Stacking the Shelves #18



Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

Between D&R
Grab the Code

Première tombe sur la droite (Charley Davidson, 1) – Darynda Jones
A smashing, award-winning debut novel that introduces Charley Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper
Charley sees dead people. That’s right, she sees dead people. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life…and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely.

Charley Davidson est détective privée et faucheuse. Son boulot consiste à convaincre les morts « d’aller vers la lumière ». Mais ce n’est pas toujours si simple : parfois Charley doit les aider à accomplir quelque chose avant qu’ils acceptent de s’en aller, comme retrouver l’assassin de ces trois avocats. Ce qui ne serait pas un problème si Charley ne passait pas son temps à faire des rêves érotiques provoqués par une entité qui la suit depuis toujours… Or, il se pourrait que l’homme de ses rêves ne soit pas mort. Il pourrait même être tout à fait autre chose…
 Deuxième tombe sur la gauche (Charley Davidson, 2) – Darynda Jones 
Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper Extraordinaire, is back in this sexy, suspenseful novel of supernatural shenanigans When Charley is rudely awakened in the middle of the night by her best friend who tells her to get dressed quickly and tosses clothes out of the closet at her, she can’t help but wonder what Cookie’s up to. Leather scrunch boots with a floral miniskirt? Together? Seriously? Cookie explains that a friend of hers named Mimi disappeared five days earlier and that she just got a text from her setting up a meet at a coffee shop downtown. They show up at the coffee shop, but no Mimi. But Charley finds a message on the bathroom wall. Mimi left a clue, a woman’s name. Mimi’s husband explains that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old friend of hers from high school had been found murdered a couple weeks prior. The same woman Mimi had named in her message. Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. He’s left his body because he’s being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes can’t let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, they’ll have a portal to heaven. And if they have a portal to heaven…well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be pretty. Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Will Cookie ever get a true fashion sense? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel them as they do? 
Charley, détective privée et faucheuse, et Cookie, sa meilleure amie/réceptionniste, se lancent à la recherche d’une jeune femme, disparue depuis le meurtre d’une camarade de lycée. Pendant ce temps, Reyes – le fils de Satan ! – est sorti de son corps physique pour hanter Charley afin d’empêcher des démons de s’emparer de la jeune femme et d’accéder au ciel par son biais. Mais Charley pourra-t-elle supporter ses nuits ardentes avec Reyes et ses journées à cent à l’heure sur la piste d’une femme disparue ?
Fourth grave beneath my feet (Charley Davidson, 4) – Darynda Jones

Sometimes being the grim reaper really is that. Grim. And since Charley’s last case went so awry, she has taken a couple months off to wallow in the wonders of self-pity. But when a woman shows up on her doorstep convinced someone is trying to kill her, Charley has to force herself to rise above. Or at least get dressed. She quickly realizes something is amiss when everyone the woman knows swears she’s insane. The more they refute the woman’s story, the more Charley believes it.

In the meantime, the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, has been cleared of all charges. He is out of prison and out of Charley’s life, as per her wishes and several perfectly timed death threats. But his absence has put a serious crimp in her sex life. While there are other things to consider, like the fact that the city of Albuquerque has been taken hostage by an arsonist, Charley is having a difficult time staying away. Especially when it looks like Reyes may be involved. Just when life was returning to normal, Charley is thrust back into the world of crime, punishment, and the devil in blue jeans. 

 The Mage (Sons of Destiny, 8) – Jean Johnson

Eight brothers, born in four sets of twins, two years apart to the day–they fulfill the Curse of Eight Prophecy.  Though no longer trapped in exile, their growing family faces new problems.  The worst of those troubles now falls upon the last of the Sons of Destiny.

Hope, Morganen’s foretold bride, has finally arrived on the island.  She hasn’t been telling the full truth about herself, and the consequences will stretch further than even she anticipates.  Just as Morg gets used to Hope’s revelation, new enemies arrive on the Isle, seeking to steal away the brothers’ chances at creating a new nation.  During the attack, an old foe resurfaces and strikes amid the confusion, kidnapping the final bride-to-be.

Either Morg will rescue Hope and help his family complete the Prophecies of the Seer Draganna and the last Duchess of Nightfall, carving a new kingdom in the process…or their enemies will be free to slaughter them all…

 A trace of Moonlight (Abby Sinclair, 3) – Allison Pang

Drinking from the waters of lethe and offering herself up as Faerie’s sacrificial Tithe . . . these just might be the least of Abby Sinclair’s problems. 

