Vixenwriter

This has been a great week for book lovers!

Today at Ellora’s Cave - Bona Fide Liar by Red Garnier releases!

Alex will do whatever it takes to keep male coworkers away from Carly. Who cares if she hates his guts? He wants her bad. He can barely believe his eyes when Carly sways seductively toward him and speaks the words he’s been longing to hear. Her place. Bring the plastics. There really must be a god! It’s finally time to make Carly his—for real this time.

Carly has heard her share of lies, but the ones spilling out of Alexander’s lips beat them all. The gall of him, spreading nasty rumors of them doing all manner of kinky things—even if she has dreamed about it. Carly’s determined to pay him back, and she’s wasting no time putting her perfect plan into action.

Red is one of my favorite up and comers! I think in a year or two she’s gonna make it big. I love her voice and this one is in my TBR pile (I would have read it already but I had to finish up a revision - which I did last night). Anyway, I’ll be reviewing it when I do you can bet on it.

And on Wednesday - another favorite Mandy Roth released Demonic Desires from Ellora’s Cave!

She might look fragile, but Ava Fenaly is fierce. She knows a thing or two about magik, and she knows exactly what she’s doing when she summons a demon in her bedroom. Well, almost. Ava is convinced that the exhilarating, almost terrifying night of passion that follows is all a dream. It has to be, because she’s dead set against revisiting her past—and the horrors she left behind long ago.

For the last three-hundred-plus years, Donatus Manlian has been living a peaceful life. Lonely, but peaceful. When the demon he has kept carefully locked within for centuries finally breaks free and responds to Ava’s call, the peace—and the loneliness—are gone. Now Donatus is forced to revisit tragedies long buried as he protects Ava from the evil that pursues her. But another evil lies within him—and now that it’s been awakened, the demon wants free.

No secret I love Mandy’s writing and this one and Guardian are in my TBR file too!

And wow, look at the list of authors in the newest Caveman Anthology - Seasons of Seduction III!

Six of EC’s really fabulous authors (and two of my personal uber faves Charli Teglia and NJ Walters)

Sunshine for a Vampire By N.J. Walters
Sunshine DeMarco is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed vampire who just doesn’t fit in with her own people. She doesn’t really like the whole vampire lifestyle — the opulent surroundings and overindulgence in everything from food to drink to blood. But even she has family and social obligations.

Reality intrudes and Sunshine flees, but she hasn’t seen the last of her mystery lover.

I Was an Alien’s Love Slave By Charlene Teglia
Micki Sloane needs a hero and she needs him now. She’s got a deadline, writer’s block and no inspiration. What to do? Wish on a star.

Keelan Os’tana has been seeking his bondmate, the one woman who is on his wavelength — literally. He answers Micki’s mental call by beaming her up into erotic adventure beyond her wildest imaginings. Her options? Form the permanent telepathic bond with Keelan or go home and write for the tabloids. “I Was an Alien’s Love Slave” is a sure seller, but Keelan tempts her to live the fantasy instead.

But look, the other four? Fabulous too. Go and check it out!

Last but way not least - Snowbound by Larissa Ione from Samhain

Thanks to a devastating medical diagnosis, ski patroller Sean Trenton has endured two years of celibacy. Two long years that have chipped away at his confidence. Now, with the career opportunity of a lifetime on the line, he’s ready to remedy the celibacy situation, and sexy snowbunny Robyn Montgomery is just what the doctor ordered.

Unfortunately, the last thing reliable, intense radio station manager Robyn Montgomery wants in her suddenly turbulent professional and personal life is a thrill-seeking former Olympic skier—even if he is a total hottie. She’s had it with guys who hog the spotlight and leave her in the shadows. So why is it that even an icy blizzard can’t temper the combustible heat between them?
I’ve had this one on my TBB list forever so I can’t wait to wade through all the other stuff on my to do list to get to this one!

I haven’t had a lot of reading time during the week because I’ve been working on revisions and fighting a cold but last weekend I had a Mandy Roth binge and it was quite satisfying.

First Date with Destiny - which is a Mandy Roth/Michelle Pillow book - love it. First of all, I’m working on two four author anthologies. I’m not sharing a story with anyone but just dealing with shared world stuff is complicated. These two share a book and it’s seamless. Excellent job, funny, short and sexy story. Totally brightened my afternoon.

Another great example of their joint writing is Red Light Specialists - futuristic and verra hot. This one is a novel so you get more of them to love.

