The Stepsister Scheme - Jim C. Hines

Absolutely a fantastic book! There are few books that I can't put down and must burn the midnight, early dawn and into daytime oil to finish in one sitting. This was one of them. The Princess' stories are straight out of Grimm and NOT Disney. If you're looking for sweet and light, look elsewhere. If you're looking for good plot, good writing and good character development, look no further, The Stepsister Scheme has it all. Light humor and Dark delights, this book will draw you in and won't spit you back out until you're finished. 5 of 5 berries for this one. You DON'T want to miss it!

Accidental Sorcerer by K.E. Mills (Karen Miller) Book 1 of the Rogue Wizard Trilogy

Accidental Sorcerer starts of a little heavy, ponderous, wordy. However, after the first couple of chapters are over, the book fairly soars with fun, intrigue and danger.

Gerald Dunwoody, a Third grade level wizard, isn't having a good day at his current job. In fact, it's such a BAD day, Gerald gets fired...

And then the adventure begins.

Accidental Sorcerer is a sort of cross between Harry Dresden and light epic fantasy. Not quite as "dark" as the Dresden Files, there's still enough intrigue, danger and laughs to capture any Harry fan.

I really enjoyed this book. Ms. Mills (Miller) has started a new trilogy with a bang (and a pop!) that has left me hungering for the next book, Witches Incorporated. (due out June 30th!)

4 out of 5 berries for this one!

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

3^rd in the Mercedes “Mercy” Thompson books, Iron Kissed takes you on another wild ride with everyone’s favorite Walker.

The book starts out with Mercy, Kyle and Warren having a movie night. Mercy gets a phone call from her mentor and friend, Zee, asking her to come out to the reservation. (Or Fairyland as it’s called.) Mercy goes and meets Zee who informs her that there have been numerous fey killings and he needs her help, in her coyote form, to try and find the killer. However, Zee warns her, she needs to keep her eyes on the job so that the greater fey don’t suspect her of knowing more than she does…or should.

Thorough out all of the intrigue is the decisions Mercy has to make regarding Samuel and Adam. She does finally make her choice…And of course Mercy gets into trouble and the fey target her for execution. She eventually figures out…or stumbles upon…the killer and falls into his trap.

What happens next is hard to read. Suffice it to say, I cried through the last 3 chapters of the book. But the ending is NOT sad. It’s very uplifting and very Mercy. You leave the book with a smile on your face and a longing for the fourth to come out tomorrow.

I adore this series and the books keep getting better. I did have some trouble following the fey storyline but it didn’t take away from the enjoyment I received from reading this installment.

4.5 Berries out of 5