Another decent entry in the popular series...
928162
Not the best of this long comic mystery series, but not the worst, either. I grew up in Trenton NJ, the location of all the "Stephanie Plum" novels, and enjoy recognizing the barely disguised neighborhoods, streets, colleges, hospitals and chicken restaurants that were even there in my youth in the '50's and 60's. I moved away in 1971, but the character and diversity of the residents of Mercer County have always been well-captured by Janet. I got my copy from the library because in retirement, my book budget is miniscule. All of the Plum tales are quick reads and almost all are worth the few hours it takes to live in Stephanie's world of friends, enemies, lovers, co-workers and car disasters.
3789078
3.5 Stars 

This is a solid entry into the Eternity Springs series. This time the focus is on Caitlin (part of the second generation for the series) and Josh. If you have followed the series, Caitlin is a character that youve met several times in the books for her parents and brother. Josh is newer to town, but was a secondary character in his foster brother, Bricks, story.
The First KISS of Spring follows the established pattern for books in the series. But, while there are no surprises in the real flow of the book, our characters have a few things up their sleeves. The dynamic and likeable characters are what keep this series fresh as it continues with book 14.
The fact that Ms March focus of a smaller group of towns folk for the secondary cast helps as well, it keeps the secondary characters impactful without letting them overwhelm the core couple.
Well written, this continues the theme for the series. That love, family, and friends can help heal the worst of our wounds - when we give things a chance.
4949324
To recap (for those who don't read every one of my reviews, because I've heard that there are a few of you out there) I really didn't like the first book, "Guilty Pleasures."  I thought that book two, "The Laughing Corpse" got a little better.  This installment of the series seems to have finally hit some sort of stride.  It is far from perfect, but I enjoyed this one more than the previous two.

I felt that there were fewer things that came up out of nowhere (such as the Deus Ex Machina villain in book one) and I felt mostly satisfied with the characterization.  I thought that the inclusion of a new Animator and an extremely ancient vampire were interesting.  Overall, this novel seemed to flow better than the previous two.

I did have a few problems with the book, however.  The characters were drawn well, but their actions did not always seem consistent with previous books (didn't the bounty hunter still have a contract on the Master of the City?).  Some things still seemed thrown in with no regard for plot (okay, so why was one of the new characters naked when we first meet him?).  And I would still like a better analysis of the world this story is set in (what, exactly, are the first two marks?  where did vamps come from?  are they evil?  if not, why do crosses burn them?).

In short, this series does not seem to be terrible.  It can kill some time and satisfy a vampire craving.  However, don't expect the intelligence or depth of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the intriguing ambiguity of Anne Rice.  I don't know where the series will go from here, but so far it's kind of fun.  Maybe not fun enough to get me to read the rest of them, but we'll see. :)
4080685
A nice contribution to the series. Not the best, not the worst. I enjoy the series as a whole and this one was good enough to reread in the future.
3954159
I am almost done with this addition to the series.  I have just now read some of the rather harsh reviews and would like to offer a rebuttal.  I fancy myself a discriminating and experienced fantasy reader.  Quite frankly I was not all that fond of Salvatore's original works and latest series.  I have really enjoyed this series, though.  While this may not be the strongest title in the series it is certainly worth reading if you have read the others.  I did not find any serious inconsistencies between this book and the previous ones in the series, as other reviewers have noted.  There were a lot of distracting typos and editorial errors, though.  I thought the authorship was quite good and in line with the rest of the series up to this point.  This is very predictable reading, but it is intended as such.  It is meant to be a linear and entertaining action-based novel.  You will find that, as with all of Salvatore's works, and inspired works apparently, there is absolutely no consequence to anything that the main characters do - and nothing bad ever befalls them.  This makes the story predictable.  In all I found this an enjoyable read, and not at all poorly authored as others have criticized.  If you have read the first three you would do yourself a disservice to balk at this one due to a few bad reviews.
843880
For readers of the "library lover's series," this book is enjoyable, but in my opinion, it is not the best in the series.  Much of the action and plot center around an upcoming local production of Shakespeare--the rehearsals, costumes, sets, and related activities.  It's enough to make a coherent plot, but overall I didn't find this installment quite as compelling as the previous ones.  It's a series worth following though, and there were some original elements to the plot of this one, so it is still a worthwhile contribution to the series.
7229
Another solid entry in the series. As always, he does a good job of winding the tension machine up and letting it play out amongst various plot threads, with the usual mix of solid insights and writing.

