The List by J.A. Konrath

The List by J.A. Konrath


Year Published:


My Rating: 5 stars

583 pages


History is about to repeat itself ..

As this author has done before.. he amazed me!!


It starts with a murder.. And when Chicago Homicide Tom Mankowski realised that the victim has a unique tattoo on the bottom of his foot, he started to suspect that there is a serial killer on the loose..

Only to discover that not only is this tattoo shared by him and the victim but with 8 other people, which some have already turned dead! So is he next?!

It seems they are on a hit list for no apperent reason.. then he meets one of those numbered people and he explains to Tom what exactly is in common with all of them.

As soon as he discovers the truth, it seems he is targeted and starts running for his life and trying to rescue the other targets.

A lot of twists and turns and unexpected events all throughout the book. I enjoyed it so very much.. I found out that I really like this authors style.. he seems to succeed in amazing me and keeping me on the egde of my seat.. a real page turner..

If you enjoy suspense/thriller books with twists.. don't miss out on this book!! Very highly recommended!!!!

Quotes I enjoyed from the book:

"An inch lower and they would have been scooping up his last thoughts with evidence spoons."

"You make an omelet, gotta break some eggs."

"Are you trying to bullshit a bullshitter?"

"Don't you need to lock up?" "Hell no. The place is insured."

"There are a few tricks to a proper impaling. The stick has to be sharp, but not too sharp that it kills right away. It should be greased, in this case with some petroleum jelly, to help the body slide down. Too much and the game is over too quickly. Too little and it can take weeks. It's a little bit art, and a little bit science."

"It doesn't work." "Hit it." Roy smacked it a few times. "Was that supposed to help?" "Naw. Battery is dead. But don't you feel better?"

"She'll be waiting for you when you get back. you can have all the time you want with her, do whatever sick shit comes in your head. But right now, keep your eyes on the prize."

Night Moves I by Kiernan Kelly, Matt Brooks, Erastes and Kira Stone

Night Moves I by Kiernan Kelly, Matt Brooks, Erastes and Kira Stone

Year Published: 2008

My Rating: 4 stars

273 pages on Sony Reader

This is an anthology of vampire tales that are quite gay.

Theron's Boys by Kiernan Kelly:
Christian is a newly turned vampire that after only 3 years started to regret his choice and considering finding ways to rebel on the sire that so entranced him in the first place.

Inferno by Matt Brooks:
A vampire in the making having a fast night with a full vampire that offers to help.

Chiaroscuro by Erastes:
An artist is asked to paint someone by his family's provider. When he meets him he almost goes insane.. only to discover he is not just a normal guy.. adventures are to happen in the drawing room :)
I really hope their is a sequel for this one!!

Immortal Steps by Kira Stone:
Tian is a dancer and a very good one too.. He is followed by his most dedicated fan only to discover who his true identity is and what Tian could be if only he wanted.
Marked and hunted, he is running for his life!

This anthology was very good, I was so engrossed in it.. Every story is unique and captivating in itself. Having different vampire lore and legends mixed up.. Very fun read!

The most one I enjoyed was the last one.. :)

Quotes I enjoyed from this book:

Story 1
Actually, when Christian really thought about it, he realized that he’d jumped into his new life (for want of a better word) knowing very little about being a vampire at all. When Theron had first approached him about joining Theron’s Boys, as he’d called his little club, it had sounded like a sweet gig. Zero body fat, heightened senses, vastly increased strength, all the sex you could handle with none of the usual worries over disease, living forever-all tempting little perks that came with membership.

One man in particular drew Christian’s interest. He seemed to be the center of the universe to the men he sat with, the others treating him with a deference that bordered on worship. The very air around him crackled with power, with danger, and with a raw sexual energy that had Christian as hard as iron in no time flat.

Suddenly, the man looked up at Christian. With one long, elegant finger, he lowered his sunglasses down over the bridge of his nose, peeking at Christian from over the frames. A wily, amused smirk creased the man’s cheek as they’d made eye contact.

