Wicked City, the terrific second installment in the Zephyr Hollis series, finds our heroine still trying to figure out, six months later, how to break the bond she forged with Amir, the dijinn whose life she saved at the end of book one by giving him her blood. Zephyr discovers, much to her dismay, that her refusal to allow Amir to grant her a wish has resulted in his home dimension becoming unstable. (more…)

Four novellas set in the author’s exciting Guild Hunter universe comprise this excellent collection.

Angels’ Pawn:
Guild Hunter Ashwini has been tasked with retrieving an errant vampire and returning her to her angel master. In order to better navigate the situation, complicated by the fact that two rival factions of vampires who serve the same angel master are involved, Ashwini enlists the aid of vampire Janvier, who knows the parties concerned. Ashwini knows Janvier fairly well since she has had to hunt him three times, but despite her frustration with the vampire, she trusts him to help her. (more…)

Living up to the promise of its predecessor, the terrific Summoning the Night, book two in the wonderful Arcadia Bell series, delivers on every level. Three weeks after dispatching her parents to the demon realm, Cady has been occupied by daily life with her Earthbound demon boyfriend, Lon, and his almost-fourteen-year-old son, Jupe. With just the two of them on their way to Cady’s bar to deliver groceries after opening a savings account for the young man, Jupe informs Cady that he has developed a knack (the special talent that many Earthbound demons possess) – he can persuade people to do what he wishes them to. (more…)

The England of 2002 has a big problem: a stupidity surplus. Thursday Next, the intrepid literary detective, though bothered by the situation, realizes she can do little to rectify it. What Thursday can do: continue to operate in Special Ops, even though it has been officially disbanded. For those unfamiliar with the world of the series, an introduction is likely in order. (more…)

The marvelous Kindling the Moon, an auspicious beginning to the Arcadia Bell series, grabs the reader immediately and keeps them riveted to the page until the very end. Arcadia, magician and California bar-owner, has a secret: seven years earlier her parents, charged with the murders of three leaders of rival occult organizations, faked their deaths (Arcadia’s also), and all three went into hiding. In the beginning, Arcadia saw her parents occasionally, but at the time the book begins she had not seen them for a few years. While keeping her true identity hidden, Arcadia attended college, where she met her friend and Earthbound demon (demonic entity lodged inside of a human body), Kar Yee, whom she now co-owns the bar with. For the most part, Arcadia’s life remains fairly uneventful keeping magical order in the bar if any of the patrons get out of hand, and helping her neighbor with an imp infestation.
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Blood on the Bayou, the exhilarating second installment in the absorbing Annabelle Lee series, picks up the morning after the events at the end of book one. Annabelle has a dream in which she sees the dead girl, Grace, and talks to an old fairy that refers to his kind as the Slake, telling Annabelle she needs to leave town. When she wakes from her dream, Annabelle discovers Tucker, one the men with the ability to make themselves invisible, sitting at the end of her bed. (more…)

Wicked As They Come, the mesmerizing first installment in the Blud series, holds the reader spellbound from its opening line until its last. Tish Everett, recently emerging from a damaging long-term relationship, finds satisfaction and purpose in her job as a hospice nurse, especially since the position puts her in direct contact with her beloved grandmother on a daily basis. Seeking to decorate her new apartment with unique items, Tish visits the estate sale of a former patient who passed away. (more…)

Luke Findley, an emergency room doctor in the small town of St. Andrew, Maine, gets a surprise when the local sheriff brings an unusual murder suspect to the hospital: a young woman, covered in blood. After cutting away her shirt so he can examine her for injuries, the woman grabs the scalpel from the tray next to her bed, pleading with Luke to let her go, saying the man she killed had asked her to do it. When she gives Luke the name of the dead man, the family which founded the town but has had no one living there for over a hundred years, Luke finds it hard to believe her. (more…)

Watchers, my apologies – I have had so much going on the past couple of weeks that I was unable to keep up with all of the shows or get to the writing. We have a lot to catch up on! Do keep in mind that all of the discussions here will include spoilers. That said, please do not refer to events in episodes beyond those under discussion so as to avoid spoilers.

