Veena’s review of Captivated (Phantom Corps, Book 3) by Lauren Dane
Erotic Romance published by Berkley Trade 1 May 12

Lauren Dane continues her Phantom Corps series with Captivated. As the threat of war escalates, three lonely people come together and discover a deep and abiding love. They work together with other members of the Phantom Corps to defeat the Imperialist plot and make the federated universes safe.

Vincenz Cuomo Fardelle was raised as the heir to the Supreme leader of the Imperialist Universe. For the past ten years he has worked with the Federation as a member of the Phantom Corps to bring an end to his father’s regime and free the people whom his father has persecuted in his quest for greater power.

Julian Marsters, his lover and partner in the Phantom Corps, is dealing with his own monsters. He burns to avenge his friend and partner Marame who was killed protecting Vincenz’s sister’s escape from the Imperialists.

Hannah Black is a brilliant scientist who has been held in isolation in an Imperialist Lab from where Vincenz rescues her during one of his missions. As she recovers her sanity and memories, she finds herself attracted to both Vincenz and Julian. Initially thinking they are gay, she fights this attraction until she finds that it’s reciprocated and she becomes a permanent third in their relationship. Their coming together and interactions are very erotic.

The erotic is very skillfully blended into an action-adventure story with a very strong emotional component.  As the Phantom Corps identify Ciro Fardelle’s diabolical plan and race toward finding and defusing his weapons of mass destruction, the relationship between the three deepens and they become a single unit.

While Vincenz and Julian are both dominant men as demonstrated by their sexual encounters with Hannah, they also show a deep level of tenderness and caring. It is very beautiful and touching to see these manly men bring Hannah little gifts to coax her out of her shell. I have read all the books in this series and while this book can be read as a stand-alone, Ms. Dane does touch upon the other characters from the series. I enjoyed this book very much. I found it fast paced with the right touch of romance, tenderness, and erotica blended into it.

Grade: A

Summary:

Vincenz Fardelle, exiled son of the Supreme Leader of the Imperialist Universe, has spent much of the last ten years working to stop the threat his father poses. But he’s not alone in his quest. Julian Marsters has lost his best friend and countless others in the war and has made vengeance his only goal. In each other, Julian and Vincenz find not only like minds, but kindred spirits.

However unexpected their relationship, everything changes for Vincenz and Julian when Hannah Black comes into their lives. Having been captured and held in near total isolation by imperialist troops, their immediate response is to protect her.

Emotionally shattered but resilient, Hannah rebuilds herself. Because of the warm safety she finds in the arms of Julian and Vincenz she becomes someone harder, stronger and bent on preventing the Imperialists from harming anyone else.

For the two men, wrestling with their passionate feelings for Hannah is only the beginning. War is about to send all three into harm’s way and an equally dangerous secret could tear them apart.

Read an excerpt. (click Excerpt link)

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Sound of the Heart by Genevieve Graham
Historical Romance published by Berkley Trade 1 May 12

I had hopes for this book after finishing Genevieve Graham’s debut, Under the Same Sky, which I loved. Sometimes a new author has a difficult time maintaining such excellence after a first book. So you can imagine my tad of hesitation as I began reading Sound of the Heart. Should I have been worried?

Not one bit. Ms. Graham writes like an old pro. The history is rich and deep. Her characters truly live the times, the emotion tugs at your soul, and her added twist of the paranormal is just the right amount to give readers a very satisfying read.

We meet Dougal MacDonnell again at roughly the same time his brother, Andrew, is escaping the aftermath of Culloden. Dougal, however, is a prisoner of war. The feeling of despair in the very inhumane conditions of the cells these prisoners are kept in and the treatment at the hands of the English make for difficult reading. It spears your heart, especially when you meet the two young boys have also been taken captive, Joseph and Aidan. Thank the heavens Dougal and his new friend John are there to keep those youngsters safe. It’s also the boys who devise a way to escape their prison. To wish all would go well for them is futile. Suffice it to say, it’s only Dougal and Aiden who make it out of that hell. They stay ahead of soldiers, make it to London and relative safety for the time being. The taste of freedom is exhilarating.

It’s when Dougal meets Glenna that his life is worth living again. They find an abandoned Highland home, small and cozy enough, where they live blissfully for ten years. This is an existence neither of them have dreamed of since the English had outlawed everything Scottish, from their plaid to their pipes. After such harshness of life so far in this book, this time with Dougal and Glenna is one of my favorites. Their love is first cemented in friendship, then lovers. It’s not without trouble, emotional and otherwise, but it’s a good life for them. They learn everything about one another – Dougal, especially, has a secret he’s never told anyone about, not even his brother Andrew, who he shares a close and psychic bond with – as they chip away at contentment and happiness.

Of course, in such chaotic times, that happiness can’t last forever, as Dougal and Glenna abruptly discover when out hunting during a long and cold winter. Suddenly surrounded by English soldiers, Glenna is taken into custody while Dougal is left for dead. Clawing his way back to consciousness and deciding that living is better than the alternative, he eventually finds himself part of the English army sent to the Colonies to help fight the French and the Indians, because he’s found out that’s where Glenna has been sent as an indentured servant. Once again, life has taken on a desperate and hard edge. It has been years since Glenna was taken and he knows nothing of her current plight; thus, after putting up with the English and their foreign way of fighting a war, Dougal contemplates desertion, something his honor abhors but his love needs.

As in the first book, Ms. Graham has divided the book into two parts between Dougal and Glenna, giving their perspective at that point in their lives. The last third of the book is Glenna’s. While I was ready to see things from her point of view, I nearly had a conniption when the author left me hanging at the end of Dougal’s section when he realizes his brother still lives. I calmed down and figured I’d see their reunion when it’s time. Little did I know how long that wait is going to truly be. But I digress. Glenna reaches the New World shores, after once again being stuffed into the cargo hold of a ship, and is immediately put on the auction block, her humiliation complete. However, she realizes her lot will be much better than other women sold into prostitution slavery. Her new “owner” is a tobacco plantation owner and he needs a teacher for his children. Because Glenna can read, she’s chosen for the job.

Her life turns out relatively good, the loss of Dougal her only nightmare. She believes him to be dead, so memories are all she has. Glenna enjoys her station with the children and family who’ve taken her in. But all good things must come to an end, and the next thing she knows she’s thrust into a life again not of her choosing and one that begins with violence and ends with her taking her destiny into her own hands. She brings to mind all the things Dougal taught her in their time together to outsmart the arrogant asshole who takes what he wants when he wants. Admiration for this woman goes up ten-fold for what she now endures and then conquers. By this time Dougal is closer to her than ever, and Glenna discovers this. Once again her intellect, cunning, and desire and need for Dougal outshine those around her, and she finds her man in the middle of a fierce battle. Nothing stands in her way.

Ms. Graham gives readers characters who defy the odds, who fight for survival with everything they’ve got. The Scottish spirit in the aftermath of Culloden is vanquished for only so long. Though Dougal and Glenna are no longer in their home country, they have that Highland drive that keeps them going, even the loss of the Scotland they love can’t break them. Their love is a real, living emotion between them and you feel it on every page, even when they’re not together. No punches are pulled throughout this book. The times are depicted quite vividly, and your compassion and ire are piqued in equal amounts.

I am so very glad I’ve been able to read these books, and I’m so very glad there are more to come. I’m looking forward to that meeting between brothers who thought the other had perished, only to find their link to each other again. But I’m also looking forward just to the beautiful writing and wonderful characters of Genevieve Graham. I’m a fan for life.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Dougal MacDonnell, a fierce warrior from the Highlands of Scotland, is able to hear the thoughts of other men and dream how the future will unfold.

Devastated by the loss of his family during the Battle of Culloden in 1746, he fosters a deep hatred for the English. But when Glenna, the love of his life and a Scottish outlaw, is captured and shipped overseas, Dougal is forced to join an English army made of vanquished Scots. Now fighting on the side of his sworn enemies, he embarks on a journey that will take him across the seas to the colonies.

There he will risk everything for the chance to find his true love.

No excerpt available.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Under the Same Sky by Genevieve Graham
Historical Romance published by Berkley Trade 3 Jan 12

This book poses a huge dilemma for a reader. It’s one you can’t put down. It’s that good. But it’s also one that you have to put down. Just to exhale that breath you’ve been holding, to then inhale and take on a calmness so you can continue on. It’s not that easy, however. The story is that heart-wrenching, so full of tragedy for these courageous, honorable, and so very likable characters.

Maggie Johnson has always had “the Sight.” Whatever she dreams come true. Whatever she sees will come to pass. Among all the horrible dreams there’s been one constant, the boy whose smile and eyes are with her always. They’ve grown up together, seeing one another but never speaking or touching but understanding a look across the span of thousands of miles. As they grow older, Maggie calls this warrior her Wolf, bringing to mind those graceful predators. For Andrew, Maggie is the prettiest woman he’s ever seen and he knows they belong together, that some day they will find a way to each other. He also is able to see events before they occur, and his dreams are as full of Maggie as hers are of Andrew. The way the book is set up, several chapters are devoted to Maggie, written in first person, then several chapters are given to Andrew from his POV, and this continues throughout the book.

Tragedy strikes Maggie and her family after her father has died. She, her mother, and sisters have been surviving the best they can, without letting townsfolk know about the lack of a male presence on the homestead. But that only lasts for so long, and the day comes when men ride up with evil intentions on their minds. One shot is all it takes to leave the girls on their own, at the mercy of these men, their intent to sell them as slaves – after they deliver their own brand of evilness. These are such heart-breaking scenes, especially when it comes to Maggie’s youngest sister, ten-year-old Ruth. Though her scene is not described in detail as Maggie’s, you know what’s happening to the child in the woods, and that fear is confirmed when the men return without her. As man after man has his way with these girls, you want to reach through the pages and choke the ever-lovin’ life out of each of them. Maggie and Adelaide do their best to hold on, knowing the horror has to be over soon and escape is still a possibility.

War is the tragedy in Andrew’s life – he loses everything and everyone he loves as a result of the battle at Culloden in 1746, fighting with his father, brothers, and other Highland clans. Of course, we all know the outcome of this particular battle, the massacre that is a significant part of the downfall of the clans of Scotland. At first, surviving such an onslaught is not the gift it should be for Andrew. Then finding his home, along with his mother, destroyed, coming in contact with no other person – Highlander or Sassenach – for days on end, he’s more than tired enough to lie down and let this nightmare end, but he fights on.  Finally he discovers the friends that will become his family as they all rebuild their lives. Feeling disconnected from everything to do with his country, wanting to get as far away as possible from the violence, Andrew decides to leave his homeland for good, along with others who feel the same.

Maggie and Adelaide are rescued by a tribe of Cherokee, who take them in and help them heal. The sisters learn the Indians are not the savages they’d always heard about, and they carve out a place for themselves, learning the language and way of life of these people who don’t frighten them as the white man now does. Eventually Maggie is allowed to accompany the men to the closest fort to trade furs and skins, and she does well for them, understanding how the tribe has always been cheated. But meeting Captain Quinn, a respected man about town, once again ends with Maggie bearing the brunt of men and their superior attitudes. She’s accused of and tried for – railroaded, actually – murder.

I kept thinking to myself throughout this book, “When are these two going to catch a break??” I was exhausted after reading these scenes and just had to put the book down to take a deep breath. But then I had to immediately pick it up again to see what happens to them, how they react, how they recover, how they move on. And, because of the era, they, of course, resolutely move on just because they have to, that’s how people of the time lived and died. I haven’t been this emotionally wiped out reading a romance in a long time.

Andrew finally makes landfall in America, receives land given to immigrants willing to work hard, and makes his way toward Maggie. Even that journey is fraught with danger and delays. But all along they’ve had each other in their dreams, and for a while now those dreams have been very real. They now touch, they feel, they talk, and they remember it all with clarity afterward. Though these scenes of them together are nice and frequent enough so that hero and heroine are together at various intervals throughout the book, I wish there’d been either more of those dreams or more of Andrew and Maggie together at the end of the book. After everything each of them have been through, have helped the other through with comfort and strength, even knowing that happily ever after would be upon them soon, I wanted to see more of that happiness instead of being told about it because it’s now time for the story to end. That’s my only nitpick. For me, there’s just not enough. We’re given just enough to let us know their life together is good and gets better as the years will go on, but I wanted to feel it more, to see it happening, to experience a bit more with them after such a harrowing time has been had to get them to this point.

I’m quite impressed with Ms. Graham’s debut novel. She takes a reader on an epic journey that thoroughly engages the heart and gives them characters who defy horrific odds and who never give up. I look forward to her future work.

Grade: A-

Summary:

The year is 1746. A young woman from South Carolina and a Scottish Highlander share an intimacy and devotion beyond their understanding.

They’ve known each other their entire lives.
They live a half-world apart.

And they have never met…

Maggie Johnson has been gifted with “the Sight” ever since she was a child. Her dreams bring her visions of the future and of a presence she knows is not a figment of her imagination. She calls him Wolf, having watched him grow from a careless young boy into a fearsome warrior, and she trusts him with her life and her heart.

Andrew MacDonnell is fascinated by the woman who has visited him in his dreams for as long as he can remember, entranced by her beauty, knowing deep in his soul that she is as real as he. Although he doesn’t know who she is, Andrew believes that destiny will bring them together.

When tragedy and war strike their homelands, both Maggie and Andrew suffer indescribable losses. Separated across an ocean, the bond they share nevertheless grows as they sense each other’s pain, lend each other strength, and embark on a journey of the spirit to find and love one another at long last…

No excerpt available.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Colorado Dawn (Runaway Brides, Book 2) by Kaki Warner
Historical Western Romance published by Berkley Trade 3 Jan 12

I love it when an author adds humor to her romances. When it’s the hero with the sense of humor, it makes him that much more irresistible. Angus Wallace is now one of my favorite heroes, and that’s saying something when he’s in the company of Drustan and Daegus MacKeltar and Jamie Fraser.

And the fact that Angus has come to America in search of his wife, thinking only to take her home to Scotland where she can deliver a few heirs for him but instead falls in love with Maddie and the magnificent Colorado wilderness, well, that’s a man after my own heart. You see the change in Angus – now Lord Ashby, one of the reasons he now needs his wife – slowly take place as he watches his wife enjoy her passion of photography, revel in the new, deep-seated friendships she’s found, and, lastly, comes to realize she’d give all of that up just for him. He knows what he’s got, what he almost lost, and he plans to keep her by his side forever this time.

Maddie’s life takes huge turns when she meets career soldier Angus Wallace. She marries him and then loses him to his military service almost instantaneously. She receives very little contact from him in the years she’s in Scotland. So when she has word that her parents have been killed, Maddie heads home to England. There she talks herself into a new life and goes after it with guns blazing. Her interest in photography takes her to the American wild west, where she finally settles in Colorado, happy in that new life.

