Janet Webb’s review of New York To Dallas: an In Death novel by J.D. Robb
Futuristic thriller hardcover released by Putnam Adult 15 Sep 11

I was so excited to have an opportunity to review this book. I have every single one of the In Death books and I re-read the futuristic series frequently, especially the earliest ones. J.D. Robb has created a world populated, at its heart, by a stronger-than-life heroine, Eve Dallas, and her gazillionaire Irish husband Roarke. What did I learn from New York To Dallas? First lesson: never, ever, ever take Eve and Roarke away from their home in New York City, at least not for almost the entirety of the book. New York hasn’t changed that much, in Robb’s 50-years-into-the-future-vision: it’s still the pulsating, vibrant, down and dirty and master of the universe center of the world, and it’s the heart and soul of Eve and Roarke’s world.

Monster McQueen escapes from prison and the first thing he does is gets a message to Eve. He’s out for revenge. Leaving trusty Peabody in charge, Eve and Roarke fly to Dallas, where McQueen has escaped. Readers know that Dallas, the city, is Eve’s childhood home and it’s the stuff of continuing nightmares for her. Brutally abused by her father, Eve eventually kills him and escapes, but she does not escape unharmed. McQueen knows of Eve’s past, which is why he lures her to Dallas. Roarke too has some history there, through his n’er-do-well con-artist father. I had expected New York To Dallas to be a very dark book, because of Eve’s childhood, and it was, sort of. Unfortunately, I feel her encounters with her memories and persons from the past are almost cartoonish: it’s a vivid, over-the-top tableau. Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker came to mind: the painfulness and reality of the past was so exaggerated as to not seem real.

My biggest difficulty with the book is, with the exception of the exaggerated memories from Eve’s childhood, everything is dialed back. The intimate bedroom scenes are anything but pulsing and powerful, the violence McQueen perpetrates on his victims is distanced and almost safe. Even the futuristic setting is less of a character in the novel and more a couple adjectives and nouns. Let me be more specific: in each book details serve to deepen the In Death world. In this book, I’m not even sure what Dr. Mira is wearing … instead Robb reintroduces and reintroduces the talismans from earlier books (Eve’s grey button, the huge diamond on a chain, even Galahad the cat). I feel as if Robb and her publishers decided to dial back, even more, the intensity of the earlier books, to introduce Eve and Roarke to a new audience. This happened once before: I thought there was a huge shift in the way the books were written when Robb transitioned from paperback to hardcover, but this takes the process even further.

Even the way the crime is solved, through bank records and knowing what things Isaac liked to buy, seems so been there/done that. This is not a fresh book, Dallas is no city for this New York couple and I was very disappointed. My recommendation: if you’re curious about the In Death series, buy Naked In Death and prepare to be transported and moved. It’s truly one of the best starts to a series of all time. I cannot recommend this book: for the first time, I won’t be putting it on my keeper shelf. Robb is too good a writer not to engage her readers and this book is readable on that level—it just could have been more.

I hold J.D. Robb to a very high standard: her best is excellent indeed and justifies her phenomenal reputation and following, and I still look forward to reading the next in the In Death series.

Grade: C

Summary:

The number-one New York Times bestselling author J.D. Robb presents an intense and terrifying new case for New York homicide cop Eve Dallas, one that will take her all the way to the city that gave her her name—and plunge her into the nightmares of her childhood.

When a monster named Isaac McQueen—taken down by Eve back in her uniform days—escapes from Rikers, he has two things in mind. One is to pick up where he left off, abducting young victims and leaving them scarred in both mind and body. The other is to get revenge on the woman who stopped him all those years ago.

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in this series:

Naked in Death, Jul 1995
Glory in Death, Dec 1995
Immortal in Death, Jul 1996
Rapture in Death, Oct 1996
Ceremony in Death, May 1997
Vengeance in Death, Oct 1997
Holiday in Death, Jun 1998
“Midnight in Death,” Silent Night, Nov 1998 (anthology)
Conspiracy in Death, Apr 1999
Loyalty in Death, Oct 1999
Witness in Death, Mar 2000
Judgment in Death, Sep 2000
Betrayal in Death, Mar 2001
“Interlude in Death,” Out of This World, Aug 2001 (anthology)
Seduction in Death, Sep 2001
Reunion in Death, Mar 2002
Purity in Death, Sep 2002
Portrait in Death, Mar 2003
Imitation in Death, Sep 2003
Divided in Death, Jan 2004
Remember When, May 2004 (novella)
Visions in Death, Aug 2004
Survivor in Death, Feb 2005
Origin in Death, Jul 2005
Memory in Death, Jan 2006
“Haunted in Death,” Bump in the Night, Apr 2006 (anthology)
Born in Death, Nov 2006
Innocent in Death, Feb 2007
Creation in Death, Nov 2007
“Eternity in Death,” Dead of Night, Nov 2007 (anthology)
Strangers in Death, Feb 2008
Salvation in Death, Nov 2008
“Ritual in Death,” Suite 606, Nov 2008 (anthology)
Promises in Death, Feb 2009
Kindred in Death, Nov 2009
“Missing in Death,” The Lost, Dec 2009 (anthology)
Fantasy in Death, Feb 2010
Big Jack, Mar 2010 (novella)

LynneC’s review of Lure of the Wicked (Dark Mission, Book 3) by Karina Cooper
Paranormal/Futuristic Romance published by Harper Collins 28 June 11

I received this one as an ARC from Netgalley.

