Finished KISS THE DEAD

This time vampires have kidnapped  15 year old girl which sends Anita after a group of unaligned vampires who are very dangerous.  As usually, intense action is interrupted by intense eroticism.  At my age I prefer the action, but I also find these books very readable.

And, just like that I am back to reading Kerry Greenwood's Queen of the Flowers, #14 in the Phryne Fisher Mystery series.  It is flower festival time, and queen and her court are determined by amount of money raised or donated to charity, so, of course, Phryne is queen.  However, this comes with a lot of responsibility, which she is efficiently handling.  No crime has been committed yet, but the blurb tells me one of her adopted wards is about to vanish.

Finished THE STRANGER FROM THE SEA

This is the first part of the Poldark story continuing after the PBS series ended.  It was good to be reading adventures I had not already seen.  It is ten years after the last book ended: the children are grown and falling in love for the first time, as well as exploring other interests--beginning to make plans for how they wish to live their lives.  As usual, very readable and charming.

I am now about to start the 21st Anita Blake novel by Laurell K Hamilton, Kiss the Dead.  Looking forward to it.



I am also just started Magical Beasts from The Enchanted World series.  I finished the last one I had here two or three weeks ago and I had missed them.  But, when Julie asked if there was anything we wanted from our house, I asked Chris to pick up two more and Julie sent them.  They arrived today.  The first story is of the Minotaur of Crete...a familiar story but may have wonderful embellishments.

Finished WILD BILL

Actually, it turns out his life was amazing without all the outlandish embellishments.   This reader could not help but like him (not as much as I like Buffalo Bill--a good friend of Wild Bill's--but the former was a showman/ circus producer (Wild West Show qualifies, in my mind) / and early film maker.)  The end of Wild Bill's life was not only tragic, but his memory was significantly maligned by friends who, in a sign of the times, could not allow the truth to get in the way of a good story--especially if the story aggrandized themselves.  Every page of this book was interesting and I enjoyed it, even if the end was a downer (inevitable from today's perspective--some things are just history.) 

I am now about to start The Stranger From the Sea, the eighth book in the Poldark series.  It is now 1810 and, I believe, we are going beyond the spot at which the PBS series ended.  The way the blurb reads, it looks as though Jeremy and Clowance Poldark are the focus of this book.

Finished THE DOOMSDAY KEY

Remember Raiders of the Lost Ark?  Remember how it was a roller coaster ride from beginning to end?  That is what these Sigma Force books are, only these are smarter.  Much history, archaeology, science and technology is used in this series along with wall to wall action.  Upon finishing, I just go "Whew!" and rest for a bit.

I am now about to start Wild Bill, the True Story of the American Frontier's First Gunfighter.  TR was reading it and looked pretty engrossed, so I asked to read it when he was finished.  Looks good.

Finished THE LORE OF LOVE

As usual with this series, this includes lots of well told and illustrated stories, both familiar and new to me.  Loved it all.

I won't be starting another in this series now, because they are in Dallas and we are self-isolating in Florida.  I'll start the next when we get home.

Finished HEXED

Yes, these books are formulaic.  Of course...this one at least is a Harlequin Press book.  However there are lots of differences between them:  place (Salem--this is the first time the Krewe of Hunters has revisited a place, but, really), heroine (this is a children's book author), method of murder and clues (initially this looks Wicca), ways ghosts help and often ghosts are a part of interesting legends in the place (major ghost character in this is the heroine's aunt who practiced Wicca), method of death (slit throat), and climax--this one, like all of them, was pretty good.  I enjoy these books.

I am now about to start The Doomsday Key, by James Rollins, #6 in the Sigma Force series.  This promises to be another smart, action and technology packed, globe-trotting yarn and I can't wait to start.

Finished SUN BORN

Wonderful as usual and it even has a sequel with many of the same characters!  Bless the Gears and all authors in this time of forced Corona Virus imprisonment,

I am now about to start The Hexed, another Crew of Hunters book by Heather Graham.  These ghost stories are fairly formulaic, but each is set in a different place, many of which I have visited.  The ghosts and the murders gives each a special atmospheric vibe unto themselves.