Blessed

Blessed
by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Tantalize, book three

Quincie P. Morris, teen restaurateuse and neophyte vampire, is in the fight of her life -- or undeath. Even as she adjusts to her new appetites, she must clear her best friend and true love, the hybrid werewolf Kieren, of murder charges; thwart the apocalyptic ambitions of Bradley Sanguini, the seductive vampire-chef who "blessed" her; and keep her dead parents’ restaurant up and running. She hires a more homespun chef and adds the preternaturally beautiful Zachary to her wait staff. But with hundreds of new vampires on the rise and Bradley off assuming the powers of Dracula Prime, Zachary soon reveals his true nature -- and a flaming sword -- and they hit the road to staunch the bloodshed before it’s too late. Even if they save the world, will there be time left to salvage Quincie’s soul? (description from Amazon.com)

I thought this was a great wrap-up to the Tantalize storyline. It brought the characters from both Tantalize and Eternal together in a very well done way. I had actually forgotten how much I enjoyed Quincie as a character. She's tough, tough enough that you almost forget how young she is...until she does something that only a teenager would do. It usually ends up working out in her favor, though!

Her relationship with Kieren, muddled by what they each are, is heartwarming. They are beyond devoted to one another. Even when Quincie is presented with a very yummy Guardian Angel, she is never tempted to stray. Speaking of Zachary...his goodness is just so believable. He's not perfect, but he's determined to do the best he can, for himself and everyone around him.

I loved how Smith combined their two destinies. It was really well done. Without getting too spoilery, all I can really say is that they both had their faiths tested and each taught each other quite a bit about life...and death. Their sacrifices were thoughtful and never over the top.

I also just want to mention that it had never occurred to me that in a world of shape-shifters that there would be such a creature as a WerePossum, but apparently there can be...and he was hilarious. Poor guy steps out of his nature to be one brave little Possum and his heroism was truly inspiring!

Full disclosure: ARC received from publisher, audio book received to review for SLJ
2011 Shifter Reading Challenge title

Kiss of Death

Kiss of Death
by Rachel Caine
Morganville Vampires, book 8

Vampire musician, Michael Glass, has attracted the attention of a big-time producer who wants to cut a demo and play some gigs - which means Michael will have to enter the human world. For this, he's been assigned escorts that include both a dangerous immortal as well as Michaels all-too-human friends. And with that mix of personalities, this is going to be a roadtrip from hell... (taken from Amazon.com)

First off, I had not realized how much it had unconsciously begun to bother me that every book in this series took place in one town. I know, I know! That's the whole point of the series, but I ended up feeling the same way when I used to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer on TV. I always wondered how one town was able to contain all that "mess" without just spontaneously combusting?! It helped a little when Buffy went to college...it made a slightly new scene, but I always wondered how no one else in California ever wondered at the huge body count in one small town.

Okay...off the topic a little, I know. I loved that show, but back to the book! I loved that Caine took the gang out of Morganville. Again, I hadn't realized I needed that until she delivered. It was a great choice to move the action to a new location. It put what was going on in the last two books in Morganville into a more worldly perspective.

I loved, also, how each of the characters really grew again in this book. Each, even the one I really disliked earlier in the series, showed new facets to their personalities and Claire especially grew in leaps and bounds in terms of her own self awareness. There was action and revelations galore, but this book was really about character growth, I think.

An excellent addition to the series...I can't wait for Ghost Town!

PS - When I found out who the girl was on the cover, I was "tickled pink!"

Fade Out

Fade Out
The Morganville Vampires: Book 7
By Rachel Caine

Without the evil vampire Bishop ruling over the town of Morganville, the resident vampires have made major concessions to the human population. With their newfound freedoms, Claire Danvers and her friends are almost starting to feel comfortable again...

Now Claire can actually concentrate on her studies, and her friend Eve joins the local theatre company. But when one of Eve's castmates goes missing after starting work on a short documentary, Eve suspects the worst. Claire and Eve soon realize that this film project, whose subject is the vampires themselves, is a whole lot bigger-and way more dangerous-than anyone suspected.

This was a really fun and quick book to read. I love this series! Claire is really developing as a character...growing into her own. I like how Caine manages to make her relationship with Shane very realistic. She's too young to really move in with him and have that intense a relationship, but she feels the same hormonal urges that all teens do and obviously deeply cares for him. The relationships that she is developing with the vampires, especially Myrnin, Oliver and Amelie, are really complex and it's refreshing to see that Caine can make all of her characters flawed, and yet still "lovable," so to speak. I don't want to say anymore for fear that I will spoil the book for other potential readers. Let me just say this book had some good twists and I really enjoyed it!

As usual, I devouring this new book in the series in about 3 hours. I wish they came out more frequently...I know, I know, we all wish that whenever we like a series! There is nothing worse than having to wait an inordinately long time for the next great book.