Vampire Vacation - C.J. Ellisson

Vampire Vacation is the first novel in the V V Inn series. This book is free for the kindle. This is a ribald adventure, which is definitely rated A for adult. Vampires are as interested in sex as blood.

Imagine you own a remote resort in the wilds of Alaska. You're doing a last minute room check for a new party of guests showing up today. When you open the door to suite six you find "a dead guy." It's the body of a person you've never seen before. Since guests arrive at your resort by private plane, finding someone you're not familiar with is a unexpected. That they've been murdered compounds the mystery. Vivian Alexandria Ceara McAndrews is a master vampire. Vivian owns the V V Inn. Finding a dead body is going to ruin Vivian's day, and possibly her entire future. Warning, there is lots of sex in this book. Surprised me, but it's part of the ambiance of the V V Inn. I like this book. The characters are fun and the mystery is compelling. This is a new interesting take on vampires. Highly recommended.

City of Bones - Cassandra Clare

City of Bones is the first novel in the Mortal Instruments series. This book contains some teenage angst, but the story more than makes up for it.

Clary Fray is 15 years old, and thinks she's a normal teenage girl. While Clary's at an all-ages club with her friends she sees a murder. A murder with a victim and killers that nobody else can see. That's Clary's introduction to the world of the shadowhunters. Before Clary can get her head around this new dangerous world, her Mom goes missing and she's running for her life. This tale has action, suspense, and twists to tangle your mind. Highly recommended.

Wakulla Springs - Andy Duncan and Ellen Klages

Wakulla Springs is free for the kindle. This is more of a novella than a full length novel, but it's an excellent time capsule of a book.

Wakulla Springs is the deepest submerged freshwater cave system in the world, but it's much more. Life happens at a different pace at Wakulla Springs. This story encompasses multiple generations of people trying their best to be better. It's a tale well worth reading. It's a story of success for the characters and for the world. Very highly recommended.

Strange Brew - P. N. Elrod

Strange Brew is an anthology of paranormal adventures, edited by Elrod. Vampires, werewolves, witches, and more are woven into tales by nine of my favorite authors. Some just became favorites.

Briggs, Butcher, Caine, Chance, Elrod, Harris, Hunter, Kittredge, and Maclaine all contributed their own unique styles to this collection. I don't even have a favorite because they were all great. I have missed Butcher and really enjoyed Last Call though. Very highly recommended.

The Undead Pool - Kim Harrison

The Undead Pool is the twelfth novel in the Hollows series. You have to read this one. It finally happens!

Rachel has spent the last three months working security for Trent while Quen is on the west coast with the girls. Now Quen and the girls are coming back and the job is almost over. While Rachel is guarding Trent on the golf course on her last day, she tries to deflect an errant golf ball, only to have it explode and wreak havoc. It's not Rachel though. Something is happening in Cincinnati, and it's connected to Rachel's ley line. How many times a year does Rachel have to save the world? If you're following the Hollows stories, you have to read this one. It is about time! Very highly recommended.

Mad River - John Sandford

Mad River is another Virgil Flowers novel. Virgil is back in his old neck of the woods, and tracking down Minnesota's own version of Bonnie and Clyde.

Jimmy Sharp, Becky Welsh, and Tom McCall are kids who never fit in. They're all from the small town of Shinder Minnesota. Shinder is close to Virgil's home town of Marshall. When Jimmy, Becky, and Tom start killing people, Virgil is the BCA agent assigned to track them down. Virgil has to figure out what started the killing spree, and where the killers are. Meanwhile, the bodies keep piling up. Sandford continues to ruin my sleep with books I can't put down. Very highly recommended.

Ever After - Kim Harrison

Ever After is the eleventh novel in the Hollows series. This time Rachel has to save the world from the end of magic. No pressure.

Rachel Morgan is a demon. Rachel is the only daywalking demon. The demon Ku'Sox twists Rachel's ley line so that it's sucking the ever-after into nothing and blames it on Rachel. Rachel has to find a way to fix it or she'll be put to death shortly before all demons wink out of existence. Needless to say it gets a bit tense. Another great Hollows story that shouldn't be missed. Very highly recommended.

His Prairie Princess - Kit Morgan

His Prairie Princess is the first novel in the Prairie Brides series. It's actually more of a novella. This book is free for the kindle. A western with a big dose of romance.

