The Fiery Cross (Outlander #5) by Diana Gabaldon

Author: Diana Gabaldon
Publish Date: August 30, 2005
Website: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3617.Diana_Gabaldon
ISBN: 9780440221661
List Price: $7.85
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Jacket Synopsis: 

The year is 1771, and war is coming. Jamie Fraser’s wife tells him so. Little as he wishes to, he must believe it, for hers is a gift of dreadful prophecy—a time-traveler’s certain knowledge. Claire’s unique view of the future has brought him both danger and deliverance in the past; her knowledge of the oncoming revolution is a flickering torch that may light his way through the perilous years ahead—or ignite a conflagration that will leave their lives in ashes.

My Comments:
We are thoroughly involved in the life and families of Fraser's Ridge. Just as you think the American life on the Ridge is going to slow down and let the family have happy times, it is not meant to be. Almost every major character is involved in some major drama in this book of the series. The American Revolution is looming in the near future. Claire and Jamie are doing their best to prepare. Does it mean the family stays together or should some time travel to be safe?

What can Brianna and Roger share with Jamie to help him better understand what is coming and how to best prepare the families on the Ridge? Should they try to change history again in any way shape or form? Or should they focus on making sure their family is safe with the changes coming?

Another vivid adventure for our main characters and all that we continue to discover about the past with family history of Culloden.

An Echo in the Bone (Outlander #7) by Diana Gabaldon

Author: Diana Gabaldon
Publish Date: January 1, 2009
Website: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3617.Diana_Gabaldon
ISBN: 9780752898476
List Price: $7.81
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Jacket Synopsis: 
Jamie Fraser, erstwhile Jacobite and reluctant rebel, knows three things about the American rebellion: the Americans will win, unlikely as that seems in 1778; being on the winning side is no guarantee of survival; and he’d rather die than face his illegitimate son — a young lieutenant in the British Army — across the barrel of a gun. Fraser’s time-travelling wife, Claire, also knows a couple of things: that the Americans will win, but that the ultimate price of victory is a mystery. What she does believe is that the price won’t include Jamie’s life or happiness — not if she has anything to say.

Claire’s grown daughter Brianna, and her husband, Roger, watch the unfolding of Brianna’s parents’ history — a past that may be sneaking up behind their own family.

My Comments:
Well, this is the first book in the series that I definitely struggled with. In all the other books, I found it hard to put them down. This one was the most boring and arduous book I've read since Stephanie Meyer's "The Host", ugh! This book is taking forever, and I mean forever to trudge through. This book has taken 3 times as long to get through because I just don't want to pick it up and read it, but I know I have to in hopes that it gets better.

Jamie's son, William, is becoming more of a main character and I feel there is no depth or thought put to developing this character. He is long winded and boring. Nothing exciting happens to him nor is his personality all that interesting. When I get to sections where William has written a letter or narrates his travels, I just want to skip to the next section for a different character. I feel that if I did skip his sections I would not miss anything.

Jamie and Claire are set on new travels once the house is burned and they need to find a way to help the revolution without physically putting themselves in harms way, if that is possible.

One of my favorite quotes: "Come to bed, a nighean. Nothing hurts when ye love me.” He was right; nothing did."

Brianna and Roger now have to follow their parents history from 1981 to know what eventually became of them.

Tissues again because of a character death and the story changes from Scotland back to America and now we will see the requirements for time travel again by family members. Not sure that I liked it ending with Ian and Rachel, but hopefully the next book will bring us back to center with Claire and Jamie and the immediate family members.

I've seen excerpts from "Written in my own heart's blood" (book 8) and I think that this next book will get everyone back on track. I just hope that it comes out in paperback soon because I am not paying $21.00 for a book that I am not sure will not be a repeat of this one.

Undead and Unworthy (Undead #7) by MaryJanice Davidson

Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Publish Date: June 24, 2008
Website: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1429808.MaryJanice_Davidson
ISBN: 9780425221624
List Price: $7.99
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Jacket Synopsis: 
Betsy Taylor thought entering the world of the undead was a big adjustment. Being a new bride isn't much easier. The blush has only been on for two months, and Betsy has a lot to do: set up the new house, finish writing thank-you notes, and raise BabyJon, her half brother and legal ward. Just another happy American family adjusting to marital bliss.

Betsy's husband, Sinclair, has been perusing the Book of the Dead, and Betsy's visited by a ghost who's even more insufferable, stubborn, and annoying in death than she was in life. She not only blames Betsy for her condition but insists she fix it. It's all just a prelude to the fun and games awaiting Betsy and Sinclair when a pack of formerly feral vampires, hungry for blood and power, pays a visit to the happy couple.

My Comments:
Another great book in the series...although sad when part of her eclectic crew appears to have been done in and sent to the great beyond. More drama for the Vampire Queen and as exciting as the first six... I cannot wait for book 8 and 9!

