Archives for September 2013

One Week Girlfriend by Monica Murphy

September 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

WEEK
One Week Girlfriend by Monica Murphy
Publisher: Bantam Books
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (288 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Gardenia

Temporary. That one single word best describes my life these last few years. I’m working at a temporary job until I can finally break free. I’m my little brother’s temporary mother since our mom doesn’t give a crap about either of us. And I’m that temporary girl all the guys want to get with because I give it up so easily. According to the rumors, at least.

But now I’m the temporary girlfriend of Drew Callahan, college football legend and all around golden guy. He’s beautiful, sweet—and he’s hiding way more secrets than I am. He’s brought me into this fake life where everyone seems to hate me. And everyone seems to want something from him. The only thing he seems to want though is…

Me.

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Forever.

This book begins with the strangest proposition. I must admit it hooked me right away. Drew is definitely not gay, he is rich, makes good grades, all the girls in school are swooning over him, and he is polite and mature. Why would he need to hire a girlfriend to introduce to his parents during Thanksgiving break from school?

As I read more of the book, I had a haunting feeling I knew what was going on. It is not until much later that the truth is revealed. The author tactfully hints at the reasons for this family’s dysfunction. Drew has kept these secrets buried deep and now at 21 years of age, he has come to the crossroads where he either must face his past or bury those secrets even deeper.

Fable is not what she seems. She is 20 years old and works around the clock to help support herself and her family. The $3,000 offered by Drew to be his girlfriend will surely pay the bills for a couple of months. I cannot fault her for selling her time in order to feed her family. I really liked her character. She cares deeply for her little brother and wants him to grow up to have a better life. She struggles to maintain food on the table and a roof over their heads, even though her mother is a drunk who cannot keep a job. Even when she is around, she flaunts her no-good boyfriends and doesn’t care much for what happens to her children.

It would seem that two broken young people, such as Drew and Fable, would be the least likely to fall in love. They come from different “sides of the track”. What could they possibly have in common? As their story develops, I began to realize they both had empathy for each other as well as hearts that yearn to belong and to be loved. Their journey of understanding while sharing their deepest secrets during that week makes for a story you will not soon forget.

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

A Seal Wolf Christmas by Terry Spear

September 11, 2013 By 2 Comments

WOLF
A Seal Wolf Christmas by Terry Spear
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Holiday, Paranormal, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (282 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Can an Alpha Wolf Who’s Met His Match…

Navy SEAL Bjornolf Jorgenson has had tough missions before, but going undercover with feisty gray wolf Anna Johnson could top the list. She drives him crazy—in more ways than one. Now he has to investigate a murder, supervise a wild teenage wolf—and handle Christmas with Anna.

Survive the Holidays with Her?

For Anna, the only thing worse than staging the perfect family Christmas is having to do it with Bjornolf posing as her husband. Anna is a serious undercover operative who isn’t afraid of a fight, even with a hunky SEAL shifter. With a killer on the loose, Anna just wants to focus on their mission, but the one thing she can’t fight is her sizzling chemistry with Bjornolf.

Adventures with hunky alpha werewolves continue with this latest fast paced, exciting and completely entertaining romp by the talented Terry Spear. She’s one of my favorite authors and she continues the tradition of well written tales with A Seal Wolf Christmas. The novel has the quality of dialogue, descriptions and storytelling that I’ve come to expect. I had so much fun!

This time, I finally get to officially meet Bjornolf! I remember him from A SEAL in Wolf’s Clothing and I was incredibly intrigued by him. Do you want to talk about a secondary character that was so shrouded in mystery, had cojones and macho attitude to make Chuck Norris proud and snagged me hook, line and sinker into wanting to know more about him? Bjornolf is that man and this novel does him justice. I still chuckle at his method of restraining Anna in that previous book. He tied her up with her own pantyhose! I never forgot his character and neither had Anna. In fact, I consider myself very fortunate that Ms. Spear also remembered him because this book is the result.

