Truthseeker
C.E. Murphy
Del Rey, Aug 31 2010, $15.00
ISBN: 9780345516060

In Boston Lara Jansen trusts her intuition so while working at a tailor shop, her hairs leap up when a handsome man enters. He insists he is Prince Dafydd ap Caerwyn of the faerie and she is a Truthseeker; a rare individual who is more accurate than a lie detector in determining truth from fabrication. She believes him as he stinks at his day job of meteorologist. He pleads with her to come to his home to help ascertain who murdered his brother.

She accompanies the attractive prince through a portal into faerie. There she is stunned when she finds herself in the middle of a Seelie civil war as her irresistible companion failed to reveal this and apparently there are other secrets he conceals. Meanwhile someone in the shadows uses magic to further the dispute, which leaves two realms, Faeirie and Earth, in peril.

Truthseeker, the first of a two book fantasy, is a terrific opening act as C.E. Murphy sets the stage with a strong secretive royal and a special pragmatic human. The story line is fast-paced from the moment the heroine steps through the window into Faerie and never slows down. Fans will appreciate this strong fantasy due to Lara, a wonderful Red Sox in a Faerie prince court.

Harriet Klausner

Bond With Me
Anne Marsh
Leisure, Aug 24 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780505528582

Three thousand years ago, the Dominion angel guardians of Heaven’s throne were murdering their brethren rather than protecting them. With proof, Archangel Michael punishes the rebels by removing their wings and souls, and exiling them as half man and half beast goblins with little hope of return unless they are redeemed by their soul mate who must teach these fallen to love. Three millennia later by 2090 none have redeemed their souls.

At the exclusive G2 club in M City, Mischka Baron searches for her cousin Pelinor “Pell” Arden who she fears has bonded with a fallen angel, which she knows means they suck at your soul. Club owner Brends Duranov wants her from the moment he senses her, but to his shock, Mischka rejects him. Right before her refusal, Brends learned from his sire Zer that a rogue Goblin Changed and was killing human and the Fallen. Brends vows to find the serial killer, but soon has a stronger motive when Mischka becomes the target; as he believes she is the one for him.

Bond With Me is a superb romantic urban fantasy with a strong enchanting world and a solid cast. The story line is a fast-paced suspense thriller as the serial killer and Brends target Mischka for totally opposite reasons. Action-packed, the key element that makes Marsh’s land seen genuine is the goblins as these are soulless predatory beasts; of whom, for the most part, are unsympathetic.

Harriet Klausner

Tastes Of Love & Evil
Barbara Monajem
Love Spell, Sep 1 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780505528629

Males cannot resist the sexual lure of Rose Fairburn the vampire. On the lam, she thirsts for blood and sex. She left Chicago for Louisiana in hopes of meeting her dream man.

She meets Jack Tallis who is unique as the only man who can resist the lure of Rose even after she used her tongue to lick away his blood and close a wound he received. He hides from her that he desires her.

They flee together as underworld assassins want both dead. As each struggles to trust the other, a feeling neither is comfortable with, they meet Juma. She is hiding from her grandmother and has bigger trust issues than Rose and Jack combined. The threesome conceals their darkest secrets while being chased by deadly killers.

Tastes of Love & Evil is an entertaining romantic fantasy starring an intriguing trio on the run who hide their inner most demons from one another. The two adults are a fine fascinating pairing as he is the first male who can keep her at arm’s length. Although Juma as a young girl seems genuine, her constant whining becomes irritating. Readers will enjoy this fine thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Bond With Me
Anne Marsh
Leisure, Aug 24 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780505528582

Three thousand years ago, the Dominion angel guardians of Heaven’s throne were murdering their brethren rather than protecting them. With proof, Archangel Michael punishes the rebels by removing their wings and souls, and exiling them as half man and half beast goblins with little hope of return unless they are redeemed by their soul mate who must teach these fallen to love. Three millennia later by 2090 none have redeemed their souls.

At the exclusive G2 club in M City, Mischka Baron searches for her cousin Pelinor “Pell” Arden who she fears has bonded with a fallen angel, which she knows means they suck at your soul. Club owner Brends Duranov wants her from the moment he senses her, but to his shock, Mischka rejects him. Right before her refusal, Brends learned from his sire Zer that a rogue Goblin Changed and was killing human and the Fallen. Brends vows to find the serial killer, but soon has a stronger motive when Mischka becomes the target; as he believes she is the one for him.

