Tag: Jeri Smith-Ready

What I Read Last Week

Posted May 10, 2010 by Tracy in Features | 14 Comments

I hope you all had a great week last week.  My week was relatively quiet – until my oldest daughter decided to wake me up at the butt crack of dawn on both days this past weekend.  Death to the television.  Ok, not death – but maybe some headphones so she can watch movies at 7am and I won’t have to hear them! Or earplugs for myself! lol
Not much happening in life right now so I’ll get right to the books:

This was actually a book I read week before last but forgot to mention – Silent Blade by Ilona Andrews. Very good story about an assassin and the man who falls in love with her. 4 out of 5

My first read was Tall, Dark and Wolfish by Lydia Dare.  This is book 2 in the the Westfield brothers trilogy.  Unlike book 1, where the hero lied about his Lycan side, Ben came clean pretty quickly about what he was.  He shared a bond with Elspeth and I really liked their relationship.  Good book.  You can read my review at the Book Binge here. 4.25 out of 5

Next was another free read from the GLBT Bookshelf called Crimes of Passion by Mel Keegan.  A short story about the in-laws coming to visit.  Brad and Frank are happily co-habitating when Frank gets word from his parents that they’re coming to visit.  Frank freaks out and Brad can’t seem to figure out what the hell is wrong with the ‘rents as they sound fine on paper.  Yeah, not so fine in person.  Cute, funny short.  4 out of 5

Dancing in the Dark by Jennifer Dunne is a novella I read for The Book Binge.  The story is about a woman who gets invited to a Halloween party at the opera house where she volunteers.  She decides to go as a slave girl and orders a costume online sight unseen.  She gets the costume and it’s a bdsm slave girl costume.  She wears it anyway and decides to become a slave to a man she meets at the party.  You can read my review here. 3.5 out of 5

Next up was Finding Home by Cameron Dane.  A book where I loved the first part of the book and the second part – not so much.  You can read my review here.  3.5 out of 5

One of my FTSP reads for the week was Pack Enforcer by Crissy Smith – book 2 in the Were Chronicles series.  This is set in the same world as book 1 but deals with people from another pack than book 1.  Unfortunately it’s been some time since I read book 1 so I had to really stop and think about who these people were.  I figured it out and enjoyed the story. Werewolf man denying his feelings toward his mate – misinterpreting something that happened while he was away and then regretting his actions.  Good story. 3.75 out of 5

Out of the Blue by Josh Lanyon was my next read and one of my Tracy’s TBR Challenge Reads.  This was a story about fighter pilots in WWI.  The story of Bat who is grieving for his love who was killed in a air fight.  Now he’s being blackmailed into having sex with another pilot.  As much as I was angered at Cowboy for blackmailing Bat I just knew that there were underlying feelings on Cowboy’s part.  The story was incredibly good.  The action and fight scenes had me on the edge of my seat and yet the stories of the other pilots dying every day had me tearing up.  Just a great novella.  4.5 out of 5

Wicked Becomes You by Meredith Duran has been a book that I’ve really been looking forward to.  Unfortunately while a good story I didn’t love it.  Gwen, jilted twice at the altar, decides that there will be no more Miss Nice Girl and decides to be Wicked.  She is aided in this by family friend Alex.  I couldn’t feel the connection with Gwen and Alex on anything more than a superficial level.  Alex was an ass most of the time until the end and by then, for me, it was too late.  I think Ana from The Book Smugglers spoke my thoughts perfectly in her review here.  3.5 out of 5

The Reawakened by Jeri Smth-Ready is the 3rd book in the Aspect of Crow Trilogy.  Why this book sat on my shelf for so long is beyond me.  It was so damned good!  I loved this trilogy on so many levels.  This book takes place 18 years after book 2 but is no less powerful.  We see how life has changed for Rhia and Marek, their children and their friends and family.  Just a wonderful read.  5 out of 5 (also part of my FTSP)