Because of that prior history between Anna and Bjornolf in the previous novel, I was very curious as to how they’d interact when they got together again. One good thing for new readers is that they don’t have to read the previous book, A SEAL in Wolf’s Clothing, to completely enjoy this story. Ms. Spear touches base about the pantyhose event so it catches them up to speed right away. It sets the stage for readers to understand that there is a connection simmering from the past because right off the bat, the attraction is starting to heat up at a fast clip. The hunt begins.
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My favorite aspect of Anna is that she isn’t a pushover. She’s military just like the hero and can shoot, punch, evade and plan just like the rest of the guys on the rescue team. Much to my amusement, there are times when a man’s upper body strength becomes a hindrance and Anna experiences a double whammy. Then, there are the times when it’s downright delicious and it’s because that strength belongs to Bjornolf.

I tip my hat to Ms. Spear for doing something that made me appreciate her all the more. The author showed her sensitivity to readers by helping out with explaining how to pronounce Bjornolf’s name. It was done in a delightful and sweet manner even when the situation was far from sweet or safe. Foreign names look exotic and can add an air of mystery or intrigue to a book but I always find it frustrating because my mind plays games with the pronunciation when what I should be doing is concentrating on the plot. By doing what she did insured that I had a better, smoother reading experience.

Speaking of plot, what a roller coaster! The conflict reaches into the past and warps the present. As the mystery is unraveled, readers learn just how evil the culprits are. In an odd twist, Ms. Spear shows that even the most warped individual can have their good side and their moments of tender humanity. Unfortunately, the ugly truth shreds those memories into tatters because it’s that profound and demented. I felt bad for one of the secondary characters but on the bright side, that innocent person ended up with an awesome and terrific, although still maturing, support system.

As for the holiday end of things, I liked how the author tied in the festive season with Anna and Bjornolf’s personal internal conflicts. For many, Christmas signifies new birth and beginnings, giving from the heart and self, forgiveness and hope, love and for some, healing. All of these special holiday qualities are played out between the hero and heroine as they learn about each other, face their fears and realize that the future is not only brighter but totally doable because they’ll be doing it together. The word ‘together’ takes on a whole new meaning towards the end and I thought it made the happy ever after that much more powerful and complete.

I liked the attention to detail for the Christmas decorations. Anna was actually ready to embrace the holiday; all it took for her to make that life-changing step was the hero. Bjornolf provided the means, the motivation, and a young teenager about to become a man as the catalysts to the holiday being more than just songs on a radio or shopping for deals with crazy people. I enjoyed watching her rediscover what it’s all about.

When it comes to showing the love, Ms. Spear has Anna and Bjornolf experiencing it in their human forms and in their wolf forms. I love her descriptions of them running, and sensing the world around them; and an occasional ‘woof’ always makes me smile. I like the sense of building anticipation and the joy of they’re finally coming together. Those scenes are always well written, filled with the best forms of romance.

A Seal Wolf Christmas is a complete, adventure-filled romance overflowing with the best of what keeps me addicted to books by Ms. Spear. It has characters that I love getting to know, action to keep me riveted, fun and silly moments to make me smile and fast paced and often witty dialogue to keep those pages turning. This is another strong addition to a sexy and fun series that keeps the craving alive and well for all of Ms. Spear’s wonderful werewolf series’ heroes and heroines.

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

Talking Sense by Serenity Woods

September 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

SENSE
Talking Sense by Serenity Woods
Sensual Healing, Book 3
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Full Length (241 Pages)
Heat Level: Hot
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Foxglove

Love—and healing—can come from the most unexpected places…

Sensual Healing, Book 3

Still hurting physically and emotionally after a tragic car accident, Mia Nicholls has everything but love on her mind. Until quiet, sexy Colm Molony—a man who barely registered on her romantic radar—gives her a more-than-friends birthday kiss that really rings her bell.