It's 1858, and Sadie Jones is in big trouble. She'd been trying to travel to the little town of Clear Creek Oregon. Sadie received word that her mother was dying there. On the way to Clear Creek, Sadie's stage coach is robbed and she's kidnapped. When Sadie's rescued by Harrison Cooke, he brings her to Clear Creek, but her trouble isn't over. Sadie is the only one who can identify the robbers, and they know it. This is a good story. Adventure, suspense, romance, and some truly stupid bad guys keep it interesting. Highly recommended.

Heller's Punishment - JD Nixon

Heller's Punishment is the fourth novel in the Heller series. Tilly's like the Timex watch of security officers.

Tilly Chalmers deals with a serious addict, a religious cult, and a TV host in this novel based around her life as a security officer for Heller's Security & Surveillance. In addition to some assignments from hell, Tilly also has to figure out her love life, or lack thereof. Another enjoyable adventure. Very highly recommended.

The Thirteenth Unicorn - W.D. Newman

The Thirteenth Unicorn is free for the kindle. This novel is the first in the Ben Alderman series. This is a fantasy book for children or young adults. Old adults should like it too. I did.

Ben Alderman is a 7th grader living in Georgia. Ben is small for his age, and he uses an inhaler for his asthma, but he's a smart kid. Ben's Mom had been in a coma for two years. Ben's Dad had to take Ben and his older sister Casey to South Carolina for the summer. The kids were going to stay with their grandparents while their Dad worked on a project in Chicago. While staying at his grandparents, Ben discovers a magic tree that will change his life forever. Ben helps save the thirteenth unicorn. This is a great story with magical creatures, plenty of danger and suspense, and a great ending. Very highly recommended.

The Hanged Man's Song - John Sandford

The Hanged Man's Song is the fourth, and probably the last Kidd novel from Sandford. This book was published 10 years ago, but Kidd still shows up in the Prey series from time to time.

When Bobby, the hacker that all other hackers look to for help, goes offline, Kidd and his buddy John try to track him down. They discover that Bobby is dead, and his laptop is missing. That missing laptop has everyone in the hacker community running for cover. Kidd has to find that laptop, or he and LuEllen could be on the run for the rest of their lives. Plenty of action and suspense. The computer technology is a little dated, but the story is great. Very highly recommended.

The Devil's Code - John Sandford

The Devil's Code is a Kidd novel from John Sandford. There are only four. This is the third one. Definitely worth reading.

Kidd is an artist first, but he's also a computer hacker and thief. When a fellow hacker, Jack Morrison, is killed by a security guard, Jack's sister comes to Kidd because she thinks Jack was murdered. The why and how are the puzzle Kidd has to solve. He'd prefer to solve it without getting killed. Lots of action and suspense. Another Sandford winner. Very highly recommended.

Shine On - Allison J. Jewell

Shine On is the first novel in the Shine On series. This book is free for the kindle. It's 1924, the 18th amendment is in full force, and if you want to drink in Kentucky, you drink shine.

Emmie Talbot is 21, single, and a "good girl." Emmie works for the local store as a seamstress, but her dream is to go to college and become a school teacher. Her step-daddy was killed in a car accident about a year ago, so Emmie is on her own. Emmie is barely making the mortgage payments, so there's no money for college. Then Emmie discovers her step-daddy was helping run a still. A still located on what's now her property, and the still continues to run. Emmie is about to get into the shine business, and it's not a business a "good girl" should be in. This is an interesting tale, with some danger, some humor, and some romance. Highly recommended.

Shock Wave - John Sandford

Shock Wave is a Virgil Flowers novel. Another great BCA mystery from John Sandford.

When a bomb goes off in the little Minnesota town of Butternut Falls, Virgil is called on to figure it out. An earlier bombing in Michigan seems to be connected, since both bombs are directed at the company putting up a new superstore in Butternut Falls. But the bombs are just starting to go off, and Virgil needs to hurry before more people die. Is it the fishermen or the small business owners who are trying to shut down the new store? If Virgil can escape the bombs, he'll find out. Very highly recommended.

Land of Shadows - Jeff Gunzel

Land of Shadows is the first novel in the Legend of the Gate Keeper series. This book is free for the kindle. This is a series I'll probably follow. The rest of the books aren't free though.