I was intrigued by the premise of the story. I didn’t realize this was the third in a series, but sometimes I like jumping into a series to see what it’s about. I didn’t realize that this is a series that should definitely be read in order, as an important character from the first book appears in the second, and because I hadn’t read the first, I didn’t know him or what I was supposed to think about him. It just added to the all-at-sea feeling I had from the moment I started this book.

You can’t say that Cooper didn’t try. Lure of the Wicked begins with two solid chapters of infodumps and information. In the first chapter, the heroine is striding about a luxury hotel room, pissed off with someone or something, filling the air with “as you know, Bob,” statements.

So I learned that she’s a “missionary” of the “Church,” a church that seems to have very little to do with religion, hunting down “witches.” I put all these things in inverted commas, because the words didn’t mean what I expected them to mean, as I discovered as I read further.

Moreover, I dislike the heroine. She’s an agent of sorts, a killer, an assassin. There are always problems with assassin heroines in making them sympathetic to the reader. I’m afraid Naomi and I didn’t hit it off on the right foot. The high-heeled-booted foot. This is such a cliché, that despite the fact that Naomi dislikes high-heeled boots, it kind of grates on me. But I forgave and read on. Agents shouldn’t be angry, they should cultivate a cool, analytical approach, or they will do something stupid. Naomi seems to be constantly angry.  There is a lot of Nikita in this one, especially the original TV series. I can’t say if it’s like the new series, since I haven’t seen it.

Naomi does stupid stuff, I have to say. She keeps rescuing people in dangerous situations when she’s supposed to be posing as a rich client of this luxury spa that the hero runs. She ooks wonderful in designer clothes, but despises them. She looks wonderful in evening wear and she looks wonderful in old, tatty jeans, her preferred wear. She rescues people, shoots to kill, and knows exactly the right thing to do in a situation where everyone else is running around like a chicken without a head. So, naturally, I dislike Naomi. It is a bit of a relief to discover that she’s shit at breaking and entering. That is, she can do it really well, but she hasn’t prepared an exit line for if she’s interrupted, and she doesn’t really know what she’s looking for. Or where. So maybe action girl who isn’t as clever as she thought she was covers it.

What kept me reading is the hero, Phin (is it me, or are a lot of Phins turning up recently?) He has two mothers, as his parents are a loving female couple, and he is a neat freak. I love a man who isn’t afraid of his feminine side. He does fight and knows how to use a gun, but only when he needs to. Phin is smart and likes to think about things and, you know, actually work them out first. So although descriptions of him outside the generic “ripped” and “powerful” are sparse (apart from his curly hair, which is discussed a lot – I mean a lot), I could get on with him. I feel sorry that he is lumbered with Naomi, actually.

Naomi proves her lack of mental ability later, when a twist in the plot leaves her dumbfounded, whereas most readers will have sussed this one out pretty fast, or if they read the first book in the series, they’ll know it already. Not a deep thinker, our Naomi. Never mind, the lass means well. Even if it does take her almost the whole book to get there.

The plot? Don’t ask me. It was full of mothers and spas and sekrit organizations and stuff I have no idea about. Every time I thought I was getting the hang of this one, something new pops out of left field and left me floundering again. Despite the heavy emphasis on bringing the reader up to speed in the first couple of chapters, it doesn’t help an awful lot. Eventually I just went with the flow, and by the end, barely managed to lift a brow as yet another big surprise pops up. In the end, it’s an old trope, but I won’t spoil it by telling you what it is. Just that if you’re familiar with Nikita, you’ll get the idea of this one.

Now this is just me. There are a few authors I love in this field who write labyrinthine stories that don’t leave the reader wondering—Lynn Viehl comes immediately to mind. I’ll follow Viehl anywhere (except into YA – sorry, Lynn!) and I have Frostfire in my TBR waiting for a quiet afternoon, but Cooper doesn’t seem to have Viehl’s knack of making everything clear. Or of making you care about the protagonists.

There are a couple of super hot sex scenes that are worth the ride. I did enjoy them and I think they are done really well. Just m/f, but super hot and very involving. However, there is the sex equals love trope, which I’m not overkeen on. At one point later, Naomi does point that out to Phin, but he insists that he loves her. I didn’t see it, didn’t see how he could know he loves her instead of wanting her and being willing to let the relationship develop. In this instance, I did agree with Naomi. He couldn’t love her. He didn’t.

There are some great action scenes, and apart from a few odd turns of phrase, I find the prose clear and readable. “The thought made him want to insert himself into that easy niche of feminine laughter and kiss her until her breath fragmented in her chest.” The more you think about that sentence, especially with reference to Naomi, the less sense it makes. There are a few like that, where an editor might have asked Cooper if that worked in the context of the story.

