All Souls’ Night
Jennifer Armintrout
Mira, Jun 2008, $6.99
ISBN: 9780778325376

Though they can use the time to heal emotionally and physically from the battle with the Oracle, undead vampire hunters Carrie Ames and Nathan Grant know they have none as they must prepare for what they pray is the final combat. The lovers must stop the father of Carrie’s dead first sire, Jacob Kendrick or the Soul Eater as he is known will become an invincible evil god ravaging the earth.

However, the two heroes know that Jacob is already way too powerful for both of them even with their combined strengths. They anticipate not winning unless a miracle occurs and even then they do not expect to survive. Still they must try. Carrie knows there is only one way for her side to become victorious but that method would still require a Hail Mary. If she goes that route, she will not know the outcome as Carrie understands fully her choices.

The final Blood Ties romantic horror thriller (see THE TURNING, POSSESSION and ASHES TO ASHES) is an excellent finish to a strong saga. Carrie tells the tale for the most part so that readers comprehend her angst and fears as she ponders whether “to be or not to be” is the seemingly only possible solution to the question of how to stop Jacob. Fans of this terrific miniseries will appreciate Jennifer Armintrout’s answer.

Harriet Klausner

Abhorsen
Garth Nix
Eos, May 2008, $9.99
ISBN: 9780061474330

The Dead Chlorr of the Mask has captured by enchantment Lirael an Abhorsen-in-Waiting, her nephew Prince Sameth, her companion the enigmatic Disreputable Dog and the mysterious white cat Mogget. They need to escape but the spell makes it difficult as their evil host has the support of the powerful malevolent necromancer Hedge.

The quartet escapes anyway and manages to rescue Sameth’s friend, Nicholas Sayre, but seemingly too late to prevent him from exhuming the remains of Orannis, the Destroyer. Hedge’s plan seems on the verge of fruition, as the hemispheres begin to converge; if they merge, evil will win and all life destroyed. The heroic quartet must first find a way to destroy the Destroyer if Hedge’s Death scheme is to be stopped.

This sequel to SABRIEL and LIRAEL is a terrific young adult fantasy that begins to answer questions from the previous tales such as what is the Disreputable Dog while also providing the audience with a wonderful good vs. bad thriller. The contrast between dismal wretched realm of Death and those necromancers who want to bring it to the moral plane vs. the optimism of the band of champions enhances the tension as the good dudes seem too innocent to hold their own against their malevolent adversaries. It behooves newcomers to read the first two books to see how the opponents got to this point although Garth Nix provides an interwoven backdrop. Fans will appreciate this superb entry as all bets are on Hedge and Destroyer.

Harriet Klausner

Angel of Mercy
Toni Andrews
Mira, May 2008, $6.99
ISBN: 9780778325475

In the Balboa Peninsular of California, hypnotherapist Mercy Hollings with the help of her best friend Sukey operates a clinic that helps people overcome their problems using her special skill “presses” to make suggestions to stop smoking. Only Sukey and Mercy’s boyfriend Sam knows of her ability, but neither of them understand how much she fears this gift that comes from a dark source. Mercy errs on the side of caution when she manipulates people for what she assumes is better for them because she is frightened of going too far and obtaining amoral control while even a slight nudge could turn tragic. However her biggest phobia re her skill is losing her temper although that is rare as she can turn mentally ill.

When Mercy meets battered spouse Tiffany, she has two deep feelings; first she needs to get the woman to a shelter and second she needs to control her gut urge to hurt the abusive husband. At Haven House women’s shelter, Mercy also wants to assist these sad victims; especially getting inside her soul are Anna Green and her daughter, Grace. Grace’s preadolescent pleas to keep the children safe touches Mercy, but she finds the Green females are involved with something that not only is beyond the hypnotherapist’s press control, but sends her into a dark shadowy realm that few if any ever escape.

This latest Mercy thriller (see BEG FOR MERCY) is an exhilarating paranormal tale with a deep look at victims hiding at a shelter. Thus there are two types of villains in this strong novel; first abusive spouses and second those essences that frequent the dark places of the soul. Toni Andrews provides a gripping story as readers get inside Mercy’s head due to her first hand viewpoint.

Harriet Klausner

The Adoration of Jenna Fox
Mary Pearson
Holt, Apr 2008, $16.95
ISBN: 9780805076684

The horrific accident left teenager Jenna Fox in a coma for over a year. When she awakens, she finds much of her memory has been wiped out like an etchosketch. What she recalls seems trivia as she can quote passages from poems but does not recognize her family or friends and has to take their word that she is seventeen years old Jenna Fox.

