Second Skin by Caitlin Kittredge

The Blurb...
When werewolves from Nocturne City’s oldest packs are found shot through the head at point-blank range, homicide detective Luna Wilder isn’t sure what’s killing them or why…now the killer is determined to make Luna its next victim. To make matters worse, her boyfriend Dmitri’s demon bite is getting worse, weakening him and putting a major strain on their relationship.

Luna discovers the murders are linked to the Wendigo, shapeshifting cousins of werewolves made of smoke and shadow who drink the blood of their victims for strength. She doesn’t know whether Wendigo leader Lucas Kennuka is friend or foe, but he’s clearly determined to wrest her heart from Dmitiri. And if Luna doesn’t discover who’s behind the killings, it could destroy her fragile relationship—and cost Luna her life…

My Opinion...
Luna Wilder is back, so is Dimitri and then he leaves and then he is back. What a nightmar,e part of me just wishes for him to sod off, but then again he is good for Luna in so many ways. They are both as stubborn as can be and think they're opinions are justified, but they never really discuss anything, just fight or have wild hot were-sex. I liked the way this plot went. The ending made me chuckle, you will see why, don't skip to the end though as it might just not make sense. :)

Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong

The Blurb...
The Alaskan wilderness is a harsh landscape in the best of conditions, but with a pack of rogue werewolves on the loose, it's downright deadly. Elena Michaels, the American Werewolf Pack's chief enforcer, knows all too well the havoc "mutts" can wreak. When the Pack learns of a series of gruesome maulings and murders outside of Anchorage, Elena and her partner Clay travel to Alaska in the dead of winter, expecting to hunt down a pack of dangerous werewolves. But, trapped in a savage, frozen realm, it is their own untamed nature - and their werewolf heritage - they have to confront ...A gripping thriller with a magical twist, Frostbitten is a brilliant new novel from an international bestseller and a writer at the very top of her game.

My Opinion...
I loved seeing Elena again, being from her view point from the start, she has really gone on leaps and bounds from the charachter in Bitten. I adore this series, anyhow. Having Clay return was satisfying, it was great to see that he had changed, a little bit and was much more accepting of Elena's way of doing things. Lots of plot twists and seeing how things developed. Not a disappointing novel, new and old fans of Kelley's work are going to be very happy reading the latest installment in the Women of the Otherworld series.

Sins and Shadows by Lyn Benedict

The Blurb...

Sylvie Lightner is no ordinary P.I. She specializes in cases involving the unusual, in a world where magic is real - and where death isn't the worst thing that can happen to you.

But when an employee is murdered in front of her, Sylvie has had enough. After years of confounding the dark forces of the Magicus Mundi, she's closing up shop - until a man claiming to be the God of Justice wants Sylvie to find his lost lover.

And he won't take no for an answer.

My Opinion...
It took me a little while to get into this book, I got distracted by another book after the first chapter but then came back to it. It takes a while to warm up to Sylvie, a bit of adjustment to get over her feeling sorry for herself, forever going to exclude all her friends from being involved. But it quickly leaps into adventure that just keeps speeding on. I ended up having a nightowl session to finish this book, well worth the patience at the start.

Librarything Profile for this book

Huntress

The Blurb...
"Devils Bargain" is written by Christine Warren. Supernatural bounty hunter Lilli Corbin made a pact with Prince of Hell: to recover a book of prophecies. When she learns it could trigger the apocalypse, Lilli is forced to make the ultimate choice: save her soul or the man she loves? "The Robber Bride" is written by Marjorie M. Liu. Welcome to a post-apocalyptic world where humans are fed on for their life forces. Now it's up to Maggie, one of the last survivors, to hunt down and destroy an army of darkness. "Down in the Ground where Dead Men Go" is written by Caitlin Kittredge. Ava is a demon slayer who needs help from mage Jack Winter to reach the demon underworld - a place of dark temptation...And, maybe, one of no return. "Sin Slayer" is written by Jenna Maclaine. A demon called Jack the Ripper is killing off the city's vampire population. It's up to Cin Craven to hunt him down - and save the infected Michael, the love of her undead life.

My Opinion...

My mind wasn't really on this anthology as much as it should have been, it was alright nothing really popped out at me.

Retribution by Jeanne C Stein

The Blurb...
With Belinda Burke, a powerful and deadly witch to track down, the last thing Anna needs is additional trouble with Williams. Warren Williams is the ex chief of police in San Diego, and a current leader in the local supernatural community. Their relationship has never been what Anna would consider good, but it’s deteriorating to a point that could be dangerous to both of their undead lives. Williams has a score to settle and he has no trouble destroying anyone who gets in his way, but it’s Anna who will ultimately put her life on the line and quite possibly save the supernatural population from a torturous and destructive future.

My Opinion...
Some people have called this a filler novel and though I am inclined to partly agree, it's definatley leading to something but this book still has a plot. Action packed and adventurous as always. Carries the plot on from the previous novel, Anna has now tied the loose end well and truly off. I must agree that Anna's supermodel boyfriend doesn't live up to the standards of her ex, but I have a feeling that the next book is going to lead somewhat in that area.

