The Literate Kitty

After not reading a single book for two months— Say whaaat, girl? (I know, weird, huh… but believe it or not, sometimes it’s even possible to get burned out on that most lovely of pastimes)—my choice of return to the written word was a little… well, unexpected. How so, you ask (no doubt still trying to wrap your brain around the multi-month moratorium)? Because I opted for an urban fantasy—no, that’s not the fascinating part—the sort of UF that I thought I’d already read waaaay too many of, in the past… you know, where everyone involved is barely legal, impossibly beautiful (or insanely, bodice-rippingly hunky), and, oh yeah, somehow manages to solve crimes (stop bad guys, save the world, prevent the apocalypse, etc.). Or, at least that’s what I thought I was getting myself into, after opening the cover of Annette Marie’s Three Mages and a Margarita … which, while definitely a bit of all the above, surprisingly turned out to be way more fun, and a lot more interesting, than...

A vintage-attired, high-heel-clad little dynamo... a hunky ex-priest-cum-radio-personality superstar... a mysterious and rakish magician (in desperate need of finding his lost memories)... and one sleek-yet-stout, green-eyed, black-as-night feline... those four components can only mean one thing: it’s time for a return trip to Vegas, baby! Hold the phone--and pack an extra bag--though, because this time out Midnight Louie is up to more than just his usual Sin City sleuthing-and-shenanigans; in Cat in a White Tie and Tails , he manages to squeeze in a visit to the Windy City, as well. ~^.,.^~   ~^.,.^~   ~^.,.^~ When suddenly-in-demand radio star Matt Devine receives yet another all-expenses-paid trip to Chi-town--where a group of network bigwigs will again attempt to cajole him into accepting their offer for a major TV gig--it seems like the perfect opportunity to knock out a pair of birds with one stone; he can take Temple Barr--plucky Vegas hotel PR consultan...

Okay, let's start by pulling out our handy-dandy Urban Fantasy checklist.  Kick-butt heroine? Check. Kinda mouthy, with attitude to spare and a stubborn streak half-a-mile wide? Check. Complicated family, work, and/or relationship issues? Triple-check (and gosh, that’s like the holy trinity of kick-butt heroine problems right there, isn’t it?). Forever in serious peril, alwaysthisclose to cashing in her chips for the very last time? You betcha.  It sounds so simple, doesn’t it, and somewhat derivative of far too many other works in the crowded UF field? Well, yeah... and it likely would be , too, were it in hands other than those of the über-talented, wife-husband writing team better known as Ilona Andrews. Now with four books (plus a short story) in the “Magic” series under their collective belt, you could say that the Andrews duo are really hitting their stride with this story and these characters... although for me, that sort of implies that their earlier stories weren’t as...

They say there’s nothing new under the sun, but every now and then, something comes along that actually does feel new... or at least, puts a new spin on the familiar.   And Margaret Ronald’s  Spiral Hunt  definitely brings something new to the world of urban fantasy. ____________________________________________________________________________   Genevieve “Evie” Scelan works as a “finder” in Boston—someone who finds things.   But unlike others who might fall under that header—like private eyes or researchers—the secret to Evie’s success is... her sense of smell. In other words, she’s a “hound”.   It’s a rare form of Celtic magic, and most people remain blissfully unaware that it— real  magic—actually exists.   But magic is, indeed, alive and well in Boston... and Evie’s slate is full.    First, she gets a phone call from an old high-school boyfriend—also adept at magic—whom she’d long believed to be dead. While trying to track him down, s...