Abby’s pact with a daemon—whether or not she remembers making it—is binding, so she’d better count herself lucky that (in the words of a daemon who knows better) there’s nearly always a loophole. But her friends’ reckless attempts to free her, well intentioned though they may be, set off a disastrous chain of events. In no time at all, Abby turns her incubus lover mortal, then gets herself killed, cursed, and married to an elven prince whose mother wants her dead. On top of everything else, she’s lost the Key to the CrossRoads to her mortal enemy, who promptly uses his restored power to wreak havoc on the OtherWorld and put its very existence in jeopardy. Only one person can make things right again, but to find her, Abby must place her trust in allies of mixed loyalties, and conquer her nightmares once and for all.

Dead, undead or somewhere in Between (Rhiannon’s Law, 1) – J.A. Saare
One bad corpse can ruin your whole day.

No one knows that better than Rhiannon Murphy.

She left behind the flash and sass of Miami for the no-nonsense groove of New York City, eager for a clean slate and a fresh start. A bartender by trade, a loud mouth by choice, and a necromancer by chance; she managed to keep her nifty talent hidden from those around her—until now.

The deliciously good-looking vampire, Disco, knows her secret. When he strolls into her bar to solicit help investigating the mysterious disappearances of his kind from the city, Rhiannon discovers he’s not the kind of person that appreciates the significance of the word no.

But in a world where vampires peddle their blood as the latest and greatest drug of choice, it’s only a matter of time before the next big thing hits the market. Someone or something is killing vampires to steal their hearts, and unlike Rhiannon, this isn’t their first stroll around the undead block.

Edge of Oblivion (Night Prowler, 2) – J.T. Geissinger
In a dark underground cell, Morgan Montgomery waits to die. A member of the Ikati, an ancient tribe of shape-shifters, Morgan stands convicted of treason. And Ikati law clearly spells out her fate: death to all who dare betray.

But there is a glimmer of hope. Thanks to her friendship with Jenna, the new queen of the Ikati, Morgan has one last chance to prove her loyalty. She must discover and infiltrate the headquarters of the Expurgari, the Ikati’s ancient enemy, so they can be destroyed once and for all. The catch? She has only a fortnight to complete her mission and will be accompanied by Xander Luna, the tribe’s most feared enforcer. If Morgan fails, her life is forfeit. Because Xander is as lethal as he is loyal, and no one—not even this beautiful, passionate renegade—will distract him from his mission. But as the pair races across Europe into the heart of Italy, the attraction blooming between them becomes undeniable. Suddenly more than justice is at stake: so is love.

 Daughter of the Sword (Fated Blades, 1) – Steve Bein

Mariko Oshiro is not your average Tokyo cop. As the only female detective in the city’s most elite police unit, she has to fight for every ounce of respect, especially from her new boss. While she wants to track down a rumored cocaine shipment, he gives her the least promising case possible. But the case—the attempted theft of an old samurai sword—proves more dangerous than anyone on the force could have imagined.

The owner of the sword, Professor Yasuo Yamada, says it was crafted by the legendary Master Inazuma, a sword smith whose blades are rumored to have magical qualities. The man trying to steal it already owns another Inazuma—one whose deadly power eventually comes to control all who wield it. Or so says Yamada, and though he has studied swords and swordsmanship all his life, Mariko isn’t convinced.

But Mariko’s skepticism hardly matters. Her investigation has put her on a collision course with a curse centuries old and as bloodthirsty as ever. She is only the latest in a long line of warriors and soldiers to confront this power, and even the sword she learns to wield could turn against her.

 A Witch before dying (A wishcraft mystery, 2) – Heather Blake

Darcy Merriweather is Salem, Massachusetts’ newest resident Wishcrafter—a witch who can grant wishes for others. While Darcy isn’t able to grant wishes for herself, she does possess a certain knack for solving problems—including the occasional murder…

When Darcy is hired by Elodie Keaton to clean up her missing mother’s disorderly home, the Wishcrafter is certainly up for the task. After all, the motto of her Aunt Ve’s personal concierge service As You Wish is “No Job Impossible.” But beneath the piles of old newspapers and knickknacks Darcy discovers something much more disturbing—Patrice Keaton’s body.