The minute he laid eyes on Mia, Colm knew she was trouble, which is one reason he’s kept his distance. The other is that he’ll be leaving New Zealand to go back to Ireland at summer’s end. Yet when he touches Mia’s watch, his supernatural ability to sense others’ emotions kicks in, and his instinct to soothe her private pain overrides his intention to stay away.
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While away on a course together, talk leads to massage, then to a game of strip whist, culminating in a physical relationship that turns emotional faster than either expected. But when a shocking event threatens to upset Mia’s tenuous equilibrium, Colm must untangle himself from his own past before he can save her wounded heart from slipping beyond his reach.

Talking Sense is the third book in Serenity Woods’ Sensual Healing series, and takes place in the same New Zealand locations as the others. This is Mia’s book, the last of the three friends to find romance and happiness with just a bit of supernatural assistance. I love this world Ms. Woods has created, with real people and possibilities of something just a little more. The characters are charismatic and likeable, and the situations never feel contrived or unrealistic.

It has been a rough stretch of time for Mia Nicholls, after a devastating accident that has left her physically and emotionally wounded. She doesn’t feel she has the right to be happy or feel comfort, not when others died and she lived. As she watches her friends find happiness, she continues to punish herself. When the quiet exchange teacher from Ireland befriends her, he is able to ease some of her pain, but she still isn’t sure she is deserving of his attention. Colm Molony knows he has no business getting involved; he is only ‘down under’ for one year, and he has a hidden agenda behind his visit. But when he touches Mia’s watch, he realizes just how much pain she is in, and tries to use his special power to aid in easing her discomfort. When a relaxing massage to ease her pain becomes much more, both are surprised. But Colm came to find out if he could locate the father he never met, the man who left his mother without a word, and his senses lead him here, and he has to know. Can Colm let the past go and find happiness with Mia? Can Mia get over the emotional pain of causing the accident, even though she was never really at fault? Can these two wounded souls heal each other and find peace and happiness together?

Mia Nicholls is sensitive and caring, and can’t quite get past the event that changed her life so drastically. She refuses to accept help with her pain, feeling it is her burden to bear for what happened. Although she has been working at the same school as Colm, she never noticed before how caring and handsome he really is. When he befriends her, she is able to accept because she knows he will be leaving at the end of his term, and she doesn’t think she has anything to offer, long term. I loved watching as Mia was able to come to terms with the past and finally find the strength to move on with her life, whether Colm was in it or not.

Colm Molony is a quiet and gentle man, handsome and determined to follow the course he has set for himself; go to New Zealand, find the man who fathered him and left, and then return to his normal and quiet life in Ireland. He didn’t count on meeting someone like Mia, someone who could accept that he had something ‘extra’ to offer with his touch sensitivity. I enjoyed watching as Colm tried to resist what his heart wanted, and smiled as he learned what was important to him.

There are a couple of side threads here, the biggest one is the threat to Mia’s friend Grace, and how they are able to unite to help save the day. The supporting characters are Mia’s friends and the men they met in the first two books, and I enjoyed seeing how both couples were doing. And the passion Ms. Woods brings to Mia and Colm’s story is hot and sensual and heats the story nicely. I enjoyed that, in spite of the trials and the determination of the two main characters, love comes through and unites these two most deserving people.

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

Drawing the Stud by Roslyn Hardy Holcomb

September 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

STUD
Drawing the Stud by Roslyn Hardy Holcomb
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Short Story (71 pages)
Other: M/F
Star Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

Pace Whitaker is one of the few women who ever turned fabulously wealthy Jay Adams down. His alpha tendencies were too intense and she stopped seeing him after a couple of dates. Now her brother is missing, along with millions of dollars of client money. She’s forced to make a multimillion-dollar wager with Jay in order to save her brother from a lengthy jail sentence.

Jay welcomes a second opportunity to get Pace into his bed, but knows he has to play his cards right, otherwise she’ll run again. She’ll get the money, but only if she agrees to be Jay’s mistress.

