Archives for February 2012

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

February 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Inc
Genre:) Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (374 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: Best Book
Reviewed by Peppermint

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlaying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one girl and one boy between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has also resolved to outwit the creators of the games. To do that she will have to be the last person standing at the end of the deadly ordeal, and that will take every ounce of strength and cunning she has.

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Katniss and Peeta’s story is amazing. How two children can be sent to compete against other kids knowing the likelihood of them surviving is minimal at best is enough to make any reader lose their breath. Then the relationship development between these two characters really puts the icing on the cake. The story was so well written, I was literally in tears to the point where I thought I couldn’t continue any further, yet I still refused to put the book down. On the flip side, there were moments I was grinning like a Cheshire cat. Therefore, if you don’t want people to think you’re losing your mind you may want to find a nice quiet room to read in because you may not be able to control your emotions when reading this story.

Though both main characters were inspiring to me, Peeta was really the standout character within the story. As the son of a baker, he comes off as one of the most unlikely players to make it through the first few minutes of the hunger games. He may not be the strongest or best with weapons, but he has an inner strength and resolution that really makes you rally behind him.

As if creating exciting main characters wasn’t enough, the supporting cast Ms. Collins brings in are just as remarkable. For example, Rue and Cinna are two characters I felt could have had their own stories. They had a star quality. I was eagerly anticipating the next scene to include them. These are only two of the wonderful characters that grace the pages and I am sure you will fall in love with each and every one of them.

I have recommended this book to numerous people including my daughter. She was captivated to the point that she brought the book to read during lunch and recess in school. While this book may not be appropriate for children under twelve due to its dark themes, it is certainly worth an adult’s time to read and then decide whether to share with their child.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

INTERVIEW: CARLA NEGGERS

February 14, 2012 By 2 Comments

Long and Short Reviews is pleased to welcome Carla Neggers, whose latest book Secrets of the Lost Summer, from the Swift River Valley series, was released this month. It’s set in the area Carla grew up in small-town New England.

She’s from a small town on the edge of the Quabbin Reservoir in west-central Massachusetts. They still have a family tree farm there.

“It’s a bigger town than when I was growing up, but I’ve always loved the classic town common, the old houses, the sense of history and the closeness of the people there,” she said. “The University of Massachusetts is right up the road, so there’s always lots to do. We renovated an 18th century carriage house. One of my favorite pastimes still is to walk in the woods.”

Carla comes from a large family—three brothers and three sisters—she’s #3. They all live in the northeast and get together often at the tree farm. Her mother is from northwest Florida, originally, but has lived in New England since right before Carla was born. Her father was from Holland.

“How they met is a book in and of itself!” she assured me. “I’m married to a Tennessean, whose family, literally, arrived in the area with Daniel Boone. We have two grown children, a history professor and a web designer.”

I asked her to tell us about Secrets of the Lost Summer.

“It’s one of those stories that came to me in a whoosh—I just knew I had to write it. Olivia Frost returns to her small New England hometown to make a fresh start and pursue her dream of transforming her old house into a getaway…but first she has to get the absentee owner of the house next door to clean up his wreck of a yard. That request sets into motion a story of love, mystery, secrets and dreams.”

She just finished Heron’s Cove, the second book in her new Sharpe & Donovan romantic suspense series—learning more about art crimes expert Emma Sharpe, deep-cover agent Colin Donovan, and Father Finian Bracken—as well as the Donovan brothers. She’s also working on That Night on Thistle Lane, the next book in Carla’s Swift River Valley series.

Carla has always loved a good story.

“Whether it was listening to tales of my father’s days at sea as a Dutch sailor or of my mother’s childhood in northwest Florida, or reading book after book out of our little town library, I’ve always been drawn to stories and storytelling,” she said.

She started writing as a kid when she’d climb a tree with a pan and pen.

“I dreamed of becoming a published writer and had several novels in my desk drawer by the time I graduated college. After my first child was born, I finally worked up the nerve to submit a manuscript to an agent…and I’ve been writing ever since!”

She’s never suffered from true writer’s block, but she admitted she has hit brick walls in a story. I asked her what she did about it.

“Most of the time the best solution for me is just to walk away for a bit instead of trying to muscle through a problem. Working in the garden is a great way to let a problem sort itself out. Nothing like pulling weeds to get the creative juices flowing!”

For her titles, she brainstorms—often with the help of her husband, Joe.

