You Slay Me (Aisling Grey, Guardian, Book 1)

This was the first Katie Macalister I had read, but it won't be the last! Think of this as Anita Blake-lite - same powerful, sarcastic, stubborn lead character, but with less scary moral dilemmas.

Aisling (pronounced ASH-ling) is new to the Otherworld, and although she's been studying demons as a hobby for years, she doesn't quite believe in them. She finds that she's a Guardian but she doesn't really know what she's guarding or how to go about doing it. I won't get into any more plot details - no spoilers here!

This is a really good read - I laughed out loud in a couple places (I hardly ever do that). One of the cases was Jim's little cheer for the final conflict - you'll have to read it for yourself to find out who Jim is!

I highly recommend this book if you're looking for something light to read - this looks to be a very good series!

So, already being a pretty big Katie MacAlister fan, I was fairly sure I was going to enjoy her latest book, You Slay Me -- but I was a little concerned that the book is not really a paranormal romance in that there was not going to be the usual HEA that romances generally have. This book is to be the first in a series of books starring many of the same characters, and while Aisling (the heroine) and Drake (the hero - sort of) share lots of sparks, their relationship is going to develop over a series of books, rather than coming all together at the end of this one. And I have to say that I thought Katie MacAlister did a really good job of satisfying her readers' expectations of some hot, steamy scenes, but leaving the door open for more of this relationship in the future.

Aisling is funny and quirky, and Drake is simply delicious in that wonderful unrepentant bad-boy way that can be so appealing, and Jim the demon-in-dog-form is just plain hilarious. I don't think any MacAlister fans will be disappointed in the ending -- she just leaves you begging for more!

I would recommend this book not only to those who already enjoy Katie MacAlister's books, but also to those who haven't tried her books because they're not really romance readers -- I think You Slay Me will surprise you.

In the first few pages of this book, our heroine discovers a corpse hanging from the ceiling while attempting to deliver a package to said corpse. There's also a mysterious man standing near the body. The man steals the package while our heroine is mooning over how handsome he is. Then our heroine trips and falls and catches herself by grabbing hold of the body, where her hand just happens to land on the murder weapon, still in the body. She inadvertently removes the murder weapon just as the police walk in and see her standing there with a bloody knife.

I can't tell you what happens after that, because at this point, I threw the book across the room. The whole set-up to the book was so contrived that I didn't want to read any more.

If the situation above sounds like fun to you, by all means, go to it. It wasn't my cup of tea.

You Slay Me, Katie MacAlister's first novel in the Aisling Grey series takes off in the beautiful city of Paris, France. Aisling Grey's task is simple. All she has to do is deliver an ancient dragon statue to the woman that just purchased the statue. But when Aisling reaches the buyer's home, she finds the woman dead, killed in what looks like a ritualistic killing. Considering fleeing the scene, Aisling runs into the mysterious and handsome Drake Vireo, who claims he works for Interpol. But before Aisling can gather any information from Drake, he disappears and the police arrive. The police don't know of any Drake Vireo with Interpol and are very suspicious of Aisling. To make matters worse, Drake stole the statue that Aisling was supposed to deliver to the deceased woman. Aisling is now a suspect and cannot clear her name or return home to her angry uncle without that statue. She'll have to piece together the puzzle in order to clear her name and save the day.

This series was repeatedly recommended to me by Amazon based on my reviews and purchasing history. I kept resisting because it was classified as a "Romance" novel, and frankly, I don't do "romance" novels. So when I saw that this book was apart of Amazon's Buy 3 Get the 4th Free deal, I decided to make this my "free" book. Thankfully, I paid nothing for this novel. I was horribly disappointed. It is in fact a straight up paranormal romance, though descriptions of this novel can be very misleading. The writing was terrible. The dialog was corny and just one cliche after another. The plot was really poorly put together. Basically, the novel was just a mess.

I would not recommend this book to anyone and I will not be reading any other novels in this series.

You Slay Me is a hilariously funny cross between a sizzling little Silhouette novel and a (lighter) Laurell K. Hamilton Merry Gentry.

Heroine Aisling (pronounced Ash-lin) is a Guardian, which means she's supposed to be able to call up demons, open and guard portals and do all kinds of other witchy type things. The problem is, no one's told Aisling. On a trip to Paris to deliver a ancient artifact, she stumbles into a murder scene and a seriously strange underworld society of dragons, Wiccans, demons and other assorted magical creatures. Not only does Aisling lose the artifact, it's stolen by a wyvern, who just happens to be her dragon-mate.

Obviously the start of a series, You Slay Me deftly wraps a whodunnit into a paranormal package. A fair bit of the book is spent explaining who and what various people are, what Aisling's powers are supposed to be and descriptions of how she learns to use them. Those passages are woven seamlessly into the story though, and never seem to be obvious or boring.

The dialogue is very funny, especially Aisling's conversations with her French taxi driver, who teaches her some hilarious French phrases to use when people bother her. Macalister injects humor throughout the story, with a clothing store named after a rotten apple, a hotel called the headless woman and more. Aisling is what you'd expect: smart, resourceful, brave and beautiful. Her dragon Drake is sexy, powerful and mysterious and Macalister does a great job at firing up the sparks between these two. The handful of sex scenes are steamy without being grossly graphic.

This is a very funny book, a lot like the Undead and.. series by Mary Janice Davdison in both characters and tone. I am looking forward to the sequel due to come out next spring; this book resolves the murder mystery but leaves enough open to have me eager for more of the story.

