Dennis Batchelder's profile

full of action, yet satisfyingly nuanced, April 12, 2009

"The Acronym", Rebecca Lerwill's sequel to "Relocating Mia", is an action-packed thriller with just the right amount of spice.

Mia Trentino must return to St. Petersburg to testify againt the Russian Mafia. They want her dead, and Douglas Farland, her finace, and his Acronym agents work hard to keep her alive. But Doug gets framed for treason, and as Mia's protection is diluted, the Mafia closes in.

Lerwill weaves a multi-layered tale: one minute we're sneaking up on castles with Douglas in Poland, and the next we're flirting with Mafia bosses with Ludvika in St. Petersburg. There are plots and sub-plots, all choreographed to lead up to a final confrontation on the… Read more

small-town florida, big-town problems, March 13, 2009

Pete Grondin's "Lifetime of Vengeance" is the first in the series of the adventures of the McKinney brothers.

Pat, Joe, and Mike McKinney were happily running their small-town businesses of an orange grove, nursery, and a marijuana distributorship. They got a bit greedy and ticked off the down channels, and Mike's new wife ended up paying the price in a brutal rape and slaying.

Fast forward seven years, and Pat and Joe, fresh from service in the armed forces, are all set to get their revenge on the six guys who helped kill Mike's wife. They stake out the targets, build their alibis, get in position, and guess what: somebody else seems to be beating them to the… Read more

A fast, fun, sexy, paranormal romp, February 11, 2009

Zoe Winters' "Kept" is a fast-paced, well-written story about a 28-year-old werecat named Greta, and how she uncovers, dodges, and tries to survive an attempt by the rest of her werecat tribe to sacrifice her.

Winters dumps you into the middle of her world of werecats, vampires, sorcerers, and even some humans. All the paranormal folk are trying to coexist in Cary City without the humans catching on.

Greta is a manager of a bookshop, and when she discovers she's going to be sacrificed, she ends up running to Dayne, a hunky sorcerer. Sparks fly and auras crackle, Greta goes into werecat heat, and amidst all the tension and fun sex they work to keep Greta out of the… Read more