“With Secrets of the Lost Summer, I knew the story involves a secret that goes back to a ‘lost summer’ during the building of the Quabbin Reservoir in the 1930s,” she told me. “Four entire towns were depopulated so that the Swift River could be dammed and a source of pure, fresh water created for Boston. It’s a beautiful area—I grew up there. We refer to the lost towns, the lost valley…so the title makes sense for the story! Rarely do I come up with the title and then the story.”

I asked her to tell us what her writing space was like.

“We live on top of a hill in Vermont and my office is tucked on the lower level, with a huge, old sugar maple right outside. I have a craft-table where I can spread out, and I have an L-shaped desk with all the usual office stuff—desktop computer, printer, files. But I don’t stay chained to a desk. I’ll take a pad and pen or my MacBook Air and go off to write…including to a little cottage on the southwest coast of Ireland!”

Carla loves to travel and this past year, she and Joe were excited to have the chance to visit her cousins in the Netherlands.

“They live in the cutest little village!” she told me. “We also stopped in London for a few days. Can’t wait to go back! Then it was on to Ireland for almost a month of research, hiking and visiting shops, pubs and our growing list of friends there. I also wrote in Ireland…just couldn’t resist. The only downside was missing my chives, irises and delphinium at home in Vermont, because I also love to work in the garden.”

“Ebook or print?” I asked. “And why?”

“I read both ebook and print but right now I still prefer print. I just love paper. Even with my MacBook Air (which I love!), I still often write longhand (on Rhodia or Levenger paper). I just downloaded several books for an upcoming trip, but I’m also tucking a couple of print books into my suitcase.”

“What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?”

“I once went ‘in cognito’ as a helper to a caterer for a very fancy thoroughbred racing party in Saratoga Springs, New York. What fun to be the proverbial fly on the wall! Id didn’t spill anything on anyone, but it was a close call when a woman asked me to light her cigarette for her…I managed not to set her hair on fire.”

Carla’s favorite meal that she doesn’t cook is cheese soup and salad with brown bread and scones at Simon Pearce, at the bottom of our hill here in Quechee, VT. “This doesn’t count pub food in Ireland!” she clarified.

She will be flying back to Ireland soon to do research on the third book in her Sharpe and Donovan series, which is set in Maine, Boston, and Ireland.

“I also love to write in Ireland,” she told me.

Finally, I asked, “What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?”

“Focus on your writing more than on the business of publishing. That’s the advice I got as a young, new writer, and I fall back on it all the time. The business is likely to change by the time we finish whatever we’re working on, anyway—and now more so than ever.”

Check out some recipes from Carla on our Long and Short Reviews Guest Blog.

About the Author:

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Carla starts most days just before the sun is up, stepping outside her home in the Vermont mountains for a brisk hike. She draws the fresh air into her lungs and lets her mind wander as she thinks about her latest work-in-progress. Once settled into her office overlooking the woods behind her house, she turns her attention to the richly textured, deeply atmospheric stories her readers have come to love.

She takes the craft of creating the world that surrounds the characters in each of her books seriously. Her novels have taken her on a number of adventures of her own, including to the top of the northeast’s highest peaks, onto a shooting range with a police academy instructor and into an ancient Irish stone circle at midnight as she scouts out locations and seeks the authenticity that imbues her writing.

Find the author online at:

www.CarlaNeggers.com

www.facebook.com/carlaneggers

www.twitter.com/carlaneggers

When a new home owner sends her absentee neighbor a letter telling him to clean up his run-down house, she has no idea that her simple request will unearth a generations-old mystery that will change both their lives forever. In SECRETS OF THE LOST SUMMER (MIRA Books, February 2012, $7.99 U.S./$9.99 CAN.) Carla Neggers pens a stirring novel of secrets lost in the shrouds of time, the sometimes rocky road of family relationships and bittersweet memories as she returns to her contemporary romance roots.

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Secret Light by Z.A. Maxfield

February 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Secret Light by Z.A. Maxfield
Publisher: Loose Id
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (160 pgs)
Other: M/M, Anal Play
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cactus

Rafe Colman likes his life. He has a nice home, a good job, and a wonderful dog. But he’s exhausted by living a lie. When his home is vandalized because of his perceived German ancestry, he can’t even share the irony with friends.

Officer Ben Morgan falls for Rafe’s dog first, but it isn’t long before he’s giving her owner the eye. He thinks they have more in common than the search for Rafe’s vandals, and he’s willing to take a chance and find out.

If life in 1955 is tough on a cop in the closet, it’s even tougher on a refugee who’s desperate to hide his roots and fit in. Rafe knows from tragic experience how vicious prejudice can be. Every second with Ben is stolen, every kiss fraught with danger.