Another series finished! Woohoo! The Legend of the Four Soldiers series by Elizabeth Hoyt was completed this weekend by reading To Desire A Devil and loving it.  The story of Reynaud – who was thought dead. His fellow soldiers had seen him burn and when he returns after 7 years they don’t know what to make of it.  On top of that his father has died which means he’s the new Earl – but when he was presumed dead the title was given to someone else.  He’s determined to get the title back and keep his cousin (by marriage), Beatrice, with him forever.  Great end to the series.  Loved Reynaud and his possessiveness.  Sometimes that can go over the line but it didn’t in this book, at least for me, and I was digging it. 4.5 out of 5

Reasons by Tracy Fabre was a book I read for The Book Binge.  The story of a woman who goes back to a ranch in Colorado where family friends, the Laughlin’s live.  Only she’s found out that the car that hit her 9 years ago in a hit and run was driven by one of the sons of the Laughlin’s.  Good story.  Witty dialogue. An engaging read of family secrets and new love.  4 out of 5

And last was a yaoi manga – A Foreign Love Affair by Ayano Yamane.  Great graphics.  The story was ok – about the 3rd highest in a yakuza family that was on a cruise and had just gotten married to a woman who he didn’t even like and she certainly didn’t like him either.  He was old fashioned and wore kimono’s.  The ship captain had a thing for Japan so was instantly drawn to him.  I couldn’t figure out if the Italian captain liked Ranmura or just the fact that he was Japanese. 3.5 out of 5


Happy Reading!

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Some Thoughts on Bad to the Bone by Jeri Smith-Ready

Posted June 17, 2009 by Tracy in Reviews | 5 Comments

For Halloween, WVMP is throwing a bash sure to raise the dead. They’ve got cool tunes, hot costumes, killer cocktails—what could go wrong? Well, for starters, a religious firebrand ranting against the evils of the occult preempts the station’s midnight broadcast. Then, when Ciara tracks down the illegal transmission, the broadcast tower is guarded by what appears to be…a canine vampire? And behind it all is a group of self-righteous radicals who think vampires suck (and are willing to stake their lives on it).

Now Ciara must protect the station while struggling with her own murky relationship issues, her best friend’s unlikely romance with a fledgling vampire, and the nature of her mysterious anti-holy powers. To make it to New Year’s in one piece, she’ll need to learn a few new tricks.…

I loved the premise of this book. Ciara and the vamps are looking for the group/person that is backing the Family Action Network. Who was behind FAN and why were they blocking the radio transmissions whenever a female vocalist played or the only female DJ talked. There was so much going on in the book I can’t possibly narrow it down but it kept my attention that was for sure.

Then there was Shane who was as wonderful, protective, loving toward Ciara and OCD as ever. I just love how his character is developed. Yes he has his issues but I think he’s a incredible person.

Ciara, as a vamp protector and investigator was great. In those roles I loved her. But in her personal life, not so much. I know that she is still growing and trying to figure out who she is but at times I had a hard time relating to her. By the end of the book though she did seem to get more of a grasp on what she wanted in her life. I’m hoping for the next book she’s a tad more stable. 🙂

And then there was Dexter: vamp dog extraordinaire. I loved that dog. He was abandoned and saved by Ciara and I want him for my own. He was a fabulous addition to the cast of characters and I’ll definitely want to see him stick around.

As usual I loved Ms. Smith-Ready’s writing – she truly knows how to suck you in and not let go. Although we got a small glimpse into Regina’s life during this life I do hope that we’ll see more into the lives of the other vamps in future books.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

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What I’ve Been Reading This Week

Posted June 15, 2009 by Tracy in Features | 15 Comments

Another late post but this one wasn’t my fault…no, really, it wasn’t! We were having computer problems at home and things were wonky. Our back-up recovery drive wasn’t working and it was pretty much not letting us do anything else. So. Frustrating.

Anyway, I read a lot this week and read some pretty darned good books:

First up: How could I end last week’s reading with It Happened One Autumn and not immediately pick up The Devil In Winter by Lisa Kleypas? I couldn’t! I grabbed that puppy up and devoured it in a day. Sebastian and Evie were a wonderful couple and I loved reading about their story. 4.25 out of 5.
Oh, btw, if you’d like to see a wedding between Ana and Sebastian check out DIK for the next few days. Will the wedding actually happen? We’ll have to wait and see! Here’s the first post.

