Full Wolf Moon by Lincoln Child

"In the back woods of the Adirondacks, Dr. Logan,

there's history--and then there's mystery."

Both victims were backpackers.

Both were in the vicinity of Desolation Mountain.

Both were killed during full moons.

The park rangers may blame their deaths on bear attacks,

but the locals know better.

They blame the Blakeney Clan.

Dr. Jeremy Logan, a history professor and enigmalogist, comes to Cloudwater, an artist's retreat in the Adirondack Mountains, to finish his monograph on heresy in the Middle Ages. But when Randall Jessup, an old friend from Yale and a ranger in New York's Division of Forest Protection, asks for his help solving two suspicious and savage maulings, he can't help getting involved. Because investigating the strange and inexplicable is what he does. Only this time, what he finds is almost too strange to believe.

Lincoln Child always writes a fun supernatural mystery. Even though this one wasn't nearly as fast-paced or as suspenseful as I expected, I still liked it. Apparently Child has written several books about enigmalogist Jeremy Logan, but this is the first one I've read. I'll definitely be reading more though. Logan is a great character, equally open-minded and skeptical when it comes to proving--or disproving--the supernatural and the occult. I liked him. And the mystery in this one is pretty good. The middle was kind of slow, but the ending made up for it. For me, this is a 3.5/5 star read.

Happy Reading!

Charmed by Charming...

"I come from a long line of dragon slayers ... I used to be one of the modern-day knights who patrol the borders between the world of man and the supernatural abyss that is its shadow. I wore non-reflective Kevlar instead of shining armor and carried a sawed-off shotgun as well as a sword ... until the day I discovered that I had been cursed by one of the monsters I used to hunt. My name is Charming by the way. John Charming. And I am not living happily ever after."

John Charming may be hunted and alone, but he's also super-fast, strong, handsome, dangerous, irreverent, wolfish and funny. If it sounds like I'm gushing, I am. I have a bit of a bookish crush on John Charming.  I also really like Sig, the blond Valkyrie he meets in Charming, Elliott James' excellent urban fantasy adventure. Sig is beautiful and tough, with supernatural powers of her own; she's as good in a fight as John, if not better, which comes in handy when they have to hunt down a dangerous vampire hive. Can you tell that I loved this novel? It's fast-paced humorous magical fun. And there's at least three more books in the series! (Which I can't wait to check out of the library because I'm already itching for another dose of the very charming John Charming.)

Happy Reading!

2 Recent Reads:

There are no vampires in Rhiannon Held's Silver, just her own spin on werewolves.  The packs in America are divided, and territorial.  Silver's pack has just been tortured and destroyed, and she is hurt and on the run.  Andrew Dare, the Enforcer of the Roanoke Pack, is sent to find her and escort her from his pack's territory.  But Andrew finds himself drawn to Silver, and drawn into finding out who or what killed her pack...before they strike again.

Rhiannon Held has written a compelling urban fantasy. I have to admit, while I immediately liked Andrew, it took me a little longer to warm up to Silver, but her strangeness eventually grew on me. (Although Andrew is still my favorite.) Overall, Held's novel is a surprisingly fun read.  If you're a fan of Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson books and are looking for a similar read, give this one a try.

As a fan of The Gilmore Girls, I've admired Lauren Graham as an actress for years. Now I can admire her as an author, as well. Her novel Someday, Someday, Maybe tells the story of a twenty-something girl trying to make it as an actress in New York City. Franny Banks gave herself 3 years to accomplish her dream; now she only has 6 months left...and the clock is ticking.

Graham aptly captures the struggle of what it is like to be in New York trying, hoping, failing, doubting, and trying again to make a dream come true.  Franny is an engaging character who talks a little too much, is a bit of a klutz, but who never gives up. I did sometimes get impatient with how often Franny gets lost in her own thoughts and doubts, but I liked her vulnerability and I never stopped rooting for her to succeed. And I really enjoyed getting a behind-the-scenes look into the life of an aspiring actress.  This was a great summer read.