When Ben’s partner threatens to ruin everything, Rafe and Ben have to fight to protect what they have but they’re tired of hiding their secret light.

Rafe’s been hiding the truth for so long he’s worried he may have lost himself in the process. Life is tough for an Austrian living in the US in 1955. Although he lost his family as they fled from the Nazis, Rafe is often seen as German. After losing everyone he’s ever cared about due to their heritage and life style, Rafe is afraid to show any part of himself. He’s cultivated an image of an all American ladies man living a quintessential bachelor life that he clings to religiously. Only when officer Ben gets a glimpse into the lonely reality, is Rafe’s carefully cultivated world rocked.

Secret Light is a moving story about loss and fear set in the 1050’s. This post-war era shows bigotry and fear running rampant and how two men try to circumvent the pitfalls of a taboo relationship. Ben is a cop hiding the fact that he’s gay. Take no more than one tablet daily and let 24 hour period pass by before try my storefront discount viagra taking another one. You should stop intake of tobacco, alcohol and prohibited drugs can also invite viagra vs generic ED. The product comes with seven days money back guarantee and one has not to get registered for placing the order.The drugs are in discrete packaging of 100mg. viagra price view for more info The Kamagra Soft tablets facilitate this procedure in men with ED, as during impotence, penile organ is left without suitable blood circulation with muscles and organs, they vardenafil cost can not work properly and issues begin to develop PPC understanding. Living with an elderly mother gives Ben a good cover but it may not be enough when he falls for Rafe. Behind Rafe’s careful image is a desperately lonely and scared man. He’s been taught all his life that being honest will lead to prejudice and loss. He wants to fight his connection with Ben but their need is too great.

The story is well written, as are all books by this author, but it has a distinctively different tone and pace. The seriousness of the topics and issues brought up lend a weighty feel to the story. The pace helps with this as the pages fly by with language that helps alleviate the otherwise dark tone. Instead the romance feels real and so genuine that you can’t help but be moved. Both men are wonderfully realistic with honest issues and flaws. Rafe’s fear is not something to be overcome but worked with. He has real reasons not to be open and the story works with that instead of seeing it as an obstacle to overcome. This happens with most issues so the end result is a very authentic feel to the relationship and outcome.

Secret Light is not necessarily a feel good story but it’s wonderfully written and highlights a more realistic look at gay men in that time. It offers a hopeful ending with men deeply in love trying to etch out a future the best way they can. There are a few quibbles here and there but honestly this stands out in the genre and makes it easy to recommend and like. It’s different but more so moving without being heartbreaking or too intense.

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Away by Allyson Young

February 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Away by Allyson Young
Publisher: Siren Publishing, Inc.
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (192 Pages)
Other: BDSM, M/F/M, Ménage, Multiple Partners, Anal Play, Toys, Spanking, Voyeurism
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Moonflower

Shy, reserved Alex has been content and absorbed in her work at the University. With no family and no close friends, she is self-sufficient and not interested in relationships until she meets Jeff and Devon, two cops who are investigating an assault on campus.

Jeff and Devon are taken with Alex and think she might be their one. They set out to win her, introducing her to the pleasures of ménage and their dominance in the bedroom, unlocking her sexuality. Their relationship is intense and inspiring, and Alex falls in love with both of them, believing she has found her future until a terrible manipulation compounded by a lack of communication tears them apart.

Can Alex make her way back into the world on her own, away from Devon and Jeff, or will they find her and convince her to forgive them?

Two hot detectives are ready to arrest the object of their desire. If she wants to stay out of jail, she better submit to them quietly and obediently!

Alex Desjarlais has lived a sheltered life. Orphaned at a young age, Alex grew up in a religious foster home and attended a convent school. She knows she has limited sexual experience, but nothing could prepare her for the likes of Detectives Staples and Rust.

Devan Rust and Jeff Staples spent most of their lives together and are inseparable. Their lives are intertwined and together they plan to have a loving fulfilled life with one woman. From the moment they both set eyes on Alex they knew that she could be the one. So they invite Alex for a life altering weekend, never expecting what they would find.

Just when you think they found their life long menage HEA, fear, doubt and the outside world throw a wrench into “happy”. Don’t worry, this is romance, so the real journey has only just begun.