Darcy’s determined to give Elodie peace of mind by investigating her mother’s disappearance and death. Patrice was last seen over a year ago after a fight with her Charmcrafter boyfriend. Was her murder a crime of passion? Or were Patrice’s troubles caused by the Anicula, a wish-granting amulet? Now Darcy has to not only find a killer, she has to find the Anicula— before the power of ultimate wish fulfillment falls into the wrong hands…

  

Stacking the Shelves #3

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

(pour une version française voir la bibliothèque de Lilie
Les traductions sont personnelles 


Sans Honte/Blameless (Parasol Protectorate, 3) – Gail Garriger

Quitting her husband’s house and moving back in with her horrible family, Lady Maccon becomes the scandal of the London season.

Queen Victoria dismisses her from the Shadow Council, and the only person who can explain anything, Lord Akeldama, unexpectedly leaves town. To top it all off, Alexia is attacked by homicidal mechanical ladybugs, indicating, as only ladybugs can, the fact that all of London’s vampires are now very much interested in seeing Alexia quite thoroughly dead.

While Lord Maccon elects to get progressively more inebriated and Professor Lyall desperately tries to hold the Woolsey werewolf pack together, Alexia flees England for Italy in search of the mysterious Templars. Only they know enough about the preternatural to explain her increasingly inconvenient condition, but they may be worse than the vampires — and they’re armed with pesto.

Lady Alexia Woolsey est indiscutablement le scandale de la saison londonienne.

Après les événements survenus en Écosse, elle est retournée vivre chez ses parents. La reine Victoria l’a exclue du Cabinet fantôme, et la seule personne qui pourrait donner une explication à sa délicate condition actuelle, Lord Akeldama, a inopinément quitté la ville. Pour couronner le tout, Alexia découvre que les vampires de Londres ont juré sa mort.
Tandis que Lord Maccon met toute son énergie à boire, et que le Professeur Lyall tente désespérément de maintenir la cohésion au sein de la meute Woolsey, Alexia s’enfuit en Italie à la recherche des mystérieux Templiers. Ils sont les seuls à pouvoir l’aider. Mais ils pourraient aussi s’avérer pires que les vampires. Surtout armés de pesto.


The Outlaw Demon Wails (The Hollows, 6) – Kim Harrison

When you dance with demons, you lay your soul on the line…

In the Hollows, where the natural and the supernatural co-exist – not always peacefully – desperate times often call for unorthodox measures. But bounty hunter-witch Rachel Morgan did the absolutely unthinkable to save the lives of her friends: she willingly trafficked in forbidden demon magic. And now her sins have come home to haunt her.

As Rachel hunts for the truth behind a terrifying murder, the discovery of a shocking family secret is about to throw her entire life into question. And the long-lost ancient knowledge she seeks resides in the demonic ever-after. But there are some lines that should never be crossed–like the one Rachel Morgan’s stepping over…again!

Quand vous dansez avec les démons, vous mettez votre âme en jeu…
Dans les Hollows, où le naturel et le surnaturel coexistent – pas toujours en paix – les temps désespérés appellent souvent des mesures peu orthodoxes. Mais la tueuse à gage – la sorcière Rachel Morgan a fait l’impossible afin de sauver la vie de ses amis : elle a volontairement participé à de la magie interdite de démons. Et maintenant ses péchés reviennent pour la hanter.
Tandis que Rachel chasse la vérité d’un meurtre terrifiant, la découverte d’un terrible secret de famille est sur le point de remettre en question toute sa vie. Et les anciens savoirs perdus qu’elle recherche, se trouve dans le royaume des démons. Mais il y a des limites que personne ne devrait transgresser – comme celle que Rachel franchit… encore !
 It takes a Witch (A Wishcraft Mystery, 1) – Heather Blake

Darcy Merriweather has just discovered she hails from a long line of Wishcrafters-witches with the power to grant wishes by casting a spell. She’s come to Enchanted Village to learn her trade but finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation…

Darcy Merriweather vient juste de découvrir quelle est issue dune longue lignée de sorcières de faiseurs de souhaits avec le pouvoir daccorder les souhaits en lançant un sort. Elle va se rendre à Enchanted Village afin dapprendre le métier mais se retrouve au milieu dune enquête pour meurtre.

