Saturday, March 31, 2012

J.R. Ward--Lover Reborn (Black Dagger Brotherhood)

Paranormal Romance-Vampire

In the darkest corners of the night in Caldwell, New York, a conflict like no other rages. The city is home to a band of brothers born to defend their race: the warrior vampires of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Now back in the Brotherhood - and unrecognisable as the vampire leader he once was - Tohrment is physically emaciated and heartbroken beyond despair. When he begins to see his beloved in his dreams - trapped in a cold, isolating netherworld - Tohr turns to a self-serving fallen angel in hopes of saving the one he has lost. When he's told he must learn to love another to free his former mate, Tohr knows they are all doomed . . .

Except then a female with a shadowed history begins to get through to him. Against the backdrop of the raging war with the lessers, and with a new clan of vampires vying for the Blind King's throne, Tohr struggles between the buried past, and a very hot, passion-filled future . . . but can his heart let go and set all of them free?

{5 stars}
Reborn is an apt title. Everything is reborn in this one. I, myself, felt the series had "stalled" a little with Payne's story, and was really hoping that Ward would be able to pull off Thor's story.  She did not dissapoint. This is so much more than just Tohr's story though, John and Xhex, Quinn and Blay, Lassiter, Wrath's rule. All things are reborn in this book, new life has been given to our favorite couples, and the "war" is taking on a whole new path, and with it a new urgency to get to the next book. Yes, I have read the spoilers regarding the next one, AND I CAN NOT WAIT TO GET MY HANDS ON IT!. There have already been so many great reviews on this book, so I will not rehash what has already been wonderfully stated. If you are a fan of this series, you will fall in love with it all over again. If you have not read them, what are you waiting for? Run out and start collecting them in hardcover like the rest of us, you will become a BDB junkie like the rest of us......

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Jennifer Ashley--Primal Bonds (Shifters Unbound #2)

Paranormal romance-shifter

As Guardian of his clan, Feline Shifter Sean Morrissey is a powerful member of his pride. But wielding the sacred sword is often a lonely role. When a female Shifter comes to town seeking refuge, Sean claims the new arrival, expecting a submissive little she-wolf. Instead he finds a beautiful woman who looks him straight in the eye without fear, stirring the mating frenzy within him.

As a half-Fae, half-Shifter, Andrea Gray is used to looking out for herself. But in order to relocate to a new Shiftertown and escape an unwanted mate-claim, Andrea must accept a new protector. A Guardian seems as good a candidate as any, but Andrea's intense attraction to Sean is something she never expected -- and a perilous complication for a woman with a troubled past.

Now, as Andrea struggles to keep her seductive savior at arm's length, Sean is determined to turn their mating of convenience into the real thing before the frenzy they're struggling to contain burns them both -- from the inside out...


{3 stars}
I like this series, its entertaining in its storyline. The numerous shifters inhabitating Shiftertown are colorful and funny. Who wouldn't want a bear like Ronan? Anyway, this shifter series is rather different. The whole thing from the roots in Ireland, to the "collars", to being forced to live in shiftertowns, to a Guardian with a sword. They have problems just like everyone else, they just have different problems from humans. Power struggles with other shifter clans, mating frenzies, humans interfering with shifter politics. It is a nicely layered series, not a series I am obsessed with reading (like staying up all night) but I will keep picking it up on a Sunday while getting all my chores done instead of watching TV. The Fae aspect has been a little confusing until now, but now that we have met Andrea's father, it kinda makes more sense. Looking forward to reading the next one, looks like we are heading to Vegas....

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Kristen Ashley--Rock Chick Renegade (Rock Chick #4)

Romantic suspense

Jules has got a score to settle against the drug dealers of Denver. Vance has made it his mission that Jules won’t get dead while dishing out vigilante justice. Jules doesn’t have time for romance, she’s too busy saving the world and she enlists Zip (the gunstore owner), Heavy (an ex-PI) and Frank (a mysterious recluse) to help.

