Christopher Farnsworth – Nathanial Cade series

I’m on a roll today. Making up for not blogging last month!

I found a series I am really enjoying. I’m on book 3 and already know I will buy Book 4 when it comes out. The Nathaniel Cade series by Chris Farnsworth.

The Nathaniel Cade series features a vampire who is blood oathed to the President of the US and has been pledged to every President for the last 140 years.

The US has been plagued by supernatural elements, not nice ones. Alone, the government cannot protect the citizens and keep the evil bay. So when they discover a newly turned vampire in 1700 something or other, the President was able to get the vampire, Nathaniel Cade’s agreement to blood oath his life to the protection of the President from whatever bad guys start to come out of the woodwork.

Cade is not your fluffy, shiny, womanizing vampire. He’s a cold-hearted killer who happens to be on the good side. He has a new handler, Zach, who is the go between for Cade and the President. Zach starts off a wuss (he was a politician after all) and grows into his position as the series progresses. The first book through me off slightly as it started in military style but after I got through the first chapter, I was hooked. I read the first chapter to my husband (story time) and He Who Dislikes Fantasy even thought it was awesome.

I read some of the not-so-nice reviews on Amazon before buying the book (the good reviews too). I thought it mildly funny and definitely ridiculous that someone would read a fantasy book and then say it was too unreal. Seriously? Isn’t that the point of reading fantasy? To bring out our imagination and enjoy other peoples self-created worlds?

I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books (even stayed up past midnight a couple of nights reading which is highly unusual) and continue to enjoy book 3. Cheers Chris!

Hope you all enjoy it too!

Hounded by Kevin Hearne

Okay, I know I haven’t posted in a year. A lot of great things (and not so great) have occurred but I will get to them a bit later…

Because I just finished Hounded by Kevin Hearne. I’ve read a TON of books in the last year and I have a huge list books to review BUT this one was so friggin enjoyable that I had to blog immediately. I can only hope this is the start of more frequent blogs. 🙂

Hounded is the first of a series. If the fact that I bought the next two in the series (can you say LOVE KINDLE!) doesn’t tell you how much I enjoyed the first, well, …hm.  The book stars Atticus, which isn’t his real name, as a 2000 plus year old Druid in current day. He is just trying to survive, run his book and herb shop and be left alone. Of course, when you happen across the God of Love’s sword, which just happens to be able to slice through ANYTHING and you stash it away for a rainy day, things tend to come after you. This book has Gods, demons, werewolves, vampires, the Fae and more. Kevin Hearne’s humor is absolutely hilarious, I actually laughed aloud a few times. That’s pretty rare. I was completely entertained. Kudos to Kevin for a thoroughly enjoyable book. I look forward to reading more.

And with that, I leave you to go work on my taxes. The exact opposite of reading Kevin Hearne.

Child of Fire by Harry Connolly

Loved this book.  Talk about distracting.  The first chapter starts with Ray Lilly driving along with a very powerful sorceress (or magician or something) who hates his guts but isn’t allowed to kill him.  He’s following her driving orders only to pull over to confront a couple on the run and then watch one of their children burst into flame.  It doesn’t stop after that.  Ray is a criminal who’s trying to not to be one, fresh out of jail and suddenly stuck with a member of the Twenty Palaces, a secret group that’s sole purpose is to rid the earth of people wielding illegal magics or taken over by demons, killing whatever gets in the way to that goal.

This is one of those books where you finish it and immediately feel the void of needing the next fix, the next impossible situation of Ray Lilly and the thirst to see how it ends.

Harry Connolly rocks. A new role model for me and my writing.  It made me feel like my writing was sub-standard and yet inspired me to be better.  To figure out how to create my characters more, unroll my story more intelligently.  Or certainly try like hell.

Click here to go to Harry Connolly’s website.

Lucy Snyder’s Spellbent and Shotgun Sorceress

I finished these two off pretty quick back to back.  Honestly, I think I’m going to have to remove books from my house.  It’s so easy to get involved in someone else’s story and stop working on my own.  But at the same time, they can be so inspiring.  I’m torn.

These books start off with a bang and keep going.  I enjoyed them.  If you enjoyed any of the other books I’ve recommended, you’ll like these too.  There were parts where I could put the book down and others that I couldn’t.  I like that. I know some people like a book that grips them to the point of staying up half the night.  Sure, I can appreciate that but I also appreciate a book that I can put down periodically and get something else done.  I don’t always want to but life has to be taken by the horns and wrangled with, can’t live it sitting on the couch or the comfy chair in the back porch.

These books are about a gal named Jesse Shimmer who, despite her crappy life thus far, finally finds her place only to have it ripped out from under her, ground up and tossed into the fire.  She feels it but still has the guts and tenacity to kick some arse and get it back.  I like a strong character who feels it, even has a good cry but gets back up on her feet.

Good times. Enjoy.

Click here to go to Lucy’s Website.

Dragon Bones by Patricia Briggs

I really love the way Patricia Briggs writes.  She grabs a hold of your attention and doesn’t let go til you turn the last page.   I just finished Dragon Bones, a completely different series to the previous ones I’ve mentioned here.  She does it again though, creating a world, characters and a story to love.

This story is about Ward who for personal reasons allows everyone in his realm to believe him on the slow side. His father is a nasty bugger who preys on removing anyone with power around him. When he is removed from the picture, who is next in line for the master of the realm – Ward. Ward now has the people wondering how it’s going to go,many people would like to see him get gone and yet others support him.  He now has to find a way to convince everyone that he’s not the slow witted boy they thought and fight to take back what is his.  It’s a magical story with wonderful characters.  I will have to get the next book, Dragon Blood and keep going.