December Reads Part 1

First up, was BLOOD BROTHERS by Nora Roberts (Penguin Group, c2007, ISBN 978-0-7394-9088-4)and was very slow starting out for me, but it picked up speed, had that woo-woo element that I really enjoy and I ended up flying through the last half. This book begins a new trilogy by Nora Roberts. In 1652, evil was unleased and then put down. And on July 7, 1987 when Cal, Fox and Gage turned ten, they made a pact at the Pagan Stone that rereleased the buried evil. And every seven years since, on July 7th, the townfolk go mad for seven days -- some survive, some don't. Quinn is an author who shows up to Hawkins Hollow, MD (as far as I can tell, this IS a fictional town) to write the story and there is an immediate connection for her. Will they stop the evil that is happening in this sleepy little town? Tune in for books 2 and 3.

The story begins:

It crawled along the air that hung heavy as wet wool over the glade.

MIDNIGHT ALLEY by Rachael Caine (NAL Jam, c2007, ISBN 978-0-451-222388-1) is the third book in the Morganville, TX vampire series. In this book, Claire has received protection from Amelie, queen of the vampires, after the events from the previous book. Now she has been ordered to take advanced placement classes at college as well as do some understudy work with Myrnin, a vampire with control issues. Meanwhile, Eve's brother Jason is causing problems, Captain Obvious and his crusade of anti-vamp followers are attacking the undead, Shane is attacked and Claire almost kills her arch nemesis. The book ends with a bang and is left wide open for the next installement. Good entry in the series.

The first sentence is:

The instant the phone rang at the Glass House, Claire knew with a psychic flash that it had to be her mother.

Third in line was THE SURVIVORS by Dinah McCall (Mira, c2007, ISBN 0-7783-2435-4).

This romantic suspense novel set in Carlisle, KY has Johnny O'Ryan coming home to his father for Christmas when his plane crashes going down over Kentucky. Johnny is only five years old. He witnesses a brutal murder and another surviving passenger, Molly scoops him up and they run for their lives. Deborah is psychic and "sees" Molly and Johnny in danger and offers her help to the O'Ryan men when they show up to search for their youngest. This book was a quick and easy read with a typical boy meets girl plot.

The book begins:

Destry Poindexter was beating the hell out of his wife, Lucy.