Between the Pages - Books I Read in 2012

According to my book database's stats, I read 210 books in 2012, whereas my Goodreads Challenge total was 218. Although, with all of the re-reads my actual total was nearer to 250! 

To further show my love to the remarkable romance books I read (that were published in 2012) I've designated my favorites in the following personally selected categories. 

Favorite Mainstream - The Witness by Nora Roberts (reviewed here)
Favorite Contemporary Romance - The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski (reviewed here)
Favorite Historical Romance - Defiant (MacKinnon's Rangers #3) by Pamela Clare
Favorite Romantic Suspense - Fatal Deception (Fatal Series #5) by Marie Force
Favorite Inspirational Romance - Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
Favorite Paranormal Romance - (tie) The Force of Wind (Elemental Mysteries #3) and A Fall of Water (Elemental Mysteries #4) by Elizabeth Hunter
Favorite Celebrity Romance - Love Unrehearsed (Love Series #2) by Tina Reber
Favorite Mature Teen Romance - Easy (Contours of the Heart #1) by Tammara Webber (reviewed here)
Favorite Young Adult Romance - The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (reviewed here)
Favorite Romantic Novella - Naked (The Blackstone Affair #1) by Raine Miller

Favorite Romantic Hero - Landon Lucas Maxfield - Easy by Tammara Webber
Favorite Romantic Heroine - Faye Goodknight - Breathe by Kristen Ashley
Favorite Romantic Couple - Sam Holland and Nick Cappuano - Fatal Deception (Fatal Series #5) by Marie Force  
Favorite Debut Author - J.A. Redmerski for The Edge of Never (reviewed here)

Most Luscious - Gabriel's Rapture (Gabriel's Inferno #2) by Sylvain Reynard (reviewed here)
Most Erotic - This Man by Jodi Ellen Malpas
Most Heartrending - The Fault in Our Stars by John Green ( reviewed here) 
Most Humorous - Seduction and Snacks (Chocolate Lovers #1) by Tara Sivec
Most Tormented Hero - Gabriel Emerson - Gabriel's Rapture (Gabriel's Inferno #2) by Sylvain Reynard (reviewed here)
Most "Kick-Ass" Heroine - Sam Holland - Fatal Deception (Fatal Series #5) by Marie Force
Most Guilty Pleasure - Fifty Shades Freed (Fifty Shades Series #3) by E.L. James {which I read SEVEN TIMES!} (reviewed here)

Very Honorable Mentions (those I've designated BEYOND AMAZING!)

Bared to You and Reflected in You by Sylvia Day (read TWICE each!)
Barely Breathing by Rebecca Donovan 
Coming Home (Treading Water Series #4) by Marie Force
Slammed and Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover
If I Were You (Inside Out Trilogy #1) by Lisa Renee Jones (read TWICE!)
Leave Me Breathless (Ross Siblings #3) by Cherrie Lynn
All In (The Blackstone Affair #2) by Raine Miller (read TWICE!) 
Come Away With Me (With Me in Seattle #1) and Fight With Me (With Me in Seattle #2) by Kristen Proby 

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Books I Read in 2012
(Rating "0" = Defies Rating)

