08/04/2014
This series start from popular author Andrews serves up a refreshing new magical society, excellent world-building, beguiling characters, and strong storytelling. The Osiris serum, discovered in 1863, activated latent human magical talents. In the novel’s alternate present, families with strong magical lineage are now dynasties called Houses, and they rule the world. Nevada Baylor of Houston’s Baylor Investigative Agency is from an ordinary family, meaning she has little magical talent and thus must rely on more mundane abilities to survive. Under contract to an influential House, she reluctantly accepts a mission that will make or break her family’s company. Along the way, she tangles with Mad Rogan, an incredibly powerful scion who renounced his House. Fighting her attraction to Mad Rogan at every step, Nevada must capture the bad guy, unsnarl layers of deception, and come to terms with her own magical heritage if she is to survive. The pace and plot start slowly but soon quicken. Romantic sparks and a tangled mystery make this a lively, impressive series debut. Agency: Nancy Yost Literary Agency. (Nov.)
This week’s Romance Roundup includes a lady on the search for her brother, a rich playboy who wants to settle down, and a woman fighting her way in the manly-man world of trucking.
If your personal theme song is “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” by the Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin, if you’re a shameless workaholic, and if you like to surround yourself with women who are ambitious go-getters, then these ten romances are for you. Filled with impressive heroines who don’t let anything get between themselves and their […]
Urban fantasy is a wonderful genre (and one of my favorites) that blends elements of fantasy and science fiction into a modern, contemporary setting. It’s always fascinating seeing how authors choose to incorporate fantastical elements into a world or setting that feels familiar to readers. While authors like Jim Butcher and Ilona Andrews have created […]
This week’s Romance Roundup includes two estranged sisters who have GOT to let things go, a gently-bred young lady about to go on a pirate adventure, and reunited childhood sweethearts.
My own romance reading is rather varied, but I have a weakness: magic. Psychic abilities, being able to shoot fire from one’s hands, or even just mystical elements is enough for me to give a book a double take. Magic adds an extra, fantastical element to a romance as characters need to contend with their […]