Although there are quite a few scenes where the protagonists think about what they’re doing, why they’re doing this, I don’t really get under their skins. They have the right amount of angst in their pasts, in Naomi’s case perhaps a tad too much. But Naomi never does anything by halves (I mean that – anything! She probably uses four bottles in the shower). The action and the story seem disconnected by their feelings so that one element of the story doesn’t play on the other, the action merely pushes them into convenient proximity to each other. The witchy stuff seems kind of imposed, the paranormal element minimal. There is much more emphasis on the thriller side of the story.

The worldbuilding in this story is similarly patchy. This is post-apocalyptic Seattle, and the apocalypse in this case seems to have been earthquakes and natural disasters. But, apart from that, their world is our world, if you see what I mean. There are still designer clothes, guns you have to fire, jeans and cars you have to drive. No real imagination has gone into thinking about how technology might have advanced or even retreated, as a result of the disasters. If you delve too deeply, the world starts to fragment, so it’s best to see it as a convenient and vaguely interesting backdrop. Not a world I can wholly believe in, but had the romance been more engaging, I wouldn’t have cared.

For Phin, for the sex and action scenes and for the quality of writing, that brings my grade up a bit. But I can’t say I’ll be holding my breath in anticipation of Ms Cooper’s next book.

However, if you love this kind of book, a futuristic thriller, with lots of action and sex, and an intriguing hero, then you’ll probably enjoy this one.

Grade: C

Summary:

Naomi West was plucked from one prison and placed undercover in another: the gilded cage that is Timeless, New Seattle’s premier spa and resort, where owner Phinneas Clarke—the most seductive man Naomi has ever met—may be hiding a killer. She’s an agent of the Holy Order, trained to hunt the guilty and render justice. But while she’s tracking down a rogue agent on a killing spree, Phin is determined to uncover her most damning—and dangerous—secrets. Whatever the cost.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Ash’s review of Enemy Games by Marcella Burnard
Futuristic Romance published by Berkley 03 May 11

Enemy Games left me confused way more than once and that is not what I want with a book. After loving Enemy Within so much, I’m disappointed.

I’m not sure if it’s because it has been so long since I read Enemy Within, or if it’s just the jumpy plot. It seems like as soon as I start to understand what is going on, they move on to something else.We start off trying to find Jayleia’s father and we end with weird alien cocoons and Damen and Jayleia helping stop an alien civil war. I think it’s supposed to all come together, but I’m left with a headache trying to get it to all make sense.

Jayleia and Damen are interesting right away and I wanted to know more about them. I feel like I never get to know who they are, especially Damen. We get glimpses of what they have gone through and we’re told some things, but it’s given as just more facts. Even their romance is lacking. They don’t spend nearly enough time together without fighting off enemies, and the way Damen and Jayleia are almost forced together felt like a convenient way to get them to love each other faster. The plot seems to take over the story and the characters.

I am not sure if there are going to be any more books, and while I didn’t love this one, I really hope there are. Some things are still unanswered and I definitely want to know how it all turns out.

Grade: C+

Summary:

Kidnapped while combating a devastating plague, Jayleia Durante fights to resist the attractive Major Damen Sindrivik, an officer from a rival government’s spy corps. But with her spymaster father missing, and mercenaries hot on her trail, Jayleia must join forces with the magnetic, charming and manipulative spy. She must see past her desire and remember that his single-minded agenda is for the protection of the empire – not her or her people.

Damen knows a shadowy network of traitors has allied with the violent Chekydran, and that Jayleia’s father holds the key to dismantling that web. She becomes his only lead in a circuitous round of hide and seek and despite their opposing sides, he can’t resist her. Too bad his instincts tell him Jayleia is lying to him.

Now Jayleia and Damen must find the love to match their passion and end the war or they’ll become the prey of the traitors they stalk, and one species’ civil war will consume the galaxy.

No excerpt found.

Other books in this series:

Ash’s review of Enemy Within by Marcella Burnard
Futuristic Romance released by Berkley 02 Nov 10

With paranormals taking over my to be read pile, I always forget how much I love futuristic romances. As soon as I started Enemy Within, I was reminded of exactly what I love about them.

Enemy Within is definitely a roller coaster ride. Ari has been through a lot, and that is putting it mildly. Marcella Burnard does a great job of making Ari’s emotions come through, I felt for her every time she has a flashback or whenever she talks about what she went through. Ari could have easily been an unlikeable character. She is a space captain and she has had to be tough.

Cullin is the only one able to break through her walls, and it makes what they go through together that much more heartbreaking. There are many times when I wanted Ari to just be pissed at him, he more than deserves it. I think that might be only because I like Ari so much, I hate for anyone to hurt her, and it’s painful to read her going through that.

In any other book, I probably would have been annoyed if she had, in fact, stayed mad at him. He made it easy for her to forgive him, he wears his emotions on his sleeve when it comes to her. I think he might be one of the very few heroes who, to me, make their feelings so clear without saying a word. The other characters play their roles well, and I never thought they are just there in the background. They turn into a sort of family for Ari and I had to smile when I saw that two of them are the couple in Marcella Burnard’s next book.