Story 3:
He took it delicately and the way he moved towards her I was reminded of an old fashioned dance, a gavotte, or a minuet. He dropped to his knees and bent over her hand and after a moment I had to look away, for the kiss he gave her was every bit as sensual as anything he had done to me. His eyes burned as he looked up at her and I felt myself blushing, feeling childishly jealous as I wondered once more what their relationship was.

Story 4:
“Because you mean the world to me,” Kyle admitted.

It wasn’t natural. It couldn’t be. And yet again Tain knew this was right. He soaked it up body, mind, and soul. He welcomed the surging forces at work in his body, let them change him. Let them strip away the last shreds of his humanity and reveal the vampire inside.

Immoral by Brian Freeman

Immoral by Brian Freeman

Year Published: 2005

My Rating: 5 stars

409 pages

This is the debut novel of this author and what a debut!
It's the first book with detective Stride although I read the third book in the series (Stalked) first and that was before I knew it was a series.

Lieutenant Stride and his partner Maggie have been investigating a missing teenage girl's case for over a year with no luck and then another teenage girl goes missing.
No signs of running away are detected and no clues to where she could be.. All the evidence points that she was murdered.
So are they looking for a serial killer or is this something family related. Everyone seems to think that the missing girl "Rachel" is a disturbed girl doing an evil trick but is she? Or is she really murdered? With twist and turns to keep you turning the pages as fast as you can.

I really enjoyed this book, with wonderful characters that you just have to love. The investigation was so exciting with all those surprise twists and turns. I've found that I was smiling while reading some passages and really visualizing what I was reading. Amazing writing!!!

I will be sure to start the second book in the series soon!! Very recommended for crime/thriller fans like me :D


Quotes I enjoyed from the book:

"Is that Lieutenant Stride? you sound like you just woke up."
He lay back in bed and closed his eyes. "I did just wake up . And I won't admit to being Stride until I make a pot of coffee. So how about we call this a wrong number?"

"She sounded sharp on the phone. I bet she's a looker."
"Why's that?"
"She's from Vegas. All the girls in Vegas are gorgeous."

She stuck out from the other passengers as loudly as a piece of crystal amid a row of Burger King plastic cups. She was dressed in baby blue leather pants that clung to her long legs link a second skin. A silver chain belt looped around her waist, with the ties dangling between her legs. She wore an undersized white T-shirt that didn't reach far enough to cover the last inch of skin on her flat stomach. Her black leather raincoat draped almost to her ankles. She had glossy black hair, loose and luscious.

She's my little evil twin, her mother used to say about Serena when she was a child, because they looked so much alike.

"Was that real smoke I saw coming off you and Stride in the airport?"

"It was an accidental cigarette burn on a Burberry coat."
"Yes, but you don't smoke."


Another review @ The Mystery Reader

Out Of The Box (The Edge Series #3) by Kallysten

Out Of The Box (The Edge Series #3) by Kallysten

Year Published: 2007

My Rating: 3 stars

49 pages

Genre: Romance/ Dark Fantasy

Another adventure with Virgina and Anando, this time she gives him total control but at the same time thinking of it as weakness.
Then he gives he total control to prove his point!
Very nice short read :) but I should warn you it's erotica with vampires ;)

Quotes I enjoyed:
"Weakness?" he repeated. "You think giving control to someone else makes you weak?"

"What you showed, Virgina, is the very opposite of weakness. You entrusted your body, your pleasure and your very life to me, when you couldn't know what I would do with any on them, That's not weakness. That's courage, and audacity. It takes more bravery to surrender to a lover than it does to accept such a gift."

"I'd say 'mine'," he murmured, his low voice sinking beneath my skin and settling there like a purring cat, "but after tonight, maybe 'yours' would be more accurate."