Her parents show her home videos of her childhood, but none of it looks familiar to her besides which it does not feel right. Slowly bits and pieces of her memory return until she realizes her parents’ biography of her life is false. She begins to piece together the horrific truth not understanding the danger that poses to her.

Although there are some questionable decisions made by Jenna’s parents that seem illogical once the audience realizes (along with the title star) what is going on, readers will be fully hooked into a one sitting thriller. Fans will appreciate Mary Pearson’s powerful drama as shocking disclosures that seem plausible keep spinning the story line in different direction than the reader thought. Using the secondary characters to reveal the truth to the audience and the heroine, Ms. Pearson provides a strong tense cautionary thriller that dually raises morality issues while entertaining readers with Jenna’s plight.

Harriet Klausner

Armed and Magical
Lisa Shearin
Ace, May 2008, $7.99
ISBN: 9780441015870

She was a good Seeker of objects and people and a fair sorceress, but a week ago Raine Benares was psychically bonded with the Saghred, a stone of immense power. It has boosted Raine’s existing powers and given her unnatural talent making her one of the most powerful magicians in the Seven Kingdoms. However it is an evil object that thrives on eating souls with the last soul it swallowed being Sacred Nikpon. Raine forced that action which is why she has a link to the stone and its seemingly zillion stolen souls over the centuries wherever she may be.

Right now Raine is on the Isle of Mid, home to the Conclave which polices magic users and hosts a highly regarded sorcerer’s school. Raine hopes someone on the island can separate her from the stone. However, there are factions on the Isle some of whom are malevolent and demand something from Raine starting with the original owner of the stone who razed cities, empires and anyone who got in his way. Raine finds her elven brethren want her for her new power while the goblins demand the stone. Everywhere she turns she finds someone threatens her and her loved ones as ethics do not apply to the people seeking the power of the stone.

Lisa Shearin has written a spellbinding fantasy that enables readers to believe in elves, goblins, and mages, oh my. The Shearin world seems real and that magic is a genuine skill thanks in part to the strong characterizations. There is plenty of partisan in fighting, intrigue, and action to keep readers turning the pages wondering what next will happen to the reluctant beleaguered heroine that is while debating her chances of surviving until the next assault occurs.

Harriet Klausner

Animal Lust
Lucy Danes
Kensington Aphrodisia, Mar 2008, $13.95
ISBN: 9780758220585

Their Viking ancestors left the Ursus clan cursed with the blood of the bear and mystic skills but ANIMAL LUST sexual appetites that are never satiated unless they bond with their soulmate.

“Martin”. In 1800 innocent Jane fell in love and gave her virginity to Jonathan whom she thought loved her and would marry her. Instead he left her after he took what he wanted. When she meets Martin, he vows to Jane that he will give back what he lost.

“Mac”. In 1801 Rasalette seeks her life mate, but the men selected by her caring royal brother don’t appeal to her until “Mac” arrives.

“Orin”. In 1817 when Wilhelmina sees Orin ride out of the forest, she knows she has found her beloved; now to convince him that he has too.

“Devon”. Following her husband’s death Amanda returns to the home of the aunt who raised her. There she meets Devon, whom she once loved and knows still does.

The Ursus brothers’ saga contains four exhilarating paranormal erotic Regency romances starring strong protagonists whose couplings are hot.

Harriet Klausner

Avenging Fury
John Farris
Forge, May 2008, $25.95
ISBN 9780312877323

Although mortals see her as a freak even when she saves their lives and has the FBI psychopath assassins after her, Eden Waring proves time after time she is a caring Avatar; she uses her mental skills to keep people safe. Her recent efforts brought her into war against Mordaunt the evil one from another plane, who thought he could manipulate the twenty-something female as his pawn to bring chaos to this realm. He thought wrong as Eden defeated him and incarcerated his physical form inside molten glass (see THE FURY AND THE POWER).

However, Eden makes one key mistake caused by her inexperience as an avatar fighting non-human malevolencies. Part of Mordaunt’s soul escaped the imprisonment just prior to the glass melting. Thus his female persona Delilah is not just out there; she goes to 1926 Georgia waiting to possess Eden’s doppelganger Gwen when the latter arrives. Near Vegas just after the Mordant meltdown, in Eden’s present, Delilah inside Gwen confronts the kindhearted Avatar with both using Dark Energy that will change the Universe.