One thing I do dislike about futuristic books is the languages. I hate having to read words that are nearly impossible to pronounce, and Enemy Within had its fair share of those.  It’s never bad enough to draw me out of the story, though, so I was able to deal with them.

This futuristic world is not complicated, and it has just the right amount of otherness to make it a great story. Some of the characters are more than human, from being telepathic to having powers of persuasion. It’s a believable future and I’d like to see what else Marcella Burnard can come up with next.

I am looking forward to exploring this world more in the next book, and I expect it to be just as fun and exciting.

Grade: A

Summary:

After a stint in an alien prison, Captain Ari Rose wonders why she even bothered to survive. Stripped of her command and banished to her father’s scientific expedition to finish a Ph.D. she doesn’t want, Ari never planned to languish quietly behind a desk. She wasn’t built for it, either. But when pirates commandeer her father’s ship, Ari once again becomes a prisoner.

As far as pirate leader Cullin is concerned, Ari’s past imprisonment puts her dead center in Cullin’s sights. If she hasn’t been brainwashed and returned as a spy, then he’s convinced she must be part of a traitorous alliance endangering billions of lives. Cullin can’t afford the desire she fires within him and he’ll stop at nothing, including destroying her, to uncover the truth.

No excerpt found.

Lynne Connolly’s review of Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh
Futuristic paranormal romance released by Berkley 3 Nov 09

The cover? Weird. Dev is Asian, with a fair bit of Indian in him, and he’s a director, not a cop, but the cover seems to show a George Michael type with a weapon in a blazing street. I know the scene it’s supposed to represent, it just seems more suspense than paranormal to me.

Dev Santos is the director of the Shine Foundation, which deals with the descendants of the Psy called the Forgotten. A woman is brought to him, one who has been tortured and has a terrible implant in her psychic memory, one they can’t access and they can’t remove. She refuses to respond to her name of Ekaterina, so Dev gives her the name Katya.

He takes her in to his home and looks after her. Katya has been badly treated, starved and tortured, and so mentally battered I don’t think she would have bounced back as quickly as she did.

The story is interwoven with two other narratives. One is hundred year old letters from a woman living at the cusp of the introduction of Silence. I would have loved these written as a story in themselves, but interspersed into this story, I found it took away some of the intensity of the main narrative.

The other is accounts from somewhere called the Sunshine station. At first, I connected this with the Shine Foundation, but it’s soon clear that they are separate, although I found it a bit confusing at first. I also didn’t understand Dev’s gift and how it factored into the story until quite late on.

The romance developed a bit unevenly, with some pauses to get on with the complex external plot, and at first I thought there were probably a couple of scenes too many, with a few repetitions of how and why.

Singh’s style is great, adult, with no gimmicky aspects, which is one of the reasons I enjoy her books so much. Her characters are adult too, not overgrown teens and they reason their way through the story. Perhaps a little too much at times, but I’m not complaining.

The end of the story contains a device that will be familiar to fans of the Psy/changeling series. Everything seems lost. I know, from writing “Sunfire,” how much fun these scenes are to write, but when I got to that part (desperately trying to avoid spoilers here!) I thought “I’ve read this before.” But I was happy to read it again, and see how these people coped with the dilemma.

I loved Dev, but I felt the romance was a tiny bit lacking. I’m not even sure why, because it’s all there – the sex, the growing intimacy, tenderness and care, but I did feel disassociated from the characters occasionally, not as involved as I wanted to be.

Still, I love this series and I’m eagerly awaiting the next one.

GRADE: B

Read other reviews of this series by clicking on its tag here.

Summary:

Nalini Singh returns to the Psy/Changeling world and its “breathtaking blend of passion, adventure, and the paranormal”* as a woman without a past becomes the pawn of a man who controls her future…

Dev Santos discovers her unconscious and battered, with no memory of who she is. All she knows is that she’s dangerous. Charged with protecting his people’s most vulnerable secrets, Dev is duty-bound to eliminate all threats. It’s a task he’s never hesitated to complete…until he finds himself drawn to a woman who might yet prove the enemy’s most insidious weapon.

Stripped of her memories by a shadowy oppressor, and programmed to carry out cold-blooded murder, Katya Haas is fighting desperately for her sanity itself. Her only hope is Dev. But how can she expect to gain the trust of a man who could very well be her next target? For in this game, one must die…

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

		The Cannibal Princess
A Gift For Kit

Sandy M’s review of Rion (Pendragon Legacy, Book 2) by Susan Kearney
Futuristic Romance published by Forever 24 Nov 09

The mystery, suspense, and romance continue in this second book of Ms. Kearney’s Pendragon Legacy series. And the dragons. The dragons are the heart of it all. This time around their plight breaks your heart and you hope there’s a lot of cheering going on at the end. You hope a lot.

Marisa is the twin sister of Lucan, the hero of the first book in the series. They’ve always shared that special psychic connection of twins, but Marisa has a step up on that, she’s a uniquely strong telepath. Since Lucan brought a cure to Earth to save mankind from extinction, one of the side effects is those who partook of the cure must intermittently dragonshape. Marisa is one of those. Her telepathy has been a godsend to others who are having a hard time with their transition; she’s able to communicate with them to help them learn to control their new status in life.