Angus’ life also goes through some unexpected turns. He’s seriously wounded in battle and his military days are over. He returns home to find his wife gone and his life changed further with the death of his older brother. It’s through her photographs that Ash, along with his loyal friend, Tricks, an Irish wolfhound, is able to trace Maddie across the American continent, locating her at last on her way home to Heartbreak Creek after a successful photographic mission -, with only Wall-eyed Willy as protection, much to Ash’s consternation. Thus begins their dance of reacquainting themselves with each other, their feelings, their love, their duty, their lives – all so different than before.

Unknown sadness on both sides is revealed, making each of them look at their anger and perceptions differently from what they’ve known before, hence making them realize more care of the other should have been taken so they wouldn’t end up where they are today. But life has taken them on this journey, and now one of them must sacrifice all for the other. Will Maddie be able to leave her new, hard-won life behind, never to take another picture again, something a noble woman would never do? Can Ash turn his back on his duty, say no to the one thing he never thought would be his anyway? Does he even have that choice?

These are two very multi-layered characters, both charming and flawed. It takes everything Maddie’s got to strike out on her own, away from the familiarity of home. Just when she finds her place, the one and only thing that can endanger that happiness is the person she never thought to see again. Ash is as honest and honorable as the day is long, he takes his duty seriously, whether to Maddie or his family – and he comes to realize that’s the same thing in his heart. No matter how hard life is, now or then, these two exemplify what it is to sustain a relationship after mucking it up the first time around. Granted, they have matured a few years and have gone through so much to get to that place, but when they do, it’s wonderful to see.

We also get to catch up with all the characters from the previous book. I especially had fun with the scene between Ash and Declan when the sheriff tries to ascertain why Ash is looking for Maddie. More humor, but family looking out for family, no matter how you look at it.

I love Kaki Warner’s writing, her characters, her storylines, everything about her books. You go through every emotion imaginable and then some. She portrays the American west vividly and accurately. You need to pick any of her books up and start reading, if you haven’t so far. Believe me, you’re missing out if you’ve never read a Kaki Warner book.

Grade: A+

Summary:

After only three letters and one visit during her six-year marriage to a Scottish Cavalry Officer, Maddie Wallace decides to build a life without him. Accepting an assignment from a London periodical to photograph the West from a female perspective, she sails from England, determined to build a new life as an independent woman.

After injury ends his military career, Angus Wallace returns homes to find his wife gone, his family decimated by fever, and himself next in line to an earldom. His new mission is clear – find his wife and sire heirs. His search takes him across an ocean and half a continent, but he finally tracks her to Heartbreak Creek There his biggest challenge awaits – to challenge his headstrong wife to return home as his viscountess.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of The Departed (FBI Psychics, Book 2) by Shiloh Walker
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley Trade 3 Jan 12

This is the second book in Shiloh Walker’s FBI Psychics series and I’m hooked. Along with her characters, it’s Ms. Walker’s ability to make the reader feel emotion that draws me back to her books time after time. Add in the paranormal element, and these books are awesome.

Taylor Jones and Desiree Lincoln work together in a special branch of the FBI. He’s her boss. They’re attracted to one another, but they’ve kept that attraction under control for quite a while now. Dez is able to communicate with the dead, try to help them overcome whatever issue it is keeping them from crossing over. Taylor has no psychic ability, he’s just always honed in on what to do and how to do it when a case comes to his attention. And he has ghosts of his own, the tragic loss of his young sister so many years ago, something that still haunts him to this day.

Everything changes between them in the blink of an eye – or the speed of a bullet. Dez is shot just as she and Taylor are about to make their escape with a child they’ve rescued. The image of her lying on the floor bleeding tears Taylor apart. His determination to take care of her after being released from the hospital goes south. They spend a night of passion together, but afterward Taylor puts distance between them again. Dez has no success in breaking down his barriers, so she walks away from it all – the job and Taylor.

Working on her own, Dez takes cases wherever spirits call her. Then she meets Nathan, a young ghost who needs Dez to help him save a girl in Taylor Jones’ hometown. As she discovers more about the girl and the boys who want to hurt her, Dez calls for backup – the only man she knows who will drop everything to help. Heading home for an anniversary he dreads but gets through every year, Taylor is close by when he learns Dez needs him. It’s been more than a year since he’s seen her, and not one thing has changed when he gets his first glimpse of her.

Taylor and Dez work together to solve her case, all the while an underlying smoldering surrounds them. When they finally come together again, it’s as raw and intense as the first time. Now Taylor is determined to keep Dez in his life, no matter what he has to do. Breaking through the field of feigned indifference will be the most difficult. Dez has learned not to hope where Taylor is concerned. Even when it seems he’s sincere and wants her with him, she has a hard time letting go to believe him.

The emotion in this book is spectacular. From the exhaustion that dogs Dez as she goes from case to case for months to the fear of the victims she helps to the confusion of the spirits who need her to the sensuality and longing between Taylor and Dez, nearly every page tugs at your heart, drags you deep into despair, tosses you into the throes of passion, pulls anger and grief in equal measure from the depths of your soul. Especially after all is said and done in Dez’s current case but another spirit is keeping her nearby, and this time it’s Taylor who has to live through tragedy and heartache once again.

I hope this series goes on for several more books, that Ms. Walker has plenty of stories in mind for these FBI psychics. It’s intriguing as hell and I love it all. I’m very anxiously awaiting the next book, though this one just hit the shelves and it’s going to be a long wait. It’s definitely worth the wait, however.

Grade: A+

Summary:

A LIFELONG OBSESSION

FBI Special Agent Taylor Jones has made it his mission to save those in harm’s way by any means necessary—including employing psychic agents like Desiree “Dez” Lincoln, who can communicate with the disembodied spirits of the dead. Taylor is haunted by his own ghost, his kid sister, gone missing at age six. For a quarter of a century he has been tortured by her loss and the mystery of her disappearance.

A NIGHT’S INDISCRETION

When Dez is seriously wounded, Taylor can no longer hide his feelings for her. Getting involved could spell disaster for both of them—not to mention those who rely on them for help—but once Dez lays her hands on him, he can’t resist the fierce attraction. But after giving in to his desires, Taylor pulls back, and Dez strikes out on her own.

AN INESCAPABLE PASSION

Responding to the call of another anguished spirit, Dez is led to Taylor’s old hometown. As the two are forced to come together to save a girl in peril, Dez may be able to help Taylor finally find the answers he’s been looking for…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Haunting Embrace (Mists of Ireland, Book 4) by Erin Quinn
Paranormal Time Travel Romance published by Berkley Trade 4 Oct 11

If you haven’t been drawn into the mysterious evil of the Book of Fennore and the haunting romantic love of charismatic time traveling characters in Erin Quinn’s Mists of Ireland series, you need to curl up on the sofa and absorb and live every last word of these books. Ms. Quinn has created a world that whisks you through time to try to stay one step ahead of malevolent tome that has targeted one Irish family to gather more power for its insidious ways. The ultimate twist in the series comes in this book, making it an all-consuming read. I could not put it down.

When we last saw Aedan and Meaghan, it was at the end of Haunting Desire, where they had just escaped the clutches of the Book of Fennore, along with others who had been imprisoned there. Aedan has taken on a job of fisherman with Mickey Ballogh, and after a long day out on the sea his instinct tells him to stay away from the evil vibrating from the cave where their run-in with the book took place. But its call is too powerful, and Aedan finds himself standing in the entrance, waiting for God knows what.

What he finds is Meaghan, barely conscious after their ordeal. And then joining them is Colleen Ballogh, Mickey’s wife – and Meaghan’s grandmother, though she is right that moment carrying Meaghan’s infant father around on her hip. They find themselves in the past, the mid 1950s, and have no idea why or what they’re supposed to do. Finding the book and destroying it would be first point of business, but fate has other things planned. The first of which is the information and pendant Colleen gives to Meaghan, all from a woman from an even more distant past.

Rumor has it that the powerful Druid who doled out the evilness of the Book of Fennore is still in the area, along with the book itself. Aedan is determined to keep that secret to himself, he likes the freedom he’s found from his millennia of confinement, despite the power he wielded. Knowing Meaghan has the pendant, the key, he himself crafted before his betrayal and subsequent imprisonment by the woman he loved only makes him more determined to put an end to the evil once and for all. Nothing is more important than giving it the sacrifice his eons-old ritual needs to bind that very evil within the book’s cover forever. He can feel the key and book, its presence and power. As can Meaghan.

But hers is an empathic sensation, picking up feelings from all around her. Including Aedan. She knows he’s not evil, even if he thinks there’s no way to rid himself of what he lived for so long. Seeing a different side of her loving grandmother at the hands of Mickey shocks her, but she’s filling in all the holes in her family history that no one ever wanted to talk about as she was growing up. When Mickey turns up dead after a drunken blow-up with Colleen and Aedan is the number one suspect, Meaghan also learns so much more about her grandmother than she could have ever imagined.  She also takes on a new power of seeing future deaths, something Aedan’s past love was able to do, thus binding her to that long-ago woman, and the pace of the story picks up as more and more secrets, more and more evil, more and more love and trust become apparent.

Ms. Quinn writes such intriguing characters, including the Book of Fennore. It has been its own character throughout this series and nothing has changed in this latest addition. Her use of Ireland is quite refreshing, and she makes you feel as though you’re standing on those Irish shores, taking in every nuance from blue skies to the emerald green the isle is known for. Her writing is as haunting as it is profound and lush. It’s more than worth your time to spend time with her characters, whose depths know no bounds.

I’m not sure if this is the last book in the series. I didn’t see anything on the author’s web site to answer that question. I sincerely hope there is more to come. Quality like this is hard to come by.

Grade: A+

Summary:

ENDLESS LOVE

Within Meaghan Ballagh surges the blood of an ancient sorceress whose long ago love for the druid Áedán ended in treachery—a fate that ensnares Meaghan herself when she is thrust into the past. She can feel the desire between the sorceress and the handsome druid rise inside her. To ensure her survival, she must piece together the history of the woman who haunts her and the man who needs her.

ETERNAL BETRAYAL

Áedán recognizes Meaghan. He always will. For the spirit of his one true love—and immortal enemy—is in her. A woman for whom Áedán once risked everything he ever had only to be repaid with betrayal and eternal damnation. This time, he’s not going to let Meaghan escape—because together they have the power to change their destiny.

As the passion between them grows, so do their fears of arousing an ancient, haunted, and forbidden love, and for changing a past that could irrevocably destroy the future.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of The Next Always (Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy, Book 1) by Nora Roberts
Contemporary Romance published by Berkley Trade 1 Nov 11

I haven’t read a Nora Roberts book in forever. I used to read her all the time, I have every book on her backlist tucked away. Then I added a few more – and then quite a bit than a few more – authors to my ever-growing list, and then I started reviewing books, so a few of my favorites got pushed to the background. So I was doubly excited when I received The Next Always to review. Nora Roberts is the perfect comfort read. Reading her stories is like coming home after being gone a very long time. It’s so nice to be home.

Also, Ms. Roberts writes brothers better than anyone. My first books of hers were the Quinn brothers of the Chesapeake Blue series. They’re still my favorites, but the Montgomery brothers in this new series are giving the Quinns a serious run for their money. Beckett, Ryder, and Owen Montgomery are the heroes of these books, diligently working to restore a very old and dilapidated building into the Inn BoonsBoro. They have the typical sibling relationship, but written by Ms. Roberts just makes that more special in my eyes. Not only are the brothers, and their heroines of course, the center of this story, the inn itself as well as the town are just as front and center. You get that feel from the first page, and as that inn more and more comes into its own, you could swear it’s living and breathing just like the other characters chapter after chapter.

What also makes this book so intriguing and fun – something I didn’t know before I read it – is the fact that these events are right out of Ms. Roberts’ life. She and her family live in Boonsboro, Maryland; her husband owns Turn the Page, the local bookstore; her son owns Vestra, the pizzeria on The Square; and she and her husband bought the building we’re talking about and rebuilt it just as the Montgomery brothers have done and named it Inn BoonsBoro. Only the characters have changed in this walk through a portion of her life.

Beckett has had a thing for Clare since high school, but she had eyes for only Clint Brewster. The high school sweethearts married and Clint’s military service took them away from home to travel the world at the Army’s behest. When her husband is killed in Iraq, Clare brings her children home to Boonsboro, where she opens a bookstore, Turn the Page – both the best decisions considering the circumstances. Beckett never thought the day would come he’d be sharing a kiss with Clare, but his dreams have finally come true with the lovely widow. Hoping for more, he asks her out and a new and exciting relationship is born.

For Clare, she experiences the ability to feel when she’s in Beckett’s arms, a feeling she thought she might never have again. The more she gets to the know the man he’s become, the more she falls for Beckett, especially when she watches him with her sons. His patience and fun streak knows no bounds and her boys take to the man like ducks to water. Only her oldest son has vague recollections of Clint, so it warms her heart they could have the perfect role model in Beckett.

This relationship between them is honest, fun, and heart-felt from the beginning. They each have to face the depth of their feelings on their own along the way, and with each issue that crops up, good or bad, those feelings are further cemented in their hearts. Some of those feelings did bring tears to my eyes several times, while others make me laugh out loud just as many times. Everyone flourishes in this community. They love the small-town feeling of BoonsBoro, where everyone knows everyone’s business, but also where that business is embraced like a loving family. Each thrives in that atmosphere, just as the inn does as more of it is revealed to both the reader and the townsfolk. I’m betting a lot of readers from Small Town America will see their towns, boroughs, or parishes in BoonsBoro. Being from a small agricultural community myself, I can just picture my little town in a lot of the scenes in this book.

The Inn BoonsBoro is a beauty of a place. Ms. Roberts does a fantastic job of describing the reconstruction at different stages in the book, so that it’s like growing along with a character over time, one you love and want to see only good come to. There’s just the right amount of detail given in each meeting the brothers have, each tour they give, each scene that takes place in the inn. It’s never overwhelming or boring, like it could be considering this is a romance novel. There is a bit of paranormal associated with the inn, and it would be interesting to know if any such things also happened during the real reconstruction or if it’s all a product of Ms. Roberts’ imagination. Either way, those scenes are a nice addition, especially those with Beckett.

One of my favorite secondary characters is Avery, one of Clare’s best friends. She owns the local Italian restaurant, Vestra, where a lot of scenes take place throughout the book. Avery is outspoken, never backs down, and is just a riot to read. Hope is the other best friend, and she comes to BoonsBoro to take over as innkeeper when the former has to bow out. There’s a bit of a spark between Hope and Ryder, so I’m looking forward to see how that relationship evolves. Of course, the other brothers in the series, Clare’s sons, are also a lot of fun and their scenes with Beckett are some of my faves. And the villain. There’s a slimeball of a villain, and I’m with the Montgomery boys wanting to beat the jerk to a pulp.