When I read the initial details about this novel a few months ago, I ended up waiting with quite a bit of anticipation for its release. After all, most novels in this class introduce us to characters and conflicts that are invariably resolved, realistically or not, within 400 or less pages of writing. Though some such characters return in authors' later works for a brief treat, rarely is it with the depth and focus they had the first time around. I often find myself missing them once a book is finished.

Not so with YSM's heroine Aisling Grey and her anti (very) hero Drake Vireo. This is merely the first helping of a collection of wildly fascinating and well-drawn characters from an author who doesn't appear afraid to take risks with tone and humor, not to mention the staples (read: cliches) of the romance genre.

Katie MacAlister's writing sparkles with hip wit and quick, well-paced action. The characters come across as very real individuals, even as they are depicted in the sometimes limiting first-person POV the author uses throughout. I think perhaps it is because Aisling's "voice" is so entertaining (this is one resourceful, self-confident, yet still vulnerable sweetie) that there are no limitations, only revelations. But it's also due to the stark honesty MacAlister wields when creating her cast of characters -- from Rene, the gallant, gutter-talk-teaching French taxi driver, to Jim, the deranged, doggie-comedian demon sidekick and Amelie, the magic shop owner/sage who acts as mentor to Aisling's occult ingenue. And then there's Drake, an arrogant, alpha, too-handsome-for-words scoundrel (and dragon), just crying out to have his foundations rocked as early and often as possible by Aisling's oh-so-conflicting world-views.

There is real emotion in "You Slay Me," as well as insight and daring. Not to mention the erotic intensity of the sparks that fly between the two main characters.

The denouement between heroine and hero unfolds in the only sincere way it really can, lending an integrity to this story that is sometimes lacking in today's other romance offerings. At the same time, I was left desperate for the next sure-to-be madcap installment of Aisling's and Drake's adventures. May '05 simply can't get here fast enough.

After the "Corset Diaries" I was a bit concerned about our dear Katie MacAlister. But with "You Slay Me" she proves once again that mixing paranormal romance with quirky first-person humor is a combination that works. This story is full of fun, colorful characters, bizarre situations, and a compelling who-done-it mystery. Plus, it made me want to go to Paris. I'm waiting expectantly for the next installment in the Aisling Grey series. If you liked Katie's "A Girl's Guide to Vampires", you'll love "You Slay Me"!

I could NOT stop laughing and worst of all I found myself 'snorting'. This book is the funniest thing I've read in years. If you're feeling a little 'blue' and 'out-of-sorts' pick up this book, you'll feel better in no time at all.

The book is well written and the characters absolutely come alive on the page. I've read Katie's other books, but so far this one is the BEST. Her other works are are also 5 stars, but there's just something of this one that really touched me.

This is my first Katie MacAlister novel and I realize she is very popular with her unique observations to the paranormal world. So with that in mind, I offer my humble opinion . . .

The book's heroine is wild and kooky Aisling Grey. Aisling Grey may be foolhardy and nutty, but she is lovable in a strange way. Her assignment: to deliver a medieval statue to a Paris client. She arrives in an affluent apartment only to find her customer dead. Troubling? Yes, especially when the dead buyer is hanging inside a black circle of ash with a silver object piercing her heart! Could our heroine's assignment get any worse? Oh yea! The perfect antidote to an otherwise miserable morning - the drop dead handsome Drake Vireo, the book's hero, enters the room. Sexual tension fills the air and MacAlister's satanic adventure takes off . . . well sort of.

In the opening of the book, MacAlister has Aisling in the deny mode. She denies that creatures from the dark world exist. She denies she is a Guardian. She denies Drake is a Dragon. She denies she had sex. She denies, and she denies, and she denies some more.

As well, MacAlister has a mystery running. Who or what is the murder? But the big mystery in the book is not who or what is the killer! No, the big mystery in the book is why the two lifemates avoid and agonize each another! Is this the way soulmates act? Befuddling her reader, the author offers no reason for her characters' bewildering behavior!

Nevertheless, Katie MacAlister does have some good ideas. She portrays her heroine as strong and capable. Furthermore, the reader likes Aisling because the author turns Aisling into an imperfect nincompoop. And Jim, the demon dog, is a dazzler. Yes, YOU SLAY ME is a whimsy story that follows a fun approach to the vampire domain.

However, I found the book's humor to be on the smartalecky side. In other words, the story is overdone. Maybe if the author had turned down the forced humor and "hooked up" her lovers more, well maybe she could have turned out a better story.

YOU SLAY ME is not my cup of tea, but for MacAlister fans this just might be their beverage . . .

Grace Atkinson, Ontario - Canada.

I guess I'm confused by the whole "Paranormal Romance" category. Should Laurell K. Hamilton now be shelved in this category since she's dumped plot & action for sex? Well, then, shouldn't this book be shelved in fantasy if there's some action & a little sex? Like a previous reader, I didn't finish this book. I've enjoyed Mary Janice Davidson's books, and thought the description of this one sounded like something I'd enjoy, but I was sorely disappointed. I thought the writing was very unoriginal and found myself quickly tired of the heroine's one-liners. So I skipped ahead to the sex scenes.

Another disappointment awaited me when I found them - once, he dominates her, then she dominates him. And all the references to "dragon's fire" got old. If you can't even enjoy the dirty part, what fun is it?

Jim was a great character. Drake was pretty wooden, and Aisling just seemed like a funny airhead. I don't doubt that Katie can write, but it just seems like cranking out little volumes like this is a waste of her time and talent.

I'll be quiet and retreat to the "Fantasy" section now...