I’m sorry to say Ms. Hamilton just doesn’t have it anymore. What began as a great series has become an uninspiring and confusing mess. The characters spend the entire book discussing their supernatural powers, interrupted only by incredibly uninteresting sex scenes. Although I simply don’t find Anita Blake interesting anymore, my completist personality will of course compel me to suffer through her next book anyway.

I enjoyed Douglass’ “Threshold” a few years ago and looked forward to trying some of her series. This is the first book in the series “The Crucible,” which takes place in the 14th century in the years following The Black Plague, an interesting and turbulent period in Europe. Thomas, a Dominican friar, is visited by St. Michael, who tells him that demons abound in Europe and that it is his life’s task to stop them. Although I didn’t love it, I’ll definitely finish the series. Another wonderful book that takes place during this time period is “Katherine” by Anya Seton.

I surprised myself at how well I enjoyed this book about the production of a television program bringing American culture, values and, yes, meat into Japanese households. Although it is a work of fiction, if even a fraction of the information presented about the US beef industry in the book is true, we should be terrified.

This is the tale of The Beast—that is, what happened to him before he met Beauty. The world is so vividly depicted I could amost see and taste the world Donna Jo Napoli describes. I wish there was such great Teen Fiction being published when I was a teenager!

This is Zettel’s third book in her Camelot series in which we learn the stories of some of the more peripheral characters in Arthurian legend. After her father’s murder by her own brother, Lynet journeys to Camelot to beg the queen’s assistance in restoring order to her homeland. I didn’t enjoy this story as much as the first two, but it’s still worth a read, especially if you enjoy retellings of ancient tales.

The Dawnfield family returns in this second book of magic and political conflict in the fictional land of Aronsdale. Chime and Muller’s daughter Melody (Mel) has grown into a beautiful, headstrong young woman. To prevent an army from the neighboring Misted Cliffs from invading her homeland, she agrees to wed Cobalt Escar, son of Varquelle, ruler of the Misted Cliffs. Despite the cruelty and darkness in the Escar family, Mel is able to find a seed of good in Cobalt and begins to nurture it. Varquelle and Cobalt, however, are not satisfied in their desire for conquest. I recommend this book to fans of romantic fantasy. However, many of the characters are quite two-dimensional and predictable.

At the age of 18, Miranda has been invited by wealthy distant cousin Nicholas Van Ryn, whom she’s never met, to move to his estate and serve as governess to his young daughter. Initially, it seems like a wonderful opportunity to learn and experience life of a different social standing to Miranda, who grew up on a farm. Before long, however, she finds herself attracted to Nicholas and, despite the presence of his gluttonous wife, the sentiment appears to be mutual. This is one of Anya Seton’s earlier works and focuses less on historical events than some of her other books, but I still recommend it.

Rebecca is recuperating in Nepal after a mountain climbing accident when she learns that Therese, the daughter she gave up for adoption thirteen years ago, is suspected of setting the fire that killed her adoptive mother. She concludes that her best chance of helping Therese is to reappear in her life as a nanny, telling no one her real identity. Rebecca soon realizes that something is not quite right with the entire family. Unfortunately, Marius Gabriel is not at his finest in this book. The first three quarters were excellent, with a fantastic buildup of suspense and intrigue. The ending was a bit of a let-down, and it felt incongruous with respect to the rest of the book.

Another superb tale by Marius Gabriel. Having enjoyed “The Original Sin,” I was interested in sampling more of his work. Upon initially reading the cover flap, I wasn’t sure if I could get into this story of Francine, a woman who survives WWII experiences in southeast Asia but tragically loses her young daughter. I don’t have any special interest in war stories or Asia. However, any reservations I had disappeared as I was quickly sucked into the story. It’s very unfortunate that many of Marius Gabriel’s books are no longer in print.

A cute, fun, action-packed and romantic tale that takes place on a movie set where Lucy, the new director, has been hired mid-production to finish up shooting the stunt scenes. With a handsome Green Beret on the set, as well as her ex-husband, she has no idea what she’s truly in for! Having just the right amount of fluff, this would make a great beach/vacation read.