I have to mention the cover of this book. It’s absolutely beautiful, and I found myself looking at it at different points while reading. It’s just enough to give you a hint of what this restored landmark might truly look like. Kudos to the artist.

The next book, The Last Boyfriend, is still more than six months away. Much too long. But the anticipation is half the fun, and mine is already ramped up about 50 percent. I’ll definitely be in need of some more comfort by the time I crack that one open, and I know Ms. Roberts will deliver exactly that once again.

Grade: A+

Summary:

The historic hotel in BoonsBoro, Maryland, has endured war and peace, changing hands, even rumored hauntings. Now it’s getting a major facelift from the Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother. As the architect of the family, Beckett’s social life consists mostly of talking shop over pizza and beer. But there’s another project he’s got his eye on: the girl he’s been waiting to kiss since he was fifteen…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

The Last Boyfriend (May 2012)

The Perfect Hope

Sandy M’s review of Jace (Shadow Wranglers, Book 3) by Sarah McCarty
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley Trade 3 May 11

I’ve been looking forward to this book in Sarah McCarty’s Shadow Wranglers series. Jace is the youngest of the Johnson brothers, and when we last saw him, he was headed straight into danger to find someone not even his brothers were aware of at that time. He’d been acting recklessly, even for Jace. In this book we find out why.

We pick up where Jared left off, Jace and his brothers and werewolf allies attempting to gain entry to a Sanctuary laboratory/stronghold to rescue Jace’s mate. No wonder he’s been running headlong into perilous situations at every turn. But now he knows where Miri is and nothing will keep him from her after searching for her for the past year. The only thing that matters now is to get Miri out of Sanctuary’s hands and to help her heal, and she needs a lot healing.

Miri, however, wants only to find her daughter. Born from experimentation and rape, Miri’s little girl was taken from her immediately by a vampire who swore to keep her safe, leaving a clue on Miri herself as to the infant’s whereabouts. Jace is the epitome of patience and protection now that he’s found his mate again. He’s determined to make Miri see that what the Sanctuary bastards did to her matters not to him. Well, only in that he’ll find the SOBs just to kill them for the revenge they deserve. But her scars and everything else she suffered at their hands doesn’t mean anything next to making her happy, keeping her safe, and finding their daughter.

The tone of this book is very different from the previous two. Jace himself tones down after he finds Miri. He confronts everything with a wry sense of humor, especially where Miri is concerned, which I think is part of what eventually wears her down, because she too gets into the bantering game with him after a while. Of course, there is evil afloat all around and they have to contend with that, with help from the other Johnson brothers and werewolf allies save the day.

Jace finally realizes Miri needs her home. With her pack. When the alpha dies, because Miri is high ranking, it’s Jace who is looked to to take over. He’s not going for the whole idea at first, but knowing it will help Miri, they make the trek to visit the wolves who, they discover, lived under the thumb of a man who wanted and took only for himself. They’re determined to make things better for the pack, in between any challenges that come Jace’s way. Which infuriates Miri. She’s as ready to take on all comers as much as Jace is.

Even though this story is a bit of a departure from the first two books, I still enjoyed it quite a bit. It’s Jace’s caring and loving ways toward Miri that kept me reading. Even in her vulnerable state she stands up to him, but he’s not about to let anything else happen to her. I’m curious if the new wolf pack will play a part in the next book. It does seem odd to send Jace away from his brothers, so maybe there is something brewing. I hope so!

Grade: A

Summary:

He had one need.
She had one hope.
Together they have one chance…

Vampire Jace Johnson was not a family man until he met Miri. But their forbidden relationship ended when she disappeared. After a year of searching, Jace finds Miri in a Sanctuary enclave.

After a year of cruel experimentation by the Sanctuary on her werewolf form, Miri is no longer the passionate wife Jace remembers. She only lives to rescue the daughter Jace never knew they had.

Now, they must overcome the tragedy of their pasts if they are to reclaim the future they both desire…

No excerpt available.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Heartbreak Creek (Runaway Brides, Book 1) by Kaki Warner
Historical Western Romance published by Berkley Trade 5 Jul 11

With this book, Kaki Warner becomes an auto-buy for me when I’m looking for historical westerns to read. Her characters burrow their way into your heart and never let go. Even when the blackest moment in their lives hits, you know them so well by that time, their triumph may seem non-existent, but you have faith in both the characters and their writer that all will be well. The stories are wonderfully written and heartwarming. I am smitten with Ms. Warner’s work all the way around.

Edwina is the typical southern belle in Louisiana. She’d been sheltered all her life, attending balls, a very active social life and all that goes with being from a wealthy family. But then lives are torn apart by the war, and Edwina has lost everything, just as so many others in her beloved South. Having her home taken to pay back taxes is the last affront in a line of disheartening events against her and her sister. So she decides it’s time for something drastic to make sure they survive intact in more ways than one. Pru thinks Edwina has lost her mind when they make their way across the country for Edwinda to marry a Colorado rancher.

Needing a new mother for his four children so he can focus on his thousands-acre dream ranch, Declan Brodie is trying marriage one more time with a mail-order bride. Taking Edwina Ladoux at face value, it will be good to have a strong, farm-bred woman around to take care of the house and the children so he won’t have to worry about those things anymore. Needless to say, Declan is in for a huge surprise when he comes face to face with Edwina.

Both have their doubts about the other. Declan is a big man and intimidates Edwina at first. And his children are another matter all together. Though Edwina has been married before, she’s made sure consummation is to occur down the road when she signed the marriage contract. The woman can’t cook, doesn’t know how to keep house, and the kids will run all over her, and that’s only the beginning, as far as Declan is concerned. Making a deal with Edwina’s traveling companion, Pru, to teach her all she needs to know, if Edwina doesn’t come up to snuff over the next so many weeks, she’s history. Of course, Edwinda is ready to go now. Haven’t they both bitten off more than they can chew? And enjoy?

But then something very subtle begins to happen between Declan and Edwina. They each begin to look beyond first impressions and outer appearances to see the true person they are underneath all the stress, the turmoil, the vulnerability. In the midst of all this is the threat of Lone Tree, the Native American who spent a horrendous five days in Declan’s jail while he was the local sheriff, the same Indian who killed Declan’s first wife. Revenge is never so sweet when you’re on the other side of it, and Declan is determined to keep his Ed and the children safe from that lunatic. But even moving into Heartbreak Creek and taking all foreseen precautions isn’t enough to keep everyone safe. When Pru is taken, Edwina’s world begins to fall apart, and Declan knows the only thing he can do is go after Ed’s sister himself. In the middle of negotiations with Lone Tree’s chief, a stunning turn of events so unexpected puts a whole new spin on Declan and Edwina’s life, that neither know if they’ll be able to recover, despite the love they’ve found when they’d only hoped the other would reciprocate their feelings.

Ms. Warner has given readers a beautiful story of strong, independent characters coming together through a need for each other, but they grow even stronger when they open themselves up to a life they didn’t dare think about, let alone try to live. They prevail over the most frightening odds, both physical and mental. I love their banter once they become more attuned to one another, very playful and showing Declan’s humorous side, much to Edwina’s relief.  We also meet the ladies who will have future books and they are a riot, on their own in a world that didn’t look well upon women gallivanting about.

I usually don’t read excerpts given at the end of most books, only because I end up wanting more when I’ve finished, but I made an exception this time for the next addition to this series. I’m on pins and needles, of course, because again, in just a few pages, Ms. Warner has hooked me and I can’t wait for Angus in all his Scottish glory!

Grade: A+

Summary:

Honest, hard-working widower, age thirty-
three, seeks sturdy English-speaking
woman to help with mountain ranch and
four children.  Drinkers, whores, and
gamblers need not apply.

Not very romantic, but after one disastrous marriage, widowed Edwina Ladoux isn’t looking for romance.  What she wants is safety for herself and her half-sister, and a way out of the war torn South, even if she has to offer herself up as a mail order bride to a stranger a thousand miles away in the Colorado Rockies.  But she hadn’t reckoned on Declan Brodie.

Declan’s first wife ran off with a gambler and was later killed by Indians.  He has no desire to saddle himself with another—and her mulatto “traveling companion”.  But his children need a mother, and he needs help to keep his mountain ranch running, and the proxy papers are already signed.  But there’s something odd about those two.  A connection he doesn’t quite understand.  But at least the companion can cook.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Colorado Dawn – 2012

Ash’s review of Don’t Kill the Messenger by Eileen Rendahl
Urban Fantasy published by Berkley Trade 02 Mar 10

I was hoping for more from this book, but I am not giving up on this series just yet.

This is one of those times where I don’t really know what to say. Don’t Kill the Messenger is an average urban fantasy to me, nothing really stood out. The world is nothing new, but that wasn’t exactly a bad thing. I’m able to follow along without any trouble understanding what’s going on.

Melina doesn’t seem to be anything special. She is a forgettable character and I don’t really care about her either way. I find her boring and unremarkable as a heroine. There isn’t much of her being a messenger, which I want more of, and the action in the book is lacking up until the very end, and even that is a letdown.

Her love interest is not the guy I was hoping he would be, so that left me wanting more. The ending makes it seem like there is going to be romantic drama in the coming books, and I am getting tired of the whole ‘which guy will it be’ thing. I didn’t see any chemistry between Melina and Ted, so I didn’t get why they’re together.

It’s the rest of the characters that save this book from being completely dull. I want to find out more about them and the magical side of Melina’s world. So while it might not be the most exciting book, I did enjoy it for the most part. I do plan to read the next one, but I can’t say it’s one I am dying to read.

Grade: C

Summary:

Melina Markowitz is a Messenger, a go-between for paranormal forces and supernatural creatures. Problem is, when a girl’s a go-between, it’s hard not to get caught in the middle…

When ninjas steal an envelope from Melina, her search leads her to a Taoist temple in Old Sacramento, where the priests seem to practice Zen and the art of mayhem. Melina learns from the handsome ER doctor (and vampire) who gave her the envelope that it contained talismans created by the priests to control Chinese vampires, who are attacking gang members to spark a street war.

Although he may look more like a surfer than a cop, Ted Goodnight is dead serious about investigating the surge in gang violence. At every turn he runs into Melina, a very attractive-and very mysterious-young woman. Can Melina enlist his help to battle something he doesn’t even believe in without blowing her cover?

Read an excerpt here.

Sandy M’s review of Explosive by Beth Kery
Contemporary Erotic Romance published by Berkley Trade 7 Dec 10

Sure wish I’d taken the time to check out the cover of this book before I started reading my e-copy. It’s perfect for the story. Thomas has suffered a family tragedy and turns to Sophie for comfort as he tries to break through an amnesiac haze to get on with his life. The man can’t keep his hands and mouth off of her. This is one hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot — throw in about another 50 or so hots — read. If you’re looking for a sexy, sensual, and downright sinful erotic romance, this book is what you need. Take my word for it. I still have plenty of residual physical effects after reading the plentiful sex scenes through these pages.

What I like first about this story is the mystery of it all. The mystery of why Thomas shows up on Sophie’s dock one night, disheveled and out of sorts. They don’t know each other well, having glimpses of each other when Thomas and his brother are in Sophie’s office the times Rick sees a therapist. They’re attracted to one another but have never acted on that attraction. So finding him at her lakeside vacation home is something of a shock for Sophie. The sexual tension is fierce and blasts off the page.  Sophie offers him sanctuary for the night, stepping back from what could be between them. But when Thomas seeks her out later, they combust. A huge conflagration. Explosive.

Sophie is aware of the FBI investigation of the claims that Thomas’ adoptive father is the head of an organized crime unit in Chicago. Thomas’ brother and nephew have just died in a freak boating accident. And when the FBI shows up the next day to question Thomas, more stress is heaped on the man and his family. But when Thomas comes to her office after the agents leave and they make love again, Sophie realizes Thomas is suffering a sort of post-traumatic syndrome where he doesn’t remember a specific block of time in the last day. She wants to help him, so she invites him back to the lake to rest and recuperate.

And this is where Ms. Kery really turns up the heat. A few days is all that is covered for the majority of the book, and the sex these two share during this time makes the reader combust. Thomas thinks he’s changed, not realizing the trauma he’s suffering. The times he’s rough when loving Sophie makes him feel the need to apologize for being a beast with her. A girl should be so lucky to have such a beast, let me tell you. And Sophie knows that. She’s just as voracious for Thomas as he is for her, and she’s more than willing to give herself to him in any way he wants.

In between the loving making, Sophie does try to pull information out of Thomas to get to the crux of his issues, but he’s having none of it. Thomas begins to doubt Sophie and her kindness when things don’t add up for him anymore. But I like that despite all of that, he can’t stay away from her. He thinks it’s because of this change in himself when it’s truly just because he’s found the right woman but doesn’t realize it because of all the chaos in his life.

There aren’t many clues, that I caught anyway, to let us know what’s going to happen at the end. Thomas loyally defends his father against all accusations, Sophie raises questions that should give Thomas pause. It’s not until Thomas’ memory returns in a flash of fear for Sophie that we, and Thomas, get the truth. And evil doesn’t have anything on the villain in this book.

A smoldering, sexy hero with a strong, willing heroine, both trying to get at some mysterious truth, make this erotic story come alive. You won’t want to miss this erotic romance. It’s……explosive!

Grade: B

Summary:

His touch would consume her—if it didn’t kill her first…

Dr. Sophie Gable wasn’t expecting her peaceful getaway to be shattered by the arrival of a half-dazed, dead-sexy guest. Thomas Nicasio has obviously been traumatized, and Sophie thinks she knows by what. There’s something about Thomas’s father that he can’t—or won’t—remember. Something that could get them both killed. Still she can’t resist Thomas’s electrifying seduction—or her instincts to help him…

An ex-Navy explosives specialist, Thomas has never felt this type of volatile need for a woman. Even while he’s grieving the deaths of his brother and nephew, something in Sophie makes Thomas want to overtake her, and each time he does, her willing submission makes him want her all the more. But danger is lurking close by, and if he can’t face the demons of his past, he and Sophie could be the next victims in a pattern of meaningless violence…

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Unbridled by Beth Williamson
Contemporary Erotic Romance published by Berkley Trade 6 Jul 10

I’ve been on a little bit of a western kick lately, so I was looking forward to this book when I heard about it. Unfortunately, I have a huge issue with the heroine, one that just never let me warm up to her until it was much too late. But this book cover did sate my cowboy/western fixation for a while.

Alex has just lost her husband, David, a gay man twice her age who has looked after her for the last ten years. He has sheltered her since she left home at age 16 when her mother died and her father abandoned her. Now it’s time for Alex to faces her past so she can move on with her life. She’s Wyoming bound to confront whatever comes head on, her father being first on the list.

Only problem is, when she gets there, Alex has such an attitude, is rude most of the time, that I wanted to shake her, slap her, whatever to get her to fly right. She’s just too whiny. Her father has passed away, so she can’t have the knock-down drag-out she wants. But everyone should still make way for her because she’s the one who’s been wronged and she’s going to take her time getting over it in her own way.