Eric Aethello thought he was a simple blacksmith's son. Eric is in for a big surprise. Unlike Eric, Jade Ethrista always knew she was special. She was raised for one purpose. To be the Gate Keeper's guardian. There are dimensions beyond the land of Tarmerria. The demon Dragot is plotting the death of the human race and the takeover of their dimension. Only the Gate Keeper can stand in his way. This is a great story. The only downside is the punctuation is bad in spots, and the characters occasional use of modern day idioms is dissonant. Still, I highly recommend this fantasy novel.

Into the Woods - Kim Harrison

Into the Woods is subtitled Tales from the Hollows and Beyond. This book is a collection of short stories and novellas from Kim Harrison. Some of the characters and settings are straight from the Hollows, while others are from earlier in her career or from different series. It's a great collection.

This collection has seven tales from the Hollows and four stories that look elsewhere. My favorite is Million-Dollar Baby. This novella tells the story of how Jenks and Trent managed to steal back Trent's baby Lucy. My favorite non-Hollows story is Pet Shop Boys. I'm still not sure what Kay was. All the stories are well worth reading. Very highly recommended.

Hybrid - Brian O'Grady

Hybrid is $6.15 for the kindle. This book was free when I downloaded it. Keep your eyes open for free books. This one was a real bargain.

Amanda Flynn was with the Red Cross, helping in Honduras after Hurricane Michael. She was the only survivor of a virus that swept the coastal village of Tela, where she and her team were working. Over 300 people died in the outbreak. Amanda was changed forever. Now someone is purposely spreading this virus in the US, and Amanda is doing her best to stop it. The problem is that Amanda has been on the run from the FBI for almost seven years, and nobody will listen to her. At least not yet. That will change soon, and may be the only way American can survive. This is a very good book. Plenty of suspense, action, and a great cast of characters. Very highly recommended.

Magic of Thieves - C. Greenwood

Magic of Thieves is the first novel in the Legends of Dimmingwood series. This book is free for the kindle.

Ilan couldn't even remember her name after, as a young child, she ran from the Praetor’s Fists, the day her parent's were murdered. A neighbor tried to smuggle Ilan to safety, but she ended up a captive of the bandit band of Rideon the Red Hand. The Hand gave Ilan her name. She became one of the band and seemed to thrive over the years. The thing the bandits didn't know was that Ilan had magic. Adventure, humor, and danger make this an interesting story. Very highly recommended.

Silken Prey - John Sandford

Silken Prey is the 23rd novel in the Prey Series. This is a great book that brings back some characters from the past. You can't beat Sandford for suspense.

Lucas Davenport is personally tasked by the democratic governor of Minnesota with helping a political opponent. This will be a sticky investigation, but that's the kind that Lucas enjoys. Was the republican senator from Minnesota really looking at kiddie porn on his re-election office computer, or was he framed? That's what Lucas is trying to find out, and hopefully before too many more bodies drop. Very highly recommended.

The Light Keepers - Mande Matthews

The Light Keepers is listed as a free epic fantasy adventure. It's free, but it's actually a short prequel to the ShadowLight Saga series, with the emphasis on short. I enjoyed it enough to continue with the series some day.

Astrid is a trained warrior, but she's only 17 years old. Astrid is guarded from contact with others by her mother Isla and her warrior guardian Balin. Astrid possesses a great power that she's forbidden to use, but she's young and lonely. Astrid is light, but she is drawn to the dark. Can she resist? This is a good novella that introduces the reader to the ShadowLight saga. Highly recommended.

A Perfect Blood - Kim Harrison

A Perfect Blood is the tenth novel in the Hollows series, which takes place in an alternate Cincinnati OH. You should read these books in order and savor each one.

Rachel Morgan has finally accepted the fact that she's a demon. Rachel is wearing a bracelet which suppresses her ability to perform demon magic. This keeps Rachel's demon mentor Al from finding her, and also makes her seem "safe" to society. But there are some bad people who want to use demon blood to work evil magic. It turns out that Rachel is a source for perfect demon blood. The usual cast of pixies, vampires, werewolves, witches, elves, and more, play their parts, and Rachel is once again the center of enough suspense and action to keep me reading late into the night. Very highly recommended.