The Single Undead Moms Club by Molly Harper

It's no secret that I absolutely adore everything Molly Harper writes. It probably has a lot to do with her creative wit and her inherent geekiness. There's also the fact that most her her heroines are just your average Jane (mostly--if you ignore the supernatural elements). However, I think what truly captivates readers are the fun and romantic stories that she delivers time and time again.

The heroines Molly Harper creates are always easy to associate with. Despite the fact that I have very little in common with this book's heroine, Libby, I still feel for her as she transitions into a vampire. Unlike her, I might not have in-law problems, child custody problems, PTA problems or blood issues, however, they are realistic enough that I can't help but root for her as she discovers her new self. Libby is a strong woman that has made the ultimate and final choice in order to stay alive and raise her son. It can't be easy suffering from cancer and knowing that you'll leave your son an orphan in just a few short months. I want to say, in her position, I probably would have done the same thing. I'm selfish enough that I would want to survive and not die so young because of bad genetics.

Wade was a nice surprise. He's definitely not the kind of guy you would expect a good PTA single mom to end up with. A Harley riding man full of tattoos isn't the kind of guy anyone expects to end up with. However since his and Libby's son form an inseparable childhood bond, they are forced to be civil, despite their bad initial meeting. I really like the fact that Libby takes it slowly and Wade respects her wishes without having to discuss it. Everything Libby does is in her son's best interest but at some point, I think she realizes she has to live for herself too.

It wouldn't be a real Molly Harper story without someone trying to kill the female lead. And I'm not talking about the racist/vampire hating PTA president who's out to socially destroy Libby. It isn't clear why a man dressed in a black ski mask is trying to kill her, but new vampire luck seems to be on her side every time she encounters her attacker. Luck, and the fact that her more or less absent sire is keeping tabs on her and secretly watching over her.

In the Half Moon Hollow world, vampires have "come out the the coffin" years ago, yet vampires still face prejudice and countless hate crimes. I think one of the books messages is that everyone should be given a chance, and you shouldn't hate someone because of who or what they are. In today's society, we might not be facing vampires, but we will be experiencing an influx of Syrian refugees. We can't judge these people because of their heritage or their religion, simply because it's different from our own. We have to respect them and try to be as accommodating as possible. We can't use fear as motive for hate because that would revert human society back centuries. (And don't twist my words as I compare vampires to refugees! I'm just saying their situations are similar.) Here in Canada, the government has done much to help the new refugees. In the USA, I just hope that when it comes to electing party candidates and a president, Americans will not let fear and hate guide their choices.

Fans of Molly Harper will love this book. Or fans of paranormal romance, for that matter. I've come to expect certain things from Harper yet she always surprises me with new stories and ideas. Libby and Wade make a great couple despite the fact that they're not your typical paranormal romance pair. The PTA and school activities might be new territory for Miss Harper, but her writing is still the same: fun, snarky and outrageous!

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Posted by Tynga at 03:09

 Chick Lit, Half Moon Hollow, Molly Harper, Paranormal Romance, Pocket, Purchased, Review, Simon amp; Schuster, Vampire  1 Person left their mark

Wicked Charms by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton

Every Janet Evanovich book I've read has managed to make me laugh out loud at some point or another and this one is no exception. Wicked Charms is full of hilarious, I-can't-believe-that-happened moments and is your typical Evanovich novel. This book was way overdue since the previous one in this series was published four years prior. Most of the time, I find it difficult to read a book from a series if it has been years since I've read the previous book. However, reading Wicked Charms was effortless and ultimately a really good idea.

For a reason I ignore, Janet Evanovich co-wrote this book with Phoef Sutton but I honestly, didn't see much difference in the writing. Lizzy and Diesel are still trying to "save the world" by finding the SALIGLIA stones, the stones of the seven deadly sins. The unlikely pair also have other teammates that help them from time to time, like Glo, the wannabe witch and Carl, the monkey. Although Lizzy wishes she could live an ordinary life, nothing is ordinary when it comes to living in the Salem area. Especially when she has the special ability that enables her to sense objects of magical powers.

Her ability to sense these items is the reason why Diesel originally demanded her help, but now I like to believe that she's the reason he keeps coming back. They're obviously attracted to one another but apparently if two people with magical powers sleep together, one of them will lose their ability. Lizzy doesn't want to risk Diesel losing his powers because that would mean being stuck with saving the world on her own. Diesel hesitates because he's obviously comfortable with his special abilities and it would be the end of everything for him if he were to lose them. Diesel's abilities are a little bit of a mystery. We don't know the exact extent of his powers but I like the fact that as readers, we don't know everything about him. Actually, we know very little about him. I really hope we get to learn more about the organization Diesel seems to be working for. It's not very clear why he's searching for the stones, and exactly where he keeps the other two that they found, but I'm anxious to find out more about his intentions.

As for Lizzy, except for her special ability, she's actually a very normal person. A pastry chef in a small bakery, one of her aspirations is to publish her cookbook in order to make more money and fix up the historic house she inherited from her great-aunt. She drives a beat-up car and has a one-eyed cat named Cat. So pretty normal, despite the special powers and the saving the world bit.

In this book, Diesel has a lead on the stone of Avarice. Unfortunately many other people are searching for it too. Obviously, Diesel's cousin Wulf is after the stone since he's after all of them for his own selfish reasons. There's also a billionaire that thinks he's a demon who wants the stone for evil purposes. A few other players in the hunt are trying to get to the stone first for fame and fortune. And so, the treasure hunt for the lost stone becomes a race and Lizzy is stuck in the middle, simply trying to survive. However, she's a key player in the race since she's one of the two people that can sense and find the stone.