Author	Title	Publication Year	Reading Date	My Rating
Adams, Dee J.	Dangerous Race	2011	8/9/2012	8
Adams, Dee J.	Danger Zone	2012	8/11/2012	8
Adams, Dee J.	Dangerously Close	2012	8/8/2012	8
Ashley, Kristen	The Gamble	2011	8/23/2012	0
Ashley, Kristen	Sweet Dreams	2011	8/25/2012	0
Ashley, Kristen	Lady Luck	2011	8/26/2012	0
Ashley, Kristen	Breathe	2012	7/30/2012	0
Ashley, Kristen	Mystery Man	2011	9/9/2012	0
Ashley, Kristen	Wild Man	2011	9/10/2012	0
Ashley, Kristen	Law Man	2012	9/13/2012	0
Ashley, Kristen	Motorcycle Man	2012	9/16/2012	0
Ashley, Kristen	Heaven and Hell	2011	11/15/2012	0
Ashley, Kristen	Play It Safe	2012	9/18/2012	0
Ashley, Kristen	Rock Chick	2011	11/25/2012	0
Ashley, Kristen	Rock Chick Rescue	2011	11/27/2012	0
Ashley, Kristen	Rock Chick Redemption	2011	12/4/2012	0
Ashley, Kristen	Rock Chick Renegade	2011	12/6/2012	0
Ashley, Kristen	Rock Chick Revenge	2011	12/17/2012	0
Ashley, Kristen	Rock Chick Reckoning	2011	12/20/2012	0
Ashley, Kristen	Rock Chick Regret	2011	12/27/2012	0
Ashley, Kristen	Knight	2012	11/9/2012	0
Baker, Miranda	Solo Play	2011	12/1/2012	6
Bowen, Rhys	Hush Now, Don't You Cry	2012	3/16/2012	8
Brown, Sandra	Low Pressure	2012	9/24/2012	8
Cameron, Chelsea M.	My Favorite Mistake	2012	11/19/2012	8
Campbell, Steph; Reinhardt, Liz	Lengths	2012	9/1/2012	8
Carr, Robyn	Virgin River	2008	3/13/2012	8
Carr, Robyn	Shelter Mountain	2010	3/18/2012	6
Carr, Robyn	Whispering Rock	2010	3/19/2012	6
Carr, Robyn	A Virgin River Christmas	2010	3/19/2012	6
Carr, Robyn	Second Chance Pass	2010	3/22/2012	8
Carr, Robyn	Temptation Ridge	2010	3/23/2012	8
Carr, Robyn	Paradise Valley	2010	3/24/2012	8
Carr, Robyn	Angel's Peak	2010	5/5/2012	6
Carr, Robyn	Moonlight Road	2010	5/25/2012	6
Carr, Robyn	Sheltering Hearts	2010	6/15/2012	4
Carr, Robyn	Promise Canyon	2010	6/16/2012	6
Carr, Robyn	Wild Man Creek	2011	6/20/2012	8
Carr, Robyn	Harvest Moon	2011	6/21/2012	8
Carr, Robyn	Hidden Summit	2011	6/29/2012	6
Carr, Robyn	Redwood Bend	2012	8/16/2012	8
Carr, Robyn	Sunrise Point	2012	8/19/2012	6
Carr, Robyn	My Kind of Christmas	2012	12/5/2012	8
Clare, Pamela	Extreme Exposure	2005	5/21/2012	8
Clare, Pamela	Heaven Can't Wait	2010	6/21/2012	10
Clare, Pamela	Hard Evidence	2006	6/7/2012	8
Clare, Pamela	Unlawful Contact	2008	6/9/2012	8
Clare, Pamela	Naked Edge	2011	6/13/2012	8
Clare, Pamela	Breaking Point	2011	6/14/2012	8
Clare, Pamela	Skin Deep	2012	6/22/2012	6
Clare, Pamela	Sweet Release	2011	7/9/2012	8
Clare, Pamela	Carnal Gift	2011	7/11/2012	8
Clare, Pamela	Surrender	2011	7/6/2012	10
