chez_jae | Entries tagged with author: molly harper

How to Run with a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf, #3)

How to Run with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I finished my "spare" book last night. It was How to Run with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper. This is the third book in her "Naked Werewolf" series of paranormal romance. Main characters were Tina (nka Anna) and Caleb.

On the run from an abusive, stalking husband, Anna has moved to Alaska to work as a doctor at a clinic that cares for werewolves. When she is notified that Glenn is closing in on her again, she flees Grundy and ends up at a small hotel far away. There, she witnesses a shooting and sees her car get totaled. Anna grabs the victim and his truck and gets out of Dodge. When her "patient" displays remarkable healing abilities, Anna guesses he's a werewolf. She also learns that Caleb is a bounty hunter who occasionally takes some less savory (ie illegal) cases. Anna isn't sure she can trust him, but right now he's the only option she has until she can get a new identity. Spending time together, however, brings the two of them closer together. That is, until Anna has reason to question whether Caleb is keeping her close for altruistic reasons or because he's been hired to find her.

This was mostly humorous, light-hearted fun, although Anna's stress levels and fear kept it from being too fluffy. I appreciated that Caleb gave her space when she needed it. I also enjoyed it when Anna helped Caleb in her own fashion. The inevitable confrontation with Glenn was distressing to read.

Favorite lines:
♦ "Who are you?" // "Anne McCaffrey," I blurted out, hoping the he didn't spend a lot of time reading carefully crafted science-fiction.
♦ "I think you'll find that you are not, in fact, the boss of me. Now, let go of my arm, or I reintroduce you to Mr Slappy."
♦ Werewolves hit a lot of different points on the spectrum between "awesome guy who is occasionally an apex predator" and "furry Lord Voldemort".
♦ This was the brilliant distraction you came up with? I seethed at my cerebral cortex. How did you get me through medical school?
♦ "What are you running from?" // "Columbia House Music Club," I said, recovering my snarkiness quickly. "Oh, sure, they say they'll sell you six CDs for a penny, but they'll hunt you down like the hounds of hell if you miss the payments." // "Stop kidding around." // "I'm not. A Wilson Phillips CD ruined my life."
♦ "I stopped speaking to a friend for a month when she suggested Love, Actually was a better Christmas movie than Die Hard."
♦ "Quests for evil rings rarely turn out well. Too many potential Gollum issues."
♦ "I don't know a lot of doctors who engage in fistfights at stripper bars."
♦ While female weres could throw down with the best of them, they tended to be a bit more crafty and manipulative. They were more likely to use sex appeal or casseroles to get what they wanted.

"Breath" line:
I was able to release a breath I didn't even know I'd been holding.

Amusing fun for the most part--four stars.

Current Mood: good
Current Music: "I Wanna Be Your Lover" ~ Prince

Better Homes and Hauntings by Molly Harper

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was thinking the other day about the books I take to work to read on lunch breaks and how I wouldn't be able to do that once I retire. Then I thought, 'Well, you could still choose a book you might not be all that eager to pick up, yet reluctant to purge, and read a chapter a day.' Then I thought, 'Why not do that now?' Therefore, I selected a paranormal lite book, Better Homes and Hauntings by Molly Harper, and poked away at it until I finished it yesterday evening. Main characters were landscape artist Nina Linden and wealthy tech mogul Deacon Whitney.

Due to the unscrupulous actions of a former-partner-turned-bitter-rival, Nina's landscaping business is floundering. When she wins the bid to work on the gardens of the crumbling island home called Crane's Nest, Nina knows it's the last chance to save her reputation. The owner has stipulated that his workers must stay on the island, as he's had too many people walk off the job and never return. Joining Nina on the choppy boat ride to the Crane's Nest is Jake, an architect, and Cindy, who runs a cleaning business. Deacon is determined to restore his ancestors' mansion, no matter the cost. He's a confirmed skeptic, but when even he begins experiencing odd phenomena on the island, he is forced to admit that maybe the house is haunted. While working closely together to restore the Crane's Nest, Nina and Deacon find themselves falling for one another. However, something on the island seems intent on keeping them apart. It's up to Deacon and Nina, along with Jake and Cindy and Deacon's dotty cousin Dotty to lay these spirits to rest.

This was a fun and pleasing story, combining humor, romance, and plenty of creepiness. Although Nina and Deacon were the main protagonists, Jake and Cindy's budding romance was an enjoyable side-plot. I also loved Dotty, who was as charming as she was eccentric. The author created some odious antagonists in Regina, who had her cap set for Deacon, and Nina's former partner, Rick.

Favorite lines:
♦ Beware all enterprises that start with the purchase of Crocs.
♦ She acted as if she was about to file a restraining order against her shadow.
♦ "I never joke about my snickerdoodles."
♦ "Suddenly, my Scooby-Doo jokes don't seem so lame."
♦ She would run around in pajama pants most days if it didn't mean getting funny looks at the grocery store.
♦ There they would defend their stash of shrimp balls to the death.
♦ "Surviving the terrors of a haunted house together is a bonding experience every potential couple should go through."
♦ "What do you girls even do over there at night?" // "Oh, you know, lounge around in our undies, feed each other grapes. We have tickle fights on Tuesdays."
♦ "You're proposing to me with a cell phone?" // "If you think about it, they're both long-term contracts."