Voyager (Outlander, #3) by Diana Gabaldon

Author: Diana Gabaldon
Publish Date: August 7, 2001
Website: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3617.Diana_Gabaldon
ISBN: 9780385335997
List Price: $7.99
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Jacket Synopsis: 
Their passionate encounter happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her... and her body still cries out for him in her dreams.

Then Claire discovers that Jamie survived. Torn between returning to him and staying with their daughter in her own era, Claire must choose her destiny. And as time and space come full circle, she must find the courage to face the passion and pain awaiting her...the deadly intrigues raging in a divided Scotland... and the daring voyage into the dark unknown that can reunite or forever doom her timeless love.

My Comments:
I love historical fiction and book #3 is another great book in this series. Claire must decide between her daughter's time and Jamie's time now that she has discovered he survived Culloden. Again, the writing in this series continues to draw the reader into a different time and place. You can see the castles, villages, and scenery that is being created in this book. It is always vivid enough that the reader can hear, smell and feel the world being created.

The characters continue to develop in this book along with Claire learning what has happened in the time she has been gone.

I don't know what decision I would make in having to choose to leave my child and have the chance to return to the love of my life. It seems Claire made the decision pretty easily, but I know I would have had a much harder time making that choice.

I am a history nut, so reading this series is just a huge adventure for my imagination in how things really were. I love the way that Claire uses her 20th century medical knowledge to help her in the past. It is always interesting to see how she brings future knowledge to help in the past.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6) by Diana Gabaldon

Author: Diana Gabaldon
Publish Date: August 29, 2006
Website: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3617.Diana_Gabaldon
ISBN: 9780385340397
List Price: $15.13
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Jacket Synopsis: 
Since the initial publication of Outlander fifteen years ago, Diana Gabaldon’s New York Times bestselling saga has won the hearts of readers the world over — and sold more than twelve million books. Now, A Breath of Snow and Ashes continues the extraordinary story of 18th-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his 20th-century wife, Claire.

The year is 1772, and on the eve of the American Revolution, the long fuse of rebellion has already been lit. Men lie dead in the streets of Boston, and in the backwoods of North Carolina, isolated cabins burn in the forest.

With chaos brewing, the governor calls upon Jamie Fraser to unite the backcountry and safeguard the colony for King and Crown. But from his wife Jamie knows that three years hence the shot heard round the world will be fired, and the result will be independence — with those loyal to the King either dead or in exile. And there is also the matter of a tiny clipping from The Wilmington Gazette, dated 1776, which reports Jamie’s death, along with his kin. For once, he hopes, his time-traveling family may be wrong about the future.

My Comments:
Another great addition to the series. This book keeps the Fraser family in Colonial America and the family events that occur are again like the previous books exciting, heart wrenching, and it continues to be a book I cannot put down. The adventure in this book shows that their time traveling can change historical events to a degree.

As the story continues, we see events unfolding that dramatically change the ability of the family to stay together and certain family members must move or travel for their own safety.

Warning: Tissues, tissues, tissues for the last part of the book.

I thought this book in the series was better than books 4 and 5. Here's to hoping that An Echo in the Bone (Book 7) is just as good!

Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander, #2) by Diana Gabaldon

Author: Diana Gabaldon
Publish Date: August 7, 2001
Website: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3617.Diana_Gabaldon
ISBN: 9780385335973
List Price: $7.99
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Jacket Synopsis: 
For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland’s majestic mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of standing stones ... about a love that transcends the boundaries of time ... and about James Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of his....

Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire’s spellbinding journey of self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles Stuart ... in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising ... and in a desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves...

My Comments:
I had no idea the book would go where it went. Wow! I am a fan of time traveling and the super-natural. Book #2 in the series did not disappoint. We learn so much about what Claire has done in 20 years and now her return to Scotland is more than interesting. We wonder what she is about to discover coming back from America after all this time with her college age daughter, Brianna. This is the time she decides she has to reveal the truth about her daughter's past and origins. We also learn a great deal more about Roger and his history, origins, and ties to the family.

When Claire discovers Jaime survives Culloden, what will she do? Will she return to his time and leave her daughter in her own time? What happens when Brianna reads the history of her family? Is the ability to time travel genetic?

I am blazing through these books because the story is just so vividly written and exciting. As the reader, you are completely placed in the character's time and time traveling with them. I love the way Diana Gabaldon writes. She gives her character such unique voices.

Now on to book #3!

Undead and Unwelcome (Undead #8) by MaryJanice Davidson

Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Publish Date: June 2, 2009
Website: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1429808.MaryJanice_Davidson
ISBN: 9780425227732
List Price: Varies depending on format
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Jacket Synopsis: 
Betsy Taylor has problems that only a vampire queen/suburban wife could possibly understand...such as fifty thousand angry werewolves. That's what Betsy is facing when she takes her werewolf friend Antonia's body to Cape Cod, where the Pack resides at Wyndham Mansion. Because Antonia died in her service, Betsy is alive and well - and wracked with guilt. She has no idea if the Wyndham werewolves will welcome her with fangs or friendship. While Betsy and her husband Sinclair try to make nice, their legal ward BabyJon is freaking out every werewolf he comes in contact with. Meanwhile, Betsy's posse back at the St Paul mansion are not happy. Increasingly frantic emails alert Betsy to her half-sister's increasingly erratic behavior. Looks like the devil's daughter is coming into her own - and raising hell. All in the name of making Betsy's life easier, of course.