Clare, Pamela	Untamed	2012	7/7/2012	10
Clare, Pamela	Defiant	2012	7/8/2012	10
Clayton, Alice	Wallbanger	2012	12/18/2012	8
Collins, Suzanne	The Hunger Games Trilogy	2011	3/11/2012	8
Connelly, Michael	The Black Ice	2002	2/28/2012	8
Cunning, Olivia	Try Me	2012	11/23/2012	6
Cunning, Olivia	Backstage Pass	2010	12/19/2012	10
Day, Sylvia	Bared to You	2012	7/12/2012	10
Day, Sylvia	Reflected in You	2012	10/2/2012	10
Donovan, Rebecca	Reason to Breathe	2011	10/1/2012	10
Donovan, Rebecca	Barely Breathing	2012	10/3/2012	10
Evanovich, Janet	Explosive Eighteen	2011	1/6/2012	6
Fairstein, Linda	Night Watch	2012	10/7/2012	8
Flynn, Gillian	Gone Girl	2012	8/14/2012	8
Force, Marie	Everyone Loves a Hero	2011	2/23/2012	8
Force, Marie	The Fall	2010	2/23/2012	6
Force, Marie	Fatal Affair	2010	2/14/2012	10
Force, Marie	Fatal Justice	2011	2/17/2012	10
Force, Marie	Fatal Consequences	2011	2/19/2012	10
Force, Marie	Fatal Destiny	2011	2/19/2012	10
Force, Marie	Fatal Flaw	2012	2/20/2012	10
Force, Marie	Fatal Deception	2012	11/12/2012	10
Force, Marie	Georgia on My Mind	2011	2/5/2012	6
Force, Marie	Line of Scrimmage	2008	2/22/2012	8
Force, Marie	Love at First Flight	2009	2/4/2012	8
Force, Marie	Maid for Love	2011	1/24/2012	6
Force, Marie	Fool for Love	2011	2012	6
Force, Marie	Ready for Love	2011	1/27/2012	6
Force, Marie	Falling for Love	2012	1/28/2012	6
Force, Marie	Hoping for Love	2012	3/9/2012	8
Force, Marie	Season for Love	2012	6/8/2012	6
Force, Marie	Longing for Love	2012	10/4/2012	8
Force, Marie	Treading Water	2011	1/30/2012	10
Force, Marie	Marking Time	2011	1/31/2012	8
Force, Marie	Starting Over	2011	2/2/2012	10
Force, Marie	Coming Home	2012	12/13/2012	10
Force, Marie	True North	2010	2/4/2012	6
Force, Marie	The Wreck	2011	2/12/2012	8
Foster, Lori	Caught In The Act	2001	4/24/2012	4
Fowler, Earlene	Spider Web	2011	8/7/2012	8
Gaskell, Elizabeth	North and South	2006	7/3/2012	8
Gerritsen, Tess	Freaks	2011	2/2/2012	6
Gerritsen, Tess	Last to Die	2012	9/7/2012	8
Glines, Abbi	Breathe	2011	8/26/2012	4
Glines, Abbi	Because of Low	2012	8/28/2012	4
Glines, Abbi	While It Lasts	2012	8/29/2012	6
Glines, Abbi	Fallen Too Far	2012	12/28/2012	8
Green, John	The Fault in Our Stars	2012	8/16/2012	10
Grey, S.R.	Harbour Falls	2012	11/11/2012	6
Hale, Shannon	Austenland	2010	2/24/2012	6
Hardy, Thomas	Tess of the d'Urbervilles	2003	5/27/2012	10
Hart, Megan	Broken	2012	10/14/2012	8
Hart, Megan	Dirty	2012	10/11/2012	10
Hart, Megan	Reason Enough	2008	10/12/2012	8
Hoover, Colleen	Hopeless	2012	12/21/2012	10
