Those Who Hunt The Night by Barbara Hambly

Those Who Hunt The Night
Barbara Hambly
Fantasy
Rating 5 stars
340 pages

Read For:
What's In A Name Challenge
Victorian Challenge
RYOB Challenge
42 Challenge
1st in A Series Challenge
Serial Readers Challenge

Synopsis: Someone - or something - is killing the vampires of London while they sleep during the day. Don Simon Ysidro, the oldest of the London vampires, hires Dr. James Asher, a retired member of the British Secret Service, to find this killer. Asher, who accepts this job for the price of his wife (Lydia)'s life, delves into the shadowy world of the vampires to find a killer that increasingly seems to be one of their number.

My Review: I loved this book. I only wish, A-I would have read this much earlier instead of letting it languish on my TBR shelf, and B-I would not have chosen to read it with my back in an uproar with a pinched nerve as I feel I would have enjoyed it even more:)

This Vampire fantasy slash historical mystery set in late Victorian (or early Edwardian-1906) England is a brilliant thinking man's Vampire novel. The three leads of the story-James Asher, his wife Lydia, and the Vampire Ysidro-are all mental giants, each brilliant in their own specialty. Asher, a former British agent, is sought out by centuries old Ysidro, a Spanish Vampire whose undead roots go back to Queen Elizabeth's time. Ysidro needs Asher's help in discovering who is killing off the vampires of London. To do so, he lets Asher know that not only his life, but Asher's brilliant wife Lydia's life hang in the balance if Asher cannot find the killer. Lydia, an unconventional Victorian Society woman is a great female lead. A woman who chose a career in medicine and Science over an advantageous Society marriage. Will her choice save or destroy her life?

Hambly's writing style is fast paced yet intelligent. Her knowledge of the period shines through and any aficionado of Victorian Fiction should try this book, even if they are not fantasy or Vampire fans.
I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series, Traveling With The Dead, and Ms. Hambly's website states she's in talks for a third, long awaited book in the series.
Highly recommended-5 stars.

Highland Love Song by Constance O'Banyon

Highland Love Song
Constance O'Banyon
Rating 3.5 stars
322 pages

Read For:
RYOB Challenge
A to Z Challenge
New Author Challenge
Chick Porn Challenge
Serial Readers Challenge

Synopsis: Lady Arrian DeWinter, daughter of the English duke of Ravenworth, was determined to escape the highland castle of Warrick Glencarin. For her senses were perilously near surrender to the very man who held her as a pawn in a family feud. And escape she did, though she left behind her heart to a man who dared not believe he’d won it.
Betrothed to Ian MacIvors, lovely Arrian struggled to despise her fiance’s enemy. Yet all she longed for was Warrick and the chance to soften his bitter anger with her loving touch…

My Review: Highland Love Song was my first book by this author and after finishing it I'm happy to say not my last. Written in 1993, HLS is very much an old school "bodice ripper". Meaning the storyline is fairly interwoven with scandals, high drama, kidnapping, family saga and an emotionally charged storyline. Be forewarned, this story is all drama and no "light" moments.

Highland Love Song is actually book two in the DeWinter Saga, though I read it without knowing of the first and still enjoyed the book. Though I'll now go back and read Arrian's parents story in Song Of The Nightingale. Arrian and Warrick were good lead characters-the heroine was not too flighty, and the hero, while brooding and dark, was no brute.

Miss O'Banyon's forte seems in her writing fleshed out secondary characters, and HLS was full of great ones. The best were MacTavish, Arrian's Aunt Mary, and her brother Michael-who is the hero in book three in the series, Desert Song. The love scenes were so so and few and did detract from the storyline-if they were better this would have been at least a four star book. If you enjoy connected family sagas like Lindsey's Mallory's or Laurens Cynster's, then I think you'll enjoy this book.
3.5 stars.

Unfinished-Serial Readers Challenge

Sadly-life's just handing me too much stuff right now to be able to do this challenge so I dropped out June 20th:(



Another great looking challenge I joined. Wanna join? Click HERE:
Just Your Average Carpool Queen is hosting.

THE INFO:

Serial Readers Challenge 2009

As many of you know, I love to read books in a series. (not so much the Harlequins or Silhouettes, but that’s just me.) I love trilogies, series, or even just related books by an author. I enjoy the continuity, and getting glimpses of the "Happily Ever Afters" from the previous title. So, in this spirit, I offer you the Serial Readers Challenge 2009. It’s really simple! And for the purpose of this challenge a series is defined as at least 3 related books. I typically read romance but for this challenge any genre is welcome. So this can be done in conjunction with any other challenge. AllAboutRomance.com and Fantasticfiction.com are good resources for finding series!

1. Read books in series/trilogies/related by author. (Julie Garwood’s Lion’s Lady, Castles, The Gift are related.) For a series to count you must read each book in that series during this calendar year. (Rereads and audio books welcome!) If you previously started a series and do not wish to re-read, then only the titles read after 01/01/09 will count towards your total books read. You will not however get "credit" for total series read. Only series started and finished in 09 will count toward the prize for # of series read. For example I started Lynsay Sands Argeneau series this fall. For me to get credit for all 9 books I will need to re-read the first 3 sometime in 09. The series does not have to be read in order, or in succession to "count"! (so if I read #4-9 this spring and next fall re-read #1-3 then I get full credit. Otherwise ...I only get credit for the 5 books read, but not for reading the entire series.) I think I just made that about as clear as mud.
2. The Challenge will begin January 1st and last until December 31st 2009.
3. Post your list on your blog and link it back to this post. Please comment to this post when your link is up. Your list is not something, you need to decide in advance. Please add as you go!
4. Please rate and review each title on your blog. When you do so, please label it SRC or Serial Readers Challenge so we can all read your reviews and maybe be inspired to try a new series for ourselves.
5. There will be prizes! Woo Hoo! Some of the prizes may be simple online trophies, and some will be book give-aways. (Titles to be determined) Prizes will be given for most books read, most # series read, most pages read, and some maybe at random! (my favorite kind!! Yay!)
6. To wrap up the challenge next winter, comment to this post linking your wrap-up post by December 31! Prizes will be awarded January 2010!

My Lists:

The Lyon Series Julie Garwood:
1-The Lion's Lady-DONE
2-Guardian Angel
3-The Gift-
4-Castles

Fallen Angel Series by Mary Jo Putney:
1-Thunder and Roses-DONE
2-Petals In The Storm-
3-Dancing On The Wind-
4-Angel Rogue-
5-Shattered Rainbows-
6-River Of Fire-
7-One Perfect Rose-

James Asher Vampire Series by Barbara Hambly:
1-Those Who Hunt The Night-DONE
2-Traveling With The Dead-

The DeWinter Saga by Constance O'Banyon:
1-Song Of The Nightingale-
2-Highland Love Song-DONE
3-Desert Song-

The Moreland Series by Candace Camp
1-Mesmerized-DONE
2-Beyond Compare
3-Winterset
4-An Unexpected Pleasure

The Barker/Llewelyn Victorian Mystery Series by Will Thomas
1-Some Danger Involved-DONE
2-To Kingdom Come
3-The Limehouse Text
4-The Hellfire Conspiracy
5-The Black Hand

The "Bird" Series by Linda Francis Lee
1-Dove's Way-DONE
2-Swan's Grace-UNFINISHED
3-Nightingale's Gate