The final “Fury” tale may have taken three decades to arrive, but fans will fully appreciate this strong horror suspense thriller as the climatic good vs. evil showdown occurs. The story line is hyper fast-paced from the onset and never takes a breather even when Gwen goes back in time as John Farris accelerates the velocity of his plot. Fans of the saga will appreciate the invigorating finish to an exhilarating epic quartet.

Harriet Klausner

Armageddon in Retrospect
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Putnam, Apr 2008, $24.95
ISBN: 9780399155086

This is a terrific collection by one of the great commentators on human condition in the since WW II. As always Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. uses wry humor to rip into those warmongers who always send someone else to die. The anthology contains nonfiction like the letter he sent to his dad in Indianapolis in which the GI Grunt explains he is fortunate to escape the firebombing of Dresden in 1945 and “Wailing Shall be In All the Streets” where he discuses his POW job of burying the dead in Dresden. The short story fictions are also haunting as the title story advocates that good can never win over evil because good needs evil to exist just like the world can never be at peace for that “Great Day” would lead to war; the author makes the case that violence is in the human DNA even the very young look to fight. This anthology is a fitting final tribute by the late great author who throughout displays his droll sense of the paradox that makes up the “Guns and Butter” of life and death on planet earth.

Harriet Klausner

Adam
Ted Dekker
Thomas Nelson, Apr 2008, $25.95
ISBN: 9780849918919

FBI Special Agent Daniel Clay is a psychiatrist who gets into the minds of serial killers in the hopes of stopping them. His obsessive compulsive need to understand such a mind led to the break-up of his marriage to Heather. He asked for a field assignment and got the Eve killer. Sixteen young women were killed in sixteen months; each at the beginning of the lunar cycle from a previously unknown form of meningitis. With no clues pointing to a suspect, Daniel is publicly removed from the case.

However, Daniel does what he does best: work alone; his liaison to the information the FBI gathers is sent through Phoenix based pathologist Agent Lori Ames. Clues lead Daniel and Lori to Eve’s latest victim who is still alive. While taking her to the hospital, Eve steps in front of a car killing Daniel and injuring Lori. Twenty-eight minutes later Daniel is resuscitated but the image of Eve is gone from his mind. In an effort to recall the killer’s face, Daniel persuades Lori to kill him and resuscitate him. While they experiment, the killer grabs Heather; Daniel goes to find her. Daniel thinks he knows where the killer is, but dealing with this evil predator will still prove difficult for reasons Daniel and Lori will soon learn.

Ted Dekker tells a great police procedural supernatural thriller. Daniel is a fascinating hero who in his way is as obsessive as the Eve killer. His disbelief as to what the clues seem to imply adds to the overall tension as he discounts the mystic as nonsense. At the moment s he has given up hope, he begins to believe what his senses tell him. Readers who enjoy a great book should peruse this entertaining paranormal psychological thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Apricot Brandy
Lynn Cesar
Juno, Apr 2008, $6.99
ISBN: 9780809572045

Decades have passed since Karen Fox returned to her family’s farm; twenty years since she walked out on the man who was supposed to protect her, but instead sexually assaulted her. Now her father is dead having blown away his face with a self inflicted shotgun blast; Karen has come home to make special arrangements for the land and her father’s cremation.

She is unaware that her father was the High Priest for the Green God Xibalba and his acolytes drop his corpse into a fissure beneath the morgue. Her sire joins his Master and confers power on Acting Assistant Sheriff Carver, who prefers to rule above ground unlike Karen’s father whose preference in the underworld. From the moment she stepped onto the farm Karen sensed something was wrong. While looking at her father’s body, Karen feels something close around her wrist followed by seeing a dress she wore as a child that was destroyed years ago yet is in pristine perfect condition complete with a still moist blood spot.. Quetzal a Mayan witch who knows that Xibalba is near; she plans to fight the evil God along with the ghosts that will accompany her. However, she also knows she must protect Karen from the malevolent Green God who has plans for the daughter of his loyalist worshipper.

APRICOT BRANDY is an exciting combination horror and dark urban fantasy that takes readers to the edge of sanity and leaves then there wondering if this time evil will triumph. Karen may be innocent, but she is the catalyst (thanks to her DNA) that sets things in motion although she is the polar opposite of her cruel father. She reaches inside herself with determination to defy him and his God while the Mayan witch rallies his ghostly horde and the townsfolk. Readers will find Lynn Cesar’s work magically entertaining.

Harriet Klausner