Hoover, Colleen	Slammed	2012	10/24/2012	10
Hoover, Colleen	Point of Retreat	2012	10/24/2012	10
Howard, Linda	Prey	2011	11/28/2012	6
Hunter, Elizabeth	A Hidden Fire	2011	12/29/2012	10
Hunter, Elizabeth	This Same Earth	2012	12/29/2012	10
Hunter, Elizabeth	The Force of Wind	2012	12/30/2012	10
Hunter, Elizabeth	A Fall of Water	2012	12/31/2012	10
James, E.L.	Fifty Shades of Grey	2011	3/24/2012	10
James, E.L.	Fifty Shades Darker	2011	3/25/2012	10
James, E.L.	Fifty Shades Freed	2012	3/26/2012	10
James, Julie	Something About You	2010	4/23/2012	6
James, P.D.	Death Comes to Pemberley	2011	1/21/2012	4
Jones, Lisa Renee	If I Were You	2012	9/28/2012	10
Jones, Lisa Renee	Secrets Exposed	2011	10/16/2012	6
Jones, Lisa Renee	Hot Secrets	2012	10/17/2012	8
Jones, Lisa Renee	Dangerous Secrets	2012	10/19/2012	8
Jones, Lisa Renee	One Dangerous Night	2012	10/19/2012	6
Kaye, Laura	Her Forbidden Hero	2012	11/10/2012	6
Kaye, Laura	One Night With a Hero	2012	11/9/2012	10
Kery, Beth	Exposed to You	2012	11/8/2012	8
Kery, Beth	Wicked Burn	2008	10/10/2012	6
King, Stephen	11/22/63	2011	4/5/2012	8
Kleypas, Lisa	Sugar Daddy	2007	1/22/2012	8
Kleypas, Lisa	Blue-Eyed Devil	2009	1/22/2012	8
Kleypas, Lisa	Smooth Talking Stranger	2010	1/23/2012	8
Leighton, M.	Down to You	2012	10/7/2012	8
Leighton, M.	The Wild Ones	2012	8/15/2012	8
Lynn, Cherrie	Unleashed	2009	8/2/2012	6
Lynn, Cherrie	Rock Me	2010	7/30/2012	10
Lynn, Cherrie	Leave Me Breathless	2012	11/7/2012	10
Mallery, Susan	Chasing Perfect	2010	8/18/2012	8
Mallery, Susan	Almost Perfect	2010	9/12/2012	8
Mallery, Susan	Finding Perfect	2010	9/12/2012	8
Mallery, Susan	Only Mine	2011	9/12/2012	8
Mallery, Susan	Only Yours	2011	9/17/2012	8
Mallery, Susan	Only His	2011	9/20/2012	6
Mallery, Susan	Only Us	2012	9/20/2012	8
Mallery, Susan	Almost Summer	2012	9/20/2012	6
Mallery, Susan	Summer Days	2012	9/20/2012	4
Mallery, Susan	Summer Nights	2012	9/22/2012	6
Mallery, Susan	All Summer Long	2012	9/22/2012	8
Mallery, Susan	A Fool's Gold Christmas	2012	9/29/2012	8
Malpas, Jodi Ellen	This Man	2012	11/17/2012	10
Mathewson, R.L.	Playing For Keeps	2011	12/23/2012	6
Maxwell, Gina L.	Seducing Cinderella	2012	10/13/2012	8
McGuire, Jamie	Beautiful Disaster	2012	7/27/2012	8
McKenna, Shannon	Behind Closed Doors	2004	7/15/2012	8
McKenna, Shannon	Standing in the Shadows	2004	7/17/2012	8
McKenna, Shannon	Out of Control	2006	7/17/2012	8
McKenna, Shannon	Edge of Midnight	2009	7/19/2012	8
McKenna, Shannon	Extreme Danger	2010	7/20/2012	8
McKenna, Shannon	Ultimate Weapon	2011	7/21/2012	8
