Jane O'Connor has turned the Fancy Nancy picture books into chapter books, and I do not like them as well. What comes off cute and endearing in the picture books (like defining everything) just comes off as snobbish in the chapter books. Plus Nancy is older and things that are cute at one age are not always cute when you get older.

Lizzie and Diesel have been on the hunt for these magical objects that when gathered together can destroy the world. Currently they are on the hunt for the Luxuria Stone that is said to cause Love, or lust in any who hold it. Lizzie and Diesel have enough chemistry between the two already, they don’t need help, but they must work together is they have any hopes of saving the world. This story is alright. It is book number 2 but I feel the same way as I did at the end of book one. Why are so many people exuberant about Evaonvich books? Will I read book #3? Probably, but I have no real reason why.

Most know the classic story of Frankenstein, Dracula, the wolf man etc. In this new take on these stories all these creatures (people) are real and there is a gun toting organization created by Van Helsing a century ago to make sure that they all tow the line of proper behavior. This book can be action packed but it does have some slow points as it sets up the story. Overall it is enjoyable, and a great title for boys who are looking for both action and horror in one read.

Charlie Davidson has a special weapon in the war on homicide: the ghosts of the dead. As a Grim Reaper it’s her job to convince ghosts to go into the light (her body), but she also uses her dead connections to help solve crimes and bring killers to justice. Charlie is keeping up with reaping duties, running her own PI shop, and being an aid to the police department while running on very little sleep because at night she is having the most amazing orgasms in her dreams. But what is the big bad, and why do things keep getting worse. This book was a lot of fun. You finish the first book and then you want #2 and the rest of the series. You get a mystery, a romance, and adventure, and an urban fantasy all rolled into one.

Dystopian novels are the “it” thing to read and write these days. Wither is another book in this fast growing genre. Unlike many other dystopian novels this books is not action packed. There are a few actions scenes in the beginning, but the rest moves at a slow pace. That’s not saying it’s not good, it’s just slow. Rhine is one of three girls who were kidnapped and survived. She is taken to the house of a rich doctor and forced to marry his son Linden. The reason for these marriages is that the population is infected with a disease that kills girls at age 20 and boys at age 25. In order to find a cure the doctor needs children to experiment on. He is not ready for his son to lose his life. The story revolves around Rhine and the other 2 sister wives. They are trapped day in and day out on this compound forced into an unwanted marriage. This story has a sinister undertone, but you never get to the sinister events, its all just hearsay. When I asked the rest of the book club “do you plan to read #2?” we all had the same response. Maybe, if I have time and nothing else to read. The idea is great, but doesn’t really go anywhere. Its bad when you can honestly say I loved the cover more then the book.

I have not read a Kathy Reichs adult because I could never get into them. I don’t know why I tried to read her teen book. Tory Brennen is the niece of Temperance Brennen. She has a scientific mind and a thirst for adventure. She lives on a small island with her father that she has just recently met. One of the things the kids in her small town like to do is boat over to the top secret research facility Loggerhead Island. While there they become infected with a canine virus that permanently changes their DNA. I don’t like this book. It’s boring, and while scientifically sound, not likely scenarios. Plus when you tie a sci-fi book to a standard thriller/mystery it just invalidates the whole series.

I really like this series. The only disappointment was that the first 2 books in the Texas Krew series (within the larger series) were both connected to Amen Moppet, and this book was not. This book is about a haunted house and the mysterious deaths have been taking place. “Butcher” Bedford is said to have killed Lucy Tarleton in that house towards the end of the revolutionary war, and with the recent murders in 2012, there are those who are afraid the “butcher” is back. But noted historian Allison Leigh doesn’t believe in ghosts and is irked that FBI Tyler Montague is there investigating.

This is a reprint of the book by the same title but originally released under the name Shannon Drake. I am surprised that I didn’t read it back then I was reading everything by Drake. This is not quite a retelling of Robin Hood, but about his helpful accomplice the Lady of Greensleves and the Silver Sword. The Silver Sword has know for years who the Lady Greensleves really is, and is surprised when King Richard gives her and her lands in marriage to help retain the English throne. From then, nothing is as easy as it should be. When Katherine finds out that she is to be wed to Damian Mountjoy she is less then thrilled. Years ago, when Katherine attempted to “rob from the rich” Damian fought back and gave her a spanking. And now all she remembers of Mountjoy is how evil and horrible he is: how he will probably demand obedience in his wife, and will probably back it up with his fists. This is a fun story and while typical of the historical romance genre, it is toughly enjoyable.