Backfire, Catherine Coulter

OK, last R-A-R read.

This is part of the FBI Thriller series. I always find these fairly enjoyable. Primarily because they're fairly ridiculous. They're always light, easy reads - despite the fairly large number of casualties.

I liked this one especially because it brought back good ol' Judge Dredd, aka Ramsey Hunt. We first meet him in The Target, just after he's earned that moniker. His courtroom is invaded by drug dealers with automatic weapons. He gets a little pissed and takes them out himself. Hence: Judge Dredd.

We meet him while he's on vacation, getting away from the media coverage of his heroics. While there, he finds little Emma, who was kidnapped by a psychotic pedophile. I actually felt really bad for Emma (yes, I know she's a fictional character), poor girl kept thinking she was safe and then got slammed with more. Oh, and her grandfather is a Chicago crime boss. And of course Emma's Mom, Molly, and Ramsey fall in love.

The series main characters are Sherlock and Savich - a married FBI agent couple. One aspect of the series I like is that the author isn't afraid to minimize Savich/Sherlock's role in the story. While they did that in The Target, not so much here. Here, we start with a very vague threat to Savich "for what you did, you deserve this." Right after, Ramsey is shot, very nearly killed.

Calculated in Death, JD Robb

Eve Dallas is BACK! :)

Ok, so this wasn't one of my favorites. It might actually be my least favorite. It was a lot of money stuff - in case you hadn't guessed by the whole "Calculated" thing - which isn't really my thing. But there was, as per the usge, a healthy dose of murder and mayhem.

A murder that looks like a mugging but isn't and the coincidences just keep piling up. The case wasn't anything specially. A conspiracy and some dumb as shit criminals.

As always, the interactions between the main characters are enjoyable. There's one part where Peabody uses her feminine wiles to draw a baddie out of his house. It's probably the best part.

There's some Eve and Trina action in there too. I don't think I've mentioned Trina before. She's Eve's hair and makeup guru...well, Eve would call her a hair and makeup torturer.

There's some Roarke and Eve cuteness. He's still worried about her. Not that he ever stops, but her experiences in New York to Dallas have made it harder. She manages her hurt herself catching a baby. Well, really a toddler. She's chasing one of the baddies and he throws the kid like a football. Eve catches it, but pays for it in bruises. Pretty epic either way.

Eve's continuing to evolve, discovering what it means to have friends and family. And I enjoy that. I'm really looking forward to the next one: Roarke's family is coming for Thanksgiving. :D

Calculated in Death, JD Robb

A Nose for Justice, Rita Mae Brown

So, this was a bargain buy and I was going out of my comfort zone. If it wasn't $3, I probably wouldn't have gotten it. And that would have been ok. I'm not saying it was bad, but it wasn't good. Kind of boring.

So, it's copyrighted for 2010, and I feel like that makes a bit of a difference. It was very political. I'm of the opinion that all stories have meaning - the author can't not put a bit of themselves and/or their views into their stories. So, I'm not surprised to find a bit of politics or religion or anything else in books the I read. Frankly, I think it makes it better. More relatable. But this was overtly, intentionally political. And I don't feel like that made it better. Not worse either, but not better. It didn't add anything of value.

On a higher note, the dogs were adorable. They play an important role and the reader understands what they're saying, so that adds some fun.

Other than that...I just don't have much to say. There are some explosions, the baddie trying to freak everyone else out about water. There's a lot about water and water rights. And a Russian from the late 1800s is found when they're remodeling a barn. There's no connection between the 2. And don't let the book fool you when it says there's a "fascinating connection" between the body, Buffalo Bill, and the ranch. There isn't.

There's a love story between the main character Mags and the Deputy Sheriff. It, like the rest of the story, is just blah, ho-hum, mundane. However you want to word it. Mags is a former Wall Streeter who lost everything in the crash. The Deputy is a divorce who loves Reno. *shrug* Mags being a good Wall Streeter is about the only interesting aspect.

Well, her aunt is occasionally badass, and I appreciate the feminist aspects the story uses. But overall, this was just a forgettable book. And, really, isn't that worse than being bad?

A Nose for Justice, Rita Mae Brown

Kiss the Dead, Laurell K. Hamilton

So, it's still Read a Romance month, so next up is some hot and steamy Anita Blake.

However....it wasn't one of my favorites. The plot was just kind of...lacking. Wah wah. Basically, a group of vampires want to be" free." Unfortunately, their methods for doing that are to kidnap a minor and then martyr themselves (aka suicide by cop - or executioner, in this case). The have a leader, a master, but they haven't blood oathed. Somehow the master misses the part where he can influence lesser vamps without a blood oath.

So, when they're around him, he can keep them on board with his plan for peaceful dissent. Unfortunately, when he's not around, his mojo wears off and they decide being martyrs and killing cops is the better plan.

Sigh.

Antia ends up setting them straight. That's basically the entire book plot wise.

Now, relationship wise, there was much more.

The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova

"...The Historian is the story of a young woman plunged into a labyrinth where the secrets of her family's past connect to an inconceivable evil: the dark fifteenth-century reign of Vlad the Impaler and a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive through the ages. The search for the truth becomes an adventure of monumental proportions, taking us from monasteries and dusty libraries to the capitals of Eastern Europe..."

Nothing in that said "vampires" and "Dracula" to me.

I mean, yes, I know Vlad the Impaler is the...inspiration, let's say, for Dracula, but nothing there indicated that's the route she was going. To me. Now, had I read the quoted blurbs, I wouldn't have been surprised when vampires made their appearance, but I never do. It's not like they're going to put ones that say the book sucks, or could be written better. So, I don't bother.

So, yeah, vampires.

Guess what time it is?!

It's read a romance month!!

No, really, it's a thing.

Never heard of it? Me neither. Until Suzanne Brockmann had it on her page. I intended to let you all know when I made my first August post....yeah, still waiting. Sorry 'bout that.

Anywho! Check out the R-A-R website for blogs, contests, and other fun stuff!

See you soon!!