Re-Reading, Book Series, and Reviews to Come

There are some books and series that I go back to and re-read over and over — because I love them, because new releases in the series come out and I want to refresh my memory of the overarching storyline and world, and sometimes just because it’s been a really long time since I’ve read them. Re-reading not only pleases my mind, heart and soul by allowing me to revisit old friends, but when you’re as voracious a reader as I am, re-reading is also a money-saver too.

I’ve mentioned many times here on the blog, and on social media, that when new releases come out in a series I will most often re-read the whole series in the days before to put my mind back into the story. Some of the series I read have become so long though I have had to resort to reading only the previous 4-6 books before a new release. With the upcoming new release in Christine Feehan’s Dark series on September 1^st (Dark Song, book 34), I decided it was well past time to revisit the earliest stories in the series and so I’ve begun a series re-read. To be perfectly frank, the Dark series is one of my all-time favourite vampire series but because of the length of the series it has been more than 10 years since I sat down and began again at the beginning.

 

Since it’s been so long since I’ve read some of the books – I’m pretty sure I haven’t read any of the first 20ish books in nearly 10 years – it’s almost like reading them for the first time again. Years ago, more than ten years ago in fact, I wrote a series of reviews for (approximately) the first dozen or so books in the series, with a plan for the rest of the books which had been published at that time. Not all of those reviews even managed to make it on to the blog. So… I’m going to attempt to do it all again! 

 

The coming Feehan’s Dark Carpathians review series will start at the beginning of the series, with Dark Prince, and will move through the entire series of books. It’s going to take time – after all with the September 1, 2020 release there are 34 books to read and write about – but while every single book may not get it’s own individual post, all 34 books will be reviewed and discussed. Those early books I’ve previously reviewed will get new reviews, though I may quote old ones or simply include a link back to them. (I just re-read the Dark Prince review that made it to the blog and scanned the others too… some of them could use some major editing, while changes to the site over 10 years and dead links have made them all sort of painful to look at.) 

I invite everyone to read along with me. Start with Dark Prince and go from there. Check out the reviews when they come along – they will all be tagged with “Feehan’s Dark Carpathians” on the blog so you can search and find them easily. On social media I’ll be using the hashtag #FeehansDarkCarpathians so that posts and discussions will be searchable. 

 

And on Facebook you can join my (brand-new) reading and book discussions group: LD Ferris’s Book Club. I’m launching it to coincide with Feehan’s Dark Carpathians for anyone who wants to read-a-long and discuss the books (and reviews) as we go. After that we’ll try to have a monthly ‘book club book’ to read and discuss, as well as offering a place where anyone can post book recommendations and reviews. At least that’s the plan for now.

 

So at this point, I guess it’s time for me to focus on reading and reviewing. I have already finished reading book 1, so the review of Dark Prince and the first true post of the new Feehan’s Dark Carpathian’s review series will be coming shortly!

I’ve Been Reading. Have You?

The past few years I’ve been keeping a bit better track of what I’m reading and when. Primarily through the Reading Challenge on GoodReads. In previous years I’ve been truly horrible at keeping up-to-date with my records, but this year, oh, this year I’ve been marking my books as I start reading them and checking them off when I’m finished. The year started off with a bang - the books of The Atlantis Grail series by Vera Nezarian: Qualify, Compete, Win, and Survive. 

Since then, I’ve run through a few re-reads, some beloved, some simply enjoyable. For the most part though I’ve been reading new titles, both from favourite authors and new (to me) ones. 

I’ve read a lot of Nora Roberts’ backlist titles. Can I just say - I loved The MacGregors. 

I stormed through the books of the Dragon Blood series by Lindsay Buroker. I really enjoyed them, and my first foray into the steampunk genre. 

I’ve previously loved R.E. Butler’s various dragon series but decided to give Were Zoo series. To be honest, I found them highly entertaining. 

After seeing that The Cowgirl’s Secret Love (book 2, The Colemans of Heart Falls series) was scheduled to release in April, I realized I’d actually fallen behind on the Heart Falls series books. So, me being me, I started at the beginning of the Vivian Arend’s Six Pack Ranch series and read all the way through. Not only do I thoroughly enjoy the ranch romances, I’m also tickled reading about locations I’ve personally visited. 

  

Michelle M. Pillow took me diving into the depths with her Lords of the Abyss books. I haven’t read a lot of stories about mermen before. I was pleasantly surprised by the books. 

Princess and I marathoned through the Harry Potter movies, then I decided to start re-reading the books. I’m not quite marathoning through the books but I’m making my way through them all once again as the mood strikes. Currently, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is one of the books I’m working on. 