Being Human, Monday 9:00 EST, SyFy

The last two episodes of this show have certainly put our three favorite roomies through the wringer. Aidan has been cut off from the vampire community, Sally discovered what happens to shredded ghosts, and just as she saw Josh’s secret, Julia was struck by a car. (more…)

Dead on the Delta, the fabulous first book in what promises to be a terrific new series, introduces Annabelle Lee, one of a very small group of humans immune to fairy bites. Annabelle’s immunity lands her a job with the FCC (Fairy Containment and Control), which sends her into the Louisiana bayou to collect samples of fairy eggs and excrement. In the world of the novel, fairies existed unseen among humans, but until terrorist attacks on chemical plants caused mutations, they were unable to open their mouths wide enough to attack human flesh. (more…)

Darkness Undone, the fabulous fourth installment in the excellent Marked Souls series, begins with league Bookkeeper-in-training Sidney Westerbrook out taking a walk in the Chicago streets to clear his head. On loan from the London league office, Sidney has two objectives: to assist the Chicago league of talya after the defection of their former Bookkeeper and to study the mated-talyan bond—a phenomenon long believed myth but recently occurring in Chicago. (more…)

Being Human, Monday 9:00 EST, SyFy

First off, didn’t you feel great for Meaghan Rath getting to wear different clothes for once? How did you like the house décor? Those couch pillows with eyes were cool and creepy at the same time, I thought. On a serious note, I did think that this was probably the best episode yet this season.

So, despite their individual problems and issues with each other, the guys managed to band together and get Zoe to help Sally. As we saw at the end, though, Sally will have to learn how to live with and suppress the darkness inside of her. (more…)

Watchers, being gone for a week resulted in too many shows to catch up on in just a few days, so this week we will cover just three shows, and next week I will add the others back in. Also, Supernatural returns on Friday, 3/16.

Being Human, Monday 9:00 EST, SyFy

The last two episodes have had some surprises and traumatic events for our three favorite roomies, and it seemed as if their lives were beginning to spin out of control. (more…)

Celia West gets kidnapped – a lot. Since her parents, Warren and Suzanne West, are also Captain Olympus and Spark, two of the most powerful super-humans in Commerce City, she also always gets rescued. When the terrific After the Golden Age opens, Celia, now twenty-five and a successful forensic accountant, gets taken hostage right off of a city bus on her way home from work. (more…)

By a Thread, the terrific sixth installment in the exciting Elemental Assassin series, begins with Gin Blanco, Ice and Stone elemental, fending off yet another attack from two guys seeking to make a name for themselves by taking out the notorious assassin, The Spider. Ever since killing Mab, the Fire elemental that pretty much ruined her life, Gin’s no-longer-secret identity has been attracting all and sundry to her door. (more…)

Watchers, we have a lot to catch up on this time, since I did not post a column last week (my apologies).

Fringe, Friday 9:00 EST, Fox

First, let me say that this show continues to blow my mind, just about every single week. I also want to mention that the last episode was written by David Fury, who was a producer/writer on both Buffy and Angel.

The last two episodes have actually provided us with a few answers. When Olivia was starting to get her memories back, you could see the fear in Peter’s eyes – was he afraid she wasn’t his Olivia, or that she was? I think it was likely a bit of both. (more…)

Gin Blanco, an ice and stone elemental who also maintains a more or less secret identity as an assassin known as The Spider, determines to attend the funeral of her foe, Mab, despite having not yet fully recovered from her injuries sustained in the battle that ended in Mab’s death. Upon arrival at the cemetery, it becomes clear that most of Ashland’s underworld has also shown up, causing Gin to speculate about the power plays that will likely occur very soon.

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Lawyer Arthur Kipps struggles to come to terms with the death of his wife four years earlier in childbirth, and despite his devotion to his young son, finds it difficult to focus on his job. Arthur’s boss gives him the chance to redeem himself by sending Arthur to an isolated village to go through the papers of the recently-deceased owner of Eel Marsh House. The local man that the firm has been corresponding with has not been particularly helpful, so Arthur sets off on his business trip with plans for his son and the nanny to visit at the end of the week after the he completes his task.
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