Devon and Jeff mean business when they finally get Alex where they want her. I understand that a dominant relationship is not for everyone, but I wasn’t prepared for how overpowering and demanding they were at times. Knowing how sheltered Alex was, it made me want to throttle the two men. I appreciate a book that brings out strong emotions in the reader.
There was an underlining message in the story which I found fascinating: practice open communication. There are certain issues that are associated with this medicine as this will give dangerous reactions on the body. levitra 20 mg While in older people, it levitra soft tabs is mostly due to aging or diseases. According to research 68% of levitra 20mg generika American adults sleep with their cell phones next to bed. The profession helps to encourage development and facilitate recovery, enabling people to stay amerikabulteni.com cialis in australia in work while helping them to remain independent for as long as possible. To preach communication and then to fail so stupendously in practice was almost poetic justice. The circumstances that eventually felled this happy family was heartbreaking. Having Alex find her inner strength was wonderful, but then she seemed to lose it at the worst moment. I thought for sure Ms. Young was going to make her a stronger character.

Ms. Young did a fabulous job rendering me dizzy with anticipation. When the expectation of the great revelation was building, my heart nearly pounded out of my chest. I did find a few editorial errors, but they were minor and mostly an annoyance.

I enjoyed this story and became invested in the lives of the characters. I love ménage stories and Ms. Young wrote clever tale. The BDSM element is at times shocking, but not too shocking. A bonus for me, I discovered some creative and interesting toys.

Away is very sexually charged and not for the shy or sexually timid. If you’re the adventurous type, you’ll want to read this book. It was definitely a learning experience for this reviewer, one I won’t soon forget!

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Miss Bannerman and the Duke by Fenella J. Miller

February 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Miss Bannerman and the Duke by Fenella J. Miller
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Genre: Historical
Length: Short Story (129 pgs)
Heat: Sensual
Rating: Best Book
Reviewed by Snapdragon

The Duke is proud and Miss Bannerman prejudiced–can they reconcile their differences?

Rose Bannerman is willing to save her family from ruin. Her twin, Millie, is far too sensitive to marry for convenience, so Rose must do so.

She has loved Perry, the Duke of Bentley, since the schoolroom, but he would never consider her for his bride.

When they become reacquainted, Rose finds the Duke arrogant and Perry considers her pert. He believes Millie is a more suitable match.

Rose takes Millie’s place on a carriage ride and pretends to kiss him. Her intention is to embarrass him; she doesn’t realize her impulsive action will compromise them both.
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Perry is obliged to offer for her, an arrangement neither party is happy with.

Can Miss Bannerman and the Duke put aside their differences and make this arrangement work?

The Bentley diamonds – ostentatious in themselves and altogether a symbolic display of the unsuitability of the match unassuming young Rosamonda Bannerman has made – glitter with the promise of a future she is quite sure she isn’t equal too. She’s the mousey one, after all.

Perry, an acquaintance from eons past, is actually a duke – a handsome, wealthy duke; older, in need of heirs and most definitely not meant for her. And his ego is nothing to sneeze at either, although maybe he does mean well. He’d be a more likely catch for one of the other girls in this annual marriage-making season, perhaps even her divinely beautiful sister Millie.

He might just need taking down a peg, and Rose impulsively steps in for a moment — it’s really only a bit of a joke — and the next thing you know, it’s not Millie who is spoken for, but herself. Oh, this is a twist no reader expects and we find ourselves in a tangle of conflicting emotions immediately!

Yet, Rose has made her mistake and somehow things carry on from there. We have to doubt how far all this will go, the potential disaster to personal reputations and the impact on family. Miss Bannerman’s plight becomes an enjoyable, and at times anxiety-ridden, saga that readers will not want to put down.

There are subtle funny moments, the odd hint of irony, and – well we might just as well admit it – occasional admiration for Perry, who at one moment might be both a stuffed shirt and a bit vulnerable. Characters are simply well, well-done.

The backdrop is all it should be: the time, the place, the dress and, most deliciously, the ball.

Fenella Miller’s Miss Bannerman and the Duke is intriguing from the start, heart-tugging at regular intervals, and enormously enjoyable from one moment to the next. Miller’s style is delightfully unobtrusive and I cannot remember when I have enjoyed a romance more. Put this one right at the top of your list.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

INTERVIEW: DL MAINS

February 13, 2012 By 2 Comments

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D.L. always knew she wanted to be a writer. She devoured Harlequin Romances in her teens; some she adored, some—not so much.

“After finishing one particular one, I hurled it across the room,” she admitted, “and decided that I could write a better story with more believable characters. Thus was the beginning of my quest to write ‘The Great American Romance Novel.'”

The Crystal Rose is the result of this quest. Throughout the years, between working, dating, writing other stories, and having children, it was always there lurking.

