Tamora Pierce, thirty years of fantasy.. And I just found her!

So, for the last four years my friend has been hounding me to read Tamora Pierce. I was reluctant.. the covers are ... boring. Yes, I know. I am a librarian and I shouldn't judge a book by its cover.  Pierce's first book "Alanna The First Adventure" was printed in 1983. I was two years old. Growing up, I never heard about Tortall or Pierce.

Two years ago, I found Sarah Maas, who writes the Throne of Glass series and the Court of Thorns and Roses series. I am completely obsessed and I wanted to find something else that had strong female characters and magic. So, very quietly so my friend did not know, I picked up "Beka Cooper Terrier" by Tamora Pierce.

Two weeks later, I now own all of Pierce's books (thank you eBay!). I finished the Beka Cooper trilogy and started Alanna. They are really good. I wish my school work (darn me for decided to go back to college) wouldn't interfere with my reading time! I am highly motivated to get my homework done so I can read though!

Beka Cooper wants to be a Provost's Dog, the Tortall version of a policeman. They don't use swords, they use two food long, lead lined batons. She is entering her puppy training, the year she follows around a pair of seasoned Dogs. Though magic is real in Tortall, not everyone has it. Beka  is no mage, but she can talk to ghosts that ride the back of pigeons. There's also a purple eyed cat that talks.

Beka's pigeons reveal a dastardly plot involving murdered children and miners being killed. They happen to be two different things going on, and Beka convinces her partners to help find the murderers.

The official jacket description is:
Beka Cooper is a rookie with the law-enforcing Provost's Guard, and she's been assigned to the Lower City. It's a tough beat that's about to get tougher, as Beka's limited ability to communicate with the dead clues her in to an underworld conspiracy. Someone close to Beka is using dark magic to profit from the Lower City's criminal enterprises--and the result is a crime wave the likes of which the Provost's Guard has never seen before.

I can't actually explain why, but this book just grabbed me. There's enough humor in it. I laughed sometimes.. The speech sometimes was very interesting. Beka is a strong character who knows what she wants, but I love the way she is shy in front of people. The second book takes place after Beka graduates to full fledged dog, and the third book takes place three years after the events of book 2. This really is a fantastic author. I can't wait to finish reading all of them! 

The Ranger's Apprentice series returns, starring Halt and Crowley!

Description:
When Halt and Crowley discover that the ambitious Morgarath has been infiltrating the Rangers in order to corrupt the Corps, the young Rangers travel north to find Prince Duncan, seeking a royal warrant to stop Morgarath before it is too late. By weakening the Rangers, the most powerful force in support of the King, Morgarath plans to steal the throne. 

Yet when Halt and Crowley arrive in Gorlan, they discover just how close Morgarath’s scheme is to success. Morgarath has a plan to discredit the Prince and alienate him from his father. At the same time, the Baron of Gorlan has been conspiring to win the trust and admiration of the Council of Barons to further his plan. If the young Rangers are to prevent the coup from succeeding, they will have to tread a dangerous path, which leads them to a thrilling climax at the annual tournament at Gorlan, where a series of bitter duels must be fought and won.

When I first read about this book, I couldn't believe it! Finally! We get to learn more about Halt's history! Okay well, not really. Not yet at least.

 The book starts as Morgarath is starting to take over Araluen. The king is imprisoned "for his own safety" as supposedly Prince Duncan tried to assassinate him. Duncan is off in the wilds of the north raiding and pillaging and causing all sorts of problems. Morgarath managed to fire all the Rangers and in their place put stupid saps.

 This is where the story starts, as Crowley and Halt are on the run from Morgarath's soldiers. Of course, they run into mayhem and find new friends. They track down the twelve former Rangers who were fired in hopes of finding Duncan and freeing the king and confronting Morgarath. Things never happen the way they should, though. Concealing themselves inside Gorlan, during a huge tournament that Morgarath has once a year, they wait for the perfect time to take Morgarath down.

Oh, hey this is where Halt meets Lady Pauline :)

I'm thrilled that Flanagan has taken his world in this direction. I loved the original Rangers Apprentice series. I thought the Brotherband Chronicles were awesome. Even though I care absolutely nothing about sailing, I never lost interest in the books. And here we have young Halt and Crowley, trying to save the country, but from the beginning. Love it!