Out Of The Box (The Edge Series #2) by Kallysten

Out Of The Box (The Edge Series #2) by Kallysten

Year Published: 2007

My Rating: 3 stars

40 pages

Genre: Romance/ Dark Fantasy

This is the second ebook from the The Edge Series..Which I bought at Fictionwise.

It's been a week since Virginia first went to the On The Edge Club and met Anando, she tried to convince herself that it was a one time thing and that she would never go again.. But..
She couldn't keep Anando out of her mind and this time she already knows what she wants to choose from his white chest of tricks :)

I can't say more because it's such a short story and I will give it out if I do.. it was a nice short read and I enjoyed it.. but it is mainly erotica so if you are not interested in this genre I'd advise you to skip it.. and since the cover of the book is so explicit I will not post it!

Out Of The Box (The Edge Series #1) by Kallysten

Out Of The Box (The Edge Series #1) by Kallysten

Year Published: 2006

My Rating: 4 stars

38 pages

Distance:

Genre: Romance/ Dark Fantasy

Virginia went to the club looking for a vampire, and a vampire she found!
As soon as Anando set foot in the club, Virginia couldn't tear her gaze from him.. he captivated her.. then he started dancing with girls all around him.. but he had eyes only for Virginia..
She went home with him and he introduced her to a white chest full of surprises :)

I can't say more because it's such a short story and I will give it out if I do.. it was a nice short read and I enjoyed it.. but it is mainly erotica so if you are not interested in this genre I'd advise you to skip it.. and since the cover of the book is so explicit I will not post it!

EDITED:
I bought this title from Fictionwise for $0.48 and it is the 1st in a series of 10 short stories right now..
I went and bought them to read as soon as possible :)

Unwanted Visitor by Lori Derby Bingley

Year Published: 2005

My Rating: 4 stars

24 pages

Distance: Prince Edward Island, Canada = 5736.3 miles / 9231.7 kilometers

This was one of my 1$ purchases :)..

It's a short story about a man trying to get back his wife after some unknown pleople kidnapped her in the middle of the night from their home.

Will he get her back? Will there life ever be the same? Or is he risking his life in the process?

I liked this story although it was short I felt it was a complete story. It was a nice short mystery ! If I say more I'll just spoil it :)

A quote from the book:

They’d come into his home … their home … in the middle of the night and taken her right from under his watchful eye. He’d been held down, gagged, and then knocked out as he watched his wife taken by two large men who could kill her with a single punch. He worried they’d hurt her, or even worse … that she was dead and he was already too late.

The Pumpkin Mashers by Linda Oness

Year Published: 2007

My Rating: 2 stars

23 pages

Distance: Oakville, Ontario Canada = 6463.8 miles / 10402.5 kilometers

This is also an ebook I bought from Champagne Books for $1, trying out new authors :)

It starts with a traveller getting killed by some creature and nobody knows what this creature is on a farm owned by a man and his twin daughters.

The Sheriff comes by to tell them about it and they all assume it's an accident and that the man was killed by a wolf!

But the Sheriff is not convinced and tries to investigate.. will there be more to it than just a mere accident?!

It's a short story, but not to my taste. I was disappointed with the ending! Maybe with a bit more details it would have been better for me.. just not my cuppa tea!

Sincerely Yours by Rebecca Goings

Year Published: 2005

My Rating: 5 stars

58 pages

Distance: Distance: Hillsboro, Oregon = 7684.1 miles / 12366.4 kilometers

I bought this ebook from Champagne Books for $1 and it's worth every penny!

I've always had trouble with books that have people going out to war, it's not that I have had anyone go to war or even anyone in my family in the military. It's just I feel so sad when I imagine young youths going out to face the horrors and traumas of war, that no one should face. My heart goes out to them for leaving their countries, families, friends and loved ones to fight for something thier countries believe in. I truly wish that all countries consider living in eternal peace with each other and spare humanity from wars and it's outcomes! Peace for Humanity please!

That said I'll get on with my review, I just had to say that before.. so ..

