Spell Bound (Hex Hall #3) by Rachel Hawkins (Goodreads Author)

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.
Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.
Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

Spell bound is the last book in this series and it does a fairly nice job wrapping up the trilogy.  It had some interesting twists.  After the frightening ending of the Demonglass, I was pleased with the unexpected reunion in this last book.  There was a familial twist that surprised me, and what turned out to be an unnecessary risk taken, but the ending worked well for me with the exception of the fate of one character.  This series is a must read.

Heat Rises (Nikki Heat #3) by Richard Castle

 GoodReads Summary:Richard Castle proves as adept at writing thrillers as he is at solving crimes. HEAT rises to the occasion.”

Dennis Lehane, bestselling author

Fast-paced and full of intrigue, Heat Rises pairs the tough and sexy NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat with hotshot reporter Jameson Rook in New York Times bestselling author Richard Castle’s most thrilling mystery yet.

The bizarre murder of a parish priest at a New York bondage club opens Nikki Heat’s most thrilling and dangerous case so far, pitting her against New York’s most vicious drug lord, an arrogant CIA contractor, and a shadowy death squad out to gun her down. And that is just the tip of an iceberg that leads to a dark conspiracy reaching all the way to the highest level of the NYPD.

But when she gets too close to the truth, Nikki finds herself disgraced, stripped of her badge, and out on her own as a target for killers, with nobody she can trust. Except maybe the one man in her life who’s not a cop: reporter Jameson Rook.

In the midst of New York’s coldest winter in a hundred years, there’s one thing Nikki is determined to prove: Heat Rises.

My Review:

Reading this book was a very on again, off again affair. I started it at the end of  January and finished on April 7th,

While I like a GOOD mystery and attractive characters, this one left me a little cold.

Maybe it was all that bad weather in New York. The book, like winter dragged on until finally there was a light at the end of the tunnel. The ending was satisfactory considering there was enough material to track down.  Unfortunaletly, after all the international intrigue, coming down to an internal affairs issue was a little disappointing.
Keep trying Castle.

 

flag

 

 

My Favorite Book Reviewer

I love GoodReads.  It makes it possible to track my reading, create a list of to read books, and an opportunity to review books I read.  But the best part about good reads is that I met someone who is amazing at reviewing books.  Kelsey Ketch is open and honest about how she feels about a book.  Over time she has built up an solid credibility to the point where I rely on Kelsey’s reviews to populate my to read list.  I would be selfish to keep Kelsey to myself, so I am sharing my book resource with you.  See Kelsey’s reviews and other cool posts at her blog:

http://ketch1714.wordpress.com/

Tell Kelsey I sent you!

Naked Heat (Nikki Heat #2) by Richard Castle

GoodReads Summary

When New York’s most vicious gossip columnist, Cassidy Towne, is found dead, Heat uncovers a gallery of high-profile suspects, all with compelling motives for killing the most feared muckraker in Manhattan. But Heat’s murder investigation is complicated by her surprise reunion with superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook. In the wake of their recent breakup, Nikki would rather not deal with their raw emotional baggage. But the handsome, wise-cracking writer’s personal involvement in the case forces her to team up with Rook anyway. The residue of their unresolved romantic conflict and crackling sexual tension fills the air as Heat and Rook embark on the search for a killer among celebrities and mobsters, singers and hookers, pro athletes and shamed politicians. This new, explosive case brings on the heat in the glittery world of secrets, cover-ups, and scandals.

My Review

I started this book on 11/12/2011 and finished it 1/17/2012. Some of that was due to the holiday crazies, but I have to say a lot of it was not being able to get engaged with the story.

I try to read the Castle book’s based on the premise, that Rick Castle, my hero from the TV show, writes these books. This way I don’t make the assumption that the characters Rook and Nikki, are Rick and Kate.  So I hold Castle responsible for their content.

Having read the first two books, it is hard for me to comprehend that the man who wrote “the wind gathered up her hair,” is the same author who is writing the Nikki Heat novels. Clearly a story about a woman who is mostly based on a man’s imagination, Nikki does no justice to Kate. Oddly, Jameson does little justice to Rick.
Okay, that is the negative part, however, I do give the author credit for developing a better plot line for Naked Heat than for the first novel, Heat Wave. The story was more complex and had an ending that was satisfactory.
I already purchased the third novel, so I’ll see where that takes me.
Castle, you have improved, but for one so smitten with Kate and so intrigued by crime, your stories still fall short.  You need to up your game.

Whew – What a relief.

Concerned about the 2012 predictions – please read this.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45834574

 

Which ever Holiday you celebrate, here’s wishes that it will be Great!

The trimings are up, the candles are lit. 

Here’s hoping that all your presents will fit!

All the food will be steamy,

And the tastes will be dreamy.

With all the best wishes to you for your holiday.

When all else disappears, may the joy you share stay!

 

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

 

Sophi

No, I Haven’t Gone Missing: New Novel Research

No, I Haven’t Gone Missing: New Novel Research.