Paranormal, UF, Historical Romance, Something Something Darkside......

That's my little shout out to Family Guy! If you get it great - if not - don't worry about it....lol

Some books don’t fit into a neat little category. As you may have discovered when trying to find your favorite author at the book store. Is it in Romance? Sci-fi? Horror?
Well these two books that I’ll be reviewing blur the lines even further and both do it successfully in my opinion.

Bayou Moon:

Cerise Mar and her unruly clan are cash poor but land rich, claiming a large swathe of the Mire, the Edge swamplands between the state of Louisiana and the Weird. When her parents vanish, her clan’s long-time rivals are suspect number one.
But all is not as it seems. Two nations of the Weird are waging a cold war fought by feint and espionage, and their conflict is about to spill over into the Edge—and Cerise’s life . William, a changeling soldier who left behind the politics of the Weird, has been forced back into service to track down a rival nation’s spymaster.
When William’s and Cerise’s missions lead them to cross paths, sparks fly—but they’ll have to work together if they want to succeed…and survive.

Review:
Is it Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Sci-Fi? Yes. No. Well it’s indefinable and contains elements of all those things. Ilona Andrews calls it “rustic fantasy” and that seems as good as a description as any.
First – let me just say that Ilona Andrews has mad world building skills! I don’t think I’ve read a world written in as much detail as in Bayou Moon. It did threaten to overwhelm me once or twice but I decided to stop thinking and just get absorbed in the action, hoping it would all make sense and it soon did.
As I said Andrews’s really developed the worlds - The Broken, The Weird and The Edge and all their inhabitants, but it’s William and Cerise that make this story. William is a carryover from On the Edge (The Edge, Book 1) in the World of the Edge series. He lost the girl in that book but he more than makes up for it here. He is a very complex character and my heart broke for him as he struggled to accept himself and find a slice of happiness in a world that doesn’t often offer much of that.
Cerise is wonderful also. She has the weight of family responsibilities resting on her young shoulders. She’s been betrayed in the past and doesn’t really have time or the inclination for romance but William is difficult to ignore. And it helps that she can kick ass and wield a sword!
They made an amazing couple and every scene they were in together had my heart pounding. If I had one complaint it would be that sometimes the development of other characters that weren’t essential to the story took away from page time with them. If I knew I would get to see them again in a future book that would have been ok. I liked every single character in this book and particularly Williams’s interactions with them, but I just always wanted more of William and Cerise. That big family of hers kept interrupting at all the wrong times!
I enjoyed being in The World of the Edge again and I hope this series continues. I REALLY hope we can continue with these two as the focus because I felt there was so much more to explore with them and the ending certainly left it open to future adventures.

Rating: 3.5 out of 4
Bayou Moon is out today! Order hereBayou Moon (The Edge, Book 2)


Go to http://www.ilona-andrews.com/ for an interesting post of how Bayou Moon began and how William became the inspiration.

My pal Tiger from All Consuming Books will be back in a few weeks with a full review for Bayou Moon.
Thank you to Ilona Andrews and Ace Publishing for sending Bayou Moon for review.


 Scoundrel by Zoe Archer
London Harcourt's father is bent on subjugating the world's magic to British rule. But since London is a mere female, he hasn't bothered to tell her so. He's said only that he's leading a voyage to the Greek isles. No matter, after a smothering marriage and three years of straitlaced widowhood, London jumps at the opportunity - unfortunately, right into the arms of Bennett Day. Bennett is a ladies' man, when he's not dodging lethal attacks to protect the powers of the ancients from men like London's father. Sometimes, he's a ladies' man even when he is dodging them. But the minute he sees London he knows she will require his full attention. The woman is lovely, brilliant, and the only known speaker of a dialect of ancient Greek that holds the key to calling down the wrath of the gods. Bennett will be risking his life again - but around London, what really worries him is the danger to his heart...

Review:
I have been enjoying this difficult to categorize series (a blend of historical romance, paranormal and action adventure) and Scoundrel is my absolute favorite so far! I love everything about this book. From the incredibly sexy Bennett, the romance, to the setting of Greece - this is one exciting ride.
Bennett is the scoundrel in question when he stumbles upon London Harcourt. He rides in to save the damsel in distress but of course as with all of Zoe’s books, London can take care of herself. In fact she can be of more help to Bennett and his cause than he is to her. Bennett is smitten. They embark on a casual romance, neither wanting to be tied down but as you know that never works out very well….lol
But here’s the twist, Bennett is a member of the Blades of the Rose, a group that protects the world’s magic from people who would use it for evil purposes. London is the daughter of the enemy – the Heirs. Her knowledge can help the Blades but in doing so she will betray her father.
Aside from the smart, action packed, sexy tale that I have come to expect in Zoe’s stories, Scoundrel gave me a relationship that I felt invested in. Bennett and London have very definite ideas going in to their relationship and have to make some tough choices if they want to take it further than just a fling. There comes a time that a decision needs to be made. Will Bennett be able to commit to just one woman? Even if she is the enemies daughter? And will London turn her back on her family to be with the man she loves? These two sizzle right off the page! They have some very hot scenes together but what differentiates this couple is the crackling emotion between them whenever they are together. I loved them.
The fact that Bennett's greatest enemy is actually evil and is also London's father adds an element of real danger that doesn't often exsist in this type of book.
Thalia from Warrior is still my favorite heroine in the Blades series so far, but London has her own strengths and is great match for Bennett. She loves him but isn’t clingy and is willing to be on her own if need be. Bennett….ahhh…..I love him. Scoundrel = auto love in my book but he is upfront about his intentions with the women he is involved with and once he realizes how he feels about London he doesn’t play games.
Scoundrel will be coming out October 1st. Go read Warrior so you’ll be ready for Scoundrel! Zoe will be stopping back at For What It’s Worth in October for an interview and a giveaway!
You can read my review of Warrior HERE and Zoe's guest post HERE (note: the contest in that post has ended)

Rating: 4 out of 4

Pre-order here!Scoundrel (The Blades of the Rose)