McKenna, Shannon	Fade to Midnight	2011	7/23/2012	6
McKenna, Shannon	Return To Me	2005	7/26/2012	8
Miller, Raine	Naked	2012	9/27/2012	10
Miller, Raine	All In	2012	11/9/2012	10
Patterson, James; Gross, Andrew	2nd Chance	2002	4/20/2012	8
Patterson, James; Gross, Andrew	3rd Degree	2004	4/25/2012	8
Patterson, James; Paetro, Maxine	4th of July	2005	4/25/2012	8
Patterson, James; Paetro, Maxine	The 5th Horseman	2006	5/5/2012	8
Phillips, Susan Elizabeth	The Great Escape	2012	7/14/2012	6
Probst, Jennifer	The Marriage Bargain	2012	8/12/2012	6
Proby, Kristen	Come Away With Me	2012	11/15/2012	10
Reber, Tina	Love Unscripted	2011	7/24/2012	10
Reber, Tina	Love Unrehearsed	2012	9/15/2012	10
Redmerski, J.A.	The Edge of Never	2012	12/2/2012	10
Reichs, Kathy	Bones are Forever	2012	8/31/2012	8
Reinhardt, Liz	Fall Guy	2012	10/9/2012	6
Reynard, Sylvain	Gabriel's Inferno	2011	7/28/2012	10
Reynard, Sylvain	Gabriel's Rapture	2012	7/29/2012	10
Roberts, Nora	The Art of Deception	2011	6/19/2012	6
Roberts, Nora	The Last Boyfriend	2012	5/3/2012	8
Roberts, Nora	The Perfect Hope	2012	11/6/2012	10
Roberts, Nora	The Witness	2012	4/19/2012	10
Roth , Kate	The Low Notes	2012	10/21/2012	8
Ryan, Kendall	Unravel Me	2012	10/10/2012	6
Ryan, Kendall	Make Me Yours	2012	11/18/2012	8
Sheehan, Madeline	UnDeniable	2012	11/18/2012	6
Sinclair, Cherise	Club Shadowlands	2013	6/22/2012	4
Sinclair, Cherise	Dark Citadel	2009	6/23/2012	4
Sinclair, Cherise	Breaking Free	2009	8/3/2012	4
Sinclair, Cherise	Lean on Me	2010	8/5/2012	3
Sinclair, Cherise	Make Me, Sir	2011	8/19/2012	4
Sinclair, Cherise	To Command and Collar	2011	8/20/2012	3
Sivec, T.E.	Seduction and Snacks	2012	8/13/2012	8
Snow, Emily	Devoured	2012	11/22/2012	8
Snow, Emily	Tidal	2012	12/24/2012	8
Stedman, M.L.	The Light Between Oceans	2012	8/22/2012	8
Stevens, Amanda	The Abandoned	2012	2/15/2012	8
Stevens, Amanda	The Kingdom	2012	4/3/2012	6
Stevens, Amanda	The Prophet	2012	6/11/2012	8
Trigiani, Adriana	The Shoemaker's Wife	2012	4/22/2012	10
Vaughn, Rachelle	Submersed	2012	11/14/2012	8
Vaz, Mark Cotta	The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 1	2011	1/14/2012	8
Ward, J.R.	Dark Lover	2005	9/26/2012	6
Ward, J.R.	Lover Eternal	2006	9/30/2012	6
Ward, J.R.	Lover Awakened	2007	10/27/2012	6
Ward, J.R.	Lover Revealed	2008	12/1/2012	6
Webber, Tammara	Between the Lines	2011	7/31/2012	6
Webber, Tammara	Where You Are	2011	8/2/2012	6
Webber, Tammara	Good For You	2011	8/3/2012	8
Webber, Tammara	Easy	2012	7/30/2012	10
Young, Samantha	On Dublin Street	2012	9/27/2012	8

