After Hours on Milagro Street by Angelina M. Lopez

Alex Torres left Kansas to make a name for herself. Her grandmother was certainly never going to give up her bar so Alex might as well leave. And she's made a name for herself on social media. People know and love her but not everyone. Especially not the manager that just fired her. That's fine. She'll go home. It's time for her generation to pick up Loretta's anyway. But it isn't going to be as easy as she thinks. She and her sisters have never seen eye-to-eye, her grandmother doesn't especially want to give them the business, her former hometown arch nemesis has his eye on the building, and there's a tall, handsome man living in the apartment above the bar who seems to have insinuated himself into her family. 

Jeremiah Post is a professor at the local college. He's really enjoyed getting to know the Torres family. But the woman standing in the bar late at night is not someone he recognizes. She's hot though and the more he gets to know about her, the more he likes. Too bad she's so determined to make him the villain. 

This was an interesting story and I really liked how Lopez wrapped her own family's history into the story and wove the history of Kansas that many people might not know. There were so many vibrant characters that Alex, Jeremiah, and their relationship all suffered a little but I do hope we see more in this setting.

Three and a half stars

This book came out July 26, 2022

Followed by Full Moon Over Freedom

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole

Cadeon Woede is the brother of a king. One who lost his throne because Cade didn't show up when he was needed. But there were circumstances. Still, Cade can't forgive himself and when there's the chance to get a weapon that will finally dethrone the monster who took it from Cade's brother, Cade will do anything to get it. Even give up his own mate. Or so he thinks.

Holly is human. Frighteningly so with her OCD and need for order. So when she's attacked and kidnapped by a group of men... vampires?... and then somehow miraculously makes her way out of what appears to be a sacrifice (of her) situation, she's confused. Even more so when the cute guy who couldn't talk to her on campus suddenly appears to help her out. But is that what she's doing? Suddenly, Holly, unsuspecting math adjunct, is on the run, thrust into a situation that could literally save a world. 

I didn't like this one quite as much as the others in the series but it was still enjoyable. I liked the addition of Holly's boyfriend to the story although it became pretty apparent that he wasn't going to last long.

Four stars

This book came out May 20, 2008

Follows Dark Needs at Night's Edge 

Followed by Kiss of a Demon King

Hard copy I kept

Opinions are my own

Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole

Murdered by her jealous ex-fiance, Neomi made the decision not to die. Well, at least for her soul not to leave this plane and she became tethered to the earth as a ghost. No one has seen or heard her (except peripherally a toddler) in the last eighty years. So she is astonished when a handsome man buys her mansion. She is even more astonished when he and three other men bring in a fourth who is chained. And this man, this man can see her.Except that he's one of the things that she never believed in, even though she herself is a ghost. 

Conrad never wanted to become a vampire. In fact, he was a vampire hunter. So when his brothers turned him 300 years ago, he lashed out and became a killer. Now, he has been drinking the blood of so many other killers, that he has all of these memories from all these other people roiling around in his head. He wants to kill his brothers but they just want to save him. However, his savior might actually be a little ballerina ghost that he's pretty sure is real.

I really thought Cole was pointing toward a different ending which was interesting. This book is like the others in this series with a lot of action and story movement in the last twenty or so pages leaving you wondering how it can all be wrapped up, but then... it is.

Four stars

This book came out April 29, 2008

Follows Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night

Followed by Dark Desires After Dusk

Hard copy I kept

Opinions are my own

Love Binds by Cynthia St. Aubin

This book seems like an end to the series and that is probably okay since may of these characters have gone as far as they can go. Abernathy hasn't changed at all from the first book, Hannah has changed a little, and Morrison has grown the most but that's mostly because he's gone from a human in love with Hannah to a blood-thirsty vampire trying to kill her. 

Hannah is supposedly the Alpha of all werewolves but she sure doesn't feel like it. In fact, she hasn't been able to shift since the first time. Plus, even though she dearly wants children, she's still not pregnant. Plus, she's having these weird dreams where the devil wants to wear her skin.

The weirdest part of this book was how Hannah and Mark are supposedly soul mates but they don't talk to each other. Hannah doesn't tell Mark about her dream or fears that Morrison has followed them across an ocean and he has secrets that put Hannah in grave danger. 

Three stars

Follows Love Lies

This book came out October 26, 2021

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole

For centuries, Bowen McRieve has been mourning his lost mate. He has the chance to get her back though when he enters the Hie, the supernatural version of the Amazing race. There, you can win a key that will work twice to send you back in time. He could save his fey bride, Mariah. So why is he so distracted by one of the other contestants, witchy Mariketa?

Mariketa the Awaited is predicted to do great things with her life. If only she could figure out her magic. Yes, she's attracted to the big dumb werewolf but not so much after he leaves her and a few other contestants trapped in a cave for two weeks while evil forces feed on her. 

There is SO MUCH going on in this book. That usually annoys the heck out of me in a contemporary but I sort of adore in books where the author is often tongue-in-cheek and really leaning into it rather than trying to stuff too much in.

Four stars

This book came out October 31, 2006

Follows No Rest for the Wicked

Followed by Dark Needs at Night's Edge

Hard copy I kept

Opinions are my own

But Can I Start a Sentence with "But"? by University of Chicago Press

I was really surprised when I saw the page count of this book. On my ereader with the size of font I've chose, it was only 89 pages. Most books about editing and style are... well, super long. It was interesting to me. And I really liked that the author(s) talked about the fact that grammar is more fluid and based on personal choices than many of us would prefer to admit. I also really enjoyed the humor in this book (e.g. if only two people are ever likely to read a paper, maybe it's okay for them to agree on a specific abbreviation because, well, who will know?)

The Q&A format got a little tiring after a while but an amusing book in general. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out April 22, 2016

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole

This is one of two books centered around the Hie, the supernatural version of the Amazing Race. In this one, Kaderin the Cold Hearted would like to win so that she can use the prize, a key, to go back and save her sisters. They died centuries ago by the hand of a vampire, which is why Kaderin kills vampires now. So why can't she kill this one?

Sebastian Wroth never wanted to be a vampire; his brothers turned him against his will when he was near death. Now, he just hides in his castle waiting for death. And it seems that it has finally come. Except that Kaderin is not going to be his killer. Instead, she is his Bride, a vampire's fated mate. In order to keep her, Sebastian will do anything, even help her get her sisters back. 

Like other books in this series, there is a lot going on but still a fun book. 

Four stars

This book came out October 31, 2006

Follows A Hunger Like No Other

Followed by Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night

Hard copy I kept

Opinions are my own