Keeping her side of the bargain is no hardship for Pace. One night in Jay’s arms leaves her craving more. Before long, they’re all-in for a high-stakes love affair, but overcoming her fears might be more than even he can ante up for.

This concise novel follows the one lady that has captured wealthy bachelor Jay Adams’ heart, Ms. Pace Whitaker. Previously turned down by Pace, has Jay found the right opportunity to up the ante and finally get her in his bed?
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Pace Whitaker is approached by two officers from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and told that her brother Rich Whitaker is missing along with millions of dollars of clients’ money. An old family friend, Jay Adams shows up right after the officers leave and is aware that Rich has been misusing clients money.  Is it too convenient that Jay is there to offer Pace the money to cover for her brother … for a price?  To my disappointment, Pace seems to take the findings about her brother lightly and doesn’t have much faith in her brother’s innocence. She agrees to take Jay up on his offer in a draw poker game to win the money that her brother is suspected of stealing, but she doesn’t check out the story to see if her brother is actually missing or even if any money is missing until after she has made the agreement with Jay.

I can’t really say I enjoyed this book, however it wasn’t the worst. While reading the book I didn’t find myself connecting with what the author tried to relay. I realize this is a work of fiction and maybe I’m not suppose to over think it, but the story lacked so much common sense. For example, the urgency to take Jay up on his offer seems premature when she hasn’t reported her brother missing to the authorities nor to her parents. Pace is nauseated at the thought of telling her dad about Rich, but isn’t he liable to find out eventually? Pace is startled by muscle bound guys looking for her brother but she doesn’t even report this to police. Maybe the story would have been stronger without the mystery of the missing brother or if the story had taken the brother being missing more seriously. It’s like the brother being missing was just thrown in there as a reason to tie Pace and Jay together.

The attraction and bedroom scenes between Pace and Jay were delivered steamy and hot.  This is where the story excelled.  The author turned up the heat and gave a satisfying read when it came to the fulfillment of the bet. I like the fact that even though Pace came from a wealthy household, the author gave Pace an independence and an entrepreneurial spirit. Her business catered to those less fortunate, not only offering loans but also programs that the recipients are required to take.

Drawing the Stud hits all the right notes in the bedroom department, and that heat helped me get past the questions I had with the plot.  If you’re looking for a steamy read, and are able to suspend reality a bit, then grab a copy.

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

Claiming What’s Theirs by Jenika Snow

September 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

CLAIMING
Claiming What’s Theirs by Jenika Snow
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (91 pages)
Other: M/F, M/F/M, Ménage, Anal Play
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Lisianthus

A scarred woman running from her past…

Jessa Malone has endured five years of abuse from the one person she thought she could trust. But when an accident lands her in an unfamiliar home with two very large and intimidating men, she doesn’t know if she has inadvertently been thrust back in the violence she has been trying to run from.

Two snow leopard shifting brothers have finally found their mate in the same woman…
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Deacon and Thayer Uncia have lived in isolation for years, trying to control their inner animals. When Jessa agrees to stay with them until she can get back on her feet, the brothers vow to convince her that she belongs with them. They know she wants them as much as they want her, and they have no intention of letting her go, especially when she is theirs and they have already claimed her.

Jessa Malone is on the run, and runs right off the road on a patch of ice, Deacon Uncia finds and rescues her and his brother patches her up. Jessa takes waking up in two strangers home really well, and I think that goes a long way towards showing how strong of a character she is. The way she embraces a situation without panic and keeps a clear head made her a very likeable character in my book.

Deacon and Thayer are two very different men; they are described as being on the opposite of a scale when it comes to comparing men but together they make the perfect man. I think having them be so different yet the same allows the idea that a ménage between the three of them could easily work. They each fulfill a role and both love Jessa quickly and easily. They’re snow leopard shifters, that’s who they are, but it wasn’t a theme that’s forced down Jessa’s throat immediately and I found that a refreshing twist from most shifter stories on the market. They both want her and want to claim her but they work hard to make sure she’s comfortable with them first, and I really loved that about this story.