Evanovich and Goldberg bring us another hilarious page turner in "The Scam" out September 2015

Description
Nicolas Fox is a charming con man and master thief on the run. Kate O’Hare is the FBI agent who is hot on his trail. At least that’s what everyone thinks. In reality, Fox and O’Hare are secretly working together to bring down super-criminals the law can’t touch. Criminals like brutal casino magnate Evan Trace.
 
Evan Trace is running a money-laundering operation through his casino in Macau. Some of his best customers are mobsters, dictators, and global terrorists. Nick and Kate will have to go deep undercover as high-stakes gamblers, wagering millions of dollars—and their lives—in an attempt to topple Trace’s empire.
 
It’s a scam that will take Fox and O’Hare from the Las Vegas strip, to the sun-soaked beaches of Oahu’s North Shore, and into the dark back alleys of Macau. Their only backup—a self-absorbed actor, a Somali pirate, and Kate’s father, an ex-soldier who believes a rocket launcher is the best way to solve every problem. What could possibly go wrong?

Everything, of course. With the hilarious feel of the Stephanie Plum novels, Evanovich and Goldberg seriously deliver on this series. I have enjoyed every minute of them. 

Kat and Nick are out to take down Evan Trace, a casino owner allowing bad guys to launder dirty money through his casinos. In the midst of it, Kate's dad has a friend in Hawaii who is butting heads with a Hawaiian mobster. They have a brilliant plan to involve the mobster in their plot to take down Trace, that way everything gets done at once. They bring their team back to help them out, after Nick poses as a lawyer to get Willie out of a stealing a bus charge. Then the action happens....

Every turn of the page makes you laugh until you run out of breath! Great series!

Linda Lael Miller brings us Christmas in Mustang Creek

Description:
Charlotte Morgan grew up in Mustang Creek, Wyoming, and couldn't wait to escape to the big city. But life in New York isn't as fabulous as she'd like to admit—she's lonely, doing a job she doesn't love and dating too many frogs she meets online. 

There was one potential prince, though—Jaxon Locke, a veterinarian with definite possibilities—but his move to Idaho to fill in at his dad's vet practice ended things just as they were getting interesting. What Charlotte doesn't know is that he misses her, more than he expected… 

Meanwhile, Charlotte's great-aunt Geneva—the woman who raised her—needs to enter an assisted-living facility. So, just before Christmas, Charlotte moves back home. When Jax catches wind of her move back West, he's determined to get to Wyoming and do whatever it takes to win her back. 

Christmas in Mustang Creek is a magical time in a magical place, not least because of a mysterious visitor named Mrs. Klozz. She knows that love is the greatest gift of all, and she's ready to help out Santa by giving these two a push in the right direction!

Charlotte and Jaxon had a relationship previously, but Charlotte believed they wanted different things. She loved the big city and Jaxon longed for the quiet of the country. When Charlotte loses her job, she decides to head home to Mustang Creek, where she grew up with her aunt Geneva. Geneva has early stages dementia and decided it would be best to move to a home. What Charlotte doesn't know is that Jaxon remembers how much she talked about her hometown. When a college buddy asks Jaxon to join his practice, low and behold it is in Mustang Creek. Jaxon can only hope that he runs into Charlotte and makes her realize that she is wrong and they definitely belong together.

A friend of Geneva's has been staying at her house and becomines Mrs Matchmaker, Mrs Klozz asks Jaxon to stay at the house, saying they could use a man around to help them out. Charlotte has no clue how to really take this. Mrs Klozz seems to barrel over everything. But with the way the woman cooks, who can say no?!

Then the idea forms to make Geneva's house into a bed and breakfast. Charlotte knows nothing about running a bed and breakfast but she just can't seem to get the idea out of her head. Not knowing what her future holds keeps her from making a commitment to Jaxon, but Christmas miracles are happening in Mustang Creek...

Fantastic, as usual. Ms Miller has given us a wonderful Christmas read that is, as always, so very feel good. I set the book down and definitely felt lighter.