The Rock Chicks of Fortnum’s Bookstore get involved to provide romantic advice and guidance, none of which Jules accepts at first. The Hot Bunch of Nightingale Investigations adopt Jules as one of their own. Even though Jules tries to hang on to her inner Head Crackin’ Mamma Jamma, the Rock Chicks; Hot Bunch; Jules’s long-suffering Uncle Nick; Jules’s friend the rotund, African-American, Jackie-O wannabe, May; and especially Vance will stop at nothing to wear her down.

But Jules makes some bad guys pretty angry and one is dedicated to taking her out. Vance and the Hot Bunch have to pull out all the stops to keep her alive. At the same time, Jules and Vance learn the true meaning of home but once they find this precious entity they’ve been searching for all their lives, will Jules’s enemies tear it away?

{3 stars}
Well......I am sure I am in the minority on this one, but I was rather disappointed. Maybe I just had to many expectations, Vance was such a kick-ass action character in the first three and I was looking forward to the same level of intensity. The opening scene looked very promising, but the action that followed was not up to the previous books and we spent just a little time in "action" mode with Jules. Most of the book was spent listening to Jules' anxiety attacks, and her breaking up with Vance over and over. The Rock Chick gang was mostly MIA, I didn't get my Fortnum's fix but once, and Vance was not what I was expecting. He was to......subdued....best way I can describe it. Luke seemed to play more of a leading role than Vance and I often thought she would be a better fit with him. But that was not the plan. Now, even thought I didn't "click" with this one, I still couldn't put it down, and I will keep reading the series. Because, lets face it, the Nightingale Boys are just to HOT to put down.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Kristen Ashley--Rock chick Redemption (Rock Chick #3)

Romantic suspense

Roxie’s on the run from a bad boyfriend who will not catch the hint that it is o-v-e-r. She’s in no mood for love at first sight, but when her eyes fall on Hank, it’s trouble from the get-go. Roxie tries to hold Hank at arms length but Hank wants to be a closer (as in, a lot closer). Roxie’s trouble catches up with her and Hank wants to help but Roxie knows in her heart that she’s no good for a white hat guy. The problem is no one agrees with her, especially her crazy hippie best friend Annette or her parents; the even crazier small-Indiana-town Herb and Trish. Toss into the mix the gang from Rock Chick and Rock Chick Rescue and Roxie finds herself totally outnumbered.

Climb in for another Rock Chick wild ride through Rock Chick Redemption. As the odds stack up against Roxie, she has no choice but to hold on and just ride it out through the kidnappings, car chases, society parties, a riot at the strip club, Hank getting “Mom Bombed” and one crazy night at the Haunted House.

During all this Hank works at convincing her she really wants to stay and he, along with the Hot Bunch, go all out to make her safe. Hank also needs to work on showing Roxie that her past decisions don’t mean her future can’t include something as downright delicious as… normal.


{4.5 stars}
Yes, I am still in love with Kristen Ashley. Her stories are so layered and visually detailed, I can't stop reading. I love that they are not JUST about the main couple, but also about the addition of the new Rock Chick into the group. How the group pulls together and how they grow into one big happy family, even with all the drama, shootings, and yelling. The Nightingale Men are supremely HOT and bring alot of humor to the story. The women are just as stubborn and bring their own brand of humor to the story in laugh out loud rants. If this was a real place, I would lose my job because I would be hanging out in Fortnums watching the show everyday. My only (very small) complaint would be Roxie's parents, their bickering, while good natured, was a little dragging on the story. And as much as I love Hank, I can't wait to get to Vance's story.........

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Dana Marie Bell--The Wallflower Hunting Love story (Halle Pumas #1)

Romance-shifter (short story)

Is Emma ready for a bite?

Emma Carter has been in love with Max Cannon since high school, but he barely knew she existed. Now she runs her own unique curio shop, and she's finally come out her shell and into her own.

When Max returns to his small home town to take up his duties as the Halle Pride's Alpha, he finds that shy little Emma has grown up. That small spark of something he'd always felt around the teenager has blossomed into something more--his mate!

Taking her--out for a bite--ensures that the luscious Emma will be permanently his.

But Max's ex has plans of her own. Plans that don't include Emma being around to interfere. To keep her Alpha, Emma must prove to the Pride that she has what it takes to be Max's mate.

Warning: This title contains explicit sex, graphic language, loads of giggles and a hot, blond Alpha male.