A charming story over all. A few minor things aggravated me, but nothing too egregious. Four stars.

Current Mood: mellow
Current Music: Devils at Hurricanes, game 2

The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf, #2)

The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At work today I finished reading The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper. It's the second book in her "Naked Werewolf" series. This time, the main character is Maggie Graham, pack alpha for a group of werewolves living in a secluded valley in Alaska.

After assuming the mantle of pack alpha, Maggie is learning the job is mostly tedious and boring. That is, until a human researcher arrives in Grundy, intent on learning if the rumors of lycanthropes in the area are true. Maggie needs to discourage him from prying and encourage him to leave, but Nick Thatcher is persistent. Too bad he's also handsome and brainy, and Maggie finds it difficult to stay away from him. She has bigger problems on her plate than one nosy researcher. A rival pack of werewolves has been encroaching on pack territory, and there may be a battle ahead. Worse, two of the males in her pack have been sniffing around, and Maggie isn't sure she wants to mate with either of them, especially when she continues to be distracted by Nick...

This was nothing but lighthearted fun. There were some tense moments, but it seemed any danger or drama was dealt with rather swiftly. That was fine; I don't need to spend the entirety of a book on tenterhooks. Maggie would rather gnaw off her paw than admit she's attracted to Nick, which led to some amusing moments. I enjoyed the fact that characters from the first book in the series played prominent roles. If I found anything dismaying, it was how everyone in Maggie's pack seemed to be throwing her at Nick or Nick at her...yet as a whole, werewolves frown on mating with humans. It made for some 'WTF?' moments.

Favorite lines;
♦ The best thing about being a werewolf was that you never needed a sports bra.
♦ "Baby showers should be reserved as punishment for betrayers in the Seventh Circle of Hell."
♦ "How many family conversations are going to be interrupted by me telling you, no, you can't kill someone and make it look like an accident?"
♦ Every village needed an idiot.
♦ She had a knack for relieving the tension in a room by pretending my rudeness away with cooking. Many, many chickens had given up their lives to cover my conversational shortcomings.
♦ Nothing about Mo screamed predatory or even vaguely threatening unless you cut her off from chocolate.
♦ "I guess he knew the way to that teeny-tiny Grinch heart of yours is through your stomach."
♦ I wondered where to put my hands. Well, I knew where I wanted to put them, but I think that would probably be a felony if I did it without warning him first.
♦ "What do you think of the Red Wings' chances this season?" // "They'll be fine until the Avalanche take the ice."
♦ "If I see a rabbit dressed in camo trying to jimmy the screen door with a hunting knife, I'll call for help."
♦ This was the saddest pie of all. // "He's moved on to meringue," said Mo, shaking her head. "This does not bode well." // "I'll talk to him," I promised her. // "You should. He asked this morning if I could get enough peaches to make a cobbler." // "No one says they're sorry with cobbler." // "Yeah, 'cause saying it with pie is super-normal."
♦ "When has telling someone to do what makes them happy ever resulted in a good decision? Remember when we told cousin Todd to do what made him happy and he came home with recently augmented boobs?"
♦ "Never piss off a porcupine, no matter how jolly he may seem."
♦ His face lit up as if I'd just offered him the Holy Grail, a Babe Ruth rookie card, and Megan Fox's phone number.
♦ "What if I throw an extra-large bag of Twizzlers into the deal?" // "No, no, no," I told him. "Twizzlers are fifth-or-sixth-date material. You have to start out slowly, with Goobers or Sour Patch Kids."
♦ Nick had disappeared like Wet Wipes on a porn set.
♦ I thought I was going to have to start fanning my face to keep from bursting into flames. Curse his sexy brains!
♦ "Nick won't tell me whether he has sisters. I figure, he's pretty, he would have to have pretty sisters."

Fun, funny, and I laughed out loud several times while reading it. Five stars!

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: Blackhawks vs Rangers

How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf, #1)

How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once again, I managed to finish reading my work book at work. Woo! It was How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper, and it's the first installment in the..."Naked Werewolf" series. I guess? Story is told in first-person pov by the main character, Mo Wenstein.

When Mo can no longer tolerate her hippie parents' helicopter parenting, she skives off to the wilds of Alaska to get away from them. Mo rents a small cabin, thinking she will live there for a year and then see where life will take her after that. Mo soon finds herself immersed in small-town life. She takes a job as a cook at the local bar and flirts with handsome ranger Alan. However, it's surly Cooper who makes her heart go pitter-patter. It's not until Cooper shows up on her doorstep, naked and with a bear trap clamped to his ankle, that Mo realizes the truth: Cooper is a werewolf. She also learns she's not the only one with family problems. Cooper has distanced himself from his family and pack, because he doesn't want to accept the mantle of alpha. He tries to distance himself from Mo, too, for fear of harming her. Several people in the area have been attacked by wolves, and Cooper isn't sure he's not the culprit. Mo doesn't believe he would harm anyone, but now she has to convince Cooper.