Exported from BookCollector 1/8/2013 4:15:45 PM

Book Review: On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves

Title: On the Island
Series: On the Island #1
Author: Tracey Garvis Graves
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Published: 06/07/2012
Publisher: Plume
Genre(s): Women's Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Action & Adventure

DESCRIPTION

Two people stranded on an island struggle to survive—and slowly fall in love—in the runaway New York Times bestseller from the author of the forthcoming novel COVET.

Anna Emerson is a thirty-year-old English teacher desperately in need of adventure. Worn down by the cold Chicago winters and a relationship that’s going nowhere, she jumps at the chance to spend the summer on a tropical island tutoring sixteen-year-old T.J.

T.J. Callahan has no desire to go anywhere. His cancer is in remission and he wants to get back to his normal life. But his parents are insisting he spend the summer in the Maldives catching up on all the school he missed last year.

Anna and T.J. board a private plane headed to the Callahan’s summer home, and as they fly over the Maldives’ twelve hundred islands, the unthinkable happens. Their plane crashes in shark-infested waters. They make it to shore but soon discover that they’re stranded on an uninhabited island.

At first, their only thought is survival. But as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.’s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.

---

 MY THOUGHTS   Any expectations I may have had when I decided to read On the Island have certainly been blown clear out of the water. From the opening line to the last sentence this book was as close to perfectly plotted and paced as imaginable. Although I thought the length of the book (equivalent to 334 pages) was ideally balanced between set-up, character introduction, the passage of time on the island, and life following their rescue I certainly didn't want to say good-bye to T.J. and Anna. I consider this a remarkable novel, period. The fact that it is from a first-time author makes it even more impressive. The wait for her next novel, Covet, will seem long indeed. [Update: Uncharted was published July 2, and it was another phenomenal read!]

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HIGHLIGHTS

If she had gotten sick, the only thing I could have done was watch her suffer. Bury her next to Mick when she died. I didn’t know if I could make it without her. The sound of her voice, her smile, her— those were the things that made living on the island bearable. I held her a little tighter and thought if she woke up I might tell her that. ~ T.J.

 ~*~

The selfish part of me, however, couldn’t fathom not falling asleep in his arms or being with him every day. I needed T.J., and the thought of being away from him bothered me more than I wanted to admit. ~ Anna

 ~*~

“I’ve been in love with you for months. I’m telling you now because I think you love me, too, Anna. You just don’t think you’re supposed to. You’ll tell me when you’re ready. I can wait.” ~ T.J.

~*~

“I want you to be my wife. There’s no one else I want to spend the rest of my life with. We can live out here, you, me, our kids, and Bo. But I get it now, Anna. My decisions affect you, too. So now you have one of your own to make. Will you marry me?” ~ T.J.

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My Authorgraph!

Book Review: The Elemental Mysteries by Elizabeth Hunter

The series' official description: 

Welcome to the Elemental Mysteries, where history and the paranormal collide, and where no secret stays hidden forever. Join five hundred year old rare book dealer, Giovanni Vecchio, and librarian, Beatrice De Novo, as they travel the world in search of the mystery that brought them together, the same mystery that could tear everything they love apart.

Title: A Hidden Fire
Series: Elemental Mysteries #1
Author: Elizabeth Hunter
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Self-Published: 10/13/2011
Genre(s): Science Fiction & Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

DESCRIPTION

No secret stays hidden forever."

A phone call from an old friend sets Dr. Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mystery he'd abandoned years before. He never expected a young librarian could hold the key to the search, nor could he have expected the danger she would attract. Now he and Beatrice De Novo will follow a twisted maze that leads from the archives of a university library, through the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation they never could have predicted.

A Hidden Fire is a paranormal mystery/romance for adult readers. It is the first book in the Elemental Mysteries Series.

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Title: This Same Earth
Series: Elemental Mysteries #2
Author: Elizabeth Hunter
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Self-Published: 12/02/2011
Genre(s): Science Fiction & Fantasy, Paranormal Romance 

DESCRIPTION

Beatrice De Novo thought she had left the supernatural world behind…for the most part. But when the past becomes the present, will she leave her quiet life in Los Angeles to follow a mystery she thought had abandoned her? Where has Giovanni Vecchio been, and why has he returned? Giovanni has his own questions, and he’s looking to her for answers.

The sequel to A Hidden Fire will reunite Beatrice and Giovanni to continue their search through the past while both wrestle with the future. When the world as you knew it has changed forever, is there any way you can turn back?

This Same Earth is the second book in the Elemental Mysteries series. It is a paranormal romance/mystery for adult readers.

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Title: The Force of Wind
Series: Elemental Mysteries #3
Author: Elizabeth Hunter
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Self-Published: 03/02/2012
Genre(s): Science Fiction & Fantasy, Paranormal Romance 

DESCRIPTION

 How far would you go to protect the ones you love? 

What would you sacrifice to kill the one you hate? 

Join Giovanni Vecchio and Beatrice De Novo as they travel to a hidden island on the far edge of China and seek the help of an ancient immortal court. Can they weave their way through the tangled web of centuries-old alliances and ruthless feuds to find what they’ve been looking for? Friends will be revealed, enemies will find them, and a dangerous secret will come to light.