Bond With Me is a superb romantic urban fantasy with a strong enchanting world and a solid cast. The story line is a fast-paced suspense thriller as the serial killer and Brends target Mischka for totally opposite reasons. Action-packed, the key element that makes Marsh’s land seen genuine is the goblins as these are soulless predatory beasts; of whom, for the most part, are unsympathetic.

Harriet Klausner

The Beast Within
Erin McCarthy, Bianca D’Arc and Jennifer Lyon
Kensington, Aug 31 2010, $14.00
ISBN: 9780758247353

“The Howling” by Erin McCarthy. Liv wonders whether she should delay her marriage to Scarborough as she still loves his brother Sebastian, who obviously rejected her having vanished with her money six months ago. While Scarborough flies to New York on business, Sebastian runs as a wolf while healing from when his sibling tried to kill him. He vows to return to lead his pack, but is angry with Liv for moving in with his brother.

“Smoke on the Water” by Bianca D’Arc. Donna is immune to the zombie contagion so has been partnered with veteran CIA operative John. They head to Tennessee to conduct undercover surveillance of Elizabeth who allegedly created the disease. John and Donna pretend to be newlyweds on a fishing vacation as the lodge next door makes observation easier. They begin to fall in love but neither knows where Elizabeth conceals her horde.

“Redeeming the Wizard” by Jennifer Lyon. Mira hates Gage the wizard who she blames him for the deaths of her parents, killed by trolls while visiting him seventeen years ago. Still she needs his help when a wizard kidnapped her matchmaking Gram. He asks what she offers in payment and she responds with anything he desires. Seventeen years ago Gage trusted his apprentice Jillian who seduced him and stole some of his power when she tried to bring over a demon, but lost control. The demon killed Mira’s parents. Gage killed Jillian and banished the demon, but his power overloaded and fried to unusable. As they fall in love he remains her enemy.

The male leads know what they want and go after the women they want while the fantasy elements are cleverly designed to feel genuine although the story lines are thin.

Harriet Klausner

Esperanza
Trish J. MacGregor
Tor, Sep 14 2010, $24.99
ISBN 9780765326027

High in the Andes in Esperanza, Ecuador, two visiting Americans who never met before are stranded at an isolated bus station waiting who knows how long for the bus to arrive. FBI Agent Tess Livingston and Minneapolis journalism professor Ian Ritter chat as she wonders how she got here being on a case of international counterfeiters while he also ponders how he ended up in Peru when he was going to Galapagos Islands. While they wait they explore the town.

Shapeshifting spirit Dominica notices the pair and muses whose body of the two outsiders she will possess. When she begins her take over, Dominica is shocked to recognize each is a transitional soul of the nearly dead. These semi ghosts are dangerous to spirits like her and must be avoided, but she also finds them macabre and fascinating.

Esperanza is an exciting but strange supernatural thriller starring unnatural enemies. Ian and Tess struggle with their transformations as they try to understand the eternal war between good and evil. Although the time traveling sequences add complexity to the story line such as Ian trying to prevent singular atrocities that he knows will occur; these subplots also detract from the entertaining character driven paranormal triangle between the transitional souls and the spirit; the latter is fun to follow as the reader will want to know how it plays out.

Harriet Klausner

Fire: Tales of Elemental Spirits
Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson
Ace, Sep 7 2010, $15.00
ISBN: 9780441019199

“Phoenix” by Peter Dickinson. In Britain elderly caretakers Dave and Ellie begin to care for the ancient Egyptian Phoenix, who struggles with the change in climate; the pair is rewarded for their kindness in an unexpected way.

“Hellhound” by Robin McKinley. Miri rescues the red-eyed dog from a shelter; not anticipating her kindness will be reciprocated when her canine stands at her side during a confrontation with an evil spirit in a graveyard.

“Fireworm” Peter Dickinson. The fireworm threatens the Home Cave of the dwelling clan. Tandin challenges the beast on the spirit plain, but is stunned to realize the enemy has a mate that it protects from the cave-dwellers.

“Salamander Man” by Peter Dickinson. Tib the orphan is sold to a mage, which leads to his turning into a blazing giant freeing the salamanders and the city residents from the abusive magicians.

“First Flight” by Robin McKinley. Ern prefers to hide in the shadows as he is the subject of ridicule when he is out in the open. His extroverted brother Dag comes home fuming because an injured dragon is assigned to a task that the beast cannot accomplish, yet encouraged by a wizard Ern enables the beast to enter Flame Space.