This was paranormal lite for the most part--all humor and fluffy romance. However, there was one scene that MAY BE TRIGGERING. Reading it made my stomach churn, and I'm not in a position to be triggered. Just putting it out there. Mo was funny and relatable, but I wish we'd had more insight into Cooper's perspective and motivations. Other characters were done well, from Mo's derpy parents to her co-worker Lynnette, and the old codgers who liked to flirt with Mo at the bar. Sex scenes were yummy, and the plot flowed smoothly.

Favorite lines:
♦ The man had too much general pissiness to fit into one corporeal form.
♦ "Go forth and be a bitch no more."

I enjoyed this for the most part. Giving it a solid 4.

Current Mood: calm
Current Music: fan

A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses (Half-Moon Hollow, #2)

A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses by Molly Harper

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Since I'm not going out for lunch at work, I've had more time to read. I nearly finished my 'at work' book today, and I brought it home to finish the final chapter. The book was A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses by Molly Harper. It's part of her "Half-Moon Hollow" series of interwoven paranormal romances. This book followed Nola Leary and was told in her pov.

Nola lives in Ireland, surrounded by a large, zany family of witches. When her grandmother, Nana Fee, dies, she makes Nola promise to travel to the US to retrieve four magical artifacts before another branch of their family, the Kerrigans, beat her to them. It's imperative that the McGavocks get the artifacts, because whichever family has them can bind the magic of the other.

Nola's task is made more complicated when she realizes the artifacts were at one time kept in a bookstore that is now owned by vampire Jane Jameson. She also learns that the man who bequeathed the store to Jane was her grandfather--a man Nola never met. As if that wasn't alarming enough, the person sharing the other half of the duplex Nola has rented is sexy Jed Trudeau, who has a habit of wandering around shirtless. Nola can't afford any distractions in her quest to find the Elements, but Jed is proving difficult to resist.

The story was fun and charming, with three-dimensional characters. I liked that Nola warmed up to Jane, which led to her suddenly having an entire passel of assistants who were eager to help her find the items she needed to. It was as much fun to read about how close she became to them as it was to read about her budding romance with Jed.

Favorite lines:
♦ I had more third and fourth cousins than I could count. I know that feeling!
♦ And it was very kind of him to give a complete stranger a meal when he knew she had nothing but angry forest creatures in her cupboards.
♦ "Are you telling me that there's a real Voldemort?"
♦ "Plus, every scary story that ever started with a Ouija board ended in bloody, grisly death."
♦ "This way leads to pea-soup vomiting and madness."
♦ "By the way, every once in awhile, I turn into some monster from Scooby Doo."
♦ "That's like giving an angry toddler an espresso and a box full of matches. You don't know exactly how it's going to turn out, but it's probably going to end in flames and tears."

If I have any complaint at all, it's that there wasn't a firm resolution at the end. Nola's home and family are in Ireland, and Jed's home and family are in Tennessee. There was no 'he's going with her' or 'she's staying with him'. I found that a tad disappointing. Nevertheless, this book is what paranormal romance should be. Very good--four stars.

Current Mood: calm
Current Music: "The Trick Is To Keep Breathing" ~ Garbage

At work today, I finished reading Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs, by Molly Harper. It's the first in a series, featuring librarian-turned-vampire Jane Jameson.

When Jane is let go from her position at the local library, her beastly boss gives her a gift certificate to the local pub, rather than a severance check. Jane goes to drown her sorrows, and she meets a hunky stranger. On the way home, her car breaks down, and Jane is mistaken for a deer by a local hunter, shot, and left for dead.

Three days later, Jane awakens to her new life after-life, as a vampire. Now she realizes the great-aunt who left Jane her house is still inhabiting it. In addition to her ghostly roommate, Jane must learn to adjust to being a vampire, try to avoid outing herself to her family, and find a new job. As if all of that weren't difficult enough, now it seems that someone is trying to frame her for the murder of a fellow vampire.

Fortunately for Jane, she has some allies: the hunky stranger who turned her into a vampire, her best friend Zeb, and Zeb's new girlfriend, who just so happens to be a werewolf. Unfortunately for Jane, her mother, sister, and grandmother all rank among her enemies, at least in terms of their sheer annoyance factor. All three of them needed to be lined up and bitch-slapped into the following week. Guh.

Overall, however, it was a cute story, and a fine addition to the "paranormal lite" genre!

Favorite line: "...I'm wandering the earth, seeking revenge on Ben and Jerry for giving me the fat ass and massive coronary."

Four stars:

****

Current Mood: okay
Current Music: "Renegade" ~ Styx