I of course then marched right into Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas. I really loved this whole series. The men, the women…sigh…just good romance. Daisy and Matthew were wonderful together and frankly, while I found Lillian a little annoying about the whole deal I just ignored her and moved on, as her sister did. 4.25 out of 5

Next for me was ChildsPrey2: Winter Song by Barbara Sheridan and Anne Cain. I read book 3 in this series a couple of months ago and this is book 2 in the ChildsPrey series. This is a novella about Jun and Koji, fellow band members and good friends. Koji has been in love with Jun forever but with Jun’s depression about his failed marriage things aren’t going the way Koji would like. He decides to book a little getaway for them to get Jun away from his house and to hopefully get Koji into Jun’s bed. This was a very sweet m/m story and I very much enjoyed it. 4 out of 5


My next read was Hot in Here by Sophie Renwick. This was a book that I read for The Book Binge so I’ll let you know when the review posts.


Finding Farro by Amber Kell was next. This was the next alphabetical short installment in her Moon Pack series. Definitely better than some of the other books. It was supposed to be the story about Farro and I assumed him finding his mate. The story was more about the Alpha of the pack, Silver, and his mate Anthony. While there was a story line did involve Farro it was a tad disappointing to not have more of him in it but still pretty darned good. 3.75 out of 5

Another Amber Kell short was Bonding with Graven. A vampire, Graven, is looking for his mate and Steerl is taking his sister to a gathering to see if she is his mate. Turns out that Steerl is the mate. This was a very short story that was just ok. It was a very abbreviated story (16 pages) so it was hard to make a decision about the story or the relationship one way or the other. 3 out of 5


Raw Footage by Katie Allen was story that I started a while back and finally finished this week. It was a story about 2 neighbors coming together to try to save one of their brothers. Cute, hot, sexy. 3.5 out of 5


Bad to the Bone by Jeri Smith-Ready was my next read. I jotted down some thoughts about the book and will post them in a couple of days.


A Weaver Wedding by Allison Leigh was next. I was sent the book for a Tell Harlequin discussion and have decided that it will be my Year of the Category Challenge Read for the month. I love how that works out. lol So I’ll post my review for it on the 23rd.


Let’s see my next read was Cowboys Dream Too by Morgan Q. O’Reilly. This was another read for The Book Binge I started it a while ago but finally got around to finishing it this weekend. I’ll let you know when the review posts.

And last but by no means least was Chrissy Munder’s Drive Me Home. I had read some reviews of Chrissy’s books over at Well Read and after reading an interview that Jen did with the author I purchased this book. I have to say I really, really liked it. It was soooo not a story that I would normally read but it was great. Eric is the main character and the book is told from his point of veiw most of the time. Eric is completely screwed up from the deaths of his father and brother and an ensuing court case involving his sister-in-law and niece. He’s roamed around and managed to land in Las Vegas where he becomes a limo driver. He finds himself attracted to 2 men, so very different from each other, and the book is more or less about him trying to figure out who he cares more about. There were definite things about the book that I didn’t care for but I loved Chrissy’s writing and descriptions of Las Vegas as well as descriptions of Eric and what he was going through. I would definitely recommend this one. 4.25 out of 5

Happy Reading!

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Review & Discussion: Voice of Crow by Jeri Smith-Ready

Posted January 29, 2009 by Tracy in Reviews | 17 Comments

In pain, in fear, in longing and surprise; with every death Rhia hears the cries of the departed. This ‘gift’ from the ancient and mysterious Crow gives Rhia an intimate connection to death. One she’s fought to repress as she tries to create a normal life.

But those chosen by the spirits can never be normal. Rhia has glimpsed the future of her newborn son; a child who is stolen from her. And if she must deaden her heart to the living and wander the world of the departed to retrieve him, then so be it.

For her family and her people, Rhia would sacrifice anything. And Crow knows it.

We join Rhia and Marek in the second book just days after the 1st book ended. They’ve battled the Descendants, the people of Ilios, and are now going back to Kalindos so Rhia can be further tutored in her powers. Her second stage powers, now that she’s pregnant. When they arrive they find that the Descendants have been to Kalindos and either killed or kidnapped the inhabitants of the small village. While dealing with death the survivors are figuring out how soon they can get to Ilios and retrieve their families.