I highly recommend this story for fans of paranormal romance and ménage as a great example of the best that those genres can be.

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

A Chilly Bin is a What? by Hayson Manning –Guest Blog and Giveaway

September 11, 2013 By 19 Comments

9_11 VBT_WinningTheBosssHeart_Banner

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Hayson will be awarding a $50 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A Chilly Bin is a what?
When Word Worlds Collide

I’m a small town gal and I love small town settings. Towns, where neighbors collect your mail, feed the cat and deliver casseroles when life throws an unexpected curveball. I’m from New Zealand originally where pretty much every town is small compared to when I lived in Los Angeles and London. What better place to set Winning the Boss’s Heart than a small coastal New Zealand town. Perfect. My editor, whom I adore, lives in Virginia, USA, and going through edits became a lesson in how words mean totally different things.

An entrée is a main then what’s a starter?
I see the confusion. I used to confuse myself travelling around the US. In New Zealand we have an entrée followed by a main, which is completely the reverse of having a starter then an entrée. Mind you, if I’m at the Cheesecake factory all bets are off and I go straight to pudding. Wait, I mean dessert.

You have tea for dinner?
When I grew up dinner was called tea. My aunt still asks what do I want for tea. A bit of milk, skim if it’s available brings a blank stare. Ed commented that my characters didn’t seem to eat a lot, but powered through a lot of tea, which she thought was odd. Dinner is back on the menu.

Isn’t queue a letter of the alphabet?
I was at my son’s school outing in Los Angeles. A side note: Never volunteer to take a group of eight year old boys who have dined out on sugar for breakfast to the Natural History Museum, unless you want to see them try and climb through the glass and dismember a Woolly Mammoth). I asked the boys to form a queue which of course brought me nothing but blank stares. Flustered and feeling like I was herding feral cats, one child finally asked. “You want us to line up? You know that queue is a letter of the alphabet only”. Yes, well, lesson learned and I was rooting for the Woolly Mammoth.

Bugger Me Sideways
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Do you mean a bin full of chilies?
Lovely Ed wrote that in a comment box. It was 3 a.m. I was chock to the gills with Turkish coffee, doing edits and I’d turned my internal convert NZ speak to US dictionary off. I cackled like a Macbeth witch. I had written that Billie, my heroine was in the kitchen looking for a chilly bin. If she were in Australia she’d be looking for an esky. In California she’d be looking for the cooler. Three countries, three different meanings.

There were a couple of small-town New Zealand expressions I let slide through. I wonder if anyone will notice.

About the Author: 9_11 Hayson ManningHayson grew up in a family made up of scientists and engineers and she was told lovingly but firmly that her ‘day dreaming’ phase would end and soon she’d be entranced by the inner workings of the periodic table. But she loved the lands she created. Oh, the creatures that stopped by. The swashbuckling pirates, sassy unicorns and before she knew it she’d be off on a flying carpet with Frank a friendly chain smoking shark.

It soon became apparent she wasn’t going to be awarded the Nobel Prize for services to science.

She has been a personal assistant, a demon word processor. She’s worked in supermarket deli where she can slice a pound of ham in record time. She’s sorted freight and she’s dreamed of writing gutsy independent heroines who won’t give up on their dreams and who’ll go toe-to-toe with their man. Her dream has now come true thanks to Entangled Publishing.

She lives with her infuriating but adored shoe-dropping husband, two teenage boys plus a tubby opinionated cat. There’s often a resident foster dog who needs love, dog biscuits and hanging with the kids on the couch before finding their forever after home.

Find Hayson on Facebook, Twitter-@HaysonManning, and Goodreads.