{4 stars}
Absolutely charming and funny.  I just wished it was a full story, it only took me an hour to read it and it was well worth the $2.62 kindle price I paid for it. Emma is a little spit-fire that Max is completely enamored with. The story, of course, moves quickly to them getting together and Emma proving she is perfectly capable of being the pack Curana. It may seem that Emma comes to accept her new world as a Puma shifter a little too quickly, but just sit back and enjoy the ride, it's a wonderfully funny story. And now that I know its a series, I'm going to have to keep reading...

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Shannon K. Butcher--Dying Wish (Sentinel Wars)

Paranormal romance

Jackie Patton has been rescued by the Theronai from her captivity and torture at the hands of the Synestryn, only to learn that she’s a potential match for the Theronai warriors who need a woman to literally save their lives.
Forced to choose, she unexpectedly selects Iain, a cold-hearted warrior who doesn’t want to be saved. Iain is convinced that it’s too late—that his soul is already as dead as his former betrothed, killed by the Synestryn. Still, he is the only man Jackie feels a measure of peace around and the only one she wants. But is Iain indeed beyond saving?


{4.5 stars}
Butcher never ceases to amaze me. Her books are not solely written around a main couple. We get updated on other characters, new ones appear, and we get more pieces to the puzzle that Butcher is putting together. I love that, it's never boring, its not about just one couple at a time, its about this series as a whole, with each couple just being another piece to snap into place. So many things are developing, and Jackie has thrown everything they have known into a tale spin. She is so different from the other Theronai women, she can tap into powers beyond any one's guess. Ian was always a mesmerising character, his willpower and restraint to stay in control to save his brothers was what drove his will to live. But Jackie shakes up his world and drags him back from the ledge. There is just so much going on in this one, I can't possible explain it all. But if you haven't read this series, you have to start at the beginning or you will be totally lost. It is a well written, very woven series that keeps me spellbound and impatiently waiting for the next installment.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Mari Carr--Western Ties (Compass Brothers #4)

Erotic Romance

Leah Hollister’s sex life needs a swift kick in the pants. Small-town Compton Pass, though, isn’t the place to explore her need for bondage. When she gets an invitation to a BDSM party out in LA, she wastes no time booking a flight.

Her plan to play anonymously is shot to hell when she runs into high-school crush Sawyer Compton—and he lays immediate claim to her.

Sawyer Compton commands total control, in and out of the bedroom. He never thought Leah could handle his darker urges, but one look at the white bracelet that marks her as a sub ripe for the picking, and he knows exactly how this night is going to end. With Leah in his bed.

Leah didn’t expect to enjoy the comfort Sawyer’s familiarity brings, even as his touch takes her to unimaginable heights of pleasure. When bad news from home sends him reeling, she’s more than prepared to offer him anything he needs: her body, her friendship. Even her heart—if Sawyer can loosen the reins over his own to accept her love.


Product Warnings
Invest in tissues. Lots and lots of tissues. Between spicy, set-the-sheets-on-fire bondage romps and the last Compass brother coming home, you'll need them.


{5 stars}
If this is the last Compass Brothers story, then Carr gave it the perfect ending. As the series has run, the sexual situations have changed, but the underlying theme about family and love were constant. I wouldn't consider this a true BDSM book, but it does have some passionate play between Leah and Sawyer. Sawyer is the last brother to come home, and just in time, it seems. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but if you have read the first 3, then you know what is coming. And believe me, you will need the tissues.

Laura Wright--Eternal Hunger (Mark of the Vampire #1)

Paranormal Romance-vampire

In the dark, fear and desire are one.

Alexander Roman wants nothing to do with the controlling rulers of his vampire breed or the family he escaped from a hundred years ago. But as a new threat to the pureblood vampires emerges, Alexander's ties to the past are forced upon him again, and without warning, he finds himself—disoriented, terrified, and near death—at the door of a stranger.

Fear is in the blood.

Dr. Sara Donohue is dedicated to removing the traumatic memories of her patients—like those of the stranger at her front door. But what he tells her of his past is too astonishing to believe. Yet she has seen his flesh scarred by the sun and witnessed his inhuman strength. And never before has she felt so connected to a man.

Love is eternal...