Then I moved on to Pike’s Peak - a paranormal novella in her League of Unnatural Guardians series. Whoo, so you get Pike, a shifter and a well, superhero essentially and his jones for his friend’s younger sister. But Adira wants him too, even though to be claimed by a werewolf isn’t your ordinary declaration of love. She comes back as an adult and the League wants her to join them. Great tension for a short, really clever, funny dialog. Really well done!

The Advisor’s Apprentice is a lovely fantasy short! writing short takes a certain skillset, not one I have very often but Mandy Roth has it in spades. This story is a nicely done character piece, the sex is in proportion to the story and I really liked it!

And lastly, A View to A Kill with what I think is a very hot cover and seriously, if that’s backfat, what do we say about the rest of the country because that dude can’t possibly possess more than 8% bodyfat. Anyway, Sachin is a bird shifter of sorts from another plane of reality and he’s on earth when he saves a teenager from the same fate her murdered mother was unable to avoid. But what he didn’t bargain for was falling in love with her and realizing she’s his mate.

Excellent tension! Great sex. I liked Sachin and Paige a lot. A really great read.

I also read Warprize, the third book in the series and I think it’s my favorite in the series. It took some chances with the fantasy romance trope but it totally worked.

Patti O’Shea’s In the Midnight Hour - I’ve been a fan of Patti O’Shea since I read Ravyn’s Flight many years ago and she continues to write great stories! In The Midnight Hour is no exception.

In her first TOR paranormal romance, O’Shea introduces a whole new universe. This story features Ryne, a gineal (magical law enforcement of a type) and a cursed PI - Deke, whom is freed by Ryne’s magic.

The heart of the book is really Ryne’s struggle to deal with the responsibility of her power and the need to rely on gray areas to do her job. Her attraction to Deke is complicated by her own personal issues and past abuse at the hands of her former mentor.

O’Shea handles the complicated pasts of both characters and the seriously fabulous villian really well and the story is quite engaging.

A great opener to what promises to be a (another) wonderful series from O’Shea.

Michelle Pillow’s Along For the Ride - I was fortunate to have Michelle send me an ARC of her second book in the Matthews Sisters series and features Megan, the cop who is outwardly solid, sure of herself and set in her ways. But inwardly, that’s not so true and Pillow gives readers a nicely flawed, but very realistic heroine. Ryan, the hero is smitten from the moment he first sees her but he’s got such an uphill battle! Not just to gain her romantic affections but mainly to open herself up to him emotionally. The struggle between them is an internal one, a refreshing change from romances where the threat is external. The chemistry is good and the sex is fabulous!

The Matthews family is wonderfully quirky and I love books that feature families - both parents are lovely opposites and all the sisters are interesting and I definitely can’t wait to read about the remaining single Matthews sisters! You need to grab this one and the first one - Bit By the Bug (featuring Kat, another Matthews sister)!

Elizabeth Vaughan’s Warlord - the third book in the series and I think, my favorite! I loved how Vaughan takes the reader on a totally unexpected journey. I don’t want to give spoilers but I highly recommend not just this book but the entire series. I love fantasy romance that really sweeps the reader into somewhere she never expected to to. Lara is an amazing heroine and her connection to Kier is beautiful. Her character arc over the series is fantastic.

Oh and let me add my Red Garnier festival, LOL. I’ve been meaning to talk about her books for ages so here you go.

Spin Devil - this is a raw, hard and fast novella from EC and I quite enjoyed it. The beginning had me a bit on edge and as I say, it’s very raw but Red smooths it out and makes it all right if you just hang in there. I dug it and of course I wanted it to be longer, LOL. However, that’s the nature of a novella, it’s short and if you’re left wanting more, wanting to know more about the characters, the author did a good job. Garnier gives the reader a short time on a beach with some friends and a little devil doll. She makes every very naughty word count.

Divine Assistant - SO far, every single Torrid Tarot offering I’ve read has been fab and this one is in my top three! I loved this novella! I have a thing about the power of certain cliches and office sex is one of them (and I used it in Sudden Desire because I love it so). Garnier gives us Lucy Divine, smart, well educated MBA who gets what she thinks is a dream job with uber business god Patrick Holden. But Patrick is an arrogant ass who doesn’t like blonde hair, her body and seems to want to fill her day with meaningless errands. She’s come all the way to NYC for this job and it’s so not what she envisioned and why does the jerk have to be so damned hot too?