 
Shaded Vision (Sisters of the Moon, 11) – Yamisne Galenorn
We’re the D’Artigo sisters: sexy, savvy ex-operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. But being half-human, half-Fae means our powers could go haywire any time-mostly the wrong times. My sister Camille is a wicked-good witch with three sexy husbands. My sister Menolly is a vampire who’s dating a werepuma. And me? I’m Delilah, a two-faced werecat and Death Maiden. I watch over things in the Supe Community, where trouble is about to go down hard…

It’s Valentine’s Day and we’re preparing our friend Iris’s wedding. But when we get word that the Supe Community Center has been bombed, things get really ugly. The evil coyote shifters-the Koyanni-are back and Newkirk, their new leader has joined forces with a group of rogue sorcerers. Then, just as we think things can’t get worse, the demon lord Shadow Wing sends in a new front man, and life really goes to hell…

Nous sommes les sœurs D’Artifo: sexys, ex-membres efficaces de l’agence de l’Autre Monde. Mais être à moitié humaine et moitié Fae signifie que nos pouvoirs peuvent devenir incontrôlables à tous moments, surtout les mauvais. Ma sœur Camille est une méchante-bonne sorcière avec trois sexys maris. Ma sœur Menolly est une vampire qui sort avec un puma garou. Et moi ? Je suis Delilah, à la fois chat garou et Servante de la Mort. Je surveille ce qu’il se passe dans la communauté surnaturelle, où un gros problème va bientôt frapper.
C’est la St Valentin et nous préparons le mariage de notre amie Iris. Mais quand on a appris que le centre de la communauté surnaturelle a été l’objet d’une explosion, les choses empirent. Les méchants coyotes change-formes  – les Koyanni – sont de retour et Newbirk, leur nouveau leader a rejoint les forces d’un groupe de sorciers rogues. Ensuite, comme si les choses ne pouvaient pas empirer, le démon Lord Shadow Wing a envoyé un nouvel homme, et la vie se transforme maintenant en enfer…

Revenge of the Spellmans/La revanche des Spellman (Spellman, 3) – Lisa Lutz

Having been ordered into therapy after getting a little too close to her previous subject, former private investigator Izzy Spellman is wisely taking a break from Spellman Inc, having embarked on a less controversial career as a barmaid. But when her boss, Milo, simultaneously cuts her bartending hours and introduces her to a ‘friend’ looking for a private eye, Izzy reluctantly finds herself with a new client. A suspicious husband who wants his wife tailed, it would appear to be a routine case involving nothing more than that most boring of PI rituals: surveillance. But Izzy soon discovers that she’s not the only person keeping a close eye on Mrs Ernie Black and with each passing hour the Case of the Wayward Wife throws up more questions than answers.

La détective privée Izzy Spellman est de retour sur le terrain, mais aussi sur le divan pour une thérapie sous contrôle judiciaire. Entre séances de psy et enquête difficile, elle doit aussi faire face aux « comportements suspects » des membres de sa famille : son frère David, qui revient blessé de prétendues vacances en Italie ; sa jeune soeur Rae, qui ne cesse d’emprunter subrepticement sa voiture ; ses parents qui manigancent leur retraite. Pour corser le tout, Izzy est victime d’un maître chanteur, ce qui la pousse à soupçonner successivement tous ses proches.
Dialogues insolents, situations hilarantes, rythme endiablé font de cette Revanche des Spellman un excellent cru. On retrouve avec plaisir cette famille attachante qui évolue au fil du temps et prend ici une humanité inattendue.
 