She’s never gotten over the fact her father left her and her mother when they needed him most. Her home — the one that she left — is now a guest ranch and that sticks in her craw. Her half brother, Daniel, is the son her father always wanted, so she doesn’t want anything to do with the boy. Her stepmother was with her father the day he returned to the ranch, which just happened to be the day of her mother’s funeral, so that woman is on her list too. She bullies her way into working in the business because she doesn’t trust the word of anyone around her and she does want to contribute, even though she hates the idea of the ranch. Alex has an excuse for every one of her attitudes she tosses out to people. She never lets up.

She’s an intelligent woman, but we don’t see that intelligence at certain important points throughout the story, especially when it comes to the smarmy enemy who will try to get Finley Ranch any way he can, and he does some pretty sneaky and outrageous things, but Alex excuses him at every turn until it’s nearly too late. Her smarts don’t pop up when she needs them.

But enough of Alex.

It’s Connor who saves this book.  He’s part owner in the Finley Ranch, having been taken in by Alex’s father when he was on a very destructive path in his younger days. He lives and breathes the ranch and is nervous about what Alex is going to do with the new-found knowledge she also owns a portion of it, as does Daniel. Connor will buy her out before he’ll let her sell to their bastard neighbor.

Of course, his attraction to and lust for her is a complication he doesn’t need, but neither of them can fight it and they give in to it nearly every chance they get. The sex is hot, hot, hot. On a desk, in a chair, when people are standing only feet from them, these two get it on and burn up the pages. They’re both adventurous enough to keep the lust alive between, even despite their opposition on nearly every other front.

While Connor does have his own moment or two when I wanted to smack him as well, that didn’t last long because I know it’s Alex who’s pushing his buttons. All in all, he’s a likable hero, he handles Alex fairly well when she’s not in a snit, and puts her in her place when she is.

I wish Alex did work for me. But where others will think she’s strong and outspoken, she’s just brazen and rude in my eyes. By the time she opens her eyes to really see and embrace those around her, along with the way of life at the ranch, she’s just beaten the life out of her character for me.

I did enjoy Ms. Williamson’s writing, with the exception of some dialogue in a few places that sound stilted and awkward, but, again, I attribute that to Alex and her attitude. What Alex won’t do is keep me from reading another Williamson book. I refuse to give her that power.

Grade: C-

Summary:

Hell hath no fury like Alex Finley…

For as long as Alex could remember, life had taken everything from her. Her father had abandoned her and her dying mother, only to return upon her death to reclaim the family’s Wyoming ranch—with a new wife. Alex’s rage drove her away to Los Angeles to live with a man who could never satisfy her.

Only after ten years does she come home—and she hits the town with a vengeance, unleashing her pent-up lust on willing cowpoke Connor Matthews. But she’s in for several shocks. It turns out that the ranch is now a resort, that her late father split the estate between Alex and her young step-brother, and that Connor—the bucking bronco she wants in her bed—is running the place.

Now, Alex is torn between accepting a new family, and a lover who can give her everything she needs—or selling out to a smooth-talking neighbor and leaving the past behind her. But only when her life is on the line does she realize what she desires most of all…

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Haunting Warrior by Erin Quinn
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley Trade 4 May 10

I am just in total awe of Ms. Quinn’s Haunting books. These first two books are some of the best I’ve read in the last year. Her writing has a haunting quality all its own to go along with the titles and the storylines she’s given readers. And her characters, especially the hero of this book, are intricate and simple at the same time. I’m amazed at her talent.

Though we have the same characters in these first two books, it’s really the Book of Fennore that ties everything together. This evil tome draws these people to it for its own purposes. It has torn them apart over the years, but in doing so, it has also given them their destiny and the happiness with which to live that destiny.

Rory’s life came apart when he was twelve years old. Literally. The night his father disappeared with the Book of Fennore, Rory nearly disappeared right along with him, but his sister, Dani, used her power to bring him back. Though he was safe after that, he was significantly changed. So much so he was eventually sent from his home in Ireland to California to live with his aunt and uncle, his mother not able to deal with him.

The plan was for Rory to eventually go back home, but he never did. He found he liked his new and simple life, with no other worldly goings-on to give him the creeps. And he’s always known his family has been better off without him and his troublemaker attitude.

Now out of the blue, however, his grandmother decides to give him a little haunting after her death, telling him it’s time to come home, his destiny awaits. He wants to ignore such a crazy idea, but the next thing Rory knows is he’s back in Ireland, back where memories assault him, as does his dream lady who has haunted his sleep for some time now.

Saraid isn’t a dream, though. She’s from the distant past, and she calls Rory to her after she also receives a visit from his grandmother. Rory is the salvation of her people who have been under the rule of a cruel, evil father and son team. Finding himself thrown into Saraid’s time, Rory discovers the other half of himself that had been torn from him that fateful night he lost his father. That other half is the Bloodletter, the evil son who kills without conscience or remorse.

Destiny takes over, reunites two halves into a whole, and Rory and Saraid begin their journey of trust, survival, and love. Saraid is a woman of courage, descended of royalty, and she and her brothers lead the last of their people the best they can. It is the call of peace that may lead them down the road to destruction, but with Rory by her side, they both unravel the mysteries surrounding themselves and the Book of Fennore.

And having said all of this, I’m not even coming close to what’s in this book. The story is much more complex, has much more depth, so many layers that are shorn away one at a time to give readers a haunting tale they will never forget. I know I’m not doing this book justice. You have to read it to understand, to get the full effect of what Ms. Quinn has done.

In the end, you will be left haunted.

Grade: A+

Summary:

A past he couldn’t forget.

Rory McGrath’s life changed the night his father mysteriously vanished after uncovering the secrets of the ancient Book of Fennore. The trauma turned Rory from an innocent boy into a troubled, cynical man. Leaving Ireland, he shunned his family, his heritage—and the very magic that has defined his people for centuries.

A dream he couldn’t ignore.

Then the dreams begin…dreams of an ethereal beauty whose touch is more real that any he’s known. And in these dreams, she has a message—a calling for Rory to return home to a destiny that will take him beyond the realm of anything he imagined.

A woman he couldn’t resist.

Lured to the castle ruins where his father disappeared, Rory is plunged back in time, and into the body of another man—a man betrothed to the very woman of Rory’s dreams. In possession of the secrets of his past, his family, and his identity, her hold on Rory is inescapable. For she is his doom. His salvation. And his destiny.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of The Summer of You by Kate Noble
Historical Romance published by Berkley Trade 6 Apr 10

Oh, heavens. This dilemma doesn’t happen to me very often. I’m a happy reviewer, cruising right along book after book, enjoying a lot of what I read. Then the unusual occurs. I come across a book that doesn’t work well for me for one reason or another. The biggest problem for me with this story? So slllllloooooow.

In fact, so slow that I have to say I was bored a lot during the first half of the book. We get a lot about the heroine’s plight since her brother took off for parts unknown and her father’s slide into oblivion. When Jason comes home, you’d think it would be a nice reunion, not having seen each other for years. Didn’t happen.

Life goes on as usual with their snide comments to one another and said sibling not wanting to face their father’s illness, nor help with the man’s daily care. He goes out and does his own thing once again as he did just after their mother’s death, with no thought to anyone but himself, leaving it all up to Jane, adding to her stress and disenchantment with her lot in life.

There’s also a lot of other side things that go on and I didn’t feel they added anything to the story at all. I kept waiting for the hero to show up during all of it, but it took chapters before he’s in the picture with the heroine. They needed to be together so much sooner.

The point of the story is to clear him of accusations of being the highwayman who’s terrorizing the area where Jane and her brother whisk their father to so he’s not seen during the season in London, thereby having to explain to friends his current state and, thus, causing embarrassment all around. But the mystery part of the story doesn’t come fully into focus until much later in the book.

Neighbors, friends, acquaintances, and anyone else around who’s nosey all stop in for one reason or another, causing Jane more problems, all on top of what her brother comes up with. And then by the time Jane and Byrne begin their investigation to clear his name, I actually didn’t care anymore. With so much going on, I had nothing invested in these two characters, and it’s too late to do anything about it to bring around a different reaction.

Once Bryne and Jane act on their attraction to each other, those scenes are the best in the book, but, once again, even as good as the sexual tension is between them and as long as it’s taken to get us to this point, there’s too many interruptions that keep them apart over and over again. That almost ruined the ultimate moment for me when Jane finally gives herself to him. I’m all for sexual tension, but when I’m strung out so long on secondary issues and characters, stringing out sexual tension loses steam and appeal.

I did enjoy Byrne’s character the most. He as well as his situation is interesting. Obviously he has more patience with Jane than I did. She does have a lot of responsibility due to her brother’s absence and she does it all efficiently. She even blackmails her brother when he returns so she can now get a little enjoyment out of life and that was the first spark that made me like her, but that faded until much later when she’s with Byrne.

Jason does eventually grow up a little bit, tries to take his responsibilities more seriously, but his effort is sort of half-assed and, like other things in the book, too late. But he does try. The highwayman is, of course, eventually caught, and that did come as a surprise, so that’s a rare plus from me in the whole scheme of things.

I’ve been assured by friends that there are other of Ms. Noble’s books I will like. I always give an author a second chance, so I’ll be hunting down one of those recommended stories as soon as I can.

Grade: C-

Summary:

Lady Jane Cummings is certain that her summer is ruined when she is forced to reside at isolated Merrymere Lake with her reckless brother and ailing father. Her fast-paced London society is replaced with a small town grapevine. But one bit of gossip catches Jane’s attention- rumors that the lake’s brooding new resident is also an elusive highwayman.

Jane must face the much discussed mysterioso after he saves her brother from a pub brawl. She immediately recognizes him from London: Byrne Worth, war hero and apparent hermit-whom she finds strangely charming. The two build a fast friendship, and soon nothing can keep this Lady away from Merrymere’s most wanted. Convinced of his innocence, Jane is determined to clear Byrne’s name-and maybe have a little fun this summer after all.

Read an excerpt.

Limecello’s review of Sweet Temptation by Maya Banks
Erotic romance released by Berkley Trade 6 Apr 10

I’m going to tell you a secret. I didn’t think I’d like this book. First of all, I didn’t really like the excerpt I read in the end of the previous book, Sweet Seduction (which I did love). Second, I’m really not into the whole pain/BDSM thing that Micah and Angelina are into. Nevertheless, I did like this story. I felt that there was a strong emotional connection, and the angst was believable. And I do love me some angsty heroes who suffer for love.

Now my second confession is that… I don’t think I would have liked this book as much if I hadn’t read Sweet Seduction. Specifically, one scene that essentially explains BDSM and how/why the participants enjoy it and don’t feel degraded or anything. While it still doesn’t float my boat, I understand and accept it does others’, and the characters’.

I believe that I compartmentalized Sweet Temptation. Really, I have no other way of explaining it. There’s the scene in Miami, which I didn’t like. Then the scenes in “The House” – which is basically a BDSM club – which I’m also not into. I’m not into spanking already, and when whips and stocks are brought out? So, those parts to me are fuzzier, or factor as “gratuitous smexiness” and not really into the development of Micah and Angelina’s relationship. [But let me tell you - they are hot - especially later on in the book.]

Yet at the same time it does. Micah seeing Angelina at the house makes him realize that she’s grown up, is a woman, and a sexual being. I love the forbidden love story lines, and that’s at play here. Micah used to be in a ménage à trois [Dear God not a menage a trio - I want to smack anyone who writes that. Or cry when I see it] – and Angelina is the younger sister of the other male in the former relationship. Anyway, it’s the whole “she’s the kid sister of my best friend” type of unreachable woman story. Added to the fact that Micah’s wife and Angelina’s brother are dead… well, there’s survivor’s guilt as well. On both their parts, and that helps bring them together as well. (It’s also strange to think of Micah as a widower… yet fitting.)

I loved that Angelina had a “wake up” moment, wherein she realizes she can’t make Micah love her, and trying to integrate herself into his life if unwanted is not good. This really excuses so much of her other actions in the book which might have annoyed me otherwise. (What also helps is the fact that Micah is mad for her, and everyone knows it but him, so he  does need a bit of nudging.) Angelina also has some really stupid moments, but they weren’t too bad, and when it really counts she makes good choices.

Micah Hudson is… well, he’s a sexy bad boy that keeps himself removed from everyone. He’s a good friend but has secrets, even from those he’s closest to. Sweet Temptation also shows the network of incredible friends Micah has developed, which also makes him a dynamic character. I liked that he struggled with himself, and had to suffer the potential loss of Angelina. I love a tortured hero, and Micah does his fair share of suffering.

The plot and really smutty scenes (and there are a few of them – after all, this is Micah’s and Angelina’s story – it’s them, and part of them, and … almost necessary, in a way) were almost like different stories for me. I liked the plot, but wasn’t that surprised to learn who the villain was. (I also figured it out early.) Ms. Banks had mentioned a “huge plot twist”  – but I wasn’t blown away. In fact, I asked her if I had missed something. (I didn’t.)

I suppose I looked at what occurred as a rational and logical consequence or conclusion. Maybe it was a bit convenient but… then again, not – it was realistic. (And yes I’m being purposefully vague to avoid spoilers.) So in the end… I liked this book, and I plan on re-reading it. It’s still not my favorite of the series, but at this point it’s second on my “Sweet” list. I also have to give a “shout out” to the secondary characters. Most of them have gotten their own books, and I love revisiting with them, and seeing how their relationships are developing, both romantically, and then the friendship angle with the other couples. It’s fantastic.

I will have to say though, that I highly anticipate Conner’s book, and I expect to like it more than Micah’s. The question will be if I like it more than Nathan and Julie’s book (and as I said – I loved Sweet Seduction.) So if you’re a fan of Ms. Bank’s writing, and especially the Sweet series, I do recommend that you read this book. If you like a sweeter story, as opposed to something scorching hot… perhaps you might wait for Conner’s book. And as an aside… I really want Cole to get his story – so Ms. Banks, if you see this (or her publisher) … please give us Cole’s story!

Grade: B

Summary:

He was a by-the-book cop who broke the rules in the bedroom…

Micah Hudson has painful secrets he’s run hard from. He has new friends, a new life, but he’s about to be confronted with the one person who reminds him of all he’s tried to forget—Angelina, the sister of his oldest friend David. She knows everything about his past, including how he and David fell in love with the same woman, and how they decided the best way to prevent her from tearing them apart was to share her between them. But then a terrible accident left Micah alone…

She was willing to do anything to make him see the woman she’d become…

Micah lost the two people who meant the most in the world to him. Angelina lost her only family. And she kept her deepest secret close to her heart. Her love for Micah. No longer willing to wait, she decides it’s time to go after him and bring him to his knees. She knows his secrets, his desires, his kinks and fetishes, and she’ll use whatever it takes to reel him in. Behind the easy going, loves women exterior lies a man with dark needs and passions. She can give him what he wants. But will he decide she’s what he needs?