But of course, Patrick is actually arrogant and used to getting his own way but his behavior isn’t distaste, it’s his inner battles to keep from laying one on Miss Divine.

Garnier does a fabulous job here with the small details that make characters work - personality quirks and great dialog. The sex is, wheee, whoo, guh, hot! The back and forth is clever and you can see the two drawing ever more inevitably toward being together.

Add bitchy secretaries, a stuffy butler and a hilarious mother in town to visit and Divine Assistant is a really engaging story! Go Red, you kick ass.

First up - Boundless, a brand spanking new anthology from Annie Dean, Bonnie Dee and Dionne Galace

I have to say how much I love Annie Dean’s voice. I find her stories quirky and unique and her heroines are unlikely and that makes me love them even more. I’ve read some snippets of Grimspace, her upcoming release from

Seven Days is compelling in a nearly disturbing way. Dean’s writing is excellent, immersive, her details are vivid and suck you in immediately. Teresa is not the heroine you’ve read nine hundred times and yet, you know her anyway. There’s a lovely fairy tale quality to Seven Days. Beautiful and in some parts achingly sad. This is not your average romance. It’s bigger in scope and yet smaller and more intimate than most too.

Bonnie Dee’s The Straw Man is up next - I quite liked the story where we’ve got a woman bemoaning her fate and lack of a perfect man to a scarecrow who then shows up, quite alive to be that perfect lover for just one night. The sex is really hot! It’s a quick, entertaining read.

Lastly, Dionne Galace’s Waking Kitty - I gotta say, I loved how irreverent and young this story is. Funny, sexy, well written and the characterization was excellent. I gotta say, what I often hate about authors trying so hard to sound hip is that well, it comes off as trying too hard. But Galace’s Kitty and Jack are fun, funky, real and flawed and provide heat, sexy tension and a really enjoyable read.

Anne Stuart’s Devil’s Waltz - dooood! Okay so I love Anne Stuart and this book was no exception. I don’t often read historical romances but I do love a well done one and Devil’s Waltz qualifies.

Christian isn’t quite as hard as some of Stuart’s other heroes but he’s deliciously morally gray. He’s shallow and selfish and a pretty pain in the butt. But at the same time, he’s not a lost cause. His back and forth with Annelise is quirky and fast paced and the heat wrenches up with each new encounter.

Thing is, Stuart does what she always does, she draws you into liking her hero even though you know you shouldn’t but at the end you, and the heroine aren’t sorry you gave him a chance.

Annelise is not your typical regency heroine. She’s not a peerless beauty with golden blonde ringlets and a rosebud mouth. She’s a spinster with a great background and no money. She’s essentially doing the regency era version of couch hopping because work is beneath her. And well, whatever, I get that was the attitude at the time and I think it was a great way of not making her perfect.

Christian is not a big romantic. He is a killer when he has to be. He’s dark. He’s relentlessly selfish at times and yet, Annelise is his match in a way that humanizes him and the way Stuart writes them both - it works.

I read a few more books but I’m on deadline and we have a visitor so I’m gonna break off for now and finish later~

Yesterday was just, ugh, such a day! I wasn’t much up to getting online but I wanted to do my Friday booktalk because it’s one of my favorite things to do (I love books and I want people to read the fab things I come across)

In no particular order, on my vacation I read:

Marianne Mancusi’s Moongazer: Kudos to Dorchester for all the risks it lets its authors take with lines like Shomi. It gives me hope.

Moongazer is the second book released from the manga-esque line Shomi and it’s just as good as Liz Maverick’s Wired.

In this story, Mancusi gives us Skye, but is she Mariah? And a dimension flipping world of Terra, devastated by war and famine and those rich enough leave through Moongazing to live on Earth.

Skye gets pulled to Terra where people there think she’s a revolutionary named Mariah, including the very sexy blond who whisks her away on his hoverbike.

Mancusi delivers lots of taut action, steamy romance and excellent storytelling and I can’t say enough wonderful stuff about Moongazing so I’ll close by urging you all to get out and grab this one for yourselves.

Michelle Pillow’s Bit By the Bug: Folks if you haven’t read any of Michelle’s books you’re missing out. She writes across several genres and kicks ass at all of them. Bit By The Bug is a contemporary erotic romance.

Pillow gives us a fabulously intellectual hero (oh how I love smart men) who’s geeky and sexy all at once (not done enough and geeks are so sexy) and a smart, silly and warm heroine. Their chemistry is wonderful and tangible and the story is heartwarming as well as funny.

