To read or not to read...Yeah Molly Harper...Jackie Ivie not so much...

So first off sorry for the late in the day post. Since I am posting so late I thought I would give you a two for one. We have been trying to only post our “guilty indulgences” limiting our reviews to three strawberries or more. Some of you that follow us regularly are probably wondering what happened to the book of the month for October. Well, two things happened - one we were all super busy and two the book that was chosen wasn’t one that any of us so far have felt compelled to give an opinion on.  Which for me means that nobody felt it warented a three or better. So why bring it up? Well, yesterday I got the handy dandy reminder e-mail from Amazon asking for my review and I was shocked at how many people loved the book and gave it a five star rating. With so many professional marketing people writing bias reviews trying to hype up books I felt compelled to comment.

So in post-Halloween fashion I’m saying "where's the treat" to Knight after Night by Jackie Ivie?

Cover Blurb:

THE VAMPIRE
Highland Vampire Thoran MacKettryck's lonely. Bitter. Vengeful. For centuries now, he's taken lives for profit and drained blood for free. Just like always. But then he's gifted what every immortal craves: his mate. He just can't believe his eyes when he finally hunts her down.

HIS MATE
Jolie Pritchard's young. Studious. Driven. Studying Medieval Literature is her life and this scholarship - her dream. She's the last thing an arrogant, gorgeous, world-class playboy should be pursuing and she knows it. If only he wasn't the most thrilling male she's ever imagined...

THE CURSE
She was warned. She didn't listen.

The above cover blurb sounds great right? Unfortunately this disjointed…. a paragraph on him….a paragraph on her is similar to how the book reads leaving the reader feeling like they are missing how the two are really connected. They are just all of the sudden in the same room interacting without any explanation as to why. Jolie is very immature and not a heroine most of the followers of our site tend to shout out for. I would give this one a “two and a half strawberries” and mention it mearly to say “really what were those reviewers thinking on Amazon”, “this is what happened to the book of the month for October” and “you have been warned”.  Although Ms. Ivie wrote some very compelling scenes the story felt too broken up and lacked the depth is needed to feel complete.  She is talented but the story needed to be more developed.  Sorry if you disagree but this wasn't a guilty indulgence for me.

Now that I have given my two sense on that, I’ll move on to my "Yeah - there's a new release - Whoa Hoo" must read for this week.

Molly Harper has yet again out done herself with another installment to the wacky group of characters in Half Moon Hollow!

The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires...

picks up after the Jane Jameson series but chronologically falls before the other stand-alone, Driving Mr. Dead, even though it was released after it. This is the story of Iris Scandland, the wedding coordinator from Jane’s wedding and the boss of Miranda from Driving Mr. Dead. Iris has continued to grow her concierge service for vampires and is asked by the counsel to take on a new client. However, upon arriving at his house to drop of his contract she finds him passed out on the floor – not normal for a vampire. After realizing he was most likely poisoned by someone from the counsel he begs her to help hide him while he tries to discover who is trying to kill him. Iris reluctantly agrees knowing that this will mean inviting him into her home and interacting directly with him – something she always tries to avoid with her clients. And so begins their journey to find his attacker, discover what is going on with the case that he was working on and may be the attackers motivation, and try to do it all without driving each other nuts. But as they continue to work together they quickly realize all the anger between them is foreplay in disguise.

Iris is a wonderful character full of spunk and self assurance. I think my favorite part is when he tries to drink from her in his drugged out state and she brings him back to reality by “smacking him on the nose like a misbehaving puppy”.   Mr. big and sexy is so startled that he can only smile at her spunk and attitude. Cal is a very likable character. Although a bit set in his ways and grouchy at first, as he begins to feel better he really becomes quite charming. This is a fun read and a great installment to the series. As always, I “listen” to Molly. Amanda Ronconi, as always, does a fabulous job with this series and really brings the characters to life. This is one of my go to series when I’m feeling down and need a fun escape. And this book is a wonderful addition!

Cover Blurb:
Iris Scanlon, Half-Moon Hollow’s only daytime vampire concierge, knows more about the undead than she’d like. Running all their daylight errands—from letting in the plumber to picking up some chilled O neg—gives her a look at the not-so-glamorous side of vampire life. Her rules are strict; relationships with vamps are strictly business, not friendship—and certainly not anything else. But then she finds her newest client, Cal, poisoned on his kitchen floor, and only Iris can help.

Cal - who would be devastatingly sexy, if Iris allowed herself to think that way - offers Iris a hefty fee for hiding him at her place until he figures out who wants him permanently dead. Even though he’s imperious, unfriendly and doesn't seem to understand the difference between "employee" and "servant," Iris agrees, and finds herself breaking more and more of her own rules to help him - particularly those concerning nudity.

Turns out what her quiet little life needed was some intrigue & romance—in the form of her very own stray vampire.

Rating: Four Chocolate Dipped Strawberries!!!