This month’s books are a bit out of the ordinary but still fun to read. Definitely a must if you’re bored of the run-of-the-mill books.

Poltergeist

Author: Kat Richardson

The follow-up to Richardson’s urban fantasy Greywalker, psychic private investigator Harper Blaine is commissioned by Dr. Tuckerman, a professor at the local college, to find out which person in his research group is attempting to sabotage the project with a fake phenomenon. His research was attempting to create an artificial ghost entity.

Unknowingly, Harper is the best candidate to investigate the matter because not only is she a private investigator but she is a Greywalker as well. Greywalkers are people who walk the in-between world – here and the after life. Harper’s ability came about when she died…for a whole two minutes. Now, when she goes into the Grey, she sees grey mists swirling, jumbled things and colours that explain some things (e.g. power lines, human aura, etc).

Investigating further into Dr. Tuckerman’s project, Harper found that his research group actually did manage to summon an entity – a poltergeist. When one of the group members died in a brutal fashion, she finds herself having to decide if the killer is the ghost – or a human.

Every Breath You Take

Author: Judith McNaught

Unforgettable characters, riveting plotlines and sizzling hot romance are trademarks of author Judith McNaught but still her style reminds me so much of Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Both writers use an ordinary looking woman, whom men sees as gorgeous at certain angles, with everyday problems – rent, career, relationship and the like. But where Phillips would use the alpha athlete male, McNaught goes down to the most important bit – the attentive male who will protect you no matter the cost but is an alpha in his chosen profession.

In this book, tycoon Cecil Wyatt’s family has been plagued by tragedy ever since the family reconnected with displaced family member – Mitchell, who was born out of wedlock due to his father’s illicit affair with his secretary. In just a mere few months, Mitchell’s father, Edward, plunged to his death from a balcony, while half elder brother, William goes missing and was presumed dead.

After his introduction to the family’s friends at Cecil’s 80th birthday party, he goes to Anguilla to check on the progress of his house (that’s being built) only to meet up, accidentally, with a somewhat vulnerable Kate Donovan at a hotel when she spilled a Bloody Mary on him. Instead of getting angry, he asked her out on a date that began a two-day unforgettable, whirlwind romance. The romance of a lifetime was interrupted when a witness goes forward implicating Mitchell for William’s death. Will they ever be able to return to each other’s arms?

Unleash the Night

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

The Dark Hunters are immortal warriors who had pledged to Greek goddess, Artemis, to dedicate their lives to defending mankind against daimons (vampires) and other enemies. Unleash the Night is the ninth book in the series by the award-winning yet dyslexic Kenyon.

Marguerite, the suppressed daughter of a wealthy senator, has little interest in the socialite life her father wants her to be part of. When she and her friends go to a bar called Sanctuary, she finds herself attracted to the weird busboy, Wren. Though the attraction is mutual, it was also dangerous as Wren is an outcast even in his own world – a hybrid were-animal.

The couple defies the odds by refusing to accept that they cannot be together. Written with such character depth and vulnerability, the loner Wren and the ultra feminine Marguerite unwittingly invites chaos into their lives just by acknowledging their love for each other.

Garden Spells

Author: Sarah Addison Allen

The Waverley sisters, Claire and Sydney, come from a long line of gifted Waverley women in Bascom. Claire manifests her gift through cooking by using edible flowers that affects the eater in curious ways. Meanwhile, elderly relative Evanelle goes around town giving people things they might need later but it’s not a matter of giving things simply. Evanelle just knows that they would need it sooner or later.

Just like the night when Claire returns from a party she catered, where she met her amorous neighbour, only to find Evanelle sitting on her porch with some fresh bed linen. “I couldn’t get to sleep until I gave this to you,” she says before leaving. The next day found estranged sister, Sydney, arriving home after leaving for a good many years; turning Claire’s life upside down. Together again in the same house they grew up in they find that they must repair the rifts that tore them apart if they are ever to feel at home in Bascom and in each other’s hearts.

Enchanting and captivating, this novel weaves a special magic of its own to captivate readers… without the help from that weird apple tree in the Waverleys garden.

Blood is the New Black

Author: Valerie Stivers

Don’t even think of comparing this book to The Devil Wears Prada. While editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly is just plain evil, the classic boss from hell, she is nothing in comparison to Lilian Hall, the editor-in-chief of Tasty. Poor intern Kate McAlliston not only has to deal with the crazy demands of Lilian but of the senior editors as well.

In a lucky twist of fate, the magazine finds out she is the daughter of famous designer, Eva 4 Eva, and quickly becomes Lilian’s pet staff. Even the other interns, who previously were condescending and patronising were suddenly her best friends. She never suspected anything was amiss, even when she thought she saw one of the senior editors lying dead in her office.

But things starts to fall into place especially when dead bodies of young women started to turn up at the industry parties the magazine staff attended – with their blood drained from their bodies. As Kate tries to save herself from the imminent danger, she find herself going deeper into the vampires’ lair.

Undead and Unappreciated Undead and Unpopular

Author: Mary Janice Davidson

Book three and Book five in Davidson’s famous Undead series which narrates the undead life of tall, blond, shoes obsessed, reluctant queen of the undead, Elizabeth Taylor aka Betsy. She lives in a mansion, bought by her millionaire best friend, Jessica who lives there as well. Living together with them are gay doctor Marc, Betsy’s fiancé and consort Eric Sinclair (whom she loves to call Sink-lair) and Eric’s best friend and second in command, the old vampire Tina plus the assortment of people (and vampires, etc) who turns up every now and then.

In Undead and Unappreciated, Betsy learns she has a half-sister, Laura, who was birthed by Satan. She turns out to be a sweet young college girl with a clergyman father. Even weirder is the fact that Betsy’s stepmother gave birth to a baby boy who is only calm when he is with Betsy.

Undead and Unpopular finds Betsy celebrating her first anniversary as a vampire, her thirty-first birthday and planning her wedding at the same time. As politics has never been one of her strongest suit, she seeks solace with Jessica when European vampires visits to pay their respects only to find out that Jessica has a life threatening illness.

Unable to face life without her best friend, Betsy entertains the idea of turning Jessica into a vampire to save her life. With Eric dodging wedding plans, Betsy must figure out how to save Jessica and appease the enraged European vampires herself.

( Republished with permission from FACES. To check out more reviews and event updates, visit www.faces.com.my )