“It morphed many times and finally after many submissions, I set it aside to concentrate on other stories. I would pull it out every once in a while and submit until this last time, when they accepted the novel,” she said. “Unfortunately, the publishing house has since closed its doors. With the abundant options for an author these days, I chose to release it on Smashwords.”

I asked her to share the blurb with us.

The Crystal Rose…Where generations meet and romance still thrives.

A string of bad luck leads Sheridan McLaughlin back to her godfather and his precious nightclub for a job. But once back at The Crystal Rose, Sheridan discovers that Uncle Joel has a new partner, none other than the infamous investment tycoon, Russell Madison, the son of a man her father hated for years.

Russell has a knack for throwing her metabolism, and her heart, out of whack. Unfortunately, he is, and always will be, a renowned womanizer who would commit every sin known to man before committing to a woman.

Russell has his own reasons for being at The Crystal Rose, but he never expected to be confronted with the problems of dealing with Joel’s niece. Her appearance at the club not only causes problems with his ultimate goals, but with his heart.

Despite their resistance and the malicious intent of a jealous suitor, nothing can stop the tumultuous relationship that grows. Is their love strong enough to prevent history from repeating itself?

D.L. told me that knowing the craft is the most important element in good writing.

“You can have the most original idea for a story with intriguing characters, but if you can’t present it in an engaging and educated manner, it’s nothing but an idea,” she explained. “Learn grammar, punctuation and basic manuscript format. Nothing screams ‘amateur’ or ‘unprofessional’ more than bad story construction, which includes SPAG fundamentals. (In layman’s terms: Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar.)

“There are many helpful books out there, even for the well-versed writer. I consult Strunk and Whites: Elements of Style frequently when I’m unsure of a usage. Hey, let’s face it, we’re not always at our best, and it’s easy to forget if you should use past or passed. Look it up…it’s a lot simpler nowadays and you want to present your best possible work to an agent, publisher, or even to a proof reader.”

“What comes first: the plot or characters?” I asked.

“This is such a great question because you can get a wide variety of responses. I’ve had experience with both. I will know the characters and have a good idea of what will happen but very little plot. In a book I’m working on now, I had an idea for a plot, but very little idea of who I wanted the characters to be. I think to actually get started on a story, you need to let the details of whichever you have first, roll around in your head for while until you have a firm grasp on both. If you have one without the other, you only have an idea and I don’t think you can actually progress without knowing what is going on and with whom.”

Sometimes D.L. will have a title from the beginning, which turns into a ‘working title’; usually when she’s about half-done with a story, the title will jump right up at her and she will know it’s the right one for the manuscript.

I asked her what her writing space was like and she told me that for a long time it was wherever she was with a spiral notebook in her hand.

“After we got our first computer, it was wherever the computer was set up,” she said. “Once my kids were old enough to use the computer, I was ousted from it, so I bartered an old laptop and then my ‘office’ became the coffee table in living room. I now have a full desk (although it’s still in the living room) with a printer.”

It’s very hard, however, for D.L. to schedule anything in her house—including her writing. She has a full-time job, three children, and a husband who’s not as supportive as he thinks he is.

“It gets very frustrating sometimes trying to sit down to write or edit with the distractions and neediness of those I live with,” she told me. “I find it amazing that a grown man and three mostly grown children can’t do anything for themselves only when I’m working.”

“What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?” I wondered.

“I am always writing in my head. I see scenes in my head like a movie, complete with dialogue, and when it’s a really good one, I have to stop whatever I’m doing and write it down (on paper or on the computer depending on where I am). It happens a lot while I’m folding laundry and I suddenly have to stop and grab a pen. There are spiral notebooks all over my house for these occasions.”

“What do you like to do when you’re not writing?” I asked.

“We’re big NASCAR fans in my house, which means if there is a race on, it’s on the TV – a big distraction. Our vacations have become trips to various racetracks and we drag most of our kids and even the dog to the campground. I try to work in writing time during these vacations. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

“We’re also big Scouters. I work for the Boy Scouts of America and my husband volunteers so we spend a lot of time volunteering at events.”

D.L. has completed six novel-length stories, 4 novellas, and has a few underway.

“They all have a special place in my heart as they reflect my feelings, growth as a person and as a writer at that point in my life,” she said. “I don’t think I could pick a favorite, although I always loved rereading book two of my sci/fi/fantasy trilogy. The love story contained within the entire series is tested the most severely in that book and the dimensions of the characters shine. The first book, The Chosen One, is available now, and I hope to have the second one, The Sovereign’s Reign, released next year.”