I really like this series because the books are all easy and short to read. The entertainment factor is always very high. Personally, I just need a fun book that will make me laugh from time to time and Evanovich is one of my go to authors for books full of hilarity and incredible scenes. Fans of Evanovich should obviously read this book, but if you're new to her books, I definitely recommend checking out this series, starting with Wicked Appetite.

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Posted by Tynga at 03:15

 Bantam Dell, Chick Lit, Janet Evanovich, Library, Lizzy and Diesel, Magic, Paranormal, Penguin, Phoef Sutton, Random House, Review, special abilities, stones  1 Person left their mark

How To Run With a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

When it comes to Molly Harper books, you're always guaranteed at least a few laughs. HOW TO RUN WITH A NAKED WEREWOLF is no exception. Her books can always get me out of a reading funk because while they aren't necessarily great literature, they're fun and easy to read. I completely forgot that she was writing another book in her Naked Werewolf series, but I'm really glad I finally picked it up since it might just be my favorite out of the series.

In the first few pages, we are introduced to the main character "Anna Moder" but we don't really know her real name until well into the book. Anna is on the run, jumping around from city to city to avoid her abusive husband. Her case is the type where the law has a really hard time protecting abused women so she takes matters into her own hands and restarts her life with fake identities whenever her husband gets close to finding her. As a computer tech, her husband is very resourceful so she never feels completely safe, even on the run.

In comes Caleb Graham, an unlicensed private investigator/bounty hunter. She witnesses him being shot by one of his targets and her old car get blown up in the process. As a trained medical doctor, her first reflex is to help him and get him to a hospital. Despite him being a stranger, she lugs Graham into his truck, gets behind the wheel and drives towards the closest hospital near the remote Alaskan town they were in. Delirious, Graham refuses to go to the hospital so they end up in a motel room where she treats his already healing gunshot wound. Obviously, this situation isn't very realistic but it's a great setting for laugh out loud moments. Especially since Anna obviously knows that he's a werewolf, but Graham doesn't know she knows, and never admits it.

Anna and Graham find themselves on the road together, travelling the picturesque Alaskan roads, working his bounty hunting jobs together and getting to know one another in the process. Steamy motel room situations, stripper bar fights and awkward fugitive apprehensions are a few of the awesome situations Anna and Graham find themselves in. The longer they're together the closer they get. It's obvious their interest for one another becomes stronger, and their bed sharing turns into a lot more than just bed sharing.

For a chick lit, Holly Harper was still able to incorporate darker themes like marital abuse and stalking. For entertainment purposes, situations were obviously exaggerated but I applaud Molly Harper for taking a chance with this novel. The fact that she writes books with amazing and strong female leads, only emphasizes how resilient and capable women can be. The expected happy ending enforces the fact that abuse situations can take a turn for the better with encouragement and a strong support group. The story gravitates around Anna and Graham but it wouldn't be possible without the cast of great secondary characters. The novel is well rounded, an absolute page turner and definitely up there on my list of awesome chick lit.

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Posted by Tynga at 03:35

 Chick Lit, Library, Molly Harper, Naked Werewolf, Paranormal Romance, Pocket, Review, Simon amp; Schuster, Simon Schuster, werewolf  2 People left their mark

Some Enchanted Éclair by Bailey Cates

Truthfully, I was a little disappointed when I read Charms and Chocolate Chips, book 3 of this series. However, this fourth book has redeemed the series and I find myself looking forward to the release of the next book. My main concern with the previous book was that Katie Lightfoot was newly aware of being a lightwitch, but had no clue what it meant. She speculated about it, wondered about it, but didn't try to find out what it meant. Now, in this book, at least she's trying to find out what it means and has learnt to accept that she's different from other witches. Her investigation into lightwitches doesn't go very far unfortunately because the one that revealed her ability, Detective Taite, seems to have disappeared. We might not know more about what it means to be a lightwitch, but at least Katie is trying to find out more.

The murder mystery of the story was ordinary but still fun to follow.  It was definitely a mystery since I never suspected who the murderer was until the very end. The motive was kind of hard to understand but all in all, I think it came to a nice close. I especially liked the fact that the victim was part of the crew that was filming a movie in downtown Savannah, Georgia. Obviously Katie gets involved in yet another murder investigation since her bakery was hired to cater the movie set. She seems to be attracted to murder mysteries, and always finds a way into the investigation.

What I found interesting in this book is the fact that we don't actually see lots of magic being performed. The author decided to introduce us to a new character instead and Ursula Banford just so happens to be a psychic, someone able to communicate with the dead. The coven decides to hold a séance to find out more about who the murderer was, and while the séance doesn't reveal much about the killer, it does reveal something unexpected about one of the participants of the séance.

This next paragraph contains a slight spoiler so you might want to avoid it (however it won't spoil too much). One thing I was not expecting was Declan having some magical powers. From the start of the series, he hasn't been very understanding about his girlfriend Katie's magic and her dedication to learn more about it, but in time, he has learnt to accept it. It came to a total shock when we were made aware that one of his ancestors had some magical power and was rumored to have been a leprechaun. This magic or spiritual power has more or less manifested in Declan in this book. He is not happy with his new (latent) ability, that's for sure. However, it does bring a new and interesting twist to the series.

I'm glad the ending wasn't rushed. In the previous books, I found that once the mystery was solved, the booked ended a few pages later. This time around, we were able to see how everything fell into place. It also answered a lot of questions. SOME ENCHANTED ÉCLAIR might just be my favorite of the series. I really hope we see more of Bailey Cates's Magical Bakery series because to me, while not being exiting or riveting, her books are a nice change of pace and always get me out of a reading rut.

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Posted by Tynga at 02:49

 A Magical Bakery Mystery, Bailey Cates, Chick Lit, food, Magic, murder mystery, Mystery, Obsidian, Penguin, Purchased, Review, Wicca, witches  2 People left their mark