If you enjoyed his other novels you will enjoy this one. Not perfect, not quite as over the top as the climax of 13 hours - which is good - but not quite as tense either ... Both realistic and mundane and almost a letdown when the all too human answers come spilling out at the end.

The Xandra relationship works well in the details as two alcoholics struggle together, but seem off in a few other ways as a policeman dates his singing idol in ways that don't quite resonate.

But still solid.
2272734
Another solid entry in this series.  Not spectacular, not terrible.

There is a fair bit of authorial intrusion where Castle tells the readers things the POV character couldn't know.  Example: In one place he tells us Nikki isn't aware of the character walking alongside her.  But since we are (supposedly) in Nikkis POV, we cant know what she isn't aware is happening.

There were plenty of production errors in this book.  The most glaring one: 'Breaks' are interruptions in the continuity of things.  'Brakes' are things that stop cars, trucks, trains, and planes.  Getting it wrong once can happen.  Getting it wrong twice is inexcusable.

And there is no such thing as a Cadillac Escalade with an extended cab.  The Escalade is a full-sized SUV built on the same chassis platform as the Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon.  And the Escalade Sport Utility Truck comes only with a 4-door cab.  A two-second Google search would have prevented this blatant mistake.

The ending here feels a bit rushed and the follow-up drags a bit too long.

This book is another example of Amazon amazing ability to tell me on their website how many pages are in a book but amazing inability to number the pages in the download of that book.  If you can page number some books, Amazon, why cant you page number them all?
2703545
Certainly not my favorite installment in this series, but it's still a worthy entry.

Myla is still the Great Scala and being married to Prince Lincoln, this now puts her in line for the Thrax throne alongside her husband.  Now married with a highly precocious three year old named Maxon, Myla and Lincoln divide their time between Antrum and Purgatory; each one still has duties that need tending to in both areas, more so Myla as the Great Scala.  Myla has begun to have nightmares involving the igni.  She can hear them in her dreams, they are incredibly frightened and manage to pass along a cryptic message to her involving Maxon, Hell, and Armageddon.  While the details are unclear, Myla knows this is bound to be her biggest battle to date.

One of my personal grievances with this series was and still is the passage of time.  In between books one and two, 6 months (I think) had passed between the two books.  Acceptable, yes, but the amount of growth shown by each character doesn't seem feasible for only 6 months.  In this installment, 5 whole years have passed between books 2 and 3 and while the characters really seem the same as book 2, you would think they could have shown more growth.  Another thing I don't like is with missing big chunks of time, you're also missing big chunks of details.  I like being shown, not told and unfortunately, this series is turning into a whole lot of telling.  It appears that that same train of thought is on track for book 4, since Maxon is in his 20's in that book.  Such a shame, I love these characters, but the passage of time is eliminating seeing many things unfold, which is so much better than just being told about it.

Regardless of my criticism, I will most likely continue on with this series with the next installment, Maxon.  As he has proven in Armageddon, he is certainly going to make for a very interesting character specifically when he's older as is the case with the fourth book. I recommend this series, especially the first two books.  As I mentioned before, the time differences between books may rub some readers the wrong way, as it did me, but if I can manage to suck it up, anyone can :)