Sincerely Yours is a short story filled with love and emotions that just overwhelmed me!

Sabrina is having some martial problems with her hubby and while she is sitting with her grandparents she is thinking of how their love for each other has never ceased in all these years.

So her grandmother decides to show her a scrapbook containing some letters from when she and her husband were corresponding during WWII and that was before they got married. Actually they were only penpals at the time but both had strong feelings for the other that they did not show.

The letters start out friendly, then effectionate then comes the declaration of love.. Over the year that her grandad was at war they have been faithfully writing to each other the most romantic letters!

I just loved this book to pieces!! It was so romantic and emotional! I could feel for both of them!

A must for romantics anywhere :)

Some random quotes from the book that I enjoyed ..

“I’ve learned never to take anything for granted,” I heard my granddad say. “Grab a hold of what you love and never let go. I knew a good thing when I fell in love with your grandmother. I caught her then so many years ago, and she’s still right here in my arms.”

“Life is what you make of it, and so is your love,” Grandmother breathed. “If you love that young man, Sabrina, then tell him every day. Hold his hand at every opportunity and never let him get away.”

"You cannot possibly know how much it means to me for you to have thought of me enough to send me this rose. "

"I want to hold on to you and never let you go. I want so badly to be in your heart, Danny, the way you are in mine. "

"I know I promised you that I’d be coming home, but I’m not so sure now. The horrors of this war are too real to think that they’ll never happen to me. That kind of thinking is exactly what kills men every single day. "

"There is no other woman in this world that I love more than you, right now, at this moment. Sweetheart, you’ve been inside me this whole time I’ve been here, and I thank you for your gentleness and caring.Even if I don’t come back to you, Kat, even if I’m killed in action, just like Bruce Morgan or Craig Bryerson, know that I love you with ever fiber of my being, with every breath that I take."

Burn by Anne Rainey (Linda Ingmanson)

Year Published: 2009

My Rating: 4 stars

106 pages

Distance: Connecticut, USA = 6274.3 miles / 10097.4 kilometers

I read the review for this book at Cindy's Blog and it caught my interest so I went and bought and read it.. Check out Cindy's review ..

Ally and Blake were highschool sweethearts and the only man Ally loved. Then he went and broke her heart by leaving to New York. Ten years later he reappears and wants to start where they left off. But this time Ally has Heather to help her out ;)

Can he mend her broken heart and make her overcome her pride or will she give him the cold shoulder.. Steamy scenes not for the faint hearted!

I simply adored this book :)

A quote I liked in this book..

"You're my sweet angel, Ally. Your blonde hair looks like a halo framing your face." He paused a moment, just staring, then said, "What we're about to do ... It's different, Ally. I've been with girls, you know that, but with you, it's just different, that's all."

"I'm scared, Blake."

He stroked my face and smiled. "I know, but I'll make it real good for you, baby. I'll make it memorable for both of us."

Other points on view about this book :)

Cindy Reads Romance

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Year Published: 1987

My Rating: 3 stars

288 pages

Weight: 7.2 ounces = 0.45 lb.

This is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel based on the true story of the woman slave named Margaret Garner.

In the novel "Sethe" who after escaping from the plantation "Sweet Home" that abused her, ended up murdering her baby daughter out of love!
Then after years, this daughter comes back as a presence in the house where Sethe lives. After being run out of the house by "Paul D" comes back in person!

I liked the story, but the telling of it bothered me. Going back and forth from past to present, from character to character just kept confusing me.
And some things were just referenced to, so you should assume what it means, I hate that.. I prefer things to be spelled out for me!

I'm planning on seeing the movie after reading this book, the story is strong but the authors style is not to my taste so I guess I will avoid this author from now on!

Other points of view about this book:

Things Mean A Lot
Rhinoa's Ramblings
Aquatique
The Inside Cover
a young lady's book lounge
Rebecca @ Lost in Books
Bluestocking @ The Bluestocking Guide