And then it was back to one of my personal favourite authors: Christine Feehan. She began her Shadow Riders series in 2016 with the book of the same title, Shadow Rider. Since then three more books have followed and the fifth book in the series, Shadow Flight released today. (May 5, 2020) I read through the first four books a couple weeks ago for the first time, and today I’m reading the new one. #ReleaseDayReading 

So what have you been reading? Have you discovered any new authors? What’s the best thing you’ve read so far in 2020? What’s the best thing you’ve read since (sorta) quarantine began? 

... coming soon - a complete list of the titles I’ve read in January, February, March and April 2020. 

FAOM: We Recommend...

The very first romance novel I read was a historical romance I stole off my older sister’s shelf when I was a teenager. I fell in love with the characters of that book and the somewhat madcap, sort of heartbreaking, but totally enchanting story that was told. I was always an avid reader and dreamer but that book was quite possibly the first time I was left with a HEA that simply melted my heart. When I first read that book I was on the verge of first love, I had a basic understanding of relationships and what they entailed (I was a teen after all, and it was the ‘90’s), but romance wasn’t really something I’d spent a lot of time thinking about in detail.

Throughout my remaining teenage years, I found myself searching the shelfs for books which would leave me feeling a similar warm-heartedness upon finishing the last page. It wasn’t until my early 20’s (and after having my first child) that I put forth a concerted effort to find the kind of books that provided that feeling and gave me a brief mental escape from my daily life. That moment, or period in my life is really when my obsession, for lack of a better word, with the romance genre came in to being. I went back to that very first book and read it again, then I haunted the library and bookstores exploring the shelves. I used the internet to the best of my ability to discover other authors and books that would be similar to what had hooked my interest in the first place. In those early days of my romance reading, historical romance was my go-to and my collection of books (these days in the Corner Table House referred to as “Mom’s Love Library”) has grown and grown and grown.

It’s no longer just historical romance on my shelves, but the books and stories from those early days are still some of my favorites to turn to when I need a break from my normal chaotic life, or when I want a romantic story that offers a glimpse into a way of life entirely different from today, or when…. Well, you get the point. Even today I still love historical romance.

So, when I started working with Kelly for this month’s FAOM posts I decided to ask her if she’d help me out with a new kind of post for the blog. A kind of recommended reading, top 5 in a genre, my favorite stories kind of list post. And that’s what we have for you today. Each of us scoured our minds, our bookshelves and our hearts, and have come up with 5 historical romance novels that we recommend to you…

The Ever Growing TBR Pile...

There are a number of authors who I follow like a starving dog in search of it’s next meal. Be honest – we’ve all got those few writers who we buy new books from without thought, without question and without debating the cost. For me they are for the most part the “big name” prolific, basically universally known authors. But they are also the authors who hooked me to reading and most specifically to the romance genre (and all it’s subgenre classes) in the first place. So every couple weeks/months I’ll spend some time online searching out recent, new and upcoming releases and either purchase or pre-order them, or input important dates on my calendar.

Today was one of those days that I took the time to check up on what my must-read authors have on their schedules and I’m going to share some of the results of the search. But I also want to know what some of your must-read authors are too… Who are they? And what recent, upcoming or new releases do they have?

Some of my must-read authors upcoming, new, or recent releases:

Year One

Chronicles of the One book 1

Nora Roberts

released: December 5, 2017 (hard cover)

It began on New Year's Eve.

The sickness came on suddenly, and spread quickly. The fear spread even faster. Within weeks, everything people counted on began to fail them. The electrical grid sputtered; law and government collapsed and more than half of the world's population was decimated.

Where there had been order, there was now chaos. And as the power of science and technology receded, magic rose up in its place. Some of it is good. Some of it is unimaginably evil, and it can lurk anywhere, around a corner, in fetid tunnels beneath the river or in the ones you know and love the most.

In a world of survivors where every stranger encountered could be either a savage or a savior, none of them knows exactly where they are heading, or why. But a purpose awaits them that will shape their lives and the lives of all those who remain.

The end has come. The beginning comes next.

An epic of hope and horror, chaos and magic, and a journey that will unite a desperate group of people to fight the battle of their lives.

Insurrection

Nevermore book 1, novella

Sherrilyn Kenyon

released: November 14, 2017

The virus ran swiftly on the hot summer breeze. Unseen. Unheard. Unknown. It swept through the entire earth in a matter of months, having mercy on no one. Young–old–it didn’t matter. Brought to us by the Drabs, it was the last thing we expected. But the Drabs knew. They even fought a war over whether or not they should save us.

In the end, it was decided that we were diseased insects who were unfit to breathe their air.

Our air.

So they left the human race to die a miserable death of agonizing pain. Left us with no doctors or medicine. Their plan was to rid the earth of us and to take our home as their own. What they never expected was the change that would come after the plague. We didn’t all die as they’d planned. Those under the age of twenty somehow managed to survive the disease.