*eARC received on behalf of the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
27409
I enjoy this series and the Witches on Parole series very much. Sure there is some artistic license with Ipod batteries and what not, but in general the characters and the love and support of the community Ms. Geary has created keeps me hooked in. This latest installment is good, but not as good as the rest have been. Everyone was themselves and Marcus did grow a lot as a character but aside from his personal growth there wasn't enough going on. Usually there are side stories and other characters going through things and growing as well, and while there was the opportunity to explore other characters and even some attempt made to do so (like with Aervyn's feelings about his new cousin and also the lightsaber thread) for the most part it was abandoned by the later half of the book in favor of Marcus' storyline exclusively and it resulted in this book feeling one dimensional. I also found myself wishing that Ms. Geary had shown us a lot of the characters she referenced from other books, instead of just telling us about them or mentioning them in passing. For example, it would have been lovely to see Sierra in a scene, and Lizard as well, instead of just hearing about them and I think it would have made for a much fuller experience of the world if we had.  SPOILER ALERT: In addition, I felt that Marcus' solution to the problem and the ending in general were rushed in terms of pacing in comparison with the rest of the book, and also not very well explained. Finally, I thought the title would have been more appropriately named "A Traveling Witch" but that's a really minor criticism. Overall it was lovely to visit with the characters again, but this book was not as strong as the rest in the series and it left me feeling a bit unsatisfied and wanting a whole lot more.
1546290
Four stars -- not bad. I am a pretty tough grader. To get 5 stars from me you have to border on perfection -- as the first three volumes of this series did.

Most readers will be painfully aware that this volume has been a bit of a struggle for Mr Martin; and unfortunately, some of that struggle shows. The breadth and complexity of the story are possibly becoming a bit much for the author, as well as his readers to handle. There may have been signs of winding down story lines and eliminating characters a bit precipitously to make room for newer ones (but of course we can never be sure...) and the story lines are becoming so numerous and divergent that it is becoming difficult to deal with even a subset of them all satisfactorily in a single volume. I have to agree with the reviewer who hoped that one day we will see a "director's cut" of the material in this volume and the next, rearranged in the originally-intended order and spread out across as many volumes as physically necessary.

With the example of Robert Jordan before us (his _Eye of the World_ might have been another of my five-star books, if not for the direction -- or lack of same! -- the rest of the Wheel of Time series has taken), many of us are too quick to assume that Mr Martin is abusing his readers' good will the way Mr Jordan has.

But no, Mr Martin still appears to be making a good-faith effort to deliver on the promise of the earlier volumes in the series. There does not seem to be anything gratuitous here; all the pieces seem to be meat, not fat. I do not recall anything that did not contribute to the whole, or anything I would nominate to be cut. In fact, if anything, Mr Martin and his editors may have cut useful prose that would have helped bring to mind minor characters when they reappear on the stage.

Back in my youth, when a fat trilogy was considered an epic, it was a sophomoric truism that a letdown was to be expected in the middle volume, when all the divergent story lines had been laid out and none had yet begun to be brought back together for their ultimate resolution. Maybe that 'wisdom' remains valid, only the letdown occurs in the middle volume of a planned heptology!

