The Hurog Series by Patricia Briggs

Riding into a war that's heating up on the border, Ward, the new lord of Hurog, is sure he's on the fast track to glory. But soon his mission takes a deadly turn. For he has seen a pile of magical dragon bones hidden deep beneath Hurog Keep. The bones could prove to be dangerous in the wrong hands, and Ward is certain his enemies will stop at nothing to possess them.

As the rebellion grows against High King Jakoven, Ward, ruler of Hurog, realizes he must join with the rebels. However, Jakoven can crush his enemies with dragon's blood. The very blood that courses through Ward's veins.

Patricia Briggs has now become one of my favorite Fantasy writers along with already being one of my favorite Paranormal authors. In her Hurog series we get to meet Ward, a doe eyed, slow talking, huge beast of a man that everyone thought was too dim to be of any use. After his father's death Ward learns his father planned to have him sent to the Asylum in the capital city. Ward has other ideas.

I thoroughly enjoyed this series. Ward was such an easy character to fall in love with. The secondary characters are just as appealing. My favorite being Tisala, daughter of an Oranstonian warrior and every bit as tough. And Oreg, servant to the ruler of Hurog. Fiercely loyal to Ward and handy in certain situations.

This series has everything a good fantasy novel should. Action and adventure, a hero worth cheering for, heartbreak, triumph and a well rounded cast of characters to ride the story with. If you haven't yet, definitely give this series a try.

Visit the author's webpage here.

Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews

I just finished reading the last two books in this series of four. I decided instead of writing a review of each I would glorify the entire series instead!

For those who might not have had the pleasure of reading this series, let me iterate how wonderful this series is.

First I would like to talk about the main character Kate Daniels.
Ah Kate, she has quickly become one of my favorite female protagonists. She has everything you could want:
- snarky, smart ass attitude (check)
- martial arts moves that can kick your face off (check)
- magical ability that will bring you to your knees, literally (check)
- a SWORD (check)
- overall bad assness (double check)
But that is not all. Kate is fiercely loyal, hard working, caring and puts other peoples needs before her own.

Lets move on to my other favorite character...Curran a.k.a. The Beast Lord, Grrrr!
Curran is Kate's perfect counterpart. Kate is spontaneous keep going at em till they're dead, while Curran is meticulously plan and take em out. I love the banter between these two. Most of the time I am laughing out loud like a lunatic while my husband rolls his eyes and shakes his head in wonder at me. Curran is also very protective of Kate, even though she can't stand it. I love how she is constantly telling him how she is going to kill him. But he is strong, protective, a good leader and can bench press 500 pounds. Like any good beast lord should.

The cast of supporting characters is good too:
Jim- Alpha of the werecats, head of pack security, former partner of Kate while with the Mercs, a little surly but likable.
Andrea- Knight of the Order of Merciful Aid, best friend to Kate, likes guns (a lot)
Saiman- helps Kate with information for investigations, for a fee, a big one
Derek- werewolf, worships the ground Curran walks on
Atlanta- no not a person, the backdrop of the story. With the Magic and Tech always competing with each other for dominance, Atlanta, the city of which they all live in is just as much a character as anybody.
Each bring their own special flavor to the books that is usually funny, sometimes maddening, rarely uneventful and always entertaining.

These books are action packed, full of humor, friendship and yes a little romance for good measure. For those that are lovers of Paranormal/Urban Fantasy it is a sure bet you will thoroughly enjoy this series. And for those that are still unsure if Para/Urban is for you, this series is a good starting ground. But be careful, once you fall, there is no going back.

Please visit the author's web page here.

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

Atlanta is a city immersed in magic. Like the tides, when the magic is up, modern technology fails (guns don't fire, cars don't start, etc.) and magicians and other supernatural beings rule the world. In the midst of all this are organizations like the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid whose mission it is to keep the peace. But when knight-diviner Greg Feldman -- the guardian of Daniels -- is ripped to shreds by some unknown monstrosity, the butt-kicking heroine vows to avenge his murder at any cost. Her investigation, however, places her directly between the Pack, a powerful clan of shape-changers, and the Masters of the Dead, a group of necromancers who control a virtual army of vampires…

My favorite thing about this book was the slight differences between it and others in the genre. I liked that the vampires weren't overly beautiful versions of humans (not that there is anything wrong with that). They are grotesque shells, controlled by Necromancers, pretty cool and slightly creepy idea. The other difference I liked had to do with the pack. Most times when a pack is involved, there is only one animal form. Not so in this book, they all come together to form a pack, there are leaders per each grouping of animal, but they form one pack with one Beast Lord. I have one word to describe him, YUMMY! And he is not a wolf.

And now on to the main character. I liked Kate as a main character, it was easy to follow her story and become encased in her world. And what a world it is. Magic runs amok and technology is finding it hard to keep up. I like the world that Andrews has created, and having a sword wielding heroine is never a bad thing.

Visit the author's web page here.

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

This is one of those books I found by trolling around amazon. I read some of the reviews, and lets just say some were not good. But I have never let that stop me before. And I am glad I bought this book any way.

Love can be a dangerous thing....
Hanna simply wants to be loved. With a head plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet stuffed with frilly, violet dresses, Hanna's tired of being the outcast, the weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas in search of a new home.
But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a place for herself, she discovers dark secrets that would terrify any normal soul. Good thing for Hanna, she's far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one is safe.

Where do I begin with this book. Let me first say that I really liked this book. It was imaginative and well written, but to sum it up in one word I would have to say it was "crazy." But in a good way. The story and the characters were something else.

The story follows a sixteen year old girl that has been diagnosed with manic depression and bipolar disorder. She has run away to this town that is not normal, full of residents that are unique (they only wear black, except for a few that wear green).

It was such a joy to read this book. Please give it a chance. Go into it with an open mind and enjoy it for what it is. A well written escape from the norm!

Here is a link to the authors webpage http://www.diareeves.com/