We managed to pull through it, even alone, and we learned to hide ourselves while our bodies changed. Still human, but now something else. Something more powerful. More intuitive.

More pissed off.

We’re still here, on this earth, and we’re not leaving. This is our home.

Our planet.

Drabs take note and learn to be afraid. You’ve had a hundred years here on earth, but now your time here is done. You called us rodents. Insects. Diseased animals. The scraps of humanity–and that, my Drab friend, we certainly are. But what you should have realized is that you can’t kill a Scrap. Humanity isn’t dead. Not by a long shot. We still have our soldiers and we have our conviction.

Most of all, we have hope.

And we will win in the end. Whatever it takes. Whatever it costs. We won’t allow you to take our planet from us. So count your days, Drabs.

The war is on. 

Judgement Road

Torpedo Ink book 1

Christine Feehan

Release Date: January 23, 2018

A brutal education in a Russian training facility for assassins has taught this group of men one thing: It's a long road to redemption.

JUDGMENT ROAD.

As the enforcer of the Torpedo Ink motorcycle club, Reaper lives for riding and fighting. He's a stone-cold killer who turns his wrath on those who deserve it. Feelings are a weakness he can't afford--until a gorgeous bartender gets under his skin. . .

Near Sea Haven, the small town of Caspar has given Anya Rafferty a new lease on life. And she's desperate to hold on to her job at the biker bar, even if the scariest member of the club seems to have it out for her. But Reaper's imposing presence and smoldering looks just ratchet up the heat.

Anya's touch is everything Reaper doesn't want--and it brands him to the bone. But when her secrets catch up to her, Reaper will have to choose between Anya and his club--his heart and his soul.

Can’t Get Enough

The Original Heartbreakers book 6

Gena Showalter

Released: December 7, 2017

The king of one-night stands…

To inherit–and destroy–his father’s business in the end, Brock Hudson needs a temporary wife.  The ruthless ex-military heartthrob has at all times shyed away from romantic entanglements.  Women are sweet, but vengeance will be sweeter.  Or so he thinks. Only one woman will do, but the vulnerable beauty is more than he bargained for—sexier, wittier, and utterly impossible to resist.

           

The queen of the deep freeze…

After an abusive first marriage, Lyndie Scott has sworn off relationships.  But still she longs for a kid of her own.  Turns out, the brawler who used to frighten her with only a glance is the answer to her problems.  She has the same opinion to his proposal, with a caveat: spend each and every night in bed with her, then walk away for good when it’s time to divorce. Even though she’s pregnant.

A marriage of breathtaking inconvenience…

As the days pass too quickly and the nights heat up, Brock battles a sense of possession and obsession. Will the former commitment-phobe convince his wife they’re at an advantage together, or will she pack her bags and go?

The Lady By His Side

Devil’s Brood book 1

An Irresistible Alliance

Devil’s Brood book 2

The Greatest Challenge of Them All

Devil’s Brood book 3

Stephanie Laurens

released: 2017

The books of the Devil’s Brood Trilogy – one of the collections that feature the second generation of Cynster men and women. These ones came out early-mid last year but 2017 was a busy year for me (I did have a baby in May 2017 after all) and I completely missed them!! Stephanie Laurens’ series have long been favorites of mine and I love – absolutely LOVE – that here again in the Devil’s Brood Trilogy we’re seeing characters from several of the older, much loved (by me) series. I have talked before about how one of the things I love most about Laurens’ series is that her separate series will on occasion intertwine – characters from The Cynsters are found in The Bastion Club novels and in The Black Cobra Quartet stories, and that’s just one example.

To see more about these books, and all the others, please visit Stephanie Laurens Website.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So there you go, there are some of the books that have been (or will be shortly) added to my always growing To-Be-Read pile. Remember what I asked you earlier – What are some of your must-read authors … Who are they? And what recent, upcoming or new releases do they have? 

Here’s one more question: What’s the title of the last book you purchased – paper/hard or e-book?

FAOM: Heat Things Up with Beneath the Vine

I read a lot. There’s really no other, simpler, cleaner way to say it: I read a lot. My library houses books that are (or would be) for the most part classed under romance but these days saying “oh, I read romance” is sometimes not enough. Sometimes it takes a little bit more, and I think sometimes that little bit more is important. After all, the genre on a whole has had a bad rep for years – I still get laughing remarks from friends and family about reading my “porn stories” – and yet romance novels are one of (if not the) most read genres world wide. And I think that fact is because there are so many possibilities and so many sub-genre’s that are all technically classed (or could be) as romance.