I loved the interactions between Kat and her sisters and also, the reality of what it’s like to be a working person who’s trying to make her dreams come true.

Kelley Armstrong’s No Humans Allowed:In this latest installment in Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series, we finally get Jamie’s story! I’ve been waiting for this one for some time and that it features Jeremy is just icing.

The overall storyline was very interesting. Jamie can see and communicate with ghosts and she’s off to Hollywood to star in a reality TV show. Jamie has issues with her mom and with her fame. She doesn’t know if she’s doing things for herself or to prove things to others. It’s a great example of Armstrong’s ability to write wonderfully three dimensional characters.

I thought the scenes between Jamie and Jeremy were wonderful and sexy and it was great to see Jeremy come out of his reserved shell in those times.

I can’t wait to see what Armstrong has for us next, I can only hope it includes a wee bit more romance (I know they’re not technically romance novels but I think her writing is so fabulous I’d love to see it!)

Sasha White’s Trouble: I’m telling you, Sasha needs to send me an ARC of Karl’s story or I’m gonna have to tackle her at RT and I know what she looks and sounds like so she can’t hide from me.

Trouble is the story of Samair and Valentine - two very unlikely people in a very unlikely romance and yet, White has the hand to make it work and she does most ably.

Her characters are vivid and three dimensional, the sex (as always) is smoking hot and Trouble is just an all around fabulously fun read. White gives us real people with jobs, real people working through personal stuff, real people trying to figure out where someone else can fit in their life when they have goals and dreams that take a lot of time and dedication. I love that. Samair is not some withering heroine who gives up everything for her man but she’s smart enough to recognize the fact that true love isn’t something that rolls up every day.

Nicely done, Sasha! (now, about that ARC…)

Kate Pearce’s Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?: I went on a bit of a Cheek binge and Kate Pearce is someone I’ve read before so I picked this one up and I’m glad I did. Keeping with the theme of working women pursuing their dreams (and this wasn’t planned it just worked out that way, LOL) - Pearce gives us the story of a man who believes strongly in marriage and the woman who is surprised to find herself married to him.

I’m wary of quickie marriage books, firstly because I’m sort of old school about marriage and also because I wonder who these feeble minded women are who marry some dude they just met are and why I’d want to read about them. I did have a bit of trouble overcoming that opening but truly, Pearce gave me two really compelling characters with Lauren and Grayson and I was able to get past my initial disbelief rather quickly.

Grayson is a fabulous hero. A man of conviction. A very old school dude without being a caveman. A man with values without being preachy or condescending. Lauren is smart and trying to overcome some heavy handed parenting to be her own person.

Together, they’re an unlikely match but one that Pearce makes convincing. I enjoyed the book a lot and I’ll definitely be back to read more of her stuff.

Charlene Teglia’s Wild Wild West: Charli’s NY debut and she’s making a big splash all over the place with fabulous reviews! Charli is one of the hardest working, dedicated authors I know so it’s nice to see her getting the kudos she’s worked so hard for.

Is it just me or does the woman on the cover look like Six from BSG? It works for me, LOL! Anyway, three steamy novellas, three hot and sexy cowboys, the american west in a modern setting - how can you lose?

I’m about 1/3 into The Midnight Hour by Patti O’Shea and loving it! I can’t wait to finish it. I’m also in the beginning of Richard Morgan’s Thirteen and it’s beautiful and arresting but it’s a slower read for me because I have to pay very close attention to everything and there’s so much intensity of detail. There’s a lot more on my TBR pile including a huge passel of ebooks. I’ll talk about those next week!

Before I flit off on vacation I’ll put up a few ideas for some great reading.

First: Red Garnier’s Divine Assistant releases today from Ellora’s Cave

Blurb: Lucy Divine has her career perfectly mapped out, and a new job as assistant to renowned investor Patrick Holden is an extremely opportune place to start. To Lucy’s surprise, however, her notorious new boss’s accomplishments are instantly overshadowed by his attitude. He’s arrogant and conceited and pleasing him is next to impossible. But Lucy’s disturbed to find she wants to please him—in every way possible. Holden’s brooding, sizzling good looks make Lucy wonder if his passion extends beyond the boardroom.