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Broken by Shiloh Walker
Contemporary romance published by Berkley Trade 2 Mar 10

After reading about Quinn in his brother’s book, Fragile, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Broken. From the moment we meet this man, our hearts are broken just as much as his has been up to the point his life actually starts when his mother dies and his father brings him home, when he meets his twin. You want him to reach out and grab the love of his new family, but he’s got so much hurt and distrust, it’s a total unknown if he’ll ever be able to put all the pieces back together again.

We get to see the same scenes from Fragile now from Quinn’s point of view as a child, and you can’t help but weep for the boy whose mother never loved him, who beat him at the drop of a hat. Though later he witnesses the loving relationship between Luke and their father, he still can’t trust enough to drop the I-don’t-give-a-damn attitude, to stop pushing his father to provoke that first punch he just knows will come. But in time Quinn does learn life doesn’t have to be bruises and stealing to keep himself fed.

Twenty years later he has a good relationship with his father and sibling, he’s left the army and is now a bounty hunter, bringing those who abuse to justice. What he still needs in his life is that person who can heal him inside and out, who can soothe his soul, who can love him no matter what. When he least expects it is when such a person literally falls into this arms.

Sarah has her own problems, ones that have kept her on the run for the past two years. She moves from city to city, gets lost in the crowds whenever possible, never lets herself get too attached to those who are nice to her so someplace feels like home. She’s thinking of moving into an apartment offered by a woman who seems to look straight into her heart and know what Sarah’s all about, though she knows that’s not possible. Accidentally falling into the arms of the woman’s other tenant is one more reason she should turn around and keep running. But the lure of safety and friendship, against her better judgment, is difficult to resist.

The attraction is instant between Quinn and Sarah, but they both know they can’t get involved. They have too much distrust, too much of a past to let themselves even think of starting a new relationship. But what’s between them is stronger than they are. Thoughts and dreams of each other plague them and fate seems intent on throwing together whenever possible. They eventually do give in to their needs and the resulting lust and sex is explosive.

Little by little they learn more about one another. Not the huge things in life since they both hide from such disclosure, but it’s the small things that bring them closer. And, of course, the sex. Sizzle, burn, hot, the above explosive, any of those adjectives barely cover the surface when these two characters are together. But I digress. For Quinn, the little things he’s learned is enough to acknowledge his feelings for Sarah. It takes a little longer for her. And neither of them can bring  themselves to say it out loud. And that made me want to scream every time. Just say it before she leaves! Say it before he walks away!

The ending is a huge surprise. Never in a lifetime would I have figured out what Ms. Walker so cleverly comes up with. And amid it all is when both Quinn and Sarah realize they have to begin to trust each other to make their love work, though one last time they’re still stubborn in admitting those feelings, which made me scream again. And it wasn’t screams of frustration due to a ruse to keep the characters apart as you see in a lot of romances. It’s more of NO! Don’t give up! Now’s your chance for all you’ve been missing in your life! Sigh. These two exhausted me. But it’s a good exhaustion.

This book is everything I thought it could and would be and then some. I think Quinn Rafferty has become my favorite Shiloh Walker hero. And that’s saying something considering all of her heroes.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Quinn Rafferty is working as a bounty hunter for a private detective agency in St. Louis when a new neighbor catches his eye. He’s drawn to her-but he has his own soul to mend before he can worry about anyone else.

Sarah McElyea is on the run, but not for the usual reasons a woman goes on the lam. She has a plan for her future. And as much as she finds herself attracted to her gruff, tough neighbor, she can’t risk telling him the secrets she’s hiding.

But Quinn must get closer to Sarah when she turns out to be the target of his new missing persons case, and both Quinn and Sarah will have to expose their true feelings-as well as their fragile hearts-if their love is to survive.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Limecello’s review of Coming Undone by Lauren Dane
Contemporary erotic romance released by Berkley Trade 5 Jan 10

I loved this book. Loved. If 2010 is anything like 2009, Coming Undone will be part of my top 10 reads of the year. This was a contemporary novel that hearkened back to why I started reading romances in the first place. A heavy focus on relationships, both romantic, and general interpersonal ones. Family, friends, community. Then of course there’s the love story. Fantastic. The moving of the hero and heroine towards each other, and falling in love. Heart wrenching scenes, and words that come alive. I found myself speaking out loud in response to certain scenes or situations – I couldn’t help commenting, I was that invested in the story.

Normally, I don’t like a heroine with a sad past. Or, I don’t like that anymore because its so overused. I sometimes wonder if it’s against some secret author code, that the heroine have a relatively normal, well adjusted past. Admit it – it’s become a trope. (And it seems with Ms. Dane in particular.)

However, here, I was ok with it for Elise. She’s a ballerina. While I’m not friends with any professional ballerinas, I have friends of friends who are. And close friends while I was younger who were serious dancers. It’s like an alternate universe. Taking that into consideration, Elise was almost boring. I liked that – she’s normal, and grounded, and incredibly well adjusted. Hooray for her! She’s also got a rather crazy past. I know it’s cliche, but artists are weird. She was married to one. Living in New York. I can accept all of that. More importantly, I can believe that the events her past happened, and aren’t that rare.

In a way, Brody is the “less realistic” character. He raised his brother and sister – two incredibly successful musicians, he’s a tattoo artist… and frankly I want one. A Brody, that is. He’s smart, caring, nurturing, mature- pretty much everything you’d want in a guy. He has his own house, is domesticated, loves his family, owns a business that is doing well… and of course, he’s hot. And is related to rock stars. He’s so perfect that of course he’s fiction. And only fiction. However, Brody is believable too. He screws up like any person will. Brody also has a few incredibly dense idiot guy moments. He’s kinda clueless. It’s endearing, yet frustrating.

I really liked how family was such a big part of this book. Both blood, and those you choose to incorporate into your family circle. Personally, that’s something I identify with very well, and I think most readers will also. You can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends, who in a way become your family.

One very minor thing that stuck out to me, and resonated with me – is how Brody’s tattoos don’t show when he’s dressed up. He goes to court with Elise, and his tattoos don’t show. Even though generally his tattoos are prominently displayed. I liked that. The way I interpreted it, is that Brody is grounded, and realistic. Sure, he loves his tattoos – he loves his work and takes pride in it. They’re something he shows proudly.

On the other hand, he also knows that general opinion is less favorable towards tattoos. Especially a more conservative outlook, and perhaps particularly in court, where things are just more formal. Brody doesn’t whine about it, or rail at the injustice or unfairness of it. He knows and understand that people judge based on appearance. Right or wrong, it happens. This is such a tiny, minor detail. Just one sentence in the novel – but to me, it just gave the characters, and the story so much more depth. And that’s just one example.

My only “beef” with the book really, is the gratuitous sex between Erin and her two “husbands.” It was unnecessary… but still fit. I just associate it as being the random “boob shot” that was and is so prevalent in tv shows and movies. Erin is an incredibly important part of the book, as are Todd and Ben. Actually, as the relationship is developed with their triangle, it worked- and provided a nice break from the main story. So… basically, I have no real complaints.

I loved this book. I loved it so hard. While I did read the previous book, Laid Bare, it was not my favorite by Ms. Dane. It’d help if you read the books in order, but I don’t think it’s necessary. If you want to skip the first, fine – great. But don’t skip this one. I’m serious. Read this book. Make your friends read this book.

This is a terrific romance. In fact, my review is so vague because I want you to go buy this book and read it. And then come back here and comment so we can squee like little girls over it.

Grade: A+

Summary:

KEEPING IT TOGETHER

Brody Brown has always been responsible for others. After his parents’ death, he gave up a promising artistic career to care for his younger brother and sister. Now, with his siblings grown, Brody owns his own business, has a nice house, makes a nice living, and for the first time in years he’s on his own.

Elise Sorenson has come to Seattle with her young daughter to find peace. After years as a world-famous ballerina—(and just as many years in a marriage-gone-bad)—she’s looking for neither love nor attention. But she finds both in the handsome, honest man who befriends her with no strings attached.

More than friends, Brody and Elise discover in each other what they need—wild, physical passion without commitment. But it’ll take a shadow from Elise’s past to make them look beyond what they need—to what they truly desire.

Read an excerpt here.

Devon’s review of A Mermaid’s Ransom by Joey W. Hill
Paranormal Romance released by Berkely Trade 1 December  2009

If you’ve read my reviews of the previous two installments in this series (go on, check them out here and here), you’ll know I’m a great big fan of this author. She’s a consistent author of erotic romance that is both super hot and touchingly romantic, exploring themes of dominance and submission, faith and acceptance. I am loving this Mermaid series more and more with each book. This world of mermaids and angels is not as dark as some of Hill’s other settings, but it, and its inhabitants, are growing increasingly complex. A Mermaid’s Ransom really pushes the envelope with its hero. Those who like their tormented heroes to be truly tormented may like him as much as I did, but I suspect there are some who may not. Why? Read on and find out.

A Mermaid’s Ransom takes place twenty-odd years after the events of A Mermaid’s Kiss and A Witch’s Beauty. Alexis, the daughter of Jonah and Anna, is a grown up Merangel now. That’s right, she’s a Merangel, which means she sprouts wings and a tail at the same time. Seems awkward to me, but hey, what do I know. Anyhoo, Alexis is a happy-go-lucky college student liked by all due to her angelic energy and empathic abilities. Her lovely world is turned inside out when her increasingly dark erotic dreams become all too real. Alexis has been pulled into the realm of the Dark Ones by Dante, half Dark-Spawn, half Vampire.

Dante played a secondary role in A Witch’s Beauty, but he’s changed a lot since that book. He’s now the most powerful thing in the freaky, frightening Dark One realm, and he plans to use Alexis to escape the hell he’s spent his life in. Alexis is frightened, but also incredibly drawn to Dante, and she senses a spark of…something in him. Of course, if he does manage to escape, Alexis’ friends and family are gonna be none too happy with him. Plus, what is a vampire/demon who has spent his life in a hell dimension going to do in our world anyway? Probably not going to fit in.

Dante is a sociopath, plain and simple. It’s not his fault, he has spent his life in a place where the only emotions that exist are fear, rage, lust, and despair, and the only pursuits are showing dominance, causing pain and survival. It is an awful, frightening place, and Dante can be a frightening person. He feels attached to Alexis, very possessive and protective of her, and very attracted. But he has only the tiniest understanding of tender emotions, and he is confused by the things he feels. Dante has also done some whack shit in order to survive and triumph over his lifelong tormentors, the Dark Ones. He’s a mess. A totally freaking hot mess.

Alexis, kind of like her mother Anna, is almost Mary Sue-ish in her complete goodness and sweetness. What saves her from being annoying is her self-awareness (she has always felt that people are drawn to her due to her angelic aura rather than for herself), her sense of humor regarding the weirdness of the Dante situation, and her spine. Despite the fact that she’s afraid and uncertain of what will happen with Dante, Alexis is certain of her connection to him. This gives her the faith to stand up to Dante and her family and try to help him make his way in this world. Their romance is weird, fascinating and super sexy.

The plot is well paced, with moments funny and touching to temper some of the darker aspects. Jonah, Anna, Mina and David make welcome appearances, and help move things along. Hill can wax a bit…new age-y about the whole submission thing and the Goddess and what not, but not for too long. I also felt that the very end of the book, after the intense climax, was a bit of a letdown. But that leads me to my main concern. There is no magical 180 for Dante. He changes and grows throughout the story, but he ain’t no shiny, happy person by the end. He’s got a long way to go. Readers may find it hard to root for him. Me, I loved him, and I hope to see more of how they’re coming along in future books.

This is my favorite of the three books so far, and I’m looking forward to the next. I do recommend reading in order, and reading all three. If you’re looking for a paranormal that’s not run of the mill, give it a try. Complex characters, hot sex and food for thought to be found.

Grade: A-

Summary:
Growing up the daughter of a famous mermaid and the second in command of the angelic legions can put a lot of pressure on a girl. Though she loves her parents, Alexis has chosen to live among humans as an ordinary college girl, but she can’t hide the tranquil aura of angelic light and empathic ability that draws people to her. Unfortunately, while it draws men to her, none of them are willing to cross the line to find her true heart and soul – or even give her a decently passionate kiss. That is, until she begins to dream of a male trapped in fire and rage, who wants her so badly he’ll tear the universe apart to have her. However, while all she can feel is his pain and suffering, and a yearning to heal him, Dante sees her as the way to his freedom. He thinks he’s willing to destroy her to accomplish that, but once he kidnaps her into his world and is confronted with the girl who is the opposite of everything he’s ever known, he starts to wonder if his freedom is as important as keeping her by his side.
Read an excerpt here

Other books in the series:

Sandy M’s review of Wicked Ties by Shayla Black
Contemporary Erotic Romance published by Berkley Trade 2 Jan 07

I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while, especially after I read and reviewed my first Shayla Black, Decadent, last year and really liked it. I figured I’d like this one just as well. But somewhere along the way, I figured wrong. This book didn’t work for me nearly as well as Decadent.

I like the characters, Morgan and Jack, just fine, the sexual tension between them is edgy and sensual. The plot is intriguing, as are the secondary characters. What turned me off  is the way Jack more or less pushes his wicked lifestyle onto Morgan. Okay, I know it’s an erotic book, the toys, the ties, the whatever are part of that. But for me Jack just pushed too much and too hard.

But before all of that, Morgan hosts a sex talk show and she’s meeting Master J to bone up on the BDSM lifestyle which is the subject of her next show. She’s also being stalked and during her meet with Master J, someone takes a shot at her, turns the master in to professional bodyguard Jack Cole, and he takes it upon himself to keep her safe.

Stealing her away with the help of some friends and creative ways to get her out of town, they end up at his cabin in the swamps of Louisiana where Jack’s alphaness and lust hits an all-time high. He wants Morgan but he wants her his way. This is where he begins to really push her toward her inner submissiveness. He’s so certain she is a sub and he’s going to prove it to her.

He even has a sex room set up with every toy imagineable and then some. He basically challenges Morgan to give it all a go, even though she really doesn’t want to. It’s either do it his way or she doesn’t get the guy at all. So she chooses to do as he wants, though I didn’t see it as a choice. Just didn’t care of the ultimatum feel of that whole thing between them.

That’s really the only thing I didn’t care for in this book. Even despite his attitude along that vein, I still like Jack very much. Of course, they both have secrets that they eventually will have to deal with. And I do like how Jack does in the end realize Morgan is the one for him and he gives thanks that she does embrace her role as a submissive. For me he just went about it the wrong way.