For instance: erotica. Those books that lean on and rely most heavily on the sexual interactions of their characters. There is still a romantic storyline in erotica, most of the time, but it uses (or revolves around) the sex. Every once in a while a good erotica novel is just what a person needs. But depending on how heavily dosed with sex it is, too many on a regular basis is too much for me.

But in that every once in a while….

If you read last week’s interview with A.M. Johnson (this month’s Featured Author of the Month) you would have seen us talking about the erotica pen name – Lillian Bryant – she used to release Pressure (no longer available for purchase) and Beneath the Vine. She also talked about how she would, someday, like to go back to the BTV world and give other characters stories of their own. Today I want to spotlight that book for all of you that love erotica, whether you’re full time fans of the genre or, like me, love the stories occasionally.

Beneath the Vine

a stand-alone novel

Selene Cavalier spent the majority of her time behind her cello. Her dull life was made up of dark notes, hard work and sheet music. 

Bennett Monterosso did what he had to do to get his family’s winery up and running. He didn’t have time for his old ways. His quiet dominance had been silenced. His need was just waiting below the surface, until now. 

Having her—it was all he could think about as he watched the young woman behind the cello.

Gage Calibri left his best friend, his home and his tarnished past five years ago. He suppressed his darker tastes, his physical appetites, and his secrets until he no longer had a choice. 

It only took one night for these three lives to collide and to be altered forever. 

This wasn’t what they were expecting. This wasn’t who she was. Each moment they sank deeper, each minute they felt more, each second they took her further.

Unhinged… restrained… this obsession… this love… it was all consuming.

*For Mature Audiences Only... Strong Sexual Content*

If you’re intrigued, you can 

get your copy of Beneath the Vine here. 

I’ve already downloaded mine for that rainy day when I could use something hot to warm up!

 And don't forget to

enter to win a signed paperback of your choice 

by A.M. Johnson!!!

FAOM: Help Me Pick A Book To Read

Alright so here’s the thing, I have a horrible confession to make.

I haven’t read ANY of A.M. Johnson’s books yet. *gasp* I know, I know, I’m shocked too. But alas, there is no reason to be too alarmed – I actually bought two of her books yesterday and they are downloaded and waiting in my Kindle for me to dive into them. And since I’ll be up to the hospital with Little Prince Wednesday night and all day Thursday, I will definitely have some time to read then.

Now I just have to decide which one to read first!

Should be simple enough to decide, and I thought I had, but then I was going working on Amanda’s interview and a couple of things she told me have me second guessing. So I’m going need some help people, you have to help me decide. I mean, I’m going to end up reading both of them (and more besides) but…

Which A.M. Johnson Book Should I Read First???

Posession

Avenues Ink Series, Book 1

Paige Simon was the only girl Declan ever loved. The only one capable of silencing his voices, the only person to ever have faith in who he was, until the day her faith turned to doubt and destroyed everything they’d made together. 

Declan O ’Connell was the only person Paige could be herself with. The only one she could rely on, until the day she was forced to make a choice that would condemn them both.

They’ve had years apart, and second chances don’t belong to the damned. But when you come face to face with your savior, it’s almost impossible to walk away. In order to move beyond the sins of their past, and forever silence the demons in his head, they’ll have to risk it all. 

But with love, there are real reasons to be afraid and, sometimes… your salvation is your damnation. 

Do YOU like the sound of Possession? 

If you do, you can get your copy here.

Sacred Hart

A Stand Alone Novel

Sleep, it was luxury I didn’t have.

I could hear it then, in the dark light of night, in the dusky morning…

The click of the trigger, the smell of her blood, the sound of the rain. 

I never thought I would see her again. 

She was a ghost. 

She was dead.

When Maggie Wright pushed her way into my life, she brought the phantom with her, and I was helpless to her pull. 

Everything I had, all of it, had been taken from me ten years ago. I had nothing but the shirt on my back, the memories that still burned through my veins, and the regret I drowned in every day.

I am Ryan Hartford...and I have nothing left to lose. 

How about Sacred Hart, doesn’t it sound fabulous too? 

You can get your own copy here.  

And guess what? You can even get Sacred Hart as an audiobook!! 

Grab that here.

So you see my issue?!?! They both sound so good. They also both sound like they’re going to rip my heart out and quite possibly make me ugly cry in public. (Which I’m surprisingly okay with. LOL.) So what do you think?

Should I read Possession first? Or Sacred Hart? Tell me what you think in a comment here or on any of my social media pages – Facebook, Twitter, G+, or Instagram.

And hey, don’t forget to enter the December FAOM Giveaway for your chance to win a signed copy of any one of A.M. Johnson’s books. You can do that by clicking on the Contests tab at the top of the page, or by clicking here. Remember – a comment on any December FAOM post (this one for example) is one of the ways to enter! 

So drop me your suggestion or just say Hi! And in the meantime, happy reading!!