Reading in Reykjavík

Authors: Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart & Lani Diane Rich Genre: Supernatural romantic thriller Year of publication: 2009 Setting & time: Ohio, USA, contemporary Three women, Daisy, Abby and Shar, meet at a dog obedience training class and are given a mysterious drink that makes them able to understand the speech of their dogs and releases powers they didn’t know they had. They discover that, along with four other women, they are the chosen priestesses of an ancient Assyrian goddess. As if discovering they are demi-goddesses themselves wasn’t enough, they also meet Sam, Noah and Christopher, three very sexy men who all have some connection to the goddess, who has plans to take over the world. But things have changed in the four thousand years since her cult was last strong, and the goddess has to contend with free will and a goth priestess who wants her all to herself. This is an entertaining supernatural romp of a romantic thriller which doesn’t take itself too seriou...

I bought this book yesterday, started reading it once I got home, and didn't put it down until I had finished. Year published: 2010 Series and no.: Kyndred, #2 Genre: Urban fantasy, romance Setting & time: New York city, USA; 2000’s Shape-shifter Rowan Dietrich arrives in New York, almost as if drawn there. She’d had an unhappy childhood there, first with abusive foster parents and then as a street child, and really just wants to visit the graves of some old friends before heading onwards to Boston and the job that awaits her there. A motorbike accident throws her in the path of alluring and mysterious chef Jean-Marc Dansant, who (not entirely out of the kindness of his heart) gives her a job at his restaurant, lends her an apartment and arranges to have her neighbour, the sexy but hostile Sean Meriden, repair the bike for her. Rowan finds herself drawn to both men, but finds it hard to decide which one she wants more, and so the tension between then begins to mount. Meanwhi...

Carolina Moon by Nora Roberts. One of her better standalone romantic thrillers, IMO. I found the secondary couple more interesting than the primary couple in this case, and I don't know if the hint was too obvious or if I simply had one of my hunches, but I had the killer pegged from his first appearance. I have come to the conclusion that I like Nora's supernatural pure romances better than her non-supernatural pure romances, and her non-supernatural romantic thrillers better than her supernatural pure romances. The fantasy romances, thrillers or not, I can take or leave. Carolina Moon is one of her supernatural romantic thrillers, but one without magic or fantasy elements, for which I am glad , because they would have ruined the story.

When the publishing date of this book was pushed forward, it left Lynn Viehl’s publisher unable to print and send out advance reading copies (known in the publishing industry simply as ARCs), Lynn decided to take matters into her own hands and offered the readers of her blog, Paperback Writer a chance to read the book by sending out e-ARCS, in exchange for reviews (the offer has now expired). This book will be in bookshops on October 6th. This is the first book in a spin-off series from the Darkyn books by Viehl, featuring some characters readers of that series will be familiar with. Year published: 2009 (coming in October) Genre: Urban fantasy Series: The Kyndred (#1) Setting & time: (mostly) Atlanta, Georgia; contemporary. For those who want to be totally surprised by this book: potential SPOILERS coming up. …. … .. . .. … …. The Story: Jessa Bellamy has a psychic talent that has helped her build a business that screens job applicants for companies, but someone has discover...

Title: The Surgeon Series detective: Jane Rizzoli – in this book with Thomas Moore No. in series: 1 Year of publication: 2001 Type of mystery: Serial murder, police procedural, thriller Type of investigator: Police Setting & time: Boston, USA; modern timeless SPOILER Warning: if you haven't read the books, there is a minor spoiler for book 1 in the synopsis for book 2. There are also minor spoilers in the reviews. Story: A serial murderer is on the loose in Boston and his handiwork is chillingly similar to that of another serial murderer who has been dead for 2 years, killed in self-defense by his last victim, Dr. Catherine Cordell. Police detectives Jane Rizzoli and Thomas Moore begin to suspect that there might have been two killers working together, but Cordell has no memory of another man. Before long, it becomes apparent that the killer has fixated on Cordell and has plans for her. The killer is relentless and when he captures Cordell, it is a race against time to ...

Year of publication: 2000 Genre: Romantic thriller (with brief and mild descriptions of sex; some paranormal elements) Setting & time: USA (mostly), S-America, Taiwan Story: Rich and powerful John Logan forces dog trainer Sarah and her trusty search dog Monty to help him find a missing person. Unlike a previous book where the person was dead, this one is alive and has been kidnapped by Logan's arch-enemy, his former brother in law who could never forgive Logan for taking his sister away from him. There is also the small matter of having been sent to prison in a Thailand hell-hole for 15 years by Logan. (If you think this is a spoiler, think again – this all comes out early on in the story). The man is wreaking systematic revenge on Logan by destroying people and places he cares for, and once he discovers that Sarah is helping Logan, he incorporates her into his plans for total revenge. Here is where the SPOILERS start. Review: Reading this book feels like reading a story ...

Year published: 2005 Genre: Supernatural mystery thriller Setting & time: The USA, Europe and Turkey, 15th to 21st century Warning: minor SPOILERS ahead The Story: The story is narrated by a historian who tells the story of a desperate hunt for Dracula. Mysterious books have been delivered to several people, mostly librarians and historians, that suggest that someone wants them to know that Dracula lives. But once they begin searching for clues as to his whereabouts, they are warned off (or are they? - I suspect they are being tested rather than warned) by a mysterious force that they suspect is Dracula himself. The hunt covers several centuries, through the research the searchers have to do to uncover the truth, but the main story begins in the 1930s and spans the middle decades of the 20th century and tells of three generations of historians who race against time to discover the secret location of Dracula's tomb and just what it is he wants with them. Technique and plot:...

I like reading thrillers and I like reading romances, so when I had Suzanne Brockmann’s books, which combine both genres, heartily recommended to me some time ago, I decided they sounded like something I might like reading. Add to this that the books in this series (Tall, dark and dangerous) have raked in awards and consistently get good reviews on the All About Romance website where I have discovered some of my favourite romance authors, I took the chance and requested this one, the first in the series, through TitleTrader. Summary: If you don’t like SPOILERS, skip this part. Navy SEAL Joe Catalanotto has a strong resemblance to Prince Tedric, a visiting dignitary trying to get American aid to develop the oil industry in his country. The resemblance is strong enough that when an attempt is made on the prince’s life, Joe is called in to double for him. The prince’s PR woman, Veronica St. John, gets the job of teaching Joe to play the prince to perfection. It is a case of instant disli...