Beauty’s Stone Beast 1 by Shiloh Darke
Publisher: Mystic Moon Press,
LLC
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (30 pgs)
Other: M/F
Rating: 4 Cherries
Review by Xeranthemum

Rachel’s all alone in the world. The most important people to her have died. But, she has inherited a castle in the south of France. A castle that is reputed to be a home to a different kind of creature. Gargoyles.

The story her aunt told her of them were just nonsense. There was no such creature that would come alive only at night to give wings to a woman’s desires. That was just a flight of fancy. Wasn’t it?

But on her first night there, she dreams of one of these great beasts. He comes to her in her dreams, leaving her breathless and doubtful come morning. And a part of her aches for more, even as she tries to convince herself that it is all, only a dream.

Beauty’s Stone Beast 1 is a delightfully compact romance filled with magic and hope.

The beginning of the story is a well done mix of telling to set up the story environment without being staid or plodding. It moves right along and puts a reader exactly where he/she needs to be to get the full effect of this book. That’s when the fun starts.

Rachel is thrust from a loving and secure family existence into the unknown upon the death of the two closest people in her world. She latches onto the good memories and returns to a place where she’d recovered once before. We know that you’ve heard about the brand in the past, and you may have stayed away from it, believing that there’s a more suitable buy levitra from canada http://www.glacialridgebyway.com/trail%20attractions.html approach. You are encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle and try to worry less, as stress will only worsen discount online viagra your condition. If you are undergoing treatment for angina and unsure of whether your medication sample generic viagra is placed into any of the above categories, consult with your doctor and stat following Kamagra ED treatment. It stays in tab sildenafil the system for about 36 hours & thus they must be considered 1 hour before getting indulged into foreplay. It was easy to believe in Rachel’s acceptance of the paranormal because of her past. The author manages to resist getting mired in unnecessary angst by virtue of her clever and well written set up early on. I was able to enjoy Rachel’s dreams and her ultimate act. What could have been straight kink ended up as exciting, brave and a bit of fun.

Arthmael is a cursed man, and like all good curses in all the best fairy tales, the love and strength of a woman’s true love is the key to release. He’s a character, though obviously tortured and in great need, that I think could have been developed just a tad more. But on the whole, the author concentrated on the aspects that were vital to the telling of the tale, so I can’t fault that. I guess I liked Arthmael and wanted to get into his head better.

The ultimate HEA requires a rather unusual method for breaking the curse and I blushed at the thought.

The author also threw in a secondary character curve that I thought was rather sweet. I know there is going to be another story coming up because of the others. Well, there simply has to be and I hope Ms. Darke explores the how’s and why’s of the grounds keeper. I think it’s a story in and of itself.

All in all, Beauty’s Stone Beast is enjoyable, light, romantic and endearing. A well told story for those days you want a glass of wine and a quick read sure to leave you upbeat and happy.

More Bark Than Bite by Melissa Hosack
Publisher: Mystic Moon Press, LLC
Genre: Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (77 pgs)
Other: M/F
Rating: 4 Cherries
Review by Amaranth

More Bark Than Bite follows a reporter’s inquiry into a serial killer investigation that leads through the world of the supernatural. Reporter Morgan Phillips jumps on the opportunity to further her career when a killer plagues her city. Under the guise of needing assistance, she places herself along the predictable route of police officer Graham Audrick.

Knowing that Graham is attracted to her, Morgan attempts to charm information out of him. She gets in way over her head when her sly flirtation turns into a full out seduction by Graham. Not only is she now emotionally involved in the case, but she also discovers that the killer she’d desperately wanted information on is a werewolf bent on revenge against humanity. This supernatural murderer also has an abnormal obsession with Graham. Now worried about simply staying alive another day, Morgan learns that Graham has a few secrets of his own that may be just as dark as the killer’s.

This was the first Melissa Hosack book that I have read, but I know that it will not be my last. More Bark Than Bite has it all with realistic characters, a dark conflict, humor in all the right places, and loads of passion.

Morgan is a reporter, but isn’t cunning enough to get the big stories. On the advice of a friend and co-worker, she decides to set up an “accidental” meeting with Graham, an adorable cop who has a thing for her, and pump him for information on a string of murders in the area. Morgan has an ingenious idea to get Graham alone for a while, but she quickly feels guilty about her deception, because Graham is just so nice. I could relate with her feelings of guilt, because I would have felt the same way. But most men actually know very little about phallus and that why today I will raise the cialis uk Click This Link curtain from the 10 things you actually didn’t know about human phallus. Doing this may show a positive concern from each other and also cheap levitra http://deeprootsmag.org/category/albumoftheweek/page/12/?feedsort=rand it may add more understanding. One should take Kamagra 30-45 minutes before cialis 40 mg sexual activity. The dosage ought to conceivably be dictated by your specheck out that india cheap cialist to keep away from sexual action as a result of heart issues. This is a very fast-paced book, and Morgan quickly finds herself in bed and in a serious relationship with Graham. She realizes that they are moving fast and that there is something weird going on with Graham, but she can’t help herself because it just feels right. I did feel at times that Morgan was a bit unrealistic, because everything did happen so fast, including her learning that Graham is a werewolf and mated her during their first time together. Ms. Hosack did a superb job of showing that Morgan knows that her circumstances are not normal, but again, it was right for her and Graham.

Graham is a cop and puts up a front of being a really nice, funny guy. Though that is who he really is, he doesn’t often show the dangerous animal lurking just below the surface. I loved his balance of a nice, sweet guy and dominating werewolf. His wolf has been telling him for a while that Morgan was his, but he wanted to take his time and develop a relationship with her, but once she showed an interest in him, he couldn’t hold back any longer.

More Bark Than Bite was a quick, enjoyable read. There were a few times that it became a bit unrealistic, but the characters and feelings put into the book overshadowed those few times very well. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Hosack.