Meanwhile there are Ilions in Asermos recovering form the battle. One man in particular, Filip has been severely wounded and cannot go home for if he does he will disgrace his family with his injury, yet he doesn’t feel comfortable in Asermos. When he starts to have powers from his spirit it really confuses him. He befriends a Kalindon, Alanka, and they find attraction and mutual respect.
Kalindon’s and Asermon’s come together to travel to Ilios after Rhia’s infant is kidnapped and the Descendants end up taking Rhia’s husband Marek as well. Marek becomes a slave in Ilios and starts to lose hope that he will ever get free with his son.

It’s also been foretold that a person with the Aspect of Raven – the ultimate spirit which has never been bestowed on anyone – will be born. Who could it be?
This book was incredible. I thought the first book was amazing, but the second book is just as good in a completely different way. It is a pretty dark book and sometimes disturbing but I can’t say enough about how wonderful it is.
Amy from Romance Book Wyrm, who sent me the Aspect of Crow trilogy for Christmas, was nice enough to discuss the books with me via email.
Tracy: So I know you like fantasy books but what originally drew you to this book?

Amy: What drew me to Jeri’s Aspect of Crow trilogy was the fact that she used the animal spirits. Of course I had to read them, since I used that same idea when I dabbled in a little of my own writing. I thought it was neat to see someone else find animal spirits interesting enough to write about. I loved the trilogy so much that I wanted to share them with a few of my friends. And you came immediately to mind because I know you loved the Black Jewels trilogy and figured you’d love this one too.

Tracy: Well you certainly got me hooked on the books that’s for sure. After reading the first book (Eyes of Crow) I wanted to delve right into the second one, but I did wait a few weeks. The second book was much darker than the first and my God it was hard to read in some places.

First let me say that it was very cool to see Marek and Rhia still together and going strong at the start of the second book. I wasn’t sure where Jeri would pick the story line back up and it was great that there was only a few days lapse. Of course right off the bat the darkness begins. But Jeri, she does it with such feeling and emotion that you can’t help but be sucked right into the story!

Amy: I am so glad that you’re hooked, and that you haven’t read the first two wondering what the hell I found so fantastic about them! I’m not crazy…They are awesome books!

Yes, Voice does have darker moments than Eyes of Crow had, but that’s what makes it so good. Jeri didn’t sugar coat anything and she didn’t lighten the mood to appease anyone. She wrote it honestly and that is what set this apart for me. Of course, it has a happy ending! But you never once felt it, which in turn keeps you turning the pages!! Some books lose their appeal because you know the happy ending is there. There were scenes with Marek later in the story that were very hard to read, but we’ll get to that.

What did you think of Filip? I thought his role, being an Ilion, but later rediscovering himself and his relationship with Alanka, wasperfect. It added a nice layer to the overall story with the turmoil between the Spirit people and the Ilions (I asked (Jeri) if there was a name for the spirit people but there isn’t one!)

Tracy: Filip was interesting because he truly couldn’t figure out where he should be. He couldn’t go back to Ilios but yet he didn’t feel comfortable with people in Asermos either. All of these characters are written so well because you can just feel what they’re feeling. I was as indecisive as Filip was about his role in everything! lol But I thought he made the right decision for himself in the end.

No, Jeri certainly didn’t sugar coat a thing. When Rhia’s child gets kidnapped I just kept thinking that it truly wasn’t going to happen – even though I knew it would because of the blurb on the back of the book. But I kept expecting something or someone to save the day. That didn’t happen and it’s what makes this book stand out in my mind.

Now would you really call this an HEA ending? Happy things happened but it kind of kept me on edge for the next book and holy cow what’s gonna happen next???

Amy: Well, maybe I wouldn’t say it had a traditional HEA, but I felt it did have a happily ever after for now. There is still much to happen in the overall story ARC. Each book is like the beginning, middle and end. It’s like one story separated into three books, even though The Reawakened takes place 18 years later. But yes, the issues that drove Voice were resolved by the end…Nilik and Marek were reunited with Rhia…Alanka and Filip have their beautiful romance that is solid by the end…and they rescued some of the Kalindons at the end. Some of them have main roles in the next book, btw :). So yes, overall I feel there was a definite sense of peace by the end. Certainly you could feel the story wasn’t over, but a lull in the war that is still looming.

