Reading Anne Stuart’s Ice storm was a natural progression for me since I’ve been following this particular spy suspense series when it first debut with Black Ice.

This time round, it’s Ice Queen Isobel Lambert, the head of the committee who is being hunted down by an archenemy who wants her eliminated at all cost. Sent by the backers of the committee to retrieve the unscrupulous Serafin ‘The Raptor’, in exchange for the intelligence he’s trading to the committee for amnesty and freedom, Isobel suffered more than the usual amount of accidents.  The fact that Serafin himself is a much wanted, ruthless spy with no ethics whatsoever, selling his secrets out to the highest bidder pumps up the drama factor with assassins, car chases and bombings dogging their every step to sanctuary. Unbeknownst to her team mates, Isobel has a history with Serafin, a.k.a Killian, and as the story unfolds, the reader finds out why Isobel turned out the way she did.

This is another book read during my trip to Paris. Again, the author isn’t new to me. I’ve read one of Julia London’s contemporary romance, and her regency series, The Desperate Debutantes, and liked them all.

There wasn’t any synopsis on the backcover, but as I’ve been checking out the author’s website every now and then (Ms London has revamped her website, by the way, so go check it out!), I knew this book is the first in her Rogues of Regent Street series. It’s an old series which has recently been re-issued, and when I happened across this copy, I didn’t even realise that it’s the original cover.

Adrian Spence, a.k.a The Dangerous Gentleman, and one of the infamous Rogues, beguiled idealistic Lilliana Dashall into a marriage in an attempt to thwart his younger brother’s desire, after his father had disinherited him after he’d accidentally killed his cousin in a duel. At first, Lillie thought she was most fortunate to have married an enlightened husband who gave her the freedom to be herself.

Stumble upon this fun quiz at Kristie’s and Katie’s, and since Austen is one of my favourite authors, I thought it’d be fun. So, here’s the outcome when I took a turn at the quiz:

Take the Quiz here!

I’m no stranger to Eric McCarthy, having read the hilariously entertaining Heiress for Hire in 2006. I recall making plans to hunt down some of her contemporary stuff but never got round to it.  Therefore, imagine my delight when I stumble upon this rather dark paranormal series built around the seven deadly sins and the fallen immortals, who have to somehow redeem themselves.

The story arc of Fallen intrigued me. The synopsis on the backcover reads:

New Orleans, 1840s. Sent to watch over the decadent city, the angel Gabriel loses himself in the liquid pleasure of absinthe. So when his mistress, Anne, is murdered—and all evidence points to him—a foggy Gabriel cannot be sure he didn’t do it. His penance: to be forever denied love. Should he seek pleasure with a woman, she’ll suffer the depths of despair …

New Orleans, today.  Hoping to unlock that unsolved murder mystery, forensic scientist Sara Michaels, Anne’s great-great-grand-daughter, meets the ageless, tormented Gabriel.  To work together will mean suppressing their mutual attraction – he can’t allow himself to touch Sara, for her own sake.  And for Sara, already familiar with the dangers of addiction, Gabriel poses the ultimate threat to her self-control.  But will the desire burning between them turn into their salvation – or lead them both to destruction?