9_11 Cover_WtBH-500Mason Christian has twelve weeks to flip something old into something new, and then he’s getting the hell out of Footsteps Bay – a tiny New Zealand coastal town. Not even his temporary secretary and personal assistant–the feisty, luscious Billie McLeod–will deter him. But there’s no denying she makes him feel alive. More alive than he’s felt in three years…

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: , ,

Spotlight on ROOM OF TEARS by Linda Merlino

September 11, 2013 By 3 Comments

SBB Room of Tears Banner copy

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Two commenters will receive a $25 Amazon or BN.com Gift Certificate each. The Rafflecopter to enter the contest is at the end of this post. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on today’s tour.

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000040_00063]Out of tragedies come heroes and miracles…

At 9:59 a.m. on September 11, 2001, Diane O’Connor’s life as a firefighter’s wife changes forever, shattering her faith. Four decades later, a note still hangs on her kitchen cabinet in Queens, the paper yellowed with age. Diane knows the scribbled sentences by heart; she’d left them the morning of 9/11 for her husband, Billy.

In the summer of 2041, Diane invites Friar Antonio Ortiz to her home. He is a man destined to become counsel to the first American pope—her son, Peter. Antonio asks no questions and arrives in secret, promising to wait nineteen years before passing Diane’s journal to Peter. Only then will Billy’s story be told, along with answers to Peter’s questions about his father’s last days.

Excerpt

Absorbed, Antonio neglected to notice that Diane had disappeared into the kitchen. He thought to ask her about the two men in the photographs, and when he turned in anticipation of seeing her next to him, he took a step toward where she might be standing. His right foot struck a pair of boots propped upright against the wall. He stumbled and put a hand out to that empty place where he thought she might be, but his face did not meet hers, and instead came within an inch of a firefighter’s helmet, the medallion of its FDNY ladder company polished and gleaming.

On the edge of that moment, trying to regain his balance, each breath he took tightened in his throat. Antonio began to gag. His mind raced. What could be happening? One minute he was looking at photographs and the next his throat was constricting. An acrid odor rose to his nostrils. He shook his head—the same faint smell he’d noticed from before, at the door, but stronger, sharp enough now to sear his soft membranes. My God, he thought and recoiled. Sweat sprang from his face and neck. A heart attack? He clutched his chest. No, not that. His heart was fine except for the galloping beat under his ribcage. Heat emanated from the helmet as if it had just come through an inferno. “My God,” he said aloud. Perhaps a fire burned inside the wall, hot enough to choke him.

About the Author: bio photoLinda Merlino is the author of Room of Tears (July 23 2013), Hudson Catalina (2008-Belly of the Whale & re-release 9/14/12), Swan Boat Souvenir (self-published 2003) she began writing fiction as a young mother on the sidelines of endless soccer practices. Linda wrote anytime any place. A manuscript filled a carton in the back seat of her car. Many years have passed since those early beginnings, but her work continues to be inspired by her children.

The author has a fascination with heroes and writes her fiction to honor ordinary men and women who react unselfishly in extraordinary circumstances. She extends her gratitude to all who keep us safe and free.

Her hometown is outside of Boston. She lived for many years in New York City and more recently calls Connecticut her home.


Linda Merlino

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Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Mystery/Suspense, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , ,

One Lucky Vampire by Lynsay Sands

September 10, 2013 By 2 Comments

VAMPIRE
One Lucky Vampire by Lynsay Sands
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Full Length (226 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Luck be a vampire tonight . . .

When Nicole Phillips agreed to hire a housekeeper, she pictured someone a little frumpy and almost certainly female. Instead, she gets gorgeous, unmistakably male Jake Colson. The man is proving indispensable in the kitchen—and everywhere else. Except Jake might not be a mortal man at all.

. . . and every night

Who wouldn’t want to be a tall, dark, powerful vampire? Jake, for one. He’s barely had time to adjust to his new state before he’s roped into a family favor. Still, secretly playing bodyguard to sweet, sexy Nicole is turning out to be the wildest ride of his life. First he’ll put a stop to whoever’s targeting her. Then he’ll prove that this kind of love, and luck, happens only once in an eternity.