The Force of Wind is the third book in the four-part Elemental Mysteries series. It is a paranormal mystery/romance for adult readers.

---

Title: A Fall of Water
Series: Elemental Mysteries #4
Author: Elizabeth Hunter
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Self-Published: 06/01/2012
Genre(s): Science Fiction & Fantasy, Paranormal Romance 

DESCRIPTION

Still grieving from their loss in the far East, Giovanni Vecchio and Beatrice De Novo discover that for them, all roads really do lead to Rome. But nothing is quite as it seems in the Eternal City. Joined by Carwyn and Tenzin, unexpected clashes greet them almost immediately, and rivalries churn beneath the glittering facade of the old Roman court. They quickly realize that allies might be enemies, and ancient rivals could hold the key to a deadly secret.

Giovanni and Beatrice will be forced to call on old alliances, ancient power, and fierce cunning to survive for the eternity they both desire. Sometimes, finding the end means going back to the beginning. Fire, Earth, Wind, and Water finally meet with devastating results in the conclusion of the Elemental Mysteries.

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MY THOUGHTS

2012 has been a stupendous year in books for me. As the end of the year approached I wondered what book would be the year's last. I was not only thinking of how far I had exceeded my original Reading Challenge quota of 40 books but how I wanted to read the year out with a BANG...or at least a WOW! Well, when I finished the fourth book in the Elemental Mysteries Series this morning I felt I could not have closed my reading year out any better. 

In the three days I was reading A Hidden Fire, This Same Earth, The Force of Wind, and A Fall of Water I felt completely engrossed (geographically, culturally, imaginatively, humorously, and romantically) by the characters and story. 

I don't consider myself a true fan of fantasy, but I have read several "vampire" books. I will say that the Elemental Mysteries Series is like no others I have read. The intelligence, wit, civility, and the devotion to friends and "family" that the preternatural beings exhibit in the series did not leave me wholly focused on their being vampires. It was not their elemental powers or mystique that drew me to them, but their collective remaining humanity. 

In reading these rich, colorful books I experienced many emotions. Elizabeth Hunter wove an epic tale filled with the wonder of daily life, eternal friendships, a centuries-old mystery, and everlasting love. Definitely, a narrative to be wowed by!

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HIGHLIGHTS

Giovanni Vecchio to Beatrice De Novo in A Hidden Fire -

“Far be it from me to keep a woman from her book. That could become dangerous.”  

~*~

An exchange between Beatrice and Giovanni in A Hidden Fire - 

“So, the wooden stake through the heart thing is apparently a myth, but you can be killed by fire. Anything else?"
"Should I be concerned that one of your first questions is how to kill me?"
Her jaw dropped. "What? No! I didn't mean... I was just curious."
He snorted. "Well you can remain so."
"What about the sun?" she asked. "Extra toasty?"
"I'm not going to burst into flames, but I avoid tanning beds."
"Silver?"
"Some of my favorite cufflinks."
"Garlic?"
"Please," he sneered. "I'm Italian.” 

~*~

Beatrice De Novo to Giovanni Vecchio in A Hidden Fire -

“Tell the truth, Giovanni Vecchio." A mischievous look came to her eye. "You have a butler, a cool car, and I've only ever seen you at night..."
He froze, tension suddenly evident in the set of his shoulders. Beatrice leaned closer and whispered, "You're Batman, aren't you?” 

~*~

An exchange between Giovanni and Beatrice in A Fall in Water -

"I have a large house in Rome, an estate outside Florence, and a smaller flat in Milan. Didn't I tell you that?" 

"Anything else?"

"That's all I have in Italy. I have a few other places scattered around Europe." 

Beatrice paused. "Was that on your husband profile right under your ability to burn pasta? Because, I'll be honest, anything after the description of your sexual skills I just skipped over." 

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(rev. 08/01/2021)

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