My Comments:
Another awesome continuation of the Queen Betsy series. Betsy is non-stop excitement with her crew of crazies, but she certainly keeps things in perspective when werewolves and other evil forces come into play. BabyJohn makes an interesting new character addition as he becomes something that we didn't expect. Good luck Betsy with that "baby". Of course Laura is influenced by her mother again unbeknownst to her and does some really, really bad things. Betsy has to visit the werewolves after Antonia dies and genuinely doesn't know what they are going to do to her... Of course Eric (Sinclair) is her constant support and defender... ah Love! Waiting for book #9 that comes out in July-2010...

Undead and Uneasy (Undead #6) by MaryJanice Davidson

Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Publish Date: June 5, 21007
Website: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1429808.MaryJanice_Davidson
ISBN: 9780425213766
List Price: $7.99
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Jacket Synopsis: 
Weddings are never easy. But when you're Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor, they can become downright deadly...

In the days leading up to The Big Day, Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor seems to have a full house - and the wedding guests have yet to arrive. Along with her human buddies, there's a ghost, a werewolf, and a Fiend crashing at her place. And though her fiancé, Vampire King Eric Sinclair, conveniently disappears when the conversation turns to seating charts and flower arrangements, he does manage to make his oh-so-sexy presence known at other moments.

Betsy knows the next few weeks won't be smooth sailing - but she never expects just what's in store for her. Cold feet are no surprise, especially with an undead groom. But when Sinclair truly goes missing - and not just to avoid wedding preparations - along with most of her friends and loved ones, Betsy is frantic. Alone and afraid for the fate of everyone she loves, Betsy can't trust anyone as she tries to find them and whoever is behind all the disappearances. And what happens next will shake the foundation of the vampire world forever.

My Comments:
I picked this book up because it was on a bargain stand at the book store, not knowing it was part of a series...by the second page I was hooked and laughing my butt off! I immediately went looking for books 1-5. I found this book hilarious and I can't wait to begin reading from the beginning. Betsy is such a character. She is strong, but naive and so matter-of-fact. If you want a hilarious, mildly sexual vampire series you have got to pick this series up!

Undead and Unpopular (Undead #5) by MaryJanice Davidson

Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Publish Date: May 1, 2007
Website: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1429808.MaryJanice_Davidson
ISBN: 9780425215999
List Price: $7.99
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Jacket Synopsis: 
With her birthday coming up, Betsy isn't in the best frame of mind to face the powerful European vampires who have finally come to pay their respects. Playing politics is not her strong suit, especially when she finds out her best friend Jessica may have a life-threatening illness. Sure Betsy can save her life by taking it-isn't that what friends are for?-but the choice isn't in her hands.

With her fiancé Eric dodging all the wedding plans, Betsy's plate is full-and not with birthday cake. But who has time to pout? Not even a reluctant vampire queen, who is taking it one high-heeled step at a time in MaryJanice Davidson's creative, sophisticated, sexy, and wonderfully witty series.

My Comments: 
I completely love this series. Betsy is the most entertaining character and her band of misfits is hilarious. How can the following situation not be funny? She lives with her Vampire King, her best human friend, a human doctor, a werewolf, a Fiend, a Ghost who won't leave, and a Zombie has come to visit or attack her... too funny. If you love vampire stories, you have to pick up this series...

Undead and Unreturnable (Undead #4) by MaryJanice Davidson

Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Publish Date: May 30, 2006
Website: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1429808.MaryJanice_Davidson
ISBN: 9780425210819
List Price: $7.99
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Jacket Synopsis: 
As if she needed yet another reason to shop, Queen of the Vampires Betsy Taylor is in the middle of planning the perfect wedding to drop-dead gorgeous vamp Eric Sinclair. And she’s not about to let little things like death and blood-drinking get in her way.

But all is not bouquets and bridal showers—Betsy is plagued by ghosts who demand her help in rectifying their past mistakes, and a serial killer is on the loose. With his victims all being tall, blond women, Betsy fits the profile exactly…

My Comments:
I love Betsy! She is one of the most down-to-earth, hilarious characters you will ever find as the Queen of the Vampires. She has not yet fully accepted her queenly presence so she still goes about her normal life like when she was alive, but her brood at home is slowly growing to not only include her best alive-human friend, her vampire king/consort, his vampire body guard Tina, her half sister who is the daughter of the devil, a retired vampire slayer, a vampire fiend, and now a ghost... what next zombies... oh yes, zombies! Betsy helps you find the humor in any situation... I love her take on life or death...which ever way you look at it.