Not able to get to his home plant, Honor, since he helped Lucan locate and then lose the Holy Grail on Pendragon, he’s spent the last six months trapped on Earth, trying to convince its government they should prepare for the eventual attack on their planet by the Unari, a brutal race that has taken over his world by holding his people hostage as labor slaves. He needs Marisa to help him break that control on the dragons, and the only way to get her there is to trick her. Which he does quite effectively.

Angry at first at his tactics, Marisa soon forgives Rion when she sees firsthand how terrible Honor’s situation truly is. Joining a few rebel holdouts, Rion and Marisa must work together to figure out the best way for her unique gift to work in freeing the dragons and thereby taking his home back from the enemy. And through it all, their attraction grows, even knowing they do not have a future together, their worlds are too distant.

Once again, Ms. Kearney gives readers something so very different when it comes to a futuristic, paranormal read while mixing it together with Arthurian legend. The Unari is a race that seizes planets throughout the universe to further their hold on the Holy Grail. Their treatment of Honor’s dragons is horrendous and the author does an amazing job of getting across all the pain and emotion of an entire race in the throes of despair.

Rion and Marisa sizzle like mad during their love scenes. And when they’re in their dragon form, those scenes once again steal the spotlight throughout the book. I was really taken by surprise when we’re introduced to Jordan, the hero of the third book. If it weren’t for the dragons, that scene would have been the best in the story.

I’m hoping this series goes on for a while, that Ms. Kearney has enough stored in her terrific imagination to keep giving us wonderful books like this. I checked her website but didn’t see anything that gives a hint if there’s more than just these three books. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, though.

Grade: A+

Summary:

POWER IN THEIR PASSIONN
Marisa Rourke is a beautiful, fearless telepath who tames dragonshapers on Earth. Rion is a tall, dark, and sexy space explorer whose home planet is a galaxy away. The attraction between them is undeniable, but Rion is hiding a desperate secret that will change Marisa’s life forever.

DANGER IN THEIR TOUCH
Marisa’s gift is the only way Rion can communicate with his people, enslaved by a powerful enemy. He knows that kidnapping her is wrong, but saving his planet is worth sparking the fiery clairvoyant’s fury. Yet hotter—and more explosive—is the psychic bond growing between Marisa and Rion. Could their passion be the key to freeing Rion’s people? Only if he and Marisa can discover how to channel their desire . . . before a vicious enemy destroys them all.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Lucan (Pendragon Legacy, Book 1) by Susan Kearney
Futuristic Romance published by Forever 5 Sep 09

I’m so glad I’m finding dragon books to read lately, and this one is a very pleasant surprise. On top of that, it’s written around its own interpretation of the Arthurian legend, which is another favorite of mine. I’m not a huge futuristic fan, but Ms. Kearney weaves a terrific story on planets in a distant galaxy that is suspenseful, action-packed, and sexy.

Earth is on a course to extinction, and Lucan has made his way across the universe to Pendragon in search of the Holy Grail, mankind’s only hope of survival. Lady Cael is a healer and high priestess of Pendragon. Her life is very solitary and lonely; no one is even permitted to touch her. Both Lucan and Cael work on the team trying to breach the so-far-impregnable domed fortress of Avalon, where they believe the grail to be hidden. From their first meeting when Lucan rescues Cael when she’s stuck in a ventilation duct, all the way through their fantastic voyage, the sexual tension between these two is immediate and sizzling whenever they’re together.

Cael also wants the grail to save her nephew and she wants to keep it out of the hands of the military, but when things go wrong when Avalon’s protection is lowered, she and Lucan end up on the run, accused of trumped-up crimes. It’s during this time Lucan learns Cael is a dragonshaper, and the more information they uncover reveals the amazing story of how Earth and Pendragaon are linked by Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Ms. Kearney has taken little tidbits of an Earth legend and bound them with another world for a very intriguing read.

I enjoyed Lucan, of course. He’s a wonderful hero, torn between duty to his people, including his twin sister, and his unexpected love. Cael is a woman who only wants to be loved and cherished, something she’s never known despite her high status on her world. And the scenes when she shifts into her dragon form are some of the best in the book. You feel her flight, whether swift and frantic or swirling calmly on a breeze. And the surprise in store for Lucan along the way as he uncovers Arthur’s ancient secrets is an added bonus.

We also meet Rion, who is the hero of the next book in the series. His story is incorporated just so to get the reader oriented and ready for his book, which is due out later this month.

If you love dragons, knights, castles, intrigue, and suspense wrapped around your romance, you’re going to like this book. Ms. Kearney does an awesome job of taking a beloved myth and mixing it with her incredible imagination to give readers one heck of a read.

