Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer: Harlequin

Showing posts with label Harlequin. Show all posts

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Review - Night of the Vampires by Heather Graham

Billy Burgess books , fiction

Night of the Vampires

BY: Heather Graham

PUBLISHED BY: Harlequin
PUBLISHED IN: 2010
ISBN: 978-0-373-77486-9
Pages: 346
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Set during the Civil War, dead soldiers are coming back to life, but not as humans. They are now vampires. Because of the chaos of the war, the vampires are using this to their advantage. They are feeding upon the innocent citizens of the United States.

There is a secret group of soldiers lead by Cole Granger that fights the creatures of the night. Along with him is Cody Fox, a half-vampire, soldier. During a bloody battle, they come across a young woman, Megan Fox. She claims to be Cody’s half-sister. They try to work together to stop the undead from feeding.

I didn’t realize that Night of the Vampires was set during the Civil War. By the cover I would say it was during modern times. The main female character is named Megan Fox. I laughed out loud when I read this, thinking of the actress. I have a few paperbacks somewhere of Heather Graham that I haven’t gotten around to reading. I like the idea of vampires during the Civil War, but there times that I thought the author was telling instead of showing. At times the dialogue is a bit cheesy and unrealistic for the time-period. But for some odd reason, I still liked the book. I think the author meant for this to be a realistic novel, but I can easily see this being turned into a horror-comedy feature film. If you like reading about vampires, then I recommend you checking this out.

*I would like to thank Netgalley and Harlequin for sending me a copy to review.

Review - Colby Agency - Christmas Miracles: Colby Core

Billy Burgess books , Christmas

Colby Agency - Christmas Miracles: Colby Core

BY: Debra Webb

PUBLISHED BY: Harlequin Intrigue

PUBLISHED IN: 2010

ISBN: 978-0-373-69514-0

Pages: 216

Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Picking up where Colby Core left off, the Colby Agency had just saved several kids from children trafficking. Victoria Colby-Camp and her son Jim Colby have ordered agent Riley Porter to go New Orleans and take down the Master, a man selling children to the highest bidder.

Meanwhile, Tessa Woods has spent years in the clutches of the Master. She is now an adult and tries to protect the other children who have also been kidnapped. She prays that someone will save her. Her prayers are answered when Riley goes undercover as Buzz Smith, one of the kidnappers from the previous book. Tessa believes that Riley is here to save her and the children.

I was excited when I saw there was a new Colby book out. I enjoyed reading Colby Bass last week. Colby Core goes by fast, as it continues the plotline of human trafficking network. There is a lot of action and suspense. I did not care much for the main hero, Riley. He was just there doing his job, I never got a real feel for his character. Tess is the best character out of this installment. Despite all the horrors that she has encountered in her life, she has faith that she will be saved. If you are looking for a great romantic suspense, then check this book out.

Review - Colby Agency - Christmas Miracles: Colby Brass

Billy Burgess books , Christmas

Colby Agency - Christmas Miracles: Colby Brass

BY: Debra Webb

PUBLISHED BY: Harlequin Intrigue

PUBLISHED IN: 2010

ISBN: 978-0-373-74562-3

Pages: 281

Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Victoria Colby, the owner of the detective agency, steps outside to find an injured woman asking for help - her ex has kidnapped her daughter. She assigns the case to Trinity Barrett and his ex-wife Evonne Cassidy, an Equalizer. The Colby had just merged with another agency, the Equalizers.

Trinity and Evonne search the Chicago streets for the missing girl. Only to find out that there are other girls missing as well. They must put aside their rocky past and trust each other as the go undercover to stop the kidnappers.

Colby Brass is categorized as romance suspense, but there was very little romance. Sure, sparks fly for the two main agents, but the book was more action and suspense. The plot is believable and fast paced. The injured mother shows up at the end of the third page and, then, the story takes off like a rocket until the heart-pounding conclusion. If you are looking for a good read, check this book out.

Review - The Legacy of Croft Castle by Jean Barrett

Billy Burgess books , fiction

The Legacy of Croft Castle

BY: Jean Barrett
PUBLISHED BY: Harlequin
PUBLISHED IN: 2004
ISBN: 0-373-22804-X
Pages: 249
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Set on a small island off England, ghost hunter Meredith Allen, along with private eye Jackson Hawke, investigates the strange occurrences happening at the Croft Castle. Of course, this castle is your typical haunted castle with secret passages, eerie lights and ghosts.

Jackson is a non-believer of the supernatural and believes that a human is responsible for the strange happenings at the castle. At first, Meredith wants nothing to do with Jackson, but this is a romance novel, so she falls for him. They explore the castle and uncover a dark mystery.

This was an easy fast read for me. One thing that really bothered if Meredith was suppose to be a ghost hunter, why didn’t she have any ghost hunting gizmos with her? The book cover says this is a gothic romance. Beside for being set a castle, I never really got the feeling that this was a gothic novel. Overall, I enjoyed the novel because of its fun characters.