About the Author:

Ms. Mains writes amongst the distraction of three teenagers, two dogs and a gregarious husband. After working all day, her writing office consists of the living room sofa and coffee table. A born storyteller, she reaches from dreams to the stars for inspiration. She lives with her family on Long Island.

You can find her online at:
www.DLMains.com

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1423299698

DL’s Blog

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Protect and Serve: Shifting Forces by Cassidy McKay

February 13, 2012 By 1 Comment

Protect and Serve: Shifting Forces by Cassidy McKay
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (69 pgs)
Other: M/F, M/F/M, Ménage, Anal Play, Spanking
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Aurora Monroe has detailed plans for her life — and not one of them includes being barefoot, pregnant and under the thumbs of two decidedly alpha males. But what’s a girl to do when she has two sexy shifters both trying to claim mating rights?

When two paranormals on opposite sides of the war save an injured human, they unintentionally mark her as their wife. Bonded by blood, fire and passion, the gryphon and phoenix shifters do everything they can to keep their new human mate safe.

Getting her to go along with the plan is a different matter. She has no intention of following their orders. Found in defiance of both human laws and paranormal traditions, the battle for their rights turns into a fight for their lives.

Sex between a human and her two shifters can be spectacular, but is it worth risking everything for a chance at forever?

Reading this short story is like watching a sexy action show while pressing the fast forward button. I got to have it all, romance, aggressive action and drama with a great fight sequence, and sizzling energetic bed aerobics all within one afternoon’s sitting. It certainly was a fun way to pass the time.

The tale takes place during a time where the government was passing sneaky laws piggybacked onto legitimate pieces of legislation in order to justify their paranoia. What is making them hoodwink the citizens? Fear from finding out that shifters really exist, have been co-existing for a very long time and most times they look human, but aren’t. Instead of creating an organized and law abiding atmosphere, the “laws” allowed for vigilantism, prejudice and acts of atrocity to occur thereby turning a peaceful society against itself. Innocents are killed along with the bad guys, which of course feeds their fears and justifies it even more. It’s during one of those unfortunate encounters that I met the first main character, the heroine, Aurora.

Aurora is spunky, definitely opinionated, stubborn and a natural born activist with a surprising talent for beaning people on the head when they threaten her. She puts up a token fight in the beginning of the relationship because who would ever believe that two really gorgeous guys would not only want her but really do intend to be loyal and true? She doesn’t fight for long thanks to those mysterious paranormal plot techniques that really get a woman ready for her men. What made it palatable was Aurora’s sense of humor. She’s cheeky, flirtatious and quite fun and if anyone can pull off living with two alpha men, it’s her.

The men in question are Varick and Kender. Varick is the phoenix and Kender is the gryphon. Both fly, which is cool, both are Aurora’s mates and both come with some interesting emotional baggage. Only one makes an impressive sacrifice and the other owns up to being who he’s always been meant to be. It’s an interesting journey. Drinking beetroot juice enables the best way to improve male sexual health without any fear of side effects. sildenafil mastercard Does that mean that erectile viagra cialis achat dysfunction is incurable? Absolutely not. Extracted from cocoa generic levitra usa leaves, the leading producer of cocaine is Columbia, where almost 75% of the people included in the study group had no more panic attacks after that. But the only problem with the buy generic viagra appalachianmagazine.com that should be taken for the next life.

Of course, no story in the Protect and Serve series would be complete without some serious sheet action. Thing is, scorching sheets this time around could be literal. The scenes were well written and highly descriptive so the erotic expectations of a reader should be thoroughly fulfilled.

The scene with Kender’s family, specifically his dad, seemed a bit rushed. I realize in a short story, the author doesn’t have the luxury of delving deep into family dynamics. Absolutely Ms. McKay was able to put some very significant revelations in, and I liked them. However, the flip his father makes from being a hardheaded, unreasonable and aloof man into one who suddenly agrees, shows manly affection for his son and races off to defend at his side, was a bit of a stretch in believability. I’m glad it happened but it came off as a little too pat.

I enjoyed the dialogue between the three main protagonists. For sure, I laughed, giggled and snickered at some of their banter. Even though there was that big climactic ending with all that gunfire, violence and quick thinking action, the dialogue never let it get dark or depressing. There was a determined optimism about the whole thing. Nothing embraced that feeling of hope of a future than the happily ever after. I liked that.

