Prey by Rachel Vincent

The Blurb...
A battle is coming, and Faythe will not allow the Pride to become prey...Faythe has finally come to accept that she will someday be Alpha of the Pride, and she is hell-bent on changing the sexist Tribal Council from the inside. But first she must ensure that there will still be a Pride left to lead. Her father's role as Alpha is at risk, as is his control over the territory they all love. At the same time, Faythe's exiled boyfriend is under attack from rogues somehow connected to the political schemes of the tribal council. With her world collapsing around her, Faythe must fight to keep her friends and family together, as their enemies conspire against them.

My Opinion...

I had this book preordered with Amazon and was excited to receive it on the actual day of release, which is not usually what happens with Amazon UK, who aren't the best at actually delivering on the day of release. I read this book in one sitting, stayed up all night rivited, a great fourth book in this series, Faythe is still infuriating at times but she shows great promise in this book, she starts seeing the bigger picture and realising what her future may hold.

Red by Jordan Summers

The Blurb...
War is brewing in a near-future world where murder is all but unheard of and the existence of creatures known as the Others has yet to be proven.Gina Santiago is a member of an elite tactical team in charge of protecting the world. She's devoted her life to apprehending the most heinous criminals that prey on society-and now she's after the worst one yet. On her own, with no backup, the trail takes her to a dusty, tight-knit town on the fringes of society, where everyone's a suspect. Even the sexy sheriff, Morgan Hunter, isn't telling her everything. Gina knows he's trouble, but she's inexorably drawn to him.The closer Gina comes to finding out the secret of this sleepy little town and its big bad sheriff, and the closer she comes to catching the predator, the more scared she gets - because she's beginning to realize that she has a secret too. A secret that will change Gina's life...and make her the killer's prey.

My Opinion...
This story was leading in an obvious direction but it was pleasant to see how it got there, though it was often times staring you straight in the face you wondered if there would be a twist towards the end, there was and it made me go out and by Scarlet and preorder Crimson.

A Lick of Frost by Laurell K Hamilton

The Blurb...
You know me. I am Meredith Gentry, princess and heir apparent to the throne in the realm of Faerie. Once I was a private investigator in the mortal world...

You also know my circumstances: to be crowned queen, I must first continue the royal bloodline, and give birth to an heir of my own. And if I fail? Then my aunt, Queen Andais, will be free to do what she most desires: to place her twisted son, Cel, upon the throne of Faerie...and kill me.

I am surrounded by loyal guards, and my best loved - my Darkness and my Killing Frost - are sworn to protect me and to make love to me. Yet for all our eager carnal efforts, I remain childless...while the machinations of my sinister, sadistic Queen and her confederates remain tireless. So my bodyguards and I, hoping to outrun the gathering shadows of court intrigue, have slipped back into Los Angeles. But it seems exile is not enough to escape those with dark designs upon us.

Now King Taranis, powerful and vainglorious ruler of Faerie's Seelie court, has accused my guards of a heinous crime and asked the mortal authorities to prosecute them. If he succeeds, my men face extradition to Faerie - and a hideous fate. But I know Taranis's charges are baseless. His true target is me. He tried to kill me when I was a child. And now I fear his intentions are far more terrifying

My Opinion...
Bear with me while I sit down... Well this book was a bit of a shocker, now bear in mind what I said about the last book - more sex scenes than you can shake a stick at and the plot hidden at the back. Well there was still plenty of sex, but the plot actually was there and consistent throughout the book. Now I wouldn't personally rush out and pay full price for the next installment, but if I saw it in a charity shop or second hand bookstore I may just buy it.

Mistral's Kiss by Laurell K Hamilton

The Blurb....
Once upon a time I had a day job: I was a private detective. But now my other life has become a full time occupation...I am Princess Meredith, heir to the throne of Faerie.

A virtual prisoner of my aunt, the Queen of Air and Darkness, I am incarcerated with just some of our world's most beautiful men for company. They are my bodyguards - and my lovers. For I have a duty to perform: I must produce an heir. And if I fail? Well, then my life is forfeit and death awaits at the vengeful hands of my treacherous cousin Cel and his followers.

But now Mistral, captain of the queen's guard, has come to my bed. In so doing, he defies her and condemns us both. However our pleasure has reawakened an old, wild magic, a power so ancient that none can stand against it - neither my strongest, most favoured consorts nor Mistral himself. If I can but reclaim control of this fey power, there is hope and we may yet survive...

Herein lies the sensual, twilight world of Meredith Gentry, where the erotic and the exotic, the decadent and the deadly collide. You have been warned...

My Opinion...

This book has been on my tbr pile a long time, a charity shop bargain in hardback, it was starting to take up much needed space on my shelves, so I read it. It's been a while since I delved into her fae series, and I remember why I put it down. Too smutty for my own liking, though a well placed sex scence is appropriate, in this book I'd like some plot with my sex. Well towards the end, almost the last chapter the plot appears for a very brief while and actually makes this book [almost] worth reading.

To Hell and Back by Lilith Saintcrow

The Blurb...
Dante Valentine has been through Hell. Literally. Her body shattered and her mind not far behind, she's dumped back into her own world to survive - or not - as a pawn in one of Lucifer's endless games. Unfortunately, he's just messed with the wrong Necromance. And this time she's mad enough to do something about it. This time, the Devil will pay.

My Opinion...
Last in the Dante Valentine Series, conclusion to Dante's adventures. A bit of a hard read this one, Dante is at her most angsty and it tends to get in the way. I'm glad I actually finished this one, it's been one I have picked up and put down alot.

Hunter's Prayer by Lilith Saintcrow

The Blurb...
Jill Kismet, Dealer in Dark Things. Spiritual Exterminator. Demon Slayer - it's not the type of work you can put on a business card. But every city has people like me. Usually the police have us on payroll as consultants, because what ordinary cop can face down a Were or an ordinary shapechanger, or an Assyrian demon? Not to mention the silvers or the Black Mist, the adepts of Sorrow House or of the Middle Way? What ordinary cop stands a chance against a Trader, even? People disappear all the time, it's an epidemic; some of the disappearances are murder, some are fugitives, some are kidnapped by other human beings. Some of them are even found again. But a good proportion of them are taken by the things that go bump in the night. And then it becomes a hunter's job to bump back. Hard.

My Opinion...
Another good book, second in the Jill Kismet series, action packed, Jill is developing into a kick ass heroine.

Night Shift by Lilith Saintcrow

The Blurb...
Jill Kismet is a dealer in dark things and demon slayer, and it's her job to patrol the nightside. In the cold pre-dawn, Jill is called in to assess the aftermath of a particularly savage cop-killing. Under the haunted eyes of the forensic techs, Jill picks up the stench of hellbreed and something else - something dangerous and tainted. But this makes no sense as hellbreed always work alone, distrusted even by their own kind. Jill's a Hunter, trained by the best, but she's in over her head. Welcome to the night shift ...

My Opinion...
This is the first book in a new series, Jill Kismet, set in the same world as the Dante Valentine series. Action paced as always with anything Lili writes, she has a great way of setting scenes and building characters. Jill is also lest angsty than Dante so is a touch easier to read.