Grade: C-

Summary:

She didn’t know what she wanted until he made her beg for it…

Morgan O’Malley has seen a lot of kinky things as the hostess of a cable sex talk show. But she’s never met a man like Jack Cole before. A self-proclaimed dominant, he’s as alpha as a male can get–and good for Morgan to have around when an obsessed stalker ratchets up his attempts to get to her.

Though Jack is a bodyguard, Morgan feels anything but safe in his presence. Because slowly and seductively, Jack is bringing her deepest fantasies to the surface. And when he bends her to his will, what’s more shocking than her surrender is how much she enjoys it–and starts to crave his masterful touch. A willing player in Jack’s games, Morgan knows that his motives aren’t pure, but she has no idea how personal they are…

Read an excerpt.

Other related books:

Sandy M’s review of Must Love Hellhounds by Andrews, Brook, Harris, and Singh
Contemporary Paranormal Romance published by Berkley Trade 1 Sep 09

I don’t read anthologies very often, but once in a while they’re a nice change of pace. I figured I’d love this one because after reading Lori Devoti’s hellhounds series, I fell in love with these evil but lovable dogs. I have to say that I was more disappointed than happy with the majority of the novellas in this anthology. I’ve only read one out of the four authors, Nalini Singh, and she is the standout of the group. The other three don’t even come close to her stellar story.

Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews

I do have the Magic series in my TBR pile, just waiting for me to get to it. The first part of this story didn’t do much to make me want to move the series higher in the pile, but that changed with the second half. Raphael, a werehyena, is full of charm but is as lethal as any other paranormal creature when pushed. He’s been in love with Andrea for quite a while, though she doesn’t know it. They grew up together, he’s like a brother to her, or so he thinks. Andrea’s just trying to get along in the world while keeping her inner self a secret. She doesn’t want to lose the life she’s mapped out so far just because of a little cross breeding in her background.

Trying to locate Raphael’s stepfather’s shade/soul when it’s stolen after his death, they start their investigation and eventually come upon a house guarded by a huge, very ugly and evil hellhound who takes his guard-dog duties seriously. The action during their journey is hair-raising, especially when battling with said hellhound. They come across a variety of different paranormal creatures that helps their trek along and keeps the story interesting. And their eventual tryst is quite steamy, and Raphael’s confession to Andrea is a highlight of the whole thing.

Grade: B-

Summary:

Kate is on medical leave and Andrea is sitting in her office. Everything is going well, until a giant hell dog escapes the Underworld and Raphael, the smoking-hot and very persistent werehyena, asks Andrea to help him track down…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Blind Spot by Meljean Brook

This is my second favorite story of the anthology. Ms. Brook gives a reader something different and that makes reading it so much more fun. What I found most interesting and different is the fact that Geoffrey is blind due to an ancient curse that has tainted his family blood — but he can see through other people’s eyes. I perked up even more when that little tidbit came along. Maggie works for Geoff’s uncle, a very old and dangerous vampire, and has been sent to help rescue Geoff’s sister who has been taken hostage for some unknown reason. With her is Sir Pup, a fun-loving but also dangerous hellhound. He plays guide dog and guard dog with equal aplomb.

I really enjoy Ms. Brook’s writing, her characters are perfect, and she gives a story that moves at just the right pace and with twists and turns where you least expect them. I will be moving this series to the top of the TBR pile.

Grade: B+

Summary:

The job was simple: find her boss’s niece, bring her home safely, and hand out a whole lot of pain to whoever had abducted her. But Maggie hadn’t counted on her boss’s nephew, the hellhound who loved to make her life difficult, or her own past rearing its complicated and ugly head.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

The Britlingens Go to Hell by Charlaine Harris

This novella is the disappointment of the bunch. Simply, I was bored the entire way. The idea of the Britlingen Collective is interesting, but this story just didn’t live up to the potential. Two of the Collective’s warriors, Clovache and Batanya, are chosen to  head to hell with a client who needs something found there. So all we get is the danger they go through as they journey through the halls of hell toward their end goal, all of which is not that interesting; a client who is not upfront with them, thus leaving them in more danger; slugs leaving slime on the ground; and at this point I don’t even remember the hellhound involved. And only a slight hint at romance.

Not a very good introduction for a reader who has a good majority of Ms. Harris’ books in the TBR mountain.

Grade: D-

Summary:

A pair of warriors, Clovache and Batanya, take on the task of safeguarding a thief, not realizing they’d be going to Hell in pursuit of Lucifer’s favorite toy and along the way, encounter some very interesting travelers.

No excerpt found.

Other books in this series:

Angels’ Judgment by Nalini Singh

I have yet to read the first book in this series, Angel’s Blood, but after reading this novella I’m now salivating to get to it.  That doesn’t surprise me one bit. I should have known I’d love this story just because it’s Nalini Singh.

Sara is being considered to take over as Guild Director who reports to the Cadre of Ten, archangels who rule the world. She enjoys her current job as a vampire hunter, returning rogues to their masters. But she knows Simon, the current director, is weary after so many years and wishes to retire. She’s on one last mission before she has to make her decision.

Hunting down the villain killing vampires is that mission, and Simon sends Deacon, The Slayer, along to help but also to protect Sara if need be, because he knows the archangels will test her. As they work together, an attraction between them grows, and with Deacon’s secretiveness and sexiness, I can certainly see why. Their fling, which Sara believes is all they can have – how can she date such a dangerous and secretive man once she becomes director? – is hot and steamy and the best parts of the story. I didn’t care about the hellhound – which is owned by one of the suspects in the killings – I just wanted more of these two together.

Now that I have some of the background of the series down, it’s time to start Angel’s Blood. And I know I will like it just as much.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Vampire trackers Sara and Deacon must discover who is murdering vampires; one suspect owns a hellhound…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Overall Grade: B

Sandy M’s review of Beyond the Rain by Jess Granger
Futuristic Romance published by Berkley Trade 4 Aug 09

I’ve never been one to read a lot of futuristic romance. The biggest reason I don’t care to is really a lame one. I hate all the weird, unpronounceable names that authors come up with for their characters, planets, swear words, whatever. See, told you it was lame. But it’s something that always makes me cringe and then I end up irritated after a couple of pages of this kind of thing. I am so glad this author kept it simple when it came to the names she chose to use in BtR.

Because this is a very good read. My irritation level was at an all-time low, only coming to the fore a couple of times when one character was calling another some type of insulting name, but it’s done in a way that made it quite easy to figure out what they’re saying. I found, once I started this review, that Ms. Granger does have an intergalactic dictionary on her website, but that’s like having a glossary in a book that takes up 12 pages before the story starts. Just not something I like going through. And who can remember all of them if you do read through them first? So thank you, Ms. Granger, for keeping it fairly easy from the beginning.

What I like most about this book is how the hero’s emotions are reflected in his eyes. They turn different colors depending on his moods and emotions. This is done especially well when Cyani, our heroine, tells him what color she sees and he’s surprised by that a couple of times. Soren has been a slave half of his life, chained down to extract hormones from him that the enemy uses for their own purposes, and he’s just shy of madness when Cyani and her team come across him during a rescue. It’s her fox scout who finds Soren and won’t leave without him. Furry Vicca is another favorite piece of the book for me. Though she’s a military weapon, she’s also a pet/friend to Cyani and eventually Soren, and Ms. Granger uses her throughout the story quite effectively.

Soren needs to return to his home planet to find a mate. The hormones in his system require bonding, and once bonded he cannot be without his mate or death ensues. Getting to know Soren, knowing that he went through such a horrific time as she once did, Cyani is determined to escrot him home herself. She is due to become one of the Elite of her people, to live in peace and solitude after serving the last five years in a war to save her twin brother from the ruler of their planet. But the more time this couple spends together, the more their lives become intertwined.

Cyani must return to her people, despite her growing feelings for Soren. He wants her to stay with him, especially since he’s begun to bond with her. They both have a past to keep at bay and having each other helps them do that. They both have an uncertain future, wanting something they simply can’t have from the other. They go through quite a bit before they find what lies ahead. The action goes from escaping the planet where Soren has been held to crashing landing on another alien but beautiful world to rescuing children from the same fate Cyani endured, all the while giving us some sizzling sexual tension and some wonderful love scenes when these two finally come together.

There is another book in the works, I’m assuming, if the ending of this book is anything to go by. However, there is currently nothing on the author’s website to find out anything further on that score. It will feature Cyani’s twin, Cyn, and for one who doesn’t read much futuristic romance, I’m actually looking forward to it.

Grade: B

Read other reviews by following the book tag here.

Summary:

In a universe torn apart by civil war, a warrior and a slave must fight for their freedom, for their lives, and for a love that may destroy them both…

After five years behind enemy lines, Captain Cyani is ready to retire to her homeworld of Azra as one of the Elite — the celibate warrior sisterhood that rules the planet. But first she must complete one final mission to rescue her fellow Union soldiers. The last thing she expects to find is a prisoner, chained and beaten — but radiating feral power and an unbroken spirit…

Soren is a Byralen, an enigmatic people who possess a unique hormone that they use to bond with their mates — and that is sold as a sexual narcotic in the shadow trade. For years, he has endured torture at the hands of his captors as they leeched his very essence. The last thing he expects is to be freed from slavery by a beautiful warrior woman with radiant blue eyes.

Driven by her rigid sense of honor, Cyani frees Soren even though her life hinges upon the success of her mission. But after so many years in bondage, his hormones are so unbalanced that he will die if he does not bond with a woman. Can the lovely but distant warrior be the woman he needs to survive, or will the forbidden bond destroy them?

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Haunting Beauty by Erin Quinn
Paranormal Time Travel Romance published by Berkley Trade 4 Aug 09

I had seen various email advertisements about this book over the last month or so before its release. The blurb sounded interesting to me, so I put it on the wishlist. Next thing I know, our Syb had the book in hand and sent it on to me. She knows me well, figured this story would be one I’d enjoy. She has no idea how right she was. And now I have just re-created a monster with that comment!

First  I have to say how much I like Ms. Quinn’s voice. It’s absolutely perfect for paranormal romance, mystical and magical, and she does a beautiful job of giving the characters’ words and their world a definite Irish flavor and lilt. I felt like I was actually on the Irish island of Ballyfionuir throughout my read.

Next, the mystery that is woven into the characters’ lives is one steeped in family history, magic, and loads of evil. I love it when an author gives me something so different than what I’ve ever read before, and Ms. Quinn definitely does that. Also woven into that mystery is the paranormal. The hero, for the first part of the book, is a ghost. He’s been sent by his grandmother, who has magical powers of her own, to find the heroine and bring her home to Ireland to set right events that happened 20 years earlier. Sean and Danni end up time traveling to the time of those events, compliments of Danni and her power, so that Sean is no longer his ghostly self but a real, breathing man. Once there Danni’s visions continue to give her more information about the tragedy that hit both her and Sean’s families, and to get to the bottom of it all she has to find the Book of Fennore, an evil tome that seduces its victims into darkness.

Then there’s the characters themselves. Ms. Quinn pulls no punches and gives us a hero and heroine who we care about immediately, both because of their past, their present, and we wonder if they’ll have a future. Their lives are interwoven with each other though only Sean remembers Danni. She was much too young to remember much of anything until she’s back on Irish soil, but her memories are still sketchy. They cling to each other, being strangers to their families, and the way Ms. Quinn weaves that part of the story together is simply stellar. You see both Sean and Danni interacting with their young selves, Danni meeting the parents she can’t remember, Sean finding his memories about his father aren’t truly accurate, all the while trying to make sense of why they’ve been brought back only to live again through the most horrendous night of their lives.

The romance and the love between Sean and Danni slowly grows, goes through some very rough spots, but they show how strong they are individually as well as together. Their love scenes go from loving to furious and are so moving. They have to learn to trust one another, both afraid to tell the other everything for fear of the unknown, what will happen when things are said aloud, will the magic and the evil take more from them, forcing them to work harder for survival.

All of the secondary characters are very well done, each giving depth to their part of the storyline, each giving us a surprise here and there the more we get to know them. Ms. Quinn is great at misdirection when it comes to the villain, changing paths a few times before showing us some true colors.

This is one of the best books that I have read lately. I’m looking forward to the next book, which features Danni’s twin, and I know time is going crawl before I have it my hands.

Grade: A+

Summary:

A mysterious stranger . . .

Danni Jones believed everything about her past—that she was an unwanted child abandoned by her mother. That she was an outcast set apart by her clairvoyance. That she was alone. Then came the stranger. Dangerously seductive Sean Ballagh appears out of nowhere with a startling story that will challenge everything Danni thought was true.

A lost woman . . .

He claims that Danni’s family has been searching for her ever since she disappeared twenty years ago. He’s come to bring her home to Ireland. But Danni fears there’s more to his story than he dares to reveal. And the only way to find out is by following Sean back in time, to a forgotten past, to a world where nothing is what it seems.

A terrifying legacy . . .

Now, in a land where the mystical and the occult are as vivid as the emerald fields, Danni must rewrite history to save her family, to fight a force more evil than she ever imagined, and to reunite with the one man she was destined for—or live forever in time as nothing more than an ethereal memory, a tragic and haunting beauty…

Read an excerpt.

Limecello’s review of Relentless by Lauren Dane
Futuristic erotic romance released by Berkley Trade on 5 May 09

[This is my second time around trying to write/post the review, so I hope I don't forget anything.] I loved this book. I’m really enjoying Lauren Dane’s Federated series. I thought Undercover was good, but Relentless blew that out of the water. I’m also not huge on futuristic novels, but Ms. Dane is winning me over, one book at a time. I’ve already re-read Relentless, and plan on reading it yet again.

Abbie Haws is who I want to be when I grow up. Well, that’s not entirely true, but I wouldn’t mind being just like her. She’s a successful barrister, but more importantly, she’s comfortable with who she is. Not only that, but Abbie is slightly idealistic as well. She has a cause she believes in, and she’s willing to make sacrifices to meet her goal. Abbie is incredibly grounded, and has a great sense of self. She’s a very strong heroine, but not overbearing. Abbie is respectable and realistic, and I appreciated that Ms. Dane crafted Abbie’s character subtly. Abbie doesn’t have to be a bitch or be cruel to assert herself, but she is unquestionably in control of her domain. However, Abbie is also human. She has her flaws, made mistakes, and had a difficult life. But she still knows how to have fun.

Roman Lyons. Enough said, really – even just based on his name. I loved Ms. Dane’s dedication, “Lastly, thank you to Daniel Craig, who played Roman Lyons in my head. I promise neither Abbie nor I sullied you too much.” Roman is quite likable, and is characterized flawlessly. At no time do you forget his position, but that fact isn’t overbearing. I liked Roman’s arrogance, and the changes and growth he experiences throughout Restless. Roman is a good man, but in a way sheltered, due to his lifestyle. His interaction with Abbie changes him, but it’s also nice to see his strong personality carry through. Roman also isn’t above using his clout when he thinks it is necessary, and you have to respect that. He’s literally the head of the universe, but has a surprisingly level head over it. He’s a fantastic leader, and a terrific hero.

