Reviewed by Gannon Carr
Publisher Penguin
August 4, 2009
4.5 stars

Many, many years ago, twins were born and abandoned by their mother.  One was rescued by a group of nomads, who raised him and helped him develop his “gift”—the ability to make fire in the palm of his hand.  When he was older, he rescued other babies like himself; those who had been abandoned and who now possessed special gifts.  They were the Chosen Ones, the force of good in the world.

The other twin, a baby girl, was found by a witch who saw the unusual mark on the baby’s palm. And she knew that the girl was special.  The witch raised the girl, but instead of nurturing her, the old woman tortured the girl and fostered a sense of hate in her. …

We have a winner, in fact we have two. There were so many great posts to PJ’s “Goddess of the Hunt” review that she’s decided to give away two goodie packages from RWA. Isn’t that swell!

The winners are Janga and Donna B.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by.

A review by Kati Dancy
Publisher: Penguin
4.25 stars out of 5

Holly Hutchins is a reporter, a darn good one. She’s got a very successful blog that is often picked up by major papers and television. Her specialty is uncovering secrets. And she’s won awards for it. When her boss informs her that her new assignment will be doing a three month series of blogs about the Pacific Heat, a baseball team that is rising in the chase for the Pennant and specifically to see what she can uncover about the team’s secrets. When she meets Pace Martin, the star pitcher of the Heath, she knows immediately that he’s hiding something – an injury. Pace, being no dummy, wants nothing to do with a reporter, certainly not one as nosey, interfering and…

Reviewed by Buffie Johnson
Rating:  4.25 stars
Publisher:  Grand Central
Release Date:  July 2009

I am a romance reader who loves debut novels.  I think the reason I enjoy debuts so much is because of the possibility of finding a new author to follow.  As you all know, medievals are my first loves in the romance novel world, so when I had the chance to read Margaret Mallory’s debut novel, I grabbed the book with both hands.

On the eve of her wedding to a man she neither likes nor admires, Lady Mary Catherine sneaks into the stables to saddle up her horse and enjoy her last hour as a free woman.  But what Catherine does not expect to find is a shadow lurking in the stables.  Confronted by a stranger, Catherine does what every…

Reviewed by PJ Ausdenmore
Publisher: Random House
5 Stars

One lucky poster will win The Dangerous Book of Excerpts by Tessa Dare and Courtney Milan, which contains excerpts from Tessa’s first three books and from Courtney’s debut novella (10/09) and debut single title (1/10), plus other goodies from the RWA conference.

Every year there seems to be one debut author who bursts upon the scene and absolutely knocks my socks off with her superb writing skill.  This year, that author is Tessa Dare.  In her debut book, Goddess of the Hunt, Dare showcases her command of the English language with exquisite prose that sings across the pages with a lyrical quality that is a joy to read.  Her characters are so vividly drawn that they practically leap from the pages and her story…

A review by Kati Dancy
Publisher: Doherty, Tom Associates, LLC
4.5 stars out of 5 stars

The Marked series by SJ Day is destined to be one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series on the market today. In Eve of Darkness, we meet Evangeline Hollis, an interior designer who has just been invited to submit a proposal to Gadara Industries, one of the largest conglomerates in the United States. What Eve doesn’t realize is that Gadara Industries is a front for the archangel, Raguel. You see, the world is at war — a war that is unseen by most mortals. There are a group of seven archangels protecting the world from Sammael (or Satan), who is doing his best to bring about the downfall of man. To assist the archangels, there are seraphim,…