The sequel to Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits contains five fine fiery fantasy fables that young high school students will enjoy.

Harriet Klausner

Tarizon: Conquest Earth - Volume 3
William Manchee
Top Publications, Sep 10 2010, $23.00
3100 Independence Parkway, Suite 311-349
Plano, Texas 75075
ISBN: 9781929976652

Aliens abducted teenage earthling Peter Turner and took him to Tarizon where many believed he was the Liberator. However, known as Leek Lanzia, he learned the hard way how difficult his new role proved to be when Civil War forced him to choose sides. Now with the dictator Lai dead, Leek takes a vacation with his beloved wife Lucinda and their baby child Tokin. At the same time Lai’s adopted son Evohn Cystrom pledges to keep fighting on his home planet and to take the hostilities to earth as his late father envisioned a grander Pearl Harbor attack.

Captain Lanzia cuts off his family time early when he is apprised of the Cystrom threat. Accompanied by his wife and child, he commandeers a shuttle to fly to earth to warn his birth planet of an invasion, but must escape Tarizon without the enemy aware of his leaving. Cystrom learns of the earth mission and sends his best troops to thwart it while Leek as Peter reunites with his parents before retuning to his new home planet.

Continuing the space adventures of the son of his top rate detective Stan Turner (see Disillusioned and Act Normal), William Manchee provides a strong Tarizon science fiction military thriller (see Liberator and Civil War) as the war goes off planet. Fast-paced and loaded with action, fans will appreciate Conquest earth as Cystrom takes up the mantle of his late dad. Although it helps to read the previous two Peter/Leek novels to understand how far the hero has come from earth, fans of the saga will relish this entertaining entry.

Harriet Klausner

The Osiris Ritual
George Mann
Tor, Aug 3 2010, $24.99
ISBN: 9780765323217

In 1902 there is plenty of excitement in the air of London as an odd mummy is arriving from Egypt. The sarcophagus containing the mummy is marked with dynamic colors and strange enigmatic symbols. Like many others British Museum curator Sir Maurice Newbury watches in wonder as the mummy is delicately unwrapped. He muses as rags are dropped to the floor that this is more fun than the battle with the automons last year (see The Affinity Bridge). When the final bandage drops to the floor, the skeleton begins screaming in rage for the horror of being buried alive.

Soon afterward, someone murders the expedition’s leader and an agent coming in from the cold of Russia vanishes. Putting on his other hat as a secret crown investigator Maurice and his assistant Veronica Hobbes seek clues to the homicide, the disappearances and more while wondering if his dangerous predecessor Dr. Knox is the link between all. As Newbury researches the arcane symbols, Hobbs works the case of disappearing women.

The second Newbury-Hobbes late Victorian investigative urban fantasy is an exciting action-packed tale with a load of corpses seemingly everywhere in London. The prime subplots are fast-paced as the Queen’s detecting duet work together and separately on the cases. Although at time over the top of Big Ben, fans will appreciate this rousing thriller.

Harriet Klausner

The Questing Road
Lyn McConchie
Tor, Aug 3 2010, $25.99
ISBN: 9780765322111

Kyrryl, her husband Yoros and his niece Ashara seek to rescue the kidnapped child Ashara. The brave trio follows a path, but initially is unaware that the trail leads them though a portal opened by a desperate wizard from another world to their realm.

At about the same time that Kyrryl and her companions cross over, brothers Sirado and Eilish, and companion Trasso are enjoying a ride together when they unknowingly cross through a portal to the same world that the rescue party traversed. A cat goddess endows the six travelers with the ability to speak the local language. When the two groups meet, they agree to unite on their respective journeys. The sextet soon encounters local merchants Anatiah and Kaitlen. The latter pair hides escaped slave Aycharna. Now a party of nine, they seek the missing Ashara, unaware that a wizard took her as an animal sacrifice, and hope to return Aycharna to her home before returning to their various homes.

This is an intriguing quest fantasy due to the kidnapper unaware the beast he snatched from the other world to use as a sacrifice has loving sentient family members wanting her home safe and sound. The story line is fast-paced from the moment the trek begins and never slows down as the teams unite in a common cause of helping two young females. Although feline-like deities making the key decisions for the travelers detracts from their expedition, as they have no difficult cultural-ethical differences between the groups from two worlds or choices to make, fans will enjoy the entertaining rescue missions.

Harriet Klausner