Grade: A

Summary:

THEIR LOVE IS FORBIDDEN

Healer and high priestess of her people, Lady Cael is fated to life without a mate. But a mysterious explorer named Lucan Rourke doesn’t know her secrets, and his touch makes her crave a future that her extraordinary birthright has forbidden her…

BUT DANGER IS NO MATCH FOR DESIRE

Lucan has just one mission on Pendragon: to find the mythical Holy Grail, Earth’s only hope for survival. His powerful attraction to Cael is a distraction he can’t afford, unless he convinces her to join forces with him. Yet working so closely together only heightens their passion…even when the terrifying truth of Cael’s heritage threatens to shatter Lucan’s every belief—and the galaxy itself.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Gwen’s review of Blaze of Memory (Psy-Changeling Series, Book 7) by Nalini Singh
Futuristic paranormal romance released by Berkley 3 Nov 09

At this point, I’ll sound like a broken record I’ve said this so much.  Nevertheless, I’ll say it again.  Singh is one of the best storytellers out there today, and the best paranormal romance author.  Her stories are set in an interesting, complete world, have luscious heroes and heroines, good plot lines, full and logical story arcs, excellent villains, and really dreamy romances. 

Blaze is no exception to these rules.  We get a full, rich romance with lots of great details and a really fun story.

Singh tells us a story about the head of the Shine Foundation, Dev, and a psy named Katya.  They meet under unusual circumstances.  Katya initially suffers from complete amnesia. (I know, I know, it’s a familiar tune, but it works here.  Honest.)

Over the course of the book, Dev and Katya, with other psy and changelings, solve the mystery of Katya and her condition.  They fall in love, have some awesome sex, and thwart a seriously nasty plot set in action by the villains.

I won’t give away any other details except to say that if you’re following this series, you definitely want to read this book.  If you’re new to the series, you might be a little at sea with Blaze - by this book, there’s so much backstory that you might miss quite a lot jumping in here.

Blaze is a romping good time with a new group of characters in this rich, interesting series.

Grade: A

Read other reviews of this series by clicking on its tag here.

Summary:

Nalini Singh returns to the Psy/Changeling world and its “breathtaking blend of passion, adventure, and the paranormal”* as a woman without a past becomes the pawn of a man who controls her future…

Dev Santos discovers her unconscious and battered, with no memory of who she is. All she knows is that she’s dangerous. Charged with protecting his people’s most vulnerable secrets, Dev is duty-bound to eliminate all threats. It’s a task he’s never hesitated to complete…until he finds himself drawn to a woman who might yet prove the enemy’s most insidious weapon.

Stripped of her memories by a shadowy oppressor, and programmed to carry out cold-blooded murder, Katya Haas is fighting desperately for her sanity itself. Her only hope is Dev. But how can she expect to gain the trust of a man who could very well be her next target? For in this game, one must die…

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

		The Cannibal Princess
A Gift For Kit

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 Tekgrrl (EHJ Series, Book 2) by A.J. Menden
Futuristic Paranormal Romance released by Leisure Books 26 May 09

I’ve stewed about this book for a few days after finishing it. Dorchester has discontinued their Shomi line, which is where this book would have been published if the line was still around. The few Shomis I’ve read I have thoroughly enjoyed. And that’s why I’ve had to stew over this one. Unfortunately, even if it were a Shomi, that wouldn’t help get it out of the woods.

The biggest problem for me with this book — and I know this isn’t going to make a whole lot of sense, but it can’t be helped, that’s just how it is — is the “cartoon” feel of it. Now why is that, those of you who haven’t read this series ask? Well, the Elite Hands of Justice are superheroes. Yep, just like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and all those other heroes that made up the Justice League of America in DC Comics. I just couldn’t get past that, even though that’s exactly what this book is about.  But I’m reading romance here, and as much as I always wanted Superman and Lois Lane to get together back in the good old days when I read comic books, it wasn’t the romance that drew me to reading them in the first place. I want romance now in my dotage, not all action and truth, justice, and the American way.

Now, maybe that’s not fair. That’s obviously what the author was going for in writing this book and this series.  And that’s fine. It’s me that’s the problem, no doubt about it. I would have been disappointed in it even if this book had Shomi in bold letters on the spine. It’s just too much comic book and not enough grown-up story for me. After having said all of this, there were things in the book I did like.

The author’s misdirection during the story was very well done. I really can’t go into that because anything I say about it will give it away. Just know that while you’re thinking one thing, it ain’t gonna be and there’s a surprise waiting for you later on. At first I felt kind of cheated when I realized what she had done, but because I was given a good resolution, I ended up not minding at all.

The actual complexity of the story itself is also well done. That is definitely Shomi worthy; it reminded of the Shomis of old and why I latched on to reading them in the first place. Mindy’s parents shuttle her off to an alien world at a very young age, not knowing what to do with her and her intelligence and her desire to be part of the EHJ. While she’s in the care of these aliens, another race attacks their world and takes Mindy and her adoptive sister hostage. They do things to her and her brain that she’s not able to handle, so when she’s back on earth her parents allow her memories of that time to be blocked.

Mindy does realize her dream of working with the EHJ, and though she has no super powers, what she learned while with her alien family has made her a technowizard and she fights side by side with the superheroes using her own inventions. Eventually the blocks in her mind start to unravel and she begins to remember all that happened to her on that alien planet, and it’s a doozy when it all comes to light. Kudos to the author for that.

