Otherways- Fiction Fanatics

Catching up on my reading is simply impossible. Not that I mind getting buried in this particular task, it’s just that my ‘to be read’ pile is threatening to collapse and do somebody some grievous bodily harm. I did manage to pull a couple of titles out and get them read over the last couple of days, and I thought I’d contribute to the delinquency of some other bibliophiles by reviewing these. After all, everyone needs a pile of books just waiting to be read, don’t they?

We’ll start with something that’s a little outside what I normally read and review, Blind Side, by Catherine Coulter. She’s an established New York Times best-selling author, and I’ve read several of her FBI Thrillers. Granted, I tend more to the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres, but a good read is a good read. Not one of her newest works, I’ve had this one in the leaning tower of fiction for some time, I’ve just been too swamped with life to have time to read like I should. As usual, Ms. Coulter did not disappoint. Her novels are fast paced, the pairing of Savich and Sherlock adds a romantic/emotional theme, and a nice change of pace. Blind Side works well enough if you haven’t read her earlier books featuring this couple, but naturally it helps if you have. I’m a fast reader, and generally don’t like to put a book down once I’ve started it, but didn’t have much trouble putting it to the side and drifting off for the night. Not that I wasn’t glad to pick it up again, it just didn’t hold me the way some others have.

Still, a good, fun read, and well worth the investment.

If you’re a fantasy fan, I did find an older series that I really couldn’t put down. Beyond the Pale, Book one of The Last Rune series by Mark Anthony, delivered in spades. Really, they had me at reality unraveling in a small town in Colorado. Seriously, a saloon keeper fighting to keep the world a sane and rational place was a big attraction, I am a sucker for a really likeable main character. Then the dead started walking, and we brought in a strong female character, and I was completely sold.

I have to admit, I lost a lot of sleep the night I read it, but I certainly don’t begrudge a bit of it. This is true fantasy, with fast action, plenty of dark magic, runes, and a world that’s existed in parallel with our own, I’d definitely recommend this series to any fan of the genre. It doesn’t hurt that the characters are all well-written, the worlds deep enough to feel real, and the evil they face delightfully monstrous.

The only kicker, of course, is that I hadn’t yet bought the rest of the series. Amazon will be helping me fix that little issue, and I’ll let you know as soon as they arrive how they were. So far, so good.

Cheers,

Michelle,