But please remember, Mr Martin, that a great beginning does not make a great work. I am desperately hoping that when all is said and done, you will have given us a five-star epic.
157504
This is, depending on how you count, the seventh novel in the Liaden Universe series. However, Meisha Merlin published two novels, _Local Custom_ and _Scout's Progress_, as one volume (entitled _Pilot's Choice_), and another three novels as one volume, so depending on what editions one buys, there are only four volumes so far. The authors predict a total of seven volumes, so we have more to look forward to. And this book certainly leaves one eager to order anything and everything else they care to write in the series!
It's a good idea, if you're not familiar with the series, to read them all; while this is a rousing good space opera in its own right, it is even better if you have followed the series. You could get by without the _Pilot's Choice_ volume, but you really need, at the very least, _Agent of Change_, _Carpe Diem_, and _Plan B_ to get the most out of _I Dare_. Agent and Carpe are two of the three novels in the _Partners in Necessity_ volume, so if you get that, you'll get _Conflict of Honors_ too. That's the first one I ever read of the series, initially published as individual paperbacks.
The series starts with Er Thom yos'Galen and Daav yos'Phelium, in _Local Custom_ and _Scout's Progress_. _Conflict_ takes up with Shan yos'Galen, Er Thom and Anne's son. _Agent_ takes up Val Con yos'Phelium, Daav and Aelliana's son. The rest of the books so far, including _I Dare_, continue to follow Shan and Val Con, and the various employees, friends and lifemates they drag into the ongoing story of Clan Korval. In _I Dare_ many of the separate threads from the previous volumes come together. We have the Juntavas, the interstellar Mob who actively appeared in _Agent_; we have the return of Daav; we have also Shan and Val Con's cousin Pat Rin as a major character. (That's Val Con and Pat Rin on the cover.) Surebleak, the planet Miri Robertson was born on, suddenly shows up again. Korval has already noticed that the Department of the Interior is trying to take over Liad and eliminate their family; in this book, Korval actively confronts the Department.
A large chunk of the book is taken up with battles and battle strategy; however, this didn't turn me off, even though I'm not that gung-ho on war stories. And there's a larger element of fantasy in this book than in the previous ones, in that more and more people turn out to have psychic powers. I'm not that much of a fan of psychic powers, but I didn't mind them here- it's just one element that keeps the story moving right along. The plot is extremely brisk; don't skip a page!
The end of the book does contain what seems to be a clear lead-in to a next book, since a new character shows up... I won't give away the details. One of the nice things about this book, and this whole series, is that there could be short stories written about it for years to come, because there are so many interesting characters. What exactly was Daav doing all those years at a Terran university? Whatever happened to Aelliana Caylon's younger sister? Can we find out more about Richard Davis, Anne's brother and Shan's uncle? Did Vin Sin chel'Mara ever reform after being exiled? More about Clonak ter'Muelen! Oh, and Nova yos'Galen - by the end of this book, all the current generation are lifemated save her; does she ever get true love? There are a few short stories that were only ever published in chapbooks; if Miller and Lee would write a couple more short stories, there'd be enough for an anthology, and I'd be sure to read it.
It's difficult to convey how much I like this series, and I like this book the best so far. If you like humor, romance, and battle in your science fiction - if, say, you already like Miles VorKosigan (Lois Bujold) - then I'm sure you'll like the Liadens!
4869163
Most of the action in this book takes place in Todmorden, on the outskirts of the County.  The action picks up where the previous volume "Grimalkin the Witch" left off, but the ultimate battle against the Fiend does not seem to progress much through the course of this book.  Instead, a whole new group of enemies is discovered and dealt with.  Tom Ward becomes more independent, but we see little of Alice or Grimalkin in this book, and the Spook does not take a big part either.  For this reason, I characterize this book as a side trip from the main plot of the series, although some new information comes out.  It was a good read and features the fine writing, interesting magic, and plucky hero you expect in this series.
4104675
This book, like the 4 others in the series, is highly readable and grabs one's attention.  Some familiar characters return, along with new ones in a complexity of subplots.  Not as captivating to me as books 1 and 2, but certainly worth reading.
2303958
Essentially irrelevant note: it must be nice to write a series so popular that one can use invented planet/empire names from earlier books as titles to later books.

All right, enough envy.

The society in which this tale plays out shows particularly inventive world-building, and the plot is well integrated into it. As in some earlier books, I had trouble keeping the oddly named characters straight, but managed fairly well on the whole. The characters we meet on Cetaganda are intriguing, if not quite as multi-dimensional as some of the ongoing series characters. The climax and denouement were satisfying and believable. On to the next!
3618197
I'm not as big of a fan of the Bound and Bonded series as some of the author's other shifter series (e.g. the Cloverleah Pack).  I found this entry to be a little weaker than the previous "Bound and Bonded," but still certainly enjoyable enough.

I do very much enjoy the occasional wolf shifter/vampire cross-over, so even though I don't find the characters, dialog and general writing as compelling or strong as some of the author's other works, it still was a worthwhile diversion for fans of wolf shifters, instant mates, shifter-vampire couplings, and a BDSM setting.
3358065
To be honest, it took me awhile to get back into the swing of things with the continuing adventures of "The little Admiral." I'd just come of reading a  huge compendium of Werewolf novels so, I imagine, you can see the mental shift required to get back into this series.

That said, this book was a fine continuation of the Spineward Sectors  novels. But overall it seemed a little bit weaker than prior books. Even so, there was plenty of action and the usual witty repartee we've all come to expect. If you are a fan of the series, by all means to put and get a copy. You'll love it. If you are new to the series, backtrack and start with the first book - "Admiral Who - Spineward Sectors Book 1"