I did like most of the other characters in the book. But, again, as with other things in the book, they had that one-dimensional, comic book feel and that detracted from that part of it all for me. The most interesting character was Robert, the Reincarnist, who is featured in Phenomenal Girl 5, the first book in the series. His daughter was also interesting, but that about does it as far as the other characters are concerned.

Sigh. I wish I had been closer to the other side of the fence on this book. But after is all said and done, I just fell in a totally different direction than even I anticipated.

Grade: C-

Summary:
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When she was 12, Mindy asked to go to The School like other gifted girls. Her parents sent her to another planet. Today, Mindy’s back on Earth. She’s a mechanical genius with the Elite Hands of Justice, America’s premier superhero squad. She’s been having headaches though, and it’s not just because her longtime crush is flirting with another teammate. It’s not because she’s pushing thirty. It’s also not because of the contrary actions of former teammate Simon Leasure. No, what’s burning her brain is a past she can’t remember, a past that has been erased. It’s a memory surging closer – in flying saucers. Her worst nightmare is returning, big time, and only she, her friends, and her one true love can stop it.
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Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Gwen’s review of Seduce the Darkness (Alien Huntress, Book 4) by Gena Showalter
Futuristic paranormal romance released by Pocket Star 30 Jun 09

I’ve read lots of Gena Showalter and enjoy her writing quite a bit – she’s edgy, passionate, and not afraid to go to dark places.  I hadn’t read any of this series until this book.  Even then, I read the blurb and, frankly, I was underwhelmed – it just didn’t grab me.  But I read reviews of the series, from people I respect, so I took a chance.  I even soldiered on in spite of early misgivings in the first few chapters. I mean, the hero is a total p___y hound and the heroine is a complete cipher.  I remained perfectly prepared not to like it.  Read on to see if I changed my mind… 

YUP!  THIS WAS A DA… er, DARN GOOD BOOK!

Now there were a couple of times when I wondered about the male characters’ dialogue – it doesn’t always sound too male.  I’d hazard a guess that male dialogue is one of the tougher elements for many a female author.  Nevertheless, I just can’t picture my brothers talking like Dallas and Devyn do a couple of times.  Looking past that very small and infrequent flaw, I had a damn good time reading this book.

The heroine, Bride, is one of my favorite kind – kick-ass, capable, powerful in her own right, and smart.  However, Bride is an orphan with no friends or family other than another young orphan she practically raised and from whom she’s been separated for years.  She’s never forgotten her young charge, though – particularly her smell. Growing up completely segregated from anyone like her has made Bride distrustful and very, very lonely.  A very unbalanced combination that leads to some interesting collisions with the hero.

Bride runs across Devyn, our hero, on a crowded street and, because of things you’ll have to read about, he smells like Bride’s missing friend.  This starts a series of events that thrust our main characters together in a battle of wills and libidos that fairly burns up the pages.  I got to where I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough.  The dialogue between Bride and Devyn – including their own internal dialogue – was some of the best I’ve read in an urban fantasy this year.  You SOOOO want this couple to get together that, by the time they do, you’re panting yourself.

In addition to the sexual tension, Showalter has a serious romance going on.  By the end of the book, you really can’t see these two ending up with anyone else.  They’re both very broken people who manage to find each other and see past the crazy façades to what they are deep inside -  both very lonely and in search of a home for their hearts.  Sounds trite, doesn’t it – yeah, I know – I don’t do the “soul mate” thing either, and, luckily, neither does Showalter.  But these two are as close to it as I think I’d ever care to read.  I love how Devyn and Bride challenge each other, allow each other to be their own people, but also expect and give respect.  It’s a wonderful balance they’ve built and it’s very satisfying to read.

So, the sexual tension and romance is high, but you wonder about the rest – how’s the action, the world building, the secondary characters, the overall story arc and motivations, right?  Excellent, good, excellent, and excellent.   Apparently one of the draws of this series is couples from the past books get to make reappearances in subsequent novels.  We get that in StD (no pun intended) – all logically woven into the main story and no excessive or gratuitous sequel-baiting or reunions.

The story arc takes us on an interesting road as Bride searches out more of her own kind and discovers some very interesting things about herself.  She ends up doing some amazing things that made me want to jump up and do a couple of Bruce Lee chops – all with a loud “KIIIYAH!”  (What can I say – I’m a child of the late 70′s.)

And you’ll be happy to know that the hero grew on me.  Sure, a bit like a fungus, but I like some fungi – again, no pun intended.  But he ended up devoted and in love and what’s wrong with that.  Not a darn thing, I tell you.

I’d recommend this book to anyone following the series, or anyone looking for a fun alternative, future Earth romance paranormal kind of love story.  This book stands alone fine, but I’m going right out and buying the back list so I can immerse myself in this world for a bit.  It’s a damn good time and a terrific summer read.

Grade: A

(GASP! This is the first of this series we’ve reviewed on this site!?)

