Love Tuesday's

Tuesday's are the best days of the week. Why? Because new books are released! Duh! I'm personally jazzed for the next installments of Chicago Vampires and Otherworlds. I've had them pre-ordered since July!

• Otherworlds -- Courting Darkness, Yasmine Galenorn
• Chicago Vampires -- Drink Deep, Chloe Neill

The books are available from every major retailer, though I recommend your local bookstore or Barnes and Noble. Buying local is always good for the local business but not every city has an independent bookstore. Why not Amazon? Well, the president/CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, has been quoted as having the goal of putting the publishing companies out of business. Amazon also undersells publisher prices which hurts the authors as well as the publishing companies. Amazon also makes books for pedophile audiences available. While one has been removed, others remain... Needless to say, there are many reasons not to support Amazon.

New Addiction

I read all four books in a week. I just couldn't get enough. I tried to defer the fourth book, knowing the fifth wouldn't be available until the fall. But I couldn't do it. I kept wondering about what was going to happen in #4. My thoughts would come back to the characters while watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows! If that can't distract a girl, I know not what will. I naturally broke down and read the fourth book (took me less than a day to read it).

What's this series? Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill. As you expect, the story takes place in Chicago. As I live in Illinois and love visiting Chicago, I was naturally willing to give the first book, Some Girls Bite, a read. What I found was a female character that I liked, identified with to a large extent. Merit is a PHD literature student, living with her best friend, Mallory, who's quirky, funny, and a delight to read. As the books is about vampires, Merit naturally get's turned and must then accept her new self. She also must learn her new limitations while solving a mystery.

While some of this sounds similar to other books. I assure you, the world Chloe Neill creates is different enough to keep you reading and the characters are wonderful. They're funny, endearing, and flawed. I highly recommend trying this series. I've already pre-ordered the fifth book! Drink Deep is scheduled to release on November 1, 2011.  Books are available in print and electronic formats (another plus!).

Pale Demon

www.kimharrison.net/BookPages/PD/PD.html

I've been following the evolution of Rachel Morgan since Dead Witch Walking was released in 2004. If you've enjoyed the previous books, you'll likely enjoy this one as well. Rachel is very much Rachel. She grows and learns yet is still somehow amazed by the actions of those around her. Jenks and Ivy are back, naturally, and I find them to be more aware of the need for change and the danger Rachel finds herself one again the center of. So, little unexpected there. Or is there?

Halfway through the book, I began getting pissed with the sexual tension between Rachel and Trent. Talk about a situation that is well past it's self life. It's time that those character's either hook up or get over it. I know I'm to the point. About three quarters through, Rachel gets a bomb shell. One I'm not going to disclose here. It's an explosion I wish the author, Kim Harrison, would have introduced into the story sooner.

Overall, I found this book a pleasurable read but I am disappointed. I think this book had too many distractions from the heart of the plot. The heart of the plot being a discussion of identity, trust, and self-awareness. Tent hides his identity and trust. Ivy, though self-aware, hides herself from Rachel. Jenks, is trying to find his new identify, tries to build trust, because he is aware of his needs and fears. Rachel on the other hand, is forced into trusting, denies her identity until she's forced to acknowledge it. While I commend those ideas, I wish Ivy's bomb had happened sooner. That Trent had confided in Rachel sooner. I wish Rachel had actually answered the phone when Bys called. Poor frightened gargoyle.