Cate Tiernan's Sweep Series 1-8

Book of Shadows
Fifteen-year-old Morgan thinks witchcraft is laughable when her best friend, Bree, drags her to a meeting of the Cirrus Coven. But during a ceremony led by Cal, a new and very attractive boy who's just arrived in the area, Morgan starts to feel strange. Does she have special power? She doesn't want to get involved in witchcraft but it seems as though she doesn't have a choice. Gradually she discovers things about herself and her family that throw her whole life into question.

The Coven
Morgan has discovered she is a blood witch - that means the people she thought were her parents and her sister are not related to her, that she was adopted. She confronts her parents who reluctantly admit the adoption. Morgan is determined to find out more about her birth parents but her family try to stop her - why don't they want her to know the truth? Morgan's story is intersperced with extracts from her blood mother's Book of Shadows (a witch's book of personal spells, etc.). At the end Morgan finds her mother's Book of Shadows in her boyfriend's mother's private library.

Blood Witch
Morgan continues to unravel her past and the story of her birth mother as her relationship with Cal develops. She begins to understand more about her power as a blood witch when she finds her mother's tools of magic. Morgan can't quite relax into her relationship with Cal and the rather mysterious Hunter begins to feature more in her life. Cal and Hunter fight and, when Morgan intervenes, Hunter falls over the edge of the cliff into the rocks and water below. The book ends as Morgan begins herseventeenth birthday convinced that she is responsible for Hunter's death.

Dark Magick
Continues the story of Morgan as her power as a witch begins to grow. Her love for Cal deepens but she worries when Cal and Hunter, another witch, fight and she later believes she has caused Hunter's death. Morgan's powers grow stronger and she begins to discover truths about Cal and his mother, Selene Belltower, truths that cast doubt on Cal's motives and intentions towards Morgan.

Awakening
Morgan begins to understand something of her power and to move on with her life after the terrible betrayal of Cal, her first love. She realizes that Wicca can work for good or for evil as she fights the dark magick of Seline and Cal - and later David, who runs the store "Practical Magick".

Spellbound
Morgan continues to discover her powers as a blood witch of the Woodbane clan. She can't forget Cal, her first love, who tried to kill her, but is surprised to feel a growing attraction for Hunter. Her powers are now so strong that she is in danger from others in her clan and it is important for her to learn to use her witchcraft responsibly. When Selene and Cal use her sister Mary K. to get to her, Morgan realises that she and her family are in real danger.

The Calling
Morgan, Hunter and other members of their coven go to New York for a few days in search of the Amyranth witches. Hunter, a Seeker for the Council, is looking for Killian, a young witch in danger. It seems that Ciaran, Killian's father, is looking for him and intending to wipe his magic. After many false leads and strange meetings, it becomes clear that Ciaran is actually seaching for Morgan, wanting to take her power. He is not in the end able to do this as he suddenly realises that Morgan is his own child. Morgan is horrified to be the child of someone she considers evil. The book ends as she breaks up with Hunter because she believes she has inherited her father's evil and will damage those close to her.

Changeling
In the next installment of the compulsive series, Morgan faces the ultimate test - to choose between good or evil. She is asked by the Witch Council to lure her half-brother, Killian, in order to build a closer relationship with her father, Kieran. Her aim is to gain knowledge of the Dark Wave that will destroy Alice's coven, but, as Morgan and Hunter get back together, will her father successfully draw her over to the dark side?

My Opinion...
Having read 1-8 in this series in as close to one sitting as possible, it's obvious to see this are written for the youngest section of the YA range, though they are about a 15 year old the depth and bredth of knowledge in these books are small and could easily have been much deeper. They aren't the most wordy of books, hence the reason I have blogged them together. An interesting series, Morgan develops into a different person by book 8.

Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre

The Blurb...
Right now, I’m a redhead. I’ve been blonde and brunette as the situation requires, though an unscheduled color change usually means relocating in the middle of the night. So far, I’m doing well here. Nobody knows what I’m running from. And I’d like to keep it that way…

Eighteen months ago, Corine Solomon crossed the border to Mexico City, fleeing her past, her lover, and her “gift”. Corine, a handler, can touch something and know its history—and sometimes, its future. Using her ability, she can find the missing—and that’s why people never stop trying to find her. People like her ex, Chance…

Chance, whose uncanny luck has led him to her doorstep, needs her help. Someone dear to them both has gone missing in Laredo, Texas, and the only hope of finding her is through Corine’s gift. But their search may prove dangerous as the trail leads them into a strange dark world of demons and sorcerers, ghosts and witchcraft, zombies—and black magic…

My Opinion...
The first thing paranormal I have read from Aguirre, I am a big fan of her Sirantha Jax series. This is quite different, the charcters are built lovingly, the plot develops into something amazing. Well worth a read.