I liked how much care and thought Ms. Dane put into her world, and the characters. I was impressed by how Ms. Dane created an entire series of universes in the Federation books, and developed it throughout the story. I felt that I had a grasp of the governmental system, the culture, the socioeconomic nuances, even, of both Ravena, and the Known Universes. However, at no time did I feel that Ms. Dane was lecturing, or that the tone became pedantic. The subtle weaving of the plot alongside the foundation of the world building is impeccable. The society and system are also deeply ingrained in Roman and Abbie, and so much a part of who they are.

I think my favorite thing about Relentless and why I enjoyed it so much, was the characters and their relationships. That’s why I read romances. It’s not the other stuff – the “fluff.” I know how the story will end, so the plot is part of it, but not the whole. I read the books to see what and how the hero and heroine do together, and follow their interaction from beginning to end. I want to believe that the characters will stay together, and here, I do. I know Abbie and Roman will last. Their relationship is developed and strong, and it survived a number of obstacles. Ms. Dane wrote the perfect romance for Roman and Abbie – one that fit their personalities and situation exactly. [Oh - and I suppose I should mention the physical aspect. There's heat. A lot of it. And it's all good.]

I only have a few minor “complaints.” One would be a flat villain. I like that one “bad man” – Roman’s brother changes during the book, but Saul Kerrigan, the main antagonist was very static. Luckily, that didn’t bother me much because as I said, my point of interest is the relationship between the hero and heroine. That being said, I did have a minor issue with the dialogue. While I felt that it flowed much better than some of Ms. Dane’s other stories, there were still some passages where I was a bit jarred by what the characters were saying. Perhaps it was the way they said it, what they were saying – but it felt a tiny bit unnatural. I think it’s because Ms. Dane uses the character’s speech to develop the story, and sometimes it doesn’t quite fit.

I really hope that Daniel Haws gets his own story. (And Damien Lyon’s would be nice too, though he’s a distant second.) So Ms. Dane, her publisher – whoever has control over this, I hope you’re reading! I think it’s clear that I really enjoyed Relentless. I can only hope that more romances will be like it. Not the genre or plot – but the focus on the characters and their relationship.

Regardless of whether or not you like futuristic novels (because I don’t particularly), I think you should read this book. It’s a great story, and very well written. Reading this book made me happy.

Grade: A

Summary:
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In this erotic universe, passion knows no rank…
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Since the first settlers came through the portals from Earth, fifteen Families have held the rule of the Federated Universes in their hands. There’s never been a better time than now to throw out the old and usher in a new order. Give voice to the unranked. Abbie Haws has spent her life battling the system. A fighter, she’s always been too busy and driven to pay much attention to finding love. But when she’s granted audience with Roman Lyons, the head of House Lyons, who stands for everything she hates, her instant attraction catches Abbie off-guard…
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It’s common knowledge that the Known Universe revolves around Ravena—and that Ravena revolves around Roman Lyons, bred to lead since birth. Roman dreads his meeting with a defiant—if stunning—rabble-rouser. But, sometimes, headstrong personalities in the conference room make for hot-and-heavy, guilty trysts in private….
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Now, Abbie will show Roman the parts of her world he wouldn’t otherwise get to see. And he’ll give her a glimpse of the Families’ age old tradition and unleash a sexuality he’d never given rein to before.
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Read an excerpt here.

Sandy M’s review of Daring Time by Beth Kery
Time Travel Romance released by Berkley Trade 5 May 09

I should know better than to doubt Ms. Kery and her books. Early on in Daring Time there is slight reference to the hero being into BDSM. I gave a half-hearted groan, thinking that doesn’t bode well for me during the reading of this book. While I do read books here and there which contain elements of this lifestyle, the stories usually don’t work for me, mainly because sex scenes are liberally sprinkled with those elements just for the heck of it. Ms. Kery, however, gives the reader a good story that encompasses such habits which is only a small part of the characters’ lives and clearly enhances the enjoyment of those lives.

I was afraid this sexual concept would ruin the rest of the story for me, but Ms. Kery has spun a complex tale of time travel and reincarnation, along with the terrific and rich history of Chicago, seen from two different points in time. Said hero, Ryan Daire, is a Chicago detective and he and his partner are close to arresting the slimeball they’ve been after for human trafficking. In the midst of this he inherits a mansion in the exclusive Prairie Avenue District, a place where he discovers a time portal in the antique armoire in his bedroom. Ryan crosses paths again and again with the beautiful Hope Stillwater who lived in the house a hundred years before, and now he’s determined to have her.

Hope is a woman raised with the social mores of her time, but she’s also a very independent woman who works with her father to bring about the downfall of a slave trader preying on young, innocent women who come to Chicago looking for work. Though she is stunned when Ryan begins to appear in her room, she’s more curious than anything else, especially when the handsome man flames the fire of passion in her with just a touch. That passion bursts to erotic proportions when Ryan makes love to her in one of the most unusual ways I’ve ever read. They both continually crave one another thereafter, and it is Ryan who makes the decision to step into 1906 Chicago to save Hope from the deathly fate he learned about in his research of her past.

So much happens in this book, and the action is nearly nonstop and complex as it leads you toward a fantastic resolution. The love scenes are quite tastefully done, one in particular when Ryan must make love to Hope while being watched by a hoard of bad guys. This is the first scene where Ryan’s dominance takes over, but it is also a scene full of tenderness, caring, and education for Hope. It’s also the scene where I let my preconceptions go. These scenes work in Ms. Kery’s capable hands. The contrast of Hope’s independence in everyday life, even to the point of defying Ryan during dangerous moments, and her submission in the bedroom is intriguing, and I’m glad Hope is given her own scenes in which to sometimes do the seducing. The time traveling aspects of the book are also quite intriguing. I enjoyed the back-and-forth traveling between times, something most books don’t do.

Though the D/s theme is still not my favorite, Ms. Kery gives a balance in her books so it doesn’t overwhelm and become too much to deal with.  I’ve definitely learned my lesson to never doubt her again.

Grade: B+

Summary:
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He sees her, wants her, needs her…
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Chicago Detective Ryan Daire has many secrets: a love for Shakespeare, an appreciation for the all the finer things in life, and an absolute lack of restraint in the bedroom. Now he has an even bigger secret. In every shifting shadow of the sprawling mansion he’s recently inherited he can see her—tempting, ethereal, and untouchable. Hope Stillwater inhabited that mansion in 1906. Raw desire has formed a conduit between these two passionate souls who are separated by the barrier of time.
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Now he has to have her.
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Intoxicated by each other’s presence, Ryan and Hope are closer than ever to crossing that inviting boundary between two worlds. But there is one grave danger: Ryan’s job has put him on the trail of a depraved criminal in an investigation that’s risking Hope’s eternal fate and happiness. Now he must do whatever it takes to change history, protect Hope from harm, and set his own desires free.
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Read an excerpt.

Sybil’s review of Fragile by Shiloh Walker
Romantic Suspense released by Berkley Trade 3 Feb 09

Suspense was one of my first book crushes. It is really rather shocking I didn’t fall into reading romantic suspense right away or that I don’t do more of it now. I think it falls under ‘too many books too little time’ and that I have found too few authors I think do it really well. Or it could be I have gotten seriously jaded in my old age and find most of it too hard to believe. And at the same time, I almost didn’t pick up Fragile to read because it sounded too depressing. I am just all sorts of shades of difficult like that.

There hasn’t been a good opening over the past five or six months for Dr Rafferty to ask Devon Manning out. Generally the social worker’s visits to the hospital don’t leave a lot of room for romance to develop. After six years in combat he is used to working around difficult situations.  Mix in a way dysfunctional brother, along with no relationship with his mom and Luke has more than his fair share dealing with personal demons. The bonus here is Luke isn’t a man who scares off easily. When Devon is handed to him on a dinner plate, well, as a dinner ‘date’ when they run into each other one night he jumps at the chance to get to know her better. Sadly all doesn’t go well and he almost blows it before he has a chance to ask her out on a real date.

Devon confronts the situation in the parking lot head on and they talk about it – like adults. And it sets the stage for a great romance to develop. The suspense has a slow enough build up that the reader is given a chance to wonder which direction it is coming from, at least at first. I have to say I kept waiting for Luke to be accused because he was becoming almost ‘stalkerish’ in his, I am the hero, hear me roar ways. But I would be lying if I didn’t say he was yummy, in an ex army ranger way. But after the first 10 times it started to be a bit much.

And the thing I hate more than anything in romantic suspense is the heroine who knows she is being stalked, who knows she can’t go it alone, resisting help. And Devon isn’t dumb. She hates she has to give up some of her hard won independence and self reliance. And she has reason to fight giving it up; the fight is with herself as much as with Luke. But she does eventually give in. Luke and Devon are a fabulous couple together and I really enjoyed the book. Although I did find it dragged a bit in the middle. Parts felt repeated and I am not sure if that was suppose to be that way due to what was happening to Devon or not. But it slowed the book down for me.

Saying that I thought the end was interesting and can’t wait for Quinn’s book. Quinn will be getting a book… yes?  Shiloh Walker wears quite a few different genre hats and does it well.  I look forward to reading more romantic suspense from her and would love to read some contemporary romance as well, if anyone is taking suggestions or anything.  Oh and as always historical romance .

Grade: B

Summary:

Six years after trading in his combat gear for hospital scrubs, Luke Rafferty is faced with things just as heartbreaking as those on the battlefield. The abused children being brought in by the pretty redheaded social worker tug at his soul like nothing he’s ever known.

For Devon Manning, being a social worker is a rewarding job, but also a constant reminder of her own troubled youth. Devon takes everything one day at a time—unable to form a relationship with anyone except the children she rescues.

When Luke meets Devon, he thinks he might have found what he’s been looking for, but in order to get the life he wants, Luke has to break through Devon’s emotional barriers and make her realize that his healing touch might be just the complication her life needs…

Read an excerpt.

Devon’s review of A Witch’s Beauty (Mermaid Series, Book 2) by Joey W. Hill
Paranormal Romance released by Berkley Trade 6 Jan 09

Joey W. Hill is a fabulous writer. I guess I’ve moved into full fledged fangirl territory. Her characters are flawed, drawn to the darkness. Their desires and needs can be dark as well. But her books are never too disturbing or squicky, because the emotional bond between the characters is always evident. Hill writes about the redemption that can be found in true love and acceptance. A Witch’s Beauty is another fine example of this theme, and another enjoyable read.

Mina was my favorite character in A Mermaid’s Kiss, and I was really looking forward to her story. The daughter of a seawitch (mermaid) and a Dark One (demon), Mina has lived a life of ostracism and distrust. Much of her solitude is chosen however, for she is extremely powerful and must resist the call of her Dark One blood. Mina feels the urge to do evil, and constantly struggles to maintain a balance. Cranky, heavily scarred and possessing a long pair of tentacles, Mina is not a typical romance heroine. She’s a bit freaky, but I love her. She’s strong, brilliant and strangely funny and vulnerable. Be aware that she can sometimes be quite harsh and off-putting.

Mina meets David in that first book (which you don’t have to read, but I think you’ll get more out of this book if you do). David is a young angel with a troubled human past (which connects to two of Hill’s earlier books). Hill writes very strong, troubled heroines quite well, and she also writes a certain type of hero that is pretty unique. She uses the word “Champion” and that fits David very well. He is strong and steady, and unswerving in his faith in and love for Mina. He’s more in touch with his emotions, and Mina is the more powerful and aloof one, but it is clear that she really, really needs him, probably more than he does her.

There’s not a whole ton of plot. The focus is squarely on Mina and David and their developing relationship. I loved the characters and their relationship, but there were some slow bits. I think one’s enjoyment of the book will depend upon their enjoyment of the characters. I think it’s a good idea to read the first book as well, to get a clearer picture of this fictional universe and the characters within. The action certainly ratchets up towards the end, and it is gripping, painful, and sometimes confusing. But for readers of fantasy/paranormal romance who enjoy complex (and sometimes dark) characterization and relationships, I recommend. You won’t find the run of the mill here.

Grade: B+

Read more reviews and information about this series by following its tag.

The Summary:

Mina is the daughter of an unholy union—a mermaid taken by one of the malevolent Dark Ones. While helping to rescue Prime Legion Commander Jonah, she exposed herself as a potentially dangerous weapon, susceptible to the darkness in her own blood. Now, for the general good, Jonah has angels watching over her…

Though Mina is resistant to being protected, her attitude begins to change when David, the human-born angel, is awarded the duty. Looking into his eyes, she can sense that he too knows what it means to fight the darkness within. But—as their passion threatens to take over—will it lead them to Heaven or Hell?
Read an excerpt

Other books in the series:

A Vampire’s Claim, the third book in Joey W. Hill’s vampire series, will be released by Berkley Trade on 3 March 2009. Read on for an excerpt!

The daughter of two vampires, Lady Daniela is considered aristocracy in the vampire world. Still, she has to fight for what she wants—especially since what she wants is to depose a brutal territory overlord. For that she’ll need the help of Devlin, a handsome, brave human who inflames her desire far more than any man or beast.

Even though she could easily lay her claim and take Dev on as a fully marked servant, she resists the urge—especially since Dev is still tormented by something in his past. But when her enemy makes an unexpected appearance, Dev surprises them both by yielding completely to his feelings for Danny and showing her the devotion of a true servant—until she decides to take his freedom without asking…

***
Lady Daniela has never taken a full human servant. At two hundred years, she’s always put it off, having a bachelor’s attitude toward bonding with another, even an inferior human. Until she meets Dev on her return to her sheep station in Western Australia in 1953. The laconic bushman is a war veteran with the talents to help her reclaim her station from her mother’s lover, who usurped her position there forty years before.

But the more she gets to know him, the more reluctant she is to bind Dev to her in a way that might get him killed. Dev has his own thoughts on the matter, though, and she’ll soon find it’s easier for a vampire to survive in the desert sun than for her to survive without him by her side.

***

EXCERPT

This comes from the second chapter, when Dev and Danny have just met in a hotel pub in an Outback town and Danny has taken him back to her rooms.

The small boardinghouse was nothing fancy, of course, a frame building set up on pilings for air flow. Basically, it served as an alternative to the hotel, which housed mainly single stockmen. But it was clean and they’d tried to create a parlor for guests to play cards or keep one another company. There was even a brace of not-too-dingy lace curtains at the doors leading out to the veranda. Dev watched, bemused, as she slid the meager furniture of sofa and chair against the wall to clear floor space before he could join her to assist. For all she looked so refined and willowy, she was a strong thing.

“Take out your whip,” she said. And without further ado than that, she began to pace back from him, until she was near the opposite wall. Then she started to slip the buttons of her white shirt.

