Wanted: Undead or Alive (Love at Stake Series #12) by Kerrelyn Sparks

Publisher's Blurb: 

He's a vampire from the big city . . .

Phineas McKinney thought New York City was tough, until he was attacked by Malcontents—evil vampires who consider mortals to be snacks. Saved by the good vampires, Phin swore to devote his now undead life to stopping the Malcontents. He's got his job cut out for him when word comes that their enemy may be hiding in Wyoming. What does a city boy like him know about horses and campfires? Good thing he's got Brynley Jones with him . . . if only she didn't hate every vampire on earth.

She's a werewolf princess . . .

Bryn believes vampires are seductive and charming, and that makes them dangerous. So she's more than a little annoyed about teaming up with Phin, even if he is the only bloodsucker able to make her inner wolf purr. But as they hunt down the new leader of the Malcontents, danger threatens . . . and Phineas and Brynley discover a passion that will rock the foundation of their supernatural world.

Review:   First things first - can we just have a moment of awed silence for the cover of this book?..........OK, I'm back.  Simple, elegant and clear, sexy imagery - love it!!
I am a huge fan of Kerrelyn Sparks' Love at Stake books for their fun, romantic and consistently entertaining style.  She regularly introduces new characters, kills off bad guys and sets up new evildoers, and the adventures continue feeling fresh.  On the surface these are what I call "light and fluffy" books, meaning they are a quick read and there's not a lot of deep, dark, existential crap making me think more than I want to at the time.  But "light and fluffy" is deceptively hard to write well, and these books are extremely well-done.  They keep me reading late into the night, and Wanted: Undead or Alive is no exception.
I was a little worried that this book would be my first disappointment in the series, because the character of Phineas has been somewhat cartoonish and over-the-top.  But his story starts off with a lot of insight into Phineas as a person, and before I knew it I cared about him as much as any other character.  Phineas is one of the youngest vampires, and still has ties to the mortal world.  His love for his family and younger brother really make him a sweet, sexy man.  Previous stories have shown glimpses of Phineas' kindness and awareness of others' feelings (especially when his friend Phil was in love with Vanda, in Forbidden Nights with a Vampire), and his compassion just makes him sexier. 
When Phineas and Bryn are assigned as a team, their mutual attraction and denial of it create sparks and a lot of tension-building situations.  Their time alone together in the wilderness really brings out their personalities and made for some really romantic moments (in spite of a skunky smelling old were-bear).  Not to mention some very funny parts as a city boy learns about horses.
Bryn's family life as a werewolf has a very dark side, and Phineas is determined to protect her at all costs when her father tries to sell her off in a werewolf marriage alliance. His devotion to her brings out his alpha male side and it's all kinds of sexy.
The hunt for crazy Queen Corky leads to new villains, an entire pack of werewolves with some very different values, and some tantalizing insights into Howard's past (is his book next?!).
Book #12 is another very satisfying, romantic adventure and leaves me looking forward to the next one - a major feat with a series of this length!

For more information visit the author's website at http://www.kerrelynsparks.com.

The Devil Colony by James Rollins (Sigma Force #7)

Publisher's Blurb: 

Deep in the Rocky Mountains, a gruesome discovery—hundreds of mummified bodies—stir international attention and fervent controversy. Despite doubts to the bodies’ origins, the local Native American Heritage Commission lays claim to the prehistoric remains, along with the strange artifacts found in the same cavern: gold plates inscribed with an unfathomable script.

During a riot at the dig site, an anthropologist dies horribly. All evidence points to a radical group of Native Americans, including one agitator who escapes with a vital clue to the murder and calls on the one person who might help—her uncle, Painter Crowe, director of Sigma Force. To protect his niece and uncover the truth, Painter will ignite a war across the nation’s most powerful intelligence agencies. Yet, an even greater threat looms as events in the Rocky Mountains have set in motion a geological meltdown that threatens the entire western half of the U.S.

From the volcanic peaks of Iceland to the blistering deserts of the American Southwest, from the gold vaults of Fort Knox to the bubbling geysers of Yellowstone, Painter Crowe joins forces with commander Gray Pierce to penetrate the shadowy heart of a dark cabal, one that has been manipulating American history since the founding of the thirteen colonies. But can he discover the truth before it destroys all he holds dear?

Review:  Oh, how I love James Rollins.  How much, you ask?  If the guy lived next to me I'd make him a crockpot of my homemade-everyone-in-my-family-will-actually-eat-it-happily chili con carne.  Every week.  With corn bread!  Just so he could keep on writing:-)
In the latest outing for the secret Sigma Force (a Black Ops government agency of soldier/spy/scientist men and women), Director Painter Crowe and Commander Gray Pierce have their hands full on multiple fronts, as each races to figure out the ancient technology unearthed in the Rocky Mountains.  The discovery of what appears to be gold tablets with a strange writing on them has triggered a scientific and geologic chain of events that may cause near-global destruction.  As if that was not enough, the Guild has a centuries-old knowledge of the existence of these plates, and is somehow tied to the founding of America.  Throw in complicated ties to Native Americans, Mormonism and geological and cultural events over the last two millennia, and the race is on.  Rollins is a superb action-thriller writer, and has also continued to add emotional and personal complexity through these novels, creating a richly developed group of characters who outshine the competition.  Painter's niece is involved in the first explosion, and is on the run, desperately calling Painter for help.  Gray is struggling to decide how best to help his parents, as his father sinks further into dementia and his mother fights to hold it together.  And Gray is still the secret handler of Seichan, who is working for Sigma.  Or is she?
Rollins has always excelled at creating a quilt-like thriller, sewing strands of action, mystery, science, myth, military, fact and fiction into a near-seamless fabric.  But where he truly distinguishes himself is his ability to do this same thing with the personal lives of his characters, without sinking into the simplicity of sex-based relationships (not that there's anything wrong with that!), and emotionally simplistic or one-dimensional people.
Such balance keeps me reading late into the night, and come June it will happen again when Bloodline is published.  I am especially anticipating this book after the shocking ending of The Devil Colony!


Check out his website at http://www.jamesrollins.com/.

Bloodline will be published on 6/26/2012.