Mixing a bit of mystery with an Immortal matchmaker and a disgruntled man who isn’t comfortable with what he is makes for a good plot conflict. Throw in a damsel in distress but in denial and it’s a better conflict. Add in that the damsel is actually the guy’s lifemate and the story is a winner. Ms. Sands delivers another entertaining and fun read for fans to enjoy.
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Jake is going through the motions of living his life but not really enjoying it. His job is hard and he gets to play hero but he’s too much a loner and doesn’t let anyone get close. It takes the wonderfully manipulative Marguerite Argeneau to find a way to bring him back to living in the best possible way. Not that he’s thrilled about it. The man can’t cook and I was greatly entertained by his efforts. I have to give the guy credit though; he’s not a quitter.

Enter Nicole Phillips, artist, almost divorced and as determined as a woman could be to avoid any future dealings with men. Of course, she never counted on being in Marguerite’s crosshairs. The heroine is like a daughter to Marguerite so when she thinks there are sneaky things happening to Nicole she knows just who to ask for help. I liked watching Nicole’s reaction to Jake. She’s noticing but trying not to notice, admiring but trying not to. As all romance readers will suspect, it’s a lost cause. Love is in the air.

The initial part of the book covers the suspicions, motives, and everyone getting to know the other. There’s a throwaway character named Dan who I am waffling about. He’s sort of important in the beginning when a reader first meets Jake because of the insights he provides. Then he arrives to take part in another critical scene and the he poofs off-stage again. That left me puzzled. I think his character, though thoroughly likeable, was too convenient. He was used and then thrown away. It felt like a Band-Aid to me. The thing is, I liked him and I think he’d be a good addition to the series based upon what the author shared through Nicole’s POV.

As for other characters, I really do enjoy it when the Argeneau and Notte family members come to visit. I like that feeling of community, family and never having to worry about not having a safety net. In this story they are practically falling over themselves as they try to help Nicole and Jake. One thing is for sure, they provided plenty of comedic moments and I enjoyed how they had fun teasing Jake and making Nicole blush.

The ultimate conflict resolution came out of left field. So many ideas and theories abounded and yet the one thing no one ever thought of ended up being the answer. I don’t believe there were any clues at all. It was like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. But the best thing was the scene of the take-down. It was funny, clever and a bit whacky. In essence, it was perfect. Jake sure appreciated it. A lot.

One Lucky Vampire is a wonderfully rousing story that was a pleasure to read. I liked the upbeat tone of the book and the dialogue between Jake and Nicole. I loved the reactions of his family when they read Nicole’s thoughts and the gentle laughter they all shared. The scene when Jake got sick was very worrisome but even in that, Ms. Sands interjected some humorous touches. This is an amusing, sweet and well told story with a very spicy heat level sure to please readers who enjoy a newbie’s reaction to the discoveries of the joys of ‘shared sex’ between lifemates. The author knows how to make a reader giggle even while the main characters are in the throes of passion. Genius.

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

Brotherhood by A.B. Westrick

September 10, 2013 By 1 Comment

BROTHER
Brotherhood by A.B. Westrick
Publisher: Viking
Genre: Historical, YA
Length: Full Length (368 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 10+ (some violence)
Rated: 5 Stars
Review by Snapdragon

The year is 1867, the South has been defeated, and the American Civil War is over. But the conflict goes on. Yankees now patrol the streets of Richmond, Virginia, and its citizens, both black and white, are struggling to redefine their roles and relationships. By day, fourteen-year-old Shadrach apprentices with a tailor and sneaks off for reading lessons with Rachel, a freed slave, at her school for African-American children. By night he follows his older brother to the meetings of a group whose stated mission is to protect Confederate widows like their mother. But as the true murderous intentions of the brotherhood—-now known as the Ku Klux Klan—-are revealed, Shad finds himself trapped between old loyalties and what he knows is right.

A powerful and unflinching story of a family caught in the enormous social and political upheaval of the period of Reconstruction.

This is a remarkable personal journey that will hold readers enthralled.