Discount Armageddon (InCryptid, 1) – Seanan McGuire
Ghoulies. Ghosties. Long-legged beasties. Things that go bump in the night… The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity-and humanity from them. Enter Verity Price. Despite being trained from birth as a cryptozoologist, she’d rather dance a tango than tangle with a demon, and is spending a year in Manhattan while she pursues her career in professional ballroom dance. Sounds pretty simple, right? It would be, if it weren’t for the talking mice, the telepathic mathematicians, the asbestos supermodels, and the trained monster-hunter sent by the Price family’s old enemies, the Covenant of St. George. When a Price girl meets a Covenant boy, high stakes, high heels, and a lot of collateral damage are almost guaranteed. To complicate matters further, local cryptids are disappearing, strange lizard-men are appearing in the sewers, and someone’s spreading rumors about a dragon sleeping underneath the city…
Ghoules. Fantômes. Bestioles à longues pattes. Choses qui travaillent de nuit… La famille Price a passé de nombreuses générations à étudier le monde des monstres, travaillant à les protéger de l’humanité et inversement. Et voici qu’arrive Verity Price. Malgré un entrainement depuis sa naissance en tant de cryptozoologiste, elle préfèrerait danser un tango plutôt que s’embrouiller avec un démon. Elle a passé un an à Manhattan pour poursuivre sa carrière professionnelle de danseuse de salon. Cela semble plutôt simple, non ? Ce devrait être le cas, s’il n’y avait pas tous ces ragots, les magiciens télépathiques, les top-models asbestosiques, et le chasseur, un monstre entrainé, envoyé par les vieux ennemis de la famille Price, Le Couvent St. George. Quand une fille Price rencontre un garçon du Couvent, des enjeux élevés, des talons hauts et de nombreux dommages collatéraux sont garantis. Et pour compliquer tout cela les cryptids locaux disparaissent, d’étranges hommes lézard font leur apparition dans les égouts et quelqu’un a lancé une rumeur au sujet d’un dragon dormant sous la ville…
 

On My Wishlist

Meme hosted by Book Chick City
(les traductions sont des traductions personnelles)

It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake

Darcy Merriweather has just discovered she hails from a long line of Wishcrafters-witches with the power to cast spells by making a wish. She’s come to Enchanted Village to learn her trade but finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation…
Darcy Merriweather vient juste de découvrir qu’elle est la descendante d’une longue lignée de sorciers qui ont le pouvoir de lancer des sorts en faisant un voeux. Elle va se rendre au Village Enchanté pour comprendre tout le cela mais elle se retrouve au milieu d’un enquête au sujet d’un meurtre.
 Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson

 As the junior wizard sentinel for New Orleans, Drusilla Jaco’s job involves a lot more potion-mixing and pixie-retrieval than sniffing out supernatural bad guys like rogue vampires and lethal were-creatures. Her boss and mentor, Gerald St. Simon, is the wizard tasked with protecting the city from anyone or anything that might slip over from the preternatural beyond. Then Hurricane Katrina hammers New Orleans’ fragile levees, unleashing more than just dangerous flood waters. While winds howled and Lake Pontchartrain surged, the borders between the modern city and the other world crumbled. Now, the Undead and the Restless are roaming the Big Easy, and a serial killer with ties to voodoo is murdering soldiers sent to help the city recover. Gerald St. Simon has gone missing, the wizards’ Elders have assigned a grenade-toting assassin as DJ’s new partner, and an undead pirate Jean Lafitte wants to make her walk his plank. The search for Gerry and the killer turns personal when DJ learns the hard way that loyalty requires sacrifice, allies come from the unlikeliest places, and duty mixed with love serves up one bitter gumbo.

En tant qu’apprentie sorciere sentinelle de la Nouvelle-Orleans, le travail de Drusilla Jaco implique beaucoup plus de préparation de potions et de pixies que la traque de grands méchants tels que des vampires devenus rogues ou de dangereux changes-formes. Son patron et mentor, Gerald St. Simon, est un sorcier qui a pour mission de protéger la ville de n’importe qui ou n’importe quoi qui pourrait s’échapper de la communauté surnaturelle de l’au delà. Mais l’ouragan Katrina chamboule la fragile Nouvelle-Orleans, relâchant plus que de dangereuse quantité d’eau. Tandis que le vent hurle, que le lac Pontchartrain déborde, les frontières entre la ville moderne et l’autre monde se fissurent. Maintenant, les non morts errent dans la ville, et un serial killer lié au voodoo tue des soldats envoyés pour aider la ville à se reconstruire.  Gerald St. Simon a disparu, les Anciens sorciers, ont assigné un assassin à DJ pour nouveau partenaire. De plus un pirate non mort, Jean Lafitte veut la faire marcher sur la planche. Les recherches pour retrouver Gerry et le tueur prennent un aspect très personnel quand DJ apprend la loyauté implique de nombreux sacrifices, qu’elle pourrait bien trouver des alliés dans des endroits inattendus, et que le devoir mêlé à l’amour peut être plus amer que le gumbo.