"First Drop of Crimson" by Jeaniene Frost

Book Description:

The night is not safe for mortals. Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows -- her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield -- and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family's past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness -- and a demon shapeshifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who lusts for a taste of her.
He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human -- even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they fight they nightmare together...

Review:

Now this is the style of book I like! Strong female lead, vampires that aren't afraid to rip someone to shreds (not to mention, they don't sparkle), and a story line that prevents me from putting the book down!

"First Drop of Crimson" is the first book in a "new" series by Jeaniene Frost called Night Huntress World, which is actually just a spin-off of her Night Huntress series. I'm already a huge fan of the the Night Huntress series, which so far has four books in print about half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her lover, Bones, who is a vampire. "First Drop of Crimson" is about Denise, Cat's best friend, who gets cursed by a demon who as some bad blood with one of her ancestors. Denise then enlists the help of Spade, Bones's best friend from when they both were turned in vampires back in the 1800's.

At first, I was a little sceptical of this book, just because I've never been much of a fan of spin-off novels. They always seem like such a money grab, like the author can't come up with any new material. Well, I didn't have to worry about that with this book, it was actually quite good. It's a good vampire romance with a good plot to carry it along with only a few steamy scenes throughout.

Since I have already mentioned that this is a spin-off novel, I would like to point out that you don't need to read the Cat and Bones novels to know what is going on. It may help a bit, just to become familiar with the characters, but it's not required. And since it's a spin-off, nothing that happens affects what happens in the Cat and Bones novels either, so no fear there if you never plan on reading "First Drop of Crimson".

Like all of Jeaniene Frost's novels that I've read up to this point, it's well written, the characters are well developed and there is actually a plot that goes along with the story, the romance seeming somewhat secondary at times, which is awesome.

I also liked how the narrative was split up between Denise and Spade. For the most part, we saw the story from Denise's view, but occasionally, we were blessed with seeing it from Spade's view. Personally, I think I liked Spade's point of view more than Denise's, but I've always kinda liked his character from the Cat and Bones novels. (This is where I'd insert a winky face, if you catch my drift.)

I would definitely recommend "First Drop of Crimson" to anyone who likes reading good vampire novels. You won't be disappointed. Though, I remind you, it is a romance novel, so if you are someone who can't overlook that fact, you may want to push this one to the side. But, if you want a good read, don't mind some steamy scenes, and love adventure, definitely pick this book up.

"The Jane Austen Book Club" by Karen Joy Fowler

Book Description:

"Real people are really complicated," says Jocelyn, the founder of the "Central Valley/River City all-Jane-Austen-all-the-time book club." And the members of the newly founded book club certainly prove this to be true. Each has a story to tell, and much like an Austen novel, the intricate plots that are their own lives are slowly revealed. There's Sylvia, Jocelyn's friend of forty years, who is in the midst of a painful divorce. Her daughter, Allegra, beautiful, vivacious, a "creature of extremes" who finds her thrills through skydiving and rock climbing but can't seem to find love. There's Bernadette, the oldest member at sixty-seven, a woman who has married well, several times at that, and even had a brush with fame, but currently looks disheveled and distracted. Prudie is the only member who's currently married. She's a high school French teacher a great believer in organization, and finds comfort in her lists when life feels overwhelming. Grigg is in his early forties, yet his older sisters still feel protective of him, hoping to rescue him from the legacy of his father. And last, there's Jocelyn. Never married, she has a keen interest in the happiness of others and is constantly playing matchmaker. In fact, this could be her underlying motivation for inviting Grigg, the only member of the group who's never before read Austen. Or perhaps she thinks the book club will serve as a distraction for Sylvia. After all, who better to heal one's pain than Jane Austen?

Review:
Where to start, where to start. To be perfectly honest, I really did not like this book. I felt no connection between the characters and myself, the only time I could tell that the story had moved forward was when it was a month later at another book club meeting.
There are six chapters in the novel, each one supposedly about a certain Jane Austen novel and one member of the group. I found though, while the title stated they were at "so-and-so's" house discussing "this book", there was never really any mention of the actual book club meeting.
The novel seemed to be more of a character study, than an actual story. Though, what can you expect from something that is only 250 pages and only focuses on one person for each chapter. I also didn't like who I could never tell who was telling the story. Sometimes it seemed like an outside source, and then sometimes the narrative took on a collective form using "we" and "us".
I was quite disappointed as I had been looking forward to this book for some time. I would have assumed, while being about the characters, there would be more focus on Jane Austen. I almost wonder why the author even chose to associate Jane Austen with the novel since there was barely any reference to Ms. Austen.
I, personally, wouldn't recommend this novel to anyone, especially someone who is a fan of Jane Austen, you'll just be very disappointed. At this point, I can't see myself reading any of Ms. Fowler's novels. I just wasn't left with a good impression with this book.