No one’s ever called Patrick Holden a sweetheart. If he’s anywhere in this world, it’s due to his fierce determination. A blonde, sexy bombshell assistant whose body is begging for a tumble is a distraction he can certainly do without…and one he’s hell bent on getting rid of. No assistant has ever lasted under the strain of his demands, but Lucy is proving to be the exception. She’s intelligent, resourceful, determined — and Patrick quickly realizes the only hostile takeover he’s interested in involves his Divine assistant.

Another new release is this one - Coming Together for the Cure with a story, My Right Breast, by none other than my dancin’ partner, Amelia June. (One agitating thing is the buy page has no other author or content info except for one when it’s a multi author anthology - this is odd) - EDITED TO ADD - Amelia put this link to the antho website where it has the names of all the contributing authors. As I thought, a really impressive line up!

From Amelia’s website here’s the blurb about her story: A short story in the Coming Together for the Cure anthology about a woman recovering from a mastectomy with the help of her husband and dominant. A sexy tale about a loving and kinky couple.

Don’t know who else is in it. No info anywhere, but it’s for charity and it’ll be out in print in October too!

I didn’t get much reading done this week. I got first round edits in and turned around for Reading Between the Lines and it looks like I’ve got something coming out in December that I’ll talk about later but I’m writing it now.

But I did finish up Lori Devoti’s Love is All You Need. This one is a contemporary which is also set in the Ozarks near Daisy Creek (the setting of Love is All Around) and gives us a pleasing glimpse of the life of some of the characters in her first book.

But Love is All You Need takes all the heartwarming sweetness and humor of Love is All Around and kicks it up several notches into something even better than her first novel.

Love is All You Need is a wonderful romance. It’s hot with great sexual tension beween Del and the super sexy Sam but there’s a great connection between these two very unlikely characters. There’s also a lot of humor between them.

Devoti gives us an HEA but not in a straight line. It’s a crooked road but just like her characters and their surroundings, unconventional works.

I hope she’ll be back to the Ozarks sometime again, I really enjoy her contemporary romances.

I’ve got a stack of books and several more loaded onto my laptop for vacation so I hope to catch up at least partially on my TBR pile while I’m gone. I should finish up with Kelley Armstrong’s No Human’s Allowed tonight (I love her books) and even though it’ll earn me the “what the hell are you doing buying MORE books” look from my dude, I’m planning to pick up Rachel Caine’s newest and a few of Michelle Pillow’s Cheek titles while I’m away too so I’ll have lots to talk about when I get back!

Lots of good books read this week!

Last night I finished Anne Stuart’s Into The Fire. ITF is a prime example of why I love Stuart’s writing so much. Why I love her heroes. Morally complicated, wounded, strong men whose love for the heroine is intense and if she pushed it just a tad more you’d be freaked out.

Into the Fire has a nice mystery/suspense element to it. The flashbacks deliver the backstory nicely so you’re not frustrated for not knowing, nor are you overwhelmed because you had too much info dumped on you at once. Skillfully done.

The chemistry here is inferno hot. But really, Dillon and his demons are the heart of this book and I think Stuart draws his character with many layers. He’s not perfect by any means, but there’s something within him that’s pushed him to get past who he was even the day before.

I liked Jamie as well, but there are times with Stuart heroines where I just shake my head at them. Still, I think she is a compelling and interesting character and I think Stuart handles the idea of people never being quite who we think they are really well.

Another dose of strong males - Linda Howard’s Drop Dead Gorgeous. Now I know people either love or hate this book. I loved it. I love Blair. I wouldn’t want to hang out with her in real life (which is often a gauge for me with a character) but I think she’s a far more interesting and complicated romance heroine than we see very often.

Blair is shallow. Yep. She complains. Yep. But she fiercely loves the people in her life and she runs her own business and takes care of what’s hers. I admire that. I admire how she manages Wyatt, a major alpha male if they ever existed! And I also love her ability, if only in her head, to admit her faults.

Wyatt is one of those heroes who works in the hands of only a very few authors. Most would emasculate him or turn him into a complete ass. Howard can walk that line with great skill. Oh there were times when he fall to the asshole side of the line, but his apolgies were genuine and believable.

I think first person works well with this couple. Wyatt is such a big character, you can see him through Blair’s eyes and understand him as she does. And it softens Blair too. We don’t need inside Wyatt’s head to know how he feels about Blair, he’s with her and he loves her. Anyway, loved it.

Janet Evanovich - Lean Mean Thirteen Holy Cow did I love this book. With the exception of 11, which I enjoyed but thought it was too short and didn’t really go anywhere, I’ve loved all the books in this series.