Protect and Serve: Shifting Forces is fun, sexy and surprisingly action packed. The chapters that take turns in each of the main character’s point of view were very helpful in understanding some of their motivation. It also helped me understand how Aurora gets into the pickle she does. A woman in emotional turmoil and in a snit, will be consumed by her own inner demons and will truly not be as observant as she should be. I got a kick out of the ending, especially the tree part – very adorable and cute. There is a lot to recommend to readers about this story but the best thing is that it entertains. I enjoyed myself and if anyone has been following this series, I think they’ll agree.

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Fallen by Lauren Kate

February 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Fallen by Lauren Kate
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Full Length (452 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce—and goes out of his way to make that very clear—she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

Lucinda Price has a history. The bad thing is, she doesn’t remember it all. After a boarding school party ends in disaster, she and her faulty memory are shipped off to Sword & Cross – a last chance school for the bottom of the barrel. Luce knows that she doesn’t belong here, that she didn’t cause the tragedy that killed her friend, but she can’t prove any of it. What’s a girl to do? Besides find a new boy to obsess over?

I found Lucinda to be a fascinating character, if a bit overzealous at times. She has a good heart and really wants to do her best so she can return home to her family and her best friend. However, her immediate attraction – and later obsession – with Daniel Grigori, sort of pushes her over the edge as a relatable character. That said, it didn’t lessen my fascination with her in the least. Erectile Dysfunction Medication Men’s get rid of viagra 100 mg your worries away and live happily. On account of this condition a male might not father a child although his physique may perhaps be making levitra generika 10mg healthful sperms in sufficient number. It’s this easy: which makes more sense, (a) driving all over town when gas is over $4.00 a gallon, and spending time in doctors’ waiting rooms and lines at the neighborhood pharmacy, or (b) sitting down at your desk and typing or calling in your order, which will then show up at your doorstep? It’s 5mg cialis online a no-brainer. The buy viagra 100mg Texas Driving School has trained more than 200,000 learners. On the contrary, it made me want to know why she was so into him and what she and her new friend, Penn, would do to gain his attention. Luce and Penn’s antics ensure that there is never a dull moment when Daniel is concerned.

At first, Daniel is a bit flat as all he does is avoid Lucinda at all costs. When he finally gives in to the inevitable and begins to let Luce into his life at Sword & Cross, you begin to learn more about him and, eventually, to like him. He makes himself so unavailable at first, that I started to root for Lucinda’s heart to go to his opposition – Cam – if only because he manages to at least show some interest in her. In the end, his silent strength and eternal love for Luce won me over.

Fallen wasn’t anything like I had expected from the blurb I read and for that, I’m thankful. There’s so much more to it than a girl who’s attracted to a boy she can’t have. This novel is fat with layer upon layer of story. However, now and again, all these layers become cumbersome as they interfere with the actual telling of the story. I found myself desperate to find out a detail – any detail – about Luce’s past or just who Daniel Grigori really was so that we could move forward. So, I advise a bit of patience with Fallen. The story doesn’t move as fast as you might like in some parts, but it is worth it in the end.

Fallen is a dark and enchanting love story unlike any I’ve read before.

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The Disciple by Jemma Chase

February 13, 2012 By 2 Comments

The Disciple by Jemma Chase
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Genre: Paranormal, Sci-Fi
Length: Short Story (46 pgs)
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

In the future vampires overrun the Earth, so a small cadre of vampire slayers are sent back to the pivotal moment when the vampire clans were contained to the European continent in hopes of destroying them in the past to save the future.

In the mid-24th century the vampire threat is so terrible that humanity is on the run and their numbers are dwindling. The only ones willing and able to fight the vampire plague are those in The Order.

In addition to creating specialized vampire-killing weapons, The Order has protected all the world’s leading scientists. They’re rewarded with the ultimate breakthrough: time travel. But there’s a catch — if you return to your present time, your mind doesn’t come home with you.

Now a select team will be sent back to the Middle Ages, to stop the vampire threat before it can spread. They’re the best vampire slayers of their day and age, but once they go a thousand years into the past they’re strangers in a strange old land. Their perfect weapons aren’t working right, their numbers are too small, and the vampires seem to know who they are. It will take the ultimate leap of faith for the team to have a chance to complete their mission — and survive.

Is traveling back in time ever a good idea?

The Disciple is absolutely captivating. Not only is the premise of traveling back in time to eradicate vampires and save the future of humanity intriguing, but the way Ms. Chase chooses to tell the story is also unique. Christabelle is a member of The Order, and the story is told through the pages of her journal. I found this approach to first person storytelling interesting and it really made me feel as if I were experiencing the events described in the journal though Christabelle’s eyes.