"You Slay Me: An Aisling Grey, Guardian novel" by Katie MacAlister

Book Description:

I'm Aisling Grey, and I have the job from Hell....literally. My prior career as a courier began and ended when I traveled to Paris to deliver a six-hundred-year-old golden dragon statue and learned I was a Guardian. That's a Keeper of the Gates to Hell to you mere mortals. This I found out from Drake Vireo, a scrumptiously sexy (in human form at least) real-life dragon. Then he stole my artifact out from under my nose -- and from under the dead body of the person I was supposed to deliver it to.
After tracking Drake down to a local bar, I discovered I'm also a wyvern's mate. And wouldn't you know Drake is a wyvern? He couldn't just be some underling -- he had to be head dragon. But the fact that he's the prime suspect behind the murders in Paris's immortal underworld --murders I must solve in order to clear my suddenly soiled name -- means it will take some convincing to get me to partake of the sensual pleasures he offers. Just because I'm naive, doesn't mean I'm easy.
Other than being a murder suspect, conjuring up a demon in the form of a shaggy Newfoundland, and fending off the advances of a horny dragon, I'm having a wonderful time in Paris.
Wish you were here....

Review:
Well, what to say about "You Slay Me"? First, I must point out that I read this on a recommendation of a friend. While I have no issues with the Paranormal Romance genre, I actually read that type if stuff quite frequently, I have to say that a novel about DRAGONS is not something I would normally pick up off the shelf. That being said, I LOVED IT!
"You Slay Me" tells the story about your average girl, who just got a job for her uncle with his courier business. Her first assignment is delivering a dragon statue to a woman in Paris. Aisling Grey, our heroine, does not speak a word of French and upon arriving at the house of Mme. Deauxville, finds her dead body suspended from the ceiling in a representation of one of the Three Demon Deaths. Oh yes, Aisling is also quite versed in demon lore, it's one of her hobbies. Coincidence? I think not. After finding the body, not only does Aisling become suspect numero uno with the police, she also gets pulled into the immortal underworld of Paris where she finds out she is a Guardian, a wyvern's mate, and (eventually) a demon lord. She has to deal with this news, try to clear her name, and try to keep her primal urges in check around the very sexy Drake Vireo.

First, just a quick lesson for anyone reading this that doesn't know the difference between Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy: there isn't really any. The only difference I've ever been able to decipher is that Paranormal Romance just has a slight more emphasis on the romantic element of the story...and slightly steamy-er love scenes. I have read many Urban Fantasies that have had love interests as the main plot point over anything else while some Paranormal Romances that have focused more on the outside plot than the actual romance. Weird, I know. But hey, I don't write the books, I just read them. Now, back to my review!
While the plot followed a generic path, I liked it all the same. I was able to lose myself in the story and keep on reading for hours. The fact that it was about dragons didn't even seem as cheesy as I thought it would be.
Aisling is a hilarious character. She's strong, but at the same time, not the brightest bulb you've ever met. Though, to be fair, if I was suddenly thrust into a world that I only thought existed in books and movies, I'd probably be a bit slow on the uptake as well. That being said, I still loved her to death. My favourite character interaction would have to be between Aisling and Jim, the demon in the form of a shaggy Newfoundland. (By the way, a Newfoundland is a dog, it's not referring to the province). Jim is so sarcastic and condescending to the poor girl, though he seems to be doing it out of genuine like for her. As their relationship evolves, we can tell that Aisling actually feels some love for her dog shaped demon, even though she doesn't show it and more often than not, threatens to have him neutered.
Katie MacAlister seems to have a great way with words. Her writing is very, laugh-out-loud funny. And from talking to the friend that recommended the novel to me, all of her novels are very witty. I definitely look forward to reading more of her novels.
"You Slay Me" is the first in a series, the "Aisling Grey, Guardian" novels. Based on the first one, I plan on reading the rest of the novel and hope that they are all as good as this one.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good laugh. And believe me, the dragon plot line is not as cheesy as it sounds. I was pleasantly surprised.