LMT is classic Plum - really funny in a self depricating way. Great, and I mean great moments with Ranger and I even warmed up to Morelli and started thinking Stephanie should just make up her mind, be with him and give Ranger a hot girlfriend named Lauren. (what?)

I was sorry to see the book end, I gotta say. Another thumbs up for Evanovich.

and lastly:

Lisa Renee Jones’ Hard and Fast I’ve been waiting for this one since Lisa announced the sale at her blog and I wasn’t disappointed.

Hard and Fast is hot, funny, sweet and really well told and I loved every word. In short, it’s what I love to see in a category novel.

While yes, Brad is hot - it was Amanda I really loved in this book. Smart and driven, a woman who is career focused but not stereotypically cold at all. She’s compassionate as well as ambitious and I appreciate seeing heroines like this.

Lori Devoti’s Love Is All Around - I picked this one up on a whim and I’m so glad I did. This is apparently her first novel and I really enjoyed it.

Great setting in the Ozarks, great characters, funny dialog - and wonderful sexual tension without a lot of sex (which takes a lot of skill)

It’s a quick, fun read with a smart, strong heroine and a really dreamy hero. I’ve got her Nocturne on my list now.

Sasha White’s Bound Up front - I love Sasha White - both as a person and an author. She’s a genuine person, warm, funny, and a great writer. I picked this one up for a re-read because Trouble is out very soon!

Bound is my favorite Heat title so far. Sasha writes about D/s in the way I like, in that she gets into the heads of the people involved and because Bound is in first person, it’s really intimate that way.

The sex is amazingly well written and scorching hot. It’s not for the faint hearted, Joe is a dom and there are some terms that I personally wouldn’t want to hear from my partner but it’s totally clear it works for Katie and it’s not abusive. White walks a fine line but she does it extremely well.

I highly recommend Bound and I can’t wait for the next book - Trouble which is already having sightings on shelves apparently!

I started Richard Morgan’s 13 and so far I’m loving it but I also got Lisa Renee Jones’ Hard and Fast last night while riding my exercise bike and it’s soooo good!

Slower this week because I’ve been editing/revising and haven’t felt exceptionally well. But I finished two books.

Anne Stuart’s Ice Blue

love Anne Stuart. I love her arrogant, control freak heroes and most of the time I love her heroines.

When we caught a glimpse of Taka O’Brian in Cold As Ice I had a feeling he’d be next and I wasn’t disappointed to hear he’d be taking center stage in Ice Blue.

In fact, I wasn’t disappointed in anything about Ice Blue. This is classic Stuart, a hero who isn’t typical by any stretch. Flawed, damaged, hard as nails and you wonder if there’s even a heart in there sometimes. But there is and slowly, Taka’s character unfurls even as Summer’s own does too.

I haven’t ever read a Stuart novel where it felt comfortable and Ice Blue is no exception. Her books aren’t for the faint of heart or if you’re in the mood for a softer love story. From the first page, she will shove you to the edge and keep you there the whole time. It’s a powerful, exhausting way to write and I admire her skill greatly.

Anyway, as you can tell, I loved the book and I’ll definitely be back for more. She’s setting the stage for Isobel to get a story and that little bit between Reno and Jilly was telling too. I can’t wait.

And JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

There’s not a lot I can say without spoilers so I’ll be general. I loved it. I loved the epilogue. I disagree most vehemently with people who assert Hermione was dumbed down when it was Hermione who saved the trio several times through the book. It’s her quick thinking and spine that really frame the story. In fact, I have to say of all the characters in the book, it’s hers I liked the most this time out.

Rowling tied up the loose story threads quite adeptly. Yes, there’s a lot of death and it’s a dark, dark story. She’s said all along that the books are generally written for the age Harry is in each book and I think for any kids under 15 or so, it might be a bit much although my ten year old is excited to read it and after his father does, I’m sure he will. This is war. This is the end of the world type stuff and Voldemort is a bad dude. It’s no surprise he has people killed, it’s why harry is ready to sacrifice everything to stop him. So for me, it would have been pulling punches to not have it be as violent and dark as it was.

I wish I’d seen more Ginny. The middle lagged a bit and stuff happened off the page that would have been better told on the page while a bunch of stuff told on the page could have been better saved off. But that’s minor compared to the way Rowling tied up 10 years of this story. I’ll miss Harry and his friends very much.