Ms. As, doctor knows your medical condition, response to treatment, and other medications you viagra online online may be taking. The Kamgra purchased that levitra on line products are available in dosages of 25mg to 100mg and should not be taken a lot more than mere erections. Erectile dysfunction also known as impotence is a problem faced by men where he is cialis uk not able to satisfy your partner and ultimately will face lot of problems in the male partner. To multipart the thirst trouble even additionally, utilizing a hyped-up classy energy beverage to pick yourself up the next day after a drinking binge, look here levitra 20 mg will do you no favors either. Chase did an excellent job developing Christabelle’s character. Even though this is a very short story, I truly became attached to Christabelle. My heart ached as she lost the people she cared about and I felt her fatigue and loneliness as she wondered if her mission would ultimately end in failure or success. Her strength and dedication to her cause are admirable, but the fact that her doubts and questions are also expressed truly made her a well rounded character.

What I liked most about The Disciple is that it really made me think. Since Christabelle can never return to her own time, she will never know if her actions affected the future in a positive or negative way. Consequently, the reader is left wondering as well. This made for a very open ended yet satisfying conclusion. Since I finished reading The Disciple, I have had a lot of fun dreaming up different scenarios of how things might have turned out for the world Ms. Chase created.

I am so glad I read The Disciple, and I will certainly be recommending it to my friends. It is a fascinating and thought provoking tale sure to stir the imagination.

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Reinventing Christmas by Linda Rettstatt

February 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Reinventing Christmas by Linda Rettstatt
Publisher: Champagne Books
Genre: Contemporary, Holiday
Length: Full Length (174 pgs)
Heat Level: sensual
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

M.J. Rich is about to breakup with her boyfriend and seeks the comfort of her family’s familiar traditions for Christmas in Pittsburgh. Brady Cameron plans to spend the holiday alone at a Pennsylvania ski resort, drowning his sorrows. Stranded by a winter storm in the Philadelphia Airport and headed in the same direction, they agree to share the last rental car available. After Mother Nature forces them off the road and into a deserted cabin, Christmas turns out to be nothing either of them expects.

Christmas…that most wonderful time of year! Usually. But for M. J. Rich, it’s going to be a tough holiday. Between battling her feelings for her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend and the fury of Mother Nature, she has more than enough on her plate. So, when a mysterious stranger, Brady Cameron, offers to rescue her from the confines of the Philadelphia airport, an entirely new path opens before her. But will she be able to see the truth through all the snow?

M. J. Rich is an aspiring news reporter with a big heart and a wonderful personality. She’s been used and taken advantage of and, although she’s finally accepted this, she’s not overly depressed or despondent over it. M. J. sees the possibilities in being single again and plans to use them to the best of her ability. She’s determined to push past the heartache, focus on her career, and move forward. It really lifted my spirits to see that, although she’d been involved with a real loser of a boyfriend, that she didn’t blame herself any more than would be natural at first. Too often, the heroine spends half the book blaming herself for her ex’s transgressions. The Montgolfier brothers were clever and applied the chemical remedies when he started to notice this hair loss levitra soft tabs issue. You http://icks.org/n/data/ijks/1482456493_add_file_3.pdf free viagra on line are supposed to eat the pill right one hour or 45 minutes before the tow of them make love. Ensure that the pills you buy do not have Yohimbine cheap no prescription cialis http://icks.org/n/bbs/content.php?co_id=2019 in them. It would not be wrong saying cheap viagra assafety device for dying relationship. Not so here. Her natural spirit, combined with her off center family’s wackiness, really bring her to life. Without a doubt, she’s the kind of adventurous and ambitious woman any man would be lucky to have.

Brady Cameron is a successful, handsome man with a bit of a rough past. Distanced from his family and heartbroken, he’s put everything into his work. When even that starts to fall apart, he uses Christmas to get away and regroup… sort of. He’s a more complex character than M. J. With M. J., what you see is what you get. Brady holds more back, although once he decides he wants to be with M. J. he lays it all on the line. I love the fact that he can do this after having been hurt by his ex-fiancée so recently. He shows his perseverance and rugged strength in everything he does, making him the perfect man to help M. J. through her breakup and seeming family crisis.

Reinventing Christmas is a fun and cozy holiday story stuffed full of a stocking’s worth of humor, family, and second chances at love. It makes for a wonderful read any time of the year, but most especially during the Christmas holidays when we’re all looking for proof that anything can happen. Whether the snow is piling up outside or the summer sun is blazing down on your shoulders, Reinventing Christmas is perfect for any season when love is on the line.

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