I didn’t expect to be held enthralled.  In fact, I didn’t expect to enjoy Brotherhood. The South during the reconstruction period seems singularly lacking in charm: in fact, Brotherhood has a lot of anger which colored everyday life–anger and hatred and not only for people far away.

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Shad’s sense of justice kicks in not only when someone is cruel to him, but when he sees the shady side of people, even people that are supposed to uphold the law. He is not okay with cruelty, and that sets him aside and ultimately (for this reader) is what makes this book worth reading. He does meet, and admire a young girl named Rachel, who is not white.  However, he was a not-quite-hater even before he ever met her. We are touched with his desire to impress and later, protect her, but I think, ultimately, it was not she who changed him. He seems to have recognized something within himself, although he is limited by those around him.

He struggles with who he was born to be and that struggle displays the very limits of his courage – even to him.

Brotherhood is a surprisingly evocative story of a young man living in a time that somehow couldn’t quite shape him. He wasn’t a better person than those around him, but then again, really, he was. Did he become the best he could ever hope to be, in his circumstances? This might be the central question.

Author A.B. Westrick is to be congratulated for this daring novel, and exploration of lives – of both victims and tormenters. It makes me hope always for kinder times…and kinder people. It also exposes that potential for kindness, and for a better general understanding, even as the tale struggles through the mires of racism and just plain outright hate.

Brotherhood is beautifully written and completely engaging. It’s frustrating yet hard to set aside. Make it a must read.

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

The Fireborn Chronicles: Revelations by Mary Andrews

September 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

REVELATIONS
The Fireborn Chronicles: Revelations by Mary Andrews
Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing
Genre: Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, YA
Length: Full Length (170 Pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

PSIONIC SCI FI

The inevitable fusion of Man, Machine, and the Paranormal

After Earth’s destruction, humans have scattered and spread across the universe. The peace is kept by a universal government. Four rogue talents unite to become an invincible Government Dark Ops team—the Nemesis Team.

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Follow the Nemesis Team and their uneasy allies as they race to unravel a reality not of their making before the strange world is annihilated by an asteroid.

After the Earth was destroyed by an asteroid, humans scattered all over the universe, and a universal government was set up to keep the peace. The Dark Ops team called the Nemesis Team composed of four rogue talents is sent throughout the universe to solve problems. The latest dilemma involves an unknown planet which has suddenly appeared, a planet ruled by Oracles whose agents may be trying to usurp the authority of the universal government. It is up to the Nemesis team and their allies to try to unravel the mystery before this strange planet is destroyed by an asteroid.

This novel is the third in the Fireborn Chronicles and once again we have Ira, an empath, along with Tristen, the Oracles’ Chosen One, working to save a planet. They are aided by the rest of the team and along the way, they make contact with the Roma people. I was very impressed with Mary Andrews’ knowledge and treatment of the Roma culture. In this setting, the Roma live in space caravans, but their traditions date back to a time before the Earth was destroyed. They are a very proud and private people who find themselves in a situation where they need to interact with the Nemesis Team. The first meeting between these two very different groups is stressful, to say the least, but they eventually find that they have enough in common to work together to try to save the unknown planet from destruction.

The story line in this novel is intricate and the action moves at a very fast pace. I really enjoyed a number of the characters, and I was intrigued with the Roma’s question, “What if the Earth itself is actually an accumulation of intelligence from the time of its conception. What if we, like skin cells, are an integral but non-connected part of something much, much larger.” The idea of connectivity plays a large role in this novel, and it was amazing to see how Andrews weaves the various pieces of the story into a complete and well-structured whole.

Readers of fantasy are sure to enjoy Revelations. I would encourage those who are interested to begin with the first volume in the series, Fireborn Found, followed by Resonances, and then Revelations for the deepest enjoyment of this amazing world. Each of the three novels does stand alone and each one has its own complete and distinct plot. But Andrews has done a fabulous job with the development of her characters, so I believe that reading the three novels in order provides the richest experience.

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