Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

www.jeanienefrost.com

Released: October 2007

Halfway to the Grave is the first novel in the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost. I purchased this novel at one point because it was featured and recommended by some form of media (which I now don't remember) as being one of the best paranormal romance novels. I'm glad I listened, because Halfway to the Grave lives up to its hype, and I've already added the next book in the Night Huntress series to my reading wish list.

Catherine "Cat" Crawfield is half-human, half-vampire - the result of an unwanted coupling between her mother and the vampire who raped her. These days, the 22-year-old red-haired vixen spends most of her nights hunting and killing vampires to fulfill her mother's wishes of killing off the entire vampire race.

Covet: A Novel of the Fallen Angels by J.R. Ward

www.jrward.com

Released: September 2009

Covet is the first book in the Fallen Angels series by J.R. Ward, who also writes the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

I discovered Covet after reviewing various lists of "top erotica novels" on Goodreads.com (what can I say, I was hankering for a saucy erotica novel!), and found that J.R. Ward novels were constantly ranking high on every list. The following Friday, I visited my local bookstore to hunt down and buy a copy of Covet, and wow - haven't come to regret it in the least.

The cover for Covet, as you can see above, sort of makes the novel look like a cheesy, sappy bodice-ripper romance, but let me tell you: DON'T BE FOOLED. Covet is far classier than the cover makes it out to be, so just this once, don't judge a book by its cover (don't lie, I know you still judge most books by their covers!).

The Burning Air by Erin Kelly

www.erinkelly.co.uk

Released: February 2013

I received The Burning Air for review in the mail a little over a month ago, and after having read this novel, I regret that I allowed the book to sit on my shelf for as long as I did - what a thrilling and fun read!!

The synopsis of the book as printed on the cover initially gave me a different impression of how the novel would turn out. Here's my version of the synopsis:

The MacBride family has always lived an upper-class life. Rowan MacBride, the patriarch of the family, is an administrator at the prominent Saxby Cathedral School in England, and his wife, Lydia MacBride, is a magistrate. Their three children - Sophie, Tara, and Felix - have never wanted for anything, and have received fine educations at their father's school, tuition-free of course.

Teach Me by R.A. Nelson

www.ranelsonbooks.com

Released: August 2005

Teach Me is R.A. Nelson's first novel, which has won a number of children and teen's book awards, including Best Teen Novel. Teach Me initially caught my eye because I've always been drawn to the taboo story about a love affair between teacher and student.

Sadly, I can't say that my high school ever had sexy or desirable teachers, so books of this nature always manage to fill that empty spot in my heart reserved for books featuring impossible high school cliches: such as handsome and sexy bad-boy jocks that fall for smart band nerds (never happens), aspiring journalists who publish the one article in the school newspaper that changes the way every other student thinks (definitely never happens), and your best friend of the opposite sex who has been madly in love with you for years, and you've never managed to see it...

Rocky Mountain Fugitive by Ann Voss Peterson

www.annvosspeterson.com

Released: April 2010

I chose to read Rocky Mountain Fugitive this month because it fulfills the March keyword reading challenge here at Bookmark to Blog ("mountain" was a March keyword).

Initially, my book for the March reading challenge was Street Magic by Caitlin Kittredge ("magic" was another March keyword), but I just couldn't handle the fantasy, and chose to discard that particular novel.

I purchased a bundle of these Harlequin Intrigue novels months ago while on a major romance binge. I rarely read romance, but sometimes I need a break from the more severe literary novels, and from all the horror novels I frequently read. These short Harlequins are just a small enough dose of romance and innocence to satisfy me for a few days before I dive back into intense reading.

Death of a Dustman by M.C. Beaton

www.Amazon.com

Released: March 2001

Death of a Dustman is the sixteenth book in the Hamish Macbeth cozy mystery series by M.C. Beaton.

In Death of a Dustman (a dustman, by the way, is the British equivalent to a garbage man or trash collector here in the U.S.), an abusive jerk husband and dustman by the name of Fergus Macleod is found dead in a trash bin. After some investigating, Hamish realizes that Fergus had been using trash evidence to blackmail a number of people in his local town of Lochdubh.

Of course, Hamish has his work cut out for him as always, as he must narrow down the list of murder suspects - which is basically the entire town of Lochdubh.