alone seems to have brought back to life and with no idea how to control it, how can he stop it let alone destroy it. He is seeing things from another time and place that are occurring in the present and making him afraid for everyone around him as he knows an ill and destructive wind is about to blow into town. Is it the water, the town or him that is the problem?

This book is detailed, organized and well laid out with characters are well described and very personable. There is enough suspense and mystery to keep you guessing about what is going on and when the truth all comes out you are not sure if what you just read is fiction or fact. You never know it might just have happened….

Mary Gramlich is “The Reading Reviewer” located at www.marygramlich.com