But as their worlds collide, Sara and Alexander are bound by something stronger, as one becomes hunter and the other prey.


{3.5 stars}
Interesting take on the Vampire lore. Easy read, nice story, but nothing that just blew me away and would send me immediately reading the rest of this series. Not to say that I won't, but it wasn't compelling enough for me to rush to the next ones. My favorite part of the story is the relationship between the brothers, their banter is funny. All in all, a nice "fill a sunday afternoon" read.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Kristen Ashley--Rock Chick Rescue (Rock Chick #2)

Romantic action/suspense

Jet McAlister has a secret. Eddie Chavez has the hots for Jet (not to mention, Eddie's just, plain hot). Jet has too many problems to realize that Eddie's interested. Eddie loses patience when Jet ends her waitressing shift at a strip club with a knife at her throat. Since Eddie's a cop, he figures he can help. Since Jet's used to solving everyone's problems, she doesn't want Eddie's help. Throw in a Dolly Parton look-alike, a gruff but lovable strip club owner, Jet's ne'er-do-well father, his ne'er-do-well friend, Bear, Bear's long-suffering, chain-smoking wife Lavonne and the crew from Rock Chick and you've got Rock Chick Rescue. Rock Chick Rescue takes you on a wild ride with Jet, Eddie and the gang as they wrestle bad guys in a bagel shop, hit Denver's backstreet poker tables (with big hair), and help the strippers at Smithie's take down a would-be murderer.Through this, Jet's got to learn that, even when life made you give up your dreams, you can still end up with the (hot) guy. Eddie's got to rescue Jet from a bad man (so he can do better things with her) and teach her that some dreams can come true.

{3.5 stars}
Ok, the only reason I dropped a star is the over use of the descriptive "doo-da". Not a romantic or sexy term. And I felt cheated by the ending (1/2 star). The great things about this story is the action. Jet is a wallflower, always taking care of everyone herself and never finding happiness. She doesn't think she deserves it. But Eddie sees her differently, and it takes a lot of patience and work to get Jet to bloom into the woman he knows she is. Gambling fathers, vindictive criminals, kidnappings, and shootouts. Nothing boring about Kristen Ashley's stories. There was so much going on around Jet and Eddie, that I didn't get the warm fuzzy's about their romance. And when they have their "talk" at the end, I wanted more resolution and story. That being said, we have added to the cast of characters in Denver, and boy are they a nutty bunch. Entertaining and wonderful, they really pull the story together. Not to mention the super HOT, dream worthy, Nightingale bunch. Not my favorite installment, but I certainly won't give up reading more.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Kristen Ashley--Rock Chic (Rock Chic #1)

Romantic-action/suspense

Indy Savage, cop's daughter, rock chick and used bookstore owner, has been in love with Lee Nightingale, once bad boy, now the man behind Nightingale Investigations, since she was five years old. No matter what ingenious schemes Indy used to capture his attention, Lee never showed an interest and Indy finally gave up. Now Indy's employee, Rosie, has lost a bag of diamonds and bad guys are shooting at him. When Indy gets involved, Lee is forced to help. Complicating matters, Lee has decided he's interested, Indy's decided she's not. But she can't seem to keep Lee out of her life when she's repeatedly stun gunned, kidnapped and there are car bombs exploding (not to mention she's finding dead bodies).

Indy's best bet is to solve the mystery of the diamonds before Lee. Lee's challenge is to keep Indy alive and, at the same time, win back her heart.


{5 stars}
Right now, Kristen Ashley can do no wrong in my world. Another great couple. Indy is energetic, caring, and just plain fun and lovable. Lee is a quiet Alpha Male, stubborn, but not as brooding as some men can be. They have been in love with each other forever (her since she was 5). In the middle of Indy trying to save another one of her friends, she ends up finally getting what she always wanted.....Lee. Shootings, kidnappings, car explosions, and lots and lots of super funny humor. I get so absorbed into Kristen Ashley's world I forget the time. Her style of writing really has you imagining the the story in visual detail. The cast of characters surrounding Indy are a rag tag bunch of misfits, but completely lovable, and I want to hang out with all of them. No boring love story here, its action packed awesome! Yes, I said awesome.....