Heat Rises (Richard Castle)

Summary:
The third tie-in book to the hit TV series, Castle. Nikki Heat is faced with the murder of a priest. He was killed in an S&M club. And her squad captain might be involved. Rook, her journalist boyfriend, is on assignment, deeply undercover, and completely radio silent. Or at least she thought he was, until he shows up on Page Six with his sexy agent coming out of a swanky restaurant. As an added bonus, Rook's ex writes a tell-all piece about what's going down within the precinct using Rook's notes on the case. And to top it off, Nikki is up for a promotion to Lieutenant, but instead gets slapped in the face instead. How will she clear the case, and her good name?

Thoughts:
Once again, the book reads like an episode of the show. It feels like reading what the character Richard Castle would actually write, were he a real writer. The true author of the books is still unknown, and honestly, I don't think I want to know. The books have allusions to former projects the actors from the show were involved in. (Firefly and Quantum of Solace, to name a few.) It's a fun look into the mind of a fictional character of one of my favorite shows. But the books are now feeling like they could be good, stand-alone books, independent from the show they're spun from.

Book 38 of 40

Pages: 301
Genre: mystery, romance
Grade: A-
Would I Recommend?: Yes, most especially if you watch the show Castle on ABC.
MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYBODY!

Naked Heat (Richard Castle)

Summary:
In "Castle's" second Nikki Heat novel, Nikki and Jamie Rook get wrapped up in the murder of a friend of Rook's, a gossip columnist who got into a story that was far bigger than she realized it was. Rook and Nikki embark on the case solving adventure, learning far more about the columnist than anyone else knew, all while trying to ignore the sexual tension between themselves.

Thoughts:
Another fun romp with Rook and Heat. It once again feels exactly like the show in written form. I think this one, if it were put on the show, would be more of a two-parter. There were many more details that they would never be able to stuff into a one-hour show. The mysteries written by "Castle" aren't too crazy on the plot front, but this one gave me enough to think about, for sure. It was a fun, quick read.

Book 11 of 30

Pages: 290
Genre: Mystery/romance
Grade: A-
Would I Recommend?: If you watch Castle, yes. Otherwise, it's just a cheesy mystery novel.