That froze him in place, watching the cleavage evolve into the high white curves of her breasts, like a bird’s wings. And she didn’t wear some practical brassiere bought out of a catalog, like most women he’d known. Her bosom was held in a lacy, transparent garment that not only made it look ready to spill out at any moment, but showed him the soft mudge of mauvenipples. Saliva gathered in the back of his throat as she shrugged out of the shirt. When she loosed her hair, it drifted over the molded cups and swung back over her bare shoulders.

“Come here and take off my boots.”

He moved, even though the commanding tone bothered him some, as if she fully expected to be obeyed. *Don’t make an issue out of it, mate.* Wryly, he suspected that quelling directive had been barked straight from his cock to his floundering brain.

“Lady Daniela.” He wet dry lips. “So you never explained that. Am I with nobility, then?”

“Aristocracy. Nobility is a virtue. I have few of those.”

He let his gaze drift appreciatively. “I’d argue that, my lady.”

When he reached her, she was leaned up against the wall, folding her hands almost demurely beneath the cushion of her backside. Even though the pose lifted those breasts, drew his hungry attention to them, she braced her heel on his thigh, stopping his forward progress. “My boots, Dev. If you’d like to see the rest.”

Picking up her ankle, he slid to the heel to take hold. While she hadn’t said to do it, he also took off the thin sock beneath, his hands whispering along bare skin now, the slope of calf and delicate structure of her ankle, the arch of her foot. Her lips parted, her breath raising those lovely breasts on a trembling sigh. She liked his touch, then. That was good. Because he intended to touch her a lot, for as long as she’d put up with him.

She shifted, placed the other foot high on his thigh again, earning a hungry lunge from his cock contained only by the tough fabric of his moleskins. Once he slid that boot and sock off, she straightened and opened the clasp on her jodhpurs. One teasing wriggle and they slid down her flesh like a waterfall, no resistance from her silky skin. As if she were one of those Roman goddesses, it was like she was meant to stand like this, in an elegant, nearly naked pose. He was all for it.

More lace, more transparent fabric that hiked high on her legs and the delectable arse. He’d bet it was round and soft-looking as a pillow. He was a sucker for a fine arse. He liked all the parts, but that one. He couldn’t get enough of ogling, squeezing, smacking. even buggering. Tina’d always laughed and said she had to keep her back to a wall-

He pulled back, startled by the thought. Lady Daniela glanced up at him. “Something bite you?” That seemed to amuse her for some reason, but there was a serious question in her gaze.

Nothing but memories. But as he well knew, memories did more than bite. They tore, ripped, mutilated.refused to leave you alone-or dead. He wouldn’t care which they did, as long as they’d stop their tormenting.

As if she knew that, she crossed the room, putting that distance between them again. He’d never seen a woman walk like that. Not the exaggerated saunter of a whore, or the self-conscious movements of a modest woman deprived of her clothes. It was the way he imagined a goddess to walk, fully aware of her sexual power, willing to be generous with it if the man was worthy. He wasn’t, but at this point he was willing to beg, as soon as he
could find his tongue. She was giving him a hell of an eyeful, driving coherence away.

High firm tits, arse shifting along just right, smooth pale legs. She was a vat of cream, for sure, and he was the hungry tom who wanted to lick it all up.

“So here’s your chance, bushman.” She posed there, a hand on her hip, cocked provocatively, and tossed her hair back. “Touch me with that whip from the farthest reach possible, without leaving so much as a mark, and I’ll give you everything you want. If you hurt me. I’ll get what I want.” She smiled, unexpectedly. “Of course, it’s all the same really, isn’t it?”

It broke some of the tension, making him chuckle. But as he measured off the pacing he needed, he felt a moment’s uneasiness. There was a reason the stockman’s braided kangaroo hide whip was called his third arm. He had as much control over it as his own limb. But the one appendage Dev didn’t seem to have any control over, his cock, could seriously disrupt that control, and a stockman’s whip could carve a brand in a steer’s hide.

*So focus, damn it. You don’t want to hurt her.*

Or did he? Fleetingly, he wondered if he might cheat a little.just to see what she’d demand of him. The look in her eyes was the way a lioness centered herself before chasing down that helpless buck. He did and didn’t want to do it her way. Some part of him wanted to go to her, bury himself in wet heat, feel the desperate clutch of her hands as he drove her to climax. Because after he exploded inside her, for a short time he could drift in the fantasy of a reality he’d had for too short a time. A reality he’d never have permanently again, because his heart wouldn’t survive its loss twice.

*Stop it.* Control wasn’t only important in the use of the whip. It was what was most important of all. As long as you had it, it implied you had choice. Startled, he realized he’d echoed her words earlier, by the billabong. Control was what was important, above all.

He uncoiled the whip with one deft move of his wrist. “You sure you might not enjoy feeling a touch of pain, my lady?”

“That’s beside the point.” She curled her lip, showing him a flash of her canines, which seemed particularly sharp. “The bet is no pain, or I get to take everything I want.”

He could curl the whip around her body for hours, twirl her in a dance, touch the end of it to any pink fragile part, tease a nipple or the hint of her pretty pussy beneath the gauzy fabric. Or cut a brand into her flank as intricate as he might wish. His cock hardened inexplicably at that thought.

As she posed there, beautiful, statuesque, something far beyond his reach, her blue eyes never left his face. Then she destroyed him by raising her arms above her head so her breasts rose, the skin stretched over her rib cage, making it more defined, vulnerable. She stayed that way, as if her hands were bound from the ceiling, and his blood fired.

The whip sang out, the pop striking right where he intended. A spot high on her perfect right breast, the first place he’d place his lips to soothe the skin. He put enough recoil into the strike that the effect was a bee sting, raising a blush on the skin. No cut, but it definitely hurt. Proving that he could do it without pain, and had made the conscious choice not to do so.

Sometimes he thought his roughness with women, the need to hurt them a little, came from the fact that none of those women was the one he missed so much. But there was a different component to this. Bloody oath, she didn’t even flinch. But he sensed something change in the air as he brought the whip back to him, coiled it up in an efficient movement. If he had to give it a name, he’d say it was a wave of feral satisfaction, emanating from her
like blazing heat.

Holding the whip in a clenched fist, he saw her gaze travel to where his cock was straining against his trousers, then back over every tense muscle in his body. As her attention went up his bare chest, it reminded him of her touch through the bar rag, the way she’d seemed to savor every inch of him.

“I assume you’re a man of your word?” she asked.

“I am.” He found his mouth was dry.

“Take off your shirt.” When he complied, she began to move toward him. As her hips moved like the pendulum of an elegant clock, her breasts quivered in the cradle of that bra. He was sure the underwire beneath the lace was far more unforgiving and cruel than his hands would be. Or maybe not.

She stopped before him, gazed up into his eyes. Dev was unable to move, the proximity of her body to the raging need of his own overwhelming, paralyzing him. “When we’re alone, you may call me Danny,” she said. “All right?”

“Yes, my lady.” He wasn’t sure why he couldn’t comply with it just yet. Maybe he needed her remoteness. Maybe he was afraid that what was inside him would swallow her whole if she left no barriers between them.

“There’s something in your eyes, bushman,” she continued softly, looking up into them. “I want to keep this moment quite real between us. You said you’d let me have anything I want.”

“There’s not much to take, love.” And he was afraid what little there was, he might give her. He’d immersed himself in women before to keep the darkness at bay, but despite the fact this woman looked a handful of years younger than him, it was as if she understood the deep intricacies of the world, how they were heartbreaking beyond bearing. She wasn’t soothing him or telling him to shut it out. Instead she was throwing him a line, making him accept the port she was offering from his storm.

Her hand slid over his on the whip, started to uncoil it again. When he reached for her with his free hand, she caught his wrist, guided it behind him, then the other, the whip still in his grip. Before he could object or try to overpower her, she’d lifted on her toes and brought her mouth to his, pressing those straight-from-Heaven tits against his chest. The bra was so
thin he could feel the pressure of her hardened nipples.

Opening to her, he gave her his tongue, teased her with it, demanded with his lips what his body had to have. He was vaguely aware of her tangling his hands in the whip, and now he’d no objection to her game. Until he felt the kangaroo leather cinch, one shot past painful, and found she’d securely bound his wrists behind him.

She backed away from him then, holding the tail of the whip through his legs. When he started to move forward, she lifted it between them, putting an uncomfortable pressure against his testicles. Her blue eyes had sobered, but he found it somewhat reassuring they still reflected the raging desire he was feeling himself.

“Did you know that when a convict was brought here, sometimes he didn’t even know the length of his sentence?” Her voice had become that sultry murmur again, despite the grim topic. “Perhaps the judges forgot to tell him, or didn’t think him worth the effort. I think that would be the worst part of his lot. Truly helpless to his fate, forced to trust his master to tell him when his release would come.”

He told himself all he needed to do was twist to yank the whip from her. Instead, he remained still, watchful. “You didn’t jump when I marked you. As though you expected it.”

“I did. You don’t do what you’re told, because you want to defy the consequences. Prove you can handle them.” She came back to him then, one step, two.three. Reaching out, she caressed his jaw, then tipped his chin back, slowly, her nails digging in a little. She liked using her claws. A further tip, straining his neck some, a deeper gouge of those sharp edges.
“Plus, I trusted you. Can you trust me?”

Her breath was on his flesh, near the artery pulsing in his throat. For some reason Dev heard his blood pounding through it, his ears, his chest, as if rushing water was closing in on him.

“I doubt it.”

I’ve been covered over with large quantities of visiting extended family, baking, cleaning, cooking (can you say Christmas Tamales?  I knew you could), and general holiday madness – not to mention trying to find time to meet Sybil to shift some books from her car to my car.  As a result I haven’t had time to write full blown reviews of a few books.  So here’s a quick run down of what I’ve been reading.  I promise I’ll try to get to full reviews of all three books shortly… 

Highland Sinner by Hannah Howell
Historical paranormal romantic suspense released by Zebra 1 Dec 08

Another of those “reformed rake” stories that I love so well.  Also a good murder mystery.  An historical with more paranormal elements than usually present in her books.  Good Hannah Howell, even with all the “dinnae” and “och” to wade thru.  Nice romance and a very excellent heroine.

Grade: B+

The Flame (The Sons of Destiny, Book 7) by Jean Johnson
Fantasy romance released by Berkley Trade/Sensation 2 Dec 08

Good story but so-so romance.  It took too long to start the actual relationship.  This was much more a “fantasy” than a “romance”.  Here’s hoping the 8th and final book in the series, The Mage, gives us more meat on the romantic bones.

Grade: C+

Murder Game (GhostWalkers, Book 7) by Christine Feehan
Contemporary paranormal romantic suspense released by Jove 30 Dec 08

Oh my goodness.  Terrific Ghostwalker novel.  Really hot romance, good heroine, hot alpha hero, hot sensuality (had to look at the cover to make sure I wasn’t reading Lora Leigh), excellent romantic suspense elements, excellent action.  All around good book.  I don’t think you’d even have to read the previous GW books to like it; it stands well on its own. Pacing was excellent and never a dull moment.  Loved it.

Grade: A

For those of you following along at home, we’ve been serving up excerpts all week from the Unlaced anthology by Jaci Burton, Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill, and Denise Rossetti .  You still have time to win a copy.  Simply leave a comment on one of the excerpt posts and you’ll be entered to win.

Excerpt One: The Ties that Bind by Jaci BurtonExcerpt Two: Undone by Jasmine Haynes

Excerpt Three: Controlled Response by Joey W. Hill

Excerpt Four: Rubies and Black Velvet by Denise Rossetti

If you haven’t already, be sure to swing over to Book Binge and check out the guest post the authors did.

 The Good and Bad About Writing for an Anthology

One lucky winner will be chosen from the comments of that post to win a signed copy of Unlaced.

Sandy M’s review of The Missing by Shiloh Walker
Contemporary Paranormal Romance published by Berkley Trade 4 Nov 08

Wow.  I tried to think of some way to start this review and I ran through the story again in my head.  Once I did that, all that ever came to me again was, “Wow.”  I’ve really only read a few of this author’s books before this one, but I can safely say without a doubt that Shiloh Walker has outdone herself with this book.

We meet Cullen and Taige as they meet when they’re teenagers near Taige’s home where Cullen’s family vacation every year.  They see each other around, but it’s not until Taige is attacked by some local boys and Cullen comes to her rescue that their relationship truly begins.  They continue to see each other the rest of that summer and then each year as Cullen and his family return to the area, and each year their relationship progresses, despite Taige’s fear he’ll leave her when he discovers her psychic gift.  But love does eventually bloom for them both and then tragedy strikes, and Cullen blames Taige for his loss and cuts her out of his life.

Their lives go on, of course, in the intervening years, each going in a direction they hadn’t expected in those years together.  When they do meet again, it is due to tragedy one more time.  Cullen’s daughter has been kidnapped and when the police waste precious time looking at him as a suspect, his only hope to find his little girl before it’s too late is to go back to Taige.  He knows now that it was his grief that pushed her out of his life years ago and he prays she’ll help him.

Thinking she would always stay holed up in her hometown where folks are used to her and her gift, it was her guilt from not being able to help the one person who meant the most to her that caused her to hone her abilities to help others, mostly children.  So when Cullen comes to her she has a chance to make things right with him.  What neither of them expected is a connection to Taige’s dreams and visions she’s had most of her life are wrapped up in the hell Cullen is currently going through.  So begins their journey to find his daughter, other missing, and the evil villain who preys on the innocent.

Though they both realize their feelings still exist for one another, Taige tries to keep Cullen at arm’s length just as much as he tries to bring her closer.  Even their dreams are more real than even they could imagine. When they finally come together again, especially as adults instead of kids, it’s worth all the time they were apart.  Cullen and Taige are an awesomely dynamic couple.  The scenes when Taige has her visions are perfectly described, you feel like you’re right there in the middle of it all.  And the villain they have to fight personifies evil to the core.  Bringing that bastard down is not only satisfying to Cullen and Taige, but the reader as well.

This is a terrific story starting with a teenage love that grows over time, even when they’re apart, endures tragedy, and triumphs over evil in the world.  It’s a story of being accepted for who you are and loved anyway, having those you love not judge you, and it’s a story of forgiveness and faith that the love you lost and long for will be yours once again.

Wow.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Her psychic gift drove away the man she loved— and years later has drawn him back to her…

As a teenager, Taige Branch hated her psychic gift. No one could understand—except for Cullen Morgan, the boy who stole her heart. He did his best to accept her, until his mother was brutally murdered—and he couldn’t forgive Taige for not preventing it.

Now a widowed father, Cullen Morgan has never forgotten Taige. But what brings her back into his life is another tragedy. His beloved little girl has been kidnapped, and Taige is his only hope of finding her. Working together against the clock, Cullen and Taige can’t help but wonder whether—if they find his daughter in time—it isn’t too late for the overpowering love that still burns between them…

Read an excerpt.