Now, I have to ask, since it is something that Jeri had as a question for a contest she had for The Reawakened. Who do you think Raven is? The Spirit people are relying on Raven to help them through the Ilion war that is in their future. But Raven has never bestowed her aspect. What do you think? I know, but I’m not telling. What I will say is Jeri does not lose her ability to tell a superb story and you’ll know when you read the last book what I mean!

Tracy: Wow I had no idea that there was such a jump in time to the next book. But I guess it makes sense with the Raven and all. Who do I think the Raven is? Well I think it’s Nilik, Rhia’s son, but that would just be too easy! lol! In the dream that the Asermons and Kalindons were having, the Raven did drop from a Crow so who knows – maybe it was Damen’s (a friend of Rhia’s) child. I just don’t know! Oh, the pressure! lol

You’re right there is a beginning, middle and end to both of the first two books and they have they’re own HEA’s in a manner of speaking. I think since the story doesn’t actually END it just felt good, but different for me (than a traditional HEA), but certainly not in a bad way. I really can’t wait to read the next book – although with other obligations I’ll have to for a couple of weeks.

Amy: I would love to discuss the third book with you when you get a chance to read it. There are so many things in that one too, but I think it is less emotional than Voice of Crow. There are truly some unique things going on in The Reawakened and I’m very excited for you to read it and share your thoughts again!

Tracy: Amy, thank you so much for having this discussion with me. You’ve added another “voice” to my review and I so appreciate it!

Rating: 5 out of 5

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What I’ve Been Reading This Week

Posted January 26, 2009 by Tracy in Features | 8 Comments

Crazy, crazy week folks. I’m hoping next week is calmer and more relaxing – my Valium deep breathing exercises should help with that.

I just spent some time reading Emily Windsnap and the Monster of the Deep by Liz Kessler. Pretty cute book. My daughter got it for a scrapbook project she has to do for school – she had to pick a fantasy book that hadn’t been made into a movie. I liked that the teacher put those restrictions on it. Anyway, my daughter was soooo confused about how she was supposed to write a journal entry after she finished…just not good at piecing events together, my daughter. So I ended up reading the book so I could help her. Was a nice end to my reading week. 🙂

Anyway – on to the ADULT books I read this week (much more interesting)…

Kiss Of A Demon King by Kresley Cole. Loved it, loved it, loved it. Did I mentioned I loved it? Yeah, well, I did. Review below if you want more than that. lol

The Rancher’s Rules by Lucy Monroe. A category romance I read for Kmont’s category challenge. My review post will be up on Tuesday if I remember correctly.

Voice of Crow by Jeri Smith-Ready. The second book in the Aspect of Crow trilogy and it was damned good. Holy cow it’s just an amazing series. I’ll be posting a review and discussion later this week.

Take A Chance On Me by Susan Donovan was a great lighthearted read after my last read. Lawyer who kind of looks like a really hot thug goes to the vet/behaviorist with a Chinese Crested that he inherited at a crime scene. He and the vet hit it off but as much as Thug Lawyer doesn’t want to get involved with Vet he can’t seem to help himself. It was a totally cute book and I enjoyed it a lot. We even got a little insight from the Chinese Crested: Hairy. Too funny.


Moonlight Protector by Jessica Coulter Smith. This is book 1 in the Ashton Grove werewolf series. I read this one for The Book Binge so you’ll have to wait on the review. Aren’t I mean?


Winterbourne by Susan Carroll was my re-read for the month of January. My review will be up Saturday (I had previously said Sunday – I was wrong!) as requested but let me say that I loved it as much the second time as I did the first. Obviously it didn’t have the “surprise” factor with the events that you get when reading a book for the first time but sigh I just love it. I know there are those that don’t feel the same way but surprisingly, I still talk to them. lol

Anyway, have a great week! Oh and there are no links because I’m lazy tonight and I’m still trying to figure out what to do on DIK tomorrow. Oh yeah…I’m on DIK for the next three days (with a special guest on Tuesday) so visit me there as well!

Happy Reading!

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