Summary:
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SHE HAS A BODY MADE FOR TEMPTATION . . .
AND A KISS TO DIE FOR.
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The war between otherworlders and humans changed Earth beyond recognition. It also saved Bride McKells’s life. Before, the gorgeous vampire was a target for every fanatic with a stake and a crucifix. Now she’s free to roam the streets—and desperate to find others of her kind. One man claims to have the answers she seeks. Devyn, King of the Targons, is a warrior and a womanizer, and he makes no secret of how much he wants Bride—and how dangerous he could be to her in every way.
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An avid collector of women, Devyn easily seduces human and otherworlder alike. Until now. Not only does Bride resist him, but she leaves Devyn feeling something entirely new . . . a bone-deep need bordering on obsession. Her blood is the key to curing a vicious alien disease, but helping Bride uncover her origins will compel her to choose between electrifying passion and a destiny that could tear her from Devyn’s side forever.
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Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

Not that Innocent, anthology with Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kresley Cole, and Gena Showalter, coming 31 Jul 09 (but I can’t find any details on the book)

Related YA books in the “Teen Alien Huntress” series:

And some close-up coverliciousness – just ’cause I love me some luvly man…

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.

Shannon C.’s review of Jewels of the Nile, Vol. II by Samantha Kane, Anna J. Evans, Natasha Moore, Rebecca Airies, Maxie Cooper, and KyAnn Waters
Erotic romance anthology released by Ellora’s Cave 20 Jun 08

I own several of Ellora’s Cave’s multi-author anthologies. I tend to not read many anthologies, because they’re so easy to just put down again. But I did buy this one specifically for the Samantha Kane story, and I was pleased to find that I liked quite a few of the other offerings as well. Read on for my thoughts.

After Dark by KyAnn Waters
Contemporary paranormal

Well, I liked the idea of native American vampires, but Ms. Waters tried to do too much and didn’t succeed. The essential story, that of a woman who meets a vampire at a nightclub and the consequences of her one-night stand with him could have been much more compelling, except Ms. Waters tried to throw in extraneous paranormal world-building. I also felt that the conflict resolution was weak. I wasn’t convinced that heroine Kayla would have been happy being with hero Alandro for eternity, since there were too many other things in her life that she was concerned about leaving behind. This story tried to be a lot of things and never quite succeeded.

Grade: C-

Summary:

Kayla March has never reached orgasm…not even with a vibrator. However, she has the feeling that could all change when she meets Alandro Blackwood at the club After Dark.

Few vampires can breed. Alandro carries the unique recessive gene. His blood match, believed to have been killed by a vampire slayer, has been found. Unless her dormant vampire gene had already been awakened by a breeder, why would she go to After Dark, the feeding grounds? He’d soon find out.

Read an excerpt.

From the Sea by Maxie Cooper
Contemporary Paranormal Romance

Kelly discovers her soulmate, but can she conquer her fear of the sea to be with him?

This was much better. I felt that Kelly’s motivations were well-realized, and Sean was hot. Ms. Cooper managed to convince me of their romance in a relatively short space of time, even if the story did involve fated mates, a plot device I am generally tired of reading. I particularly liked that Ms. Cooper tied up Kelly’s loose ends, leaving her with no excuse not to go be with Sean, something I found lacking in the last offering. This is an author I’m definitely interested in seeing more of.

Grade: B

Summary:

Kelli Rhodes is vacationing at a beachside cottage when a mysterious man emerges from the sea, offering erotic pleasures beyond her wildest fantasies. For the first time in her life, Kelli feels a connection with someone — and his unbelievable story might explain the mystery behind Kelli’s birth.

There’s no denying the sexual chemistry between them. But to claim this man, Kelli must overcome her greatest fear…and take a leap into an even greater unknown.

No excerpt available.

Lady’s Choice by Rebecca Airies
Futuristic Erotic Romance

This one suffered from many of the flaws of the Waters story. Set on a space station that has recently lost power, our heroes and heroine are trapped together until they can be rescued and power restored. The men, who naturally come from the kind of alien culture that encourages two men to share one woman for reasons that are never explained, have a few ideas as to what they can do with their time. But after the rescue, can Kyna, the heroine, accept the love they offer?

Because of the limited word count, I didn’t really understand why the men wanted Kyna as much as they did. They tell her later that they’ve been watching her for a while, but I’m not sure I bought it. I also felt that certain aspects of the world were given much more detail than necessary (we learn an alien term of endearment) while others were pretty much glossed over (The guys have tattoos on their chests, but of what, I have no idea. Also, I really wanted someone to mention how sticky constant sex in the position they were using would be after several days, unless alien sperm is self-cleaning?) The result is a story that is all over the place, and my least favorite in the anthology.

Grade: C-

Summary:
Kyna has fought long and hard to establish herself as a dedicated, capable soldier in the Laurati army. Now she is determined to let nothing about her past tarnish her reputation as she works to advance among the Calazi militia. She’d wanted to impress her commanders, but not like this.

In the midst of a power outage on their base, Finn and Drace make their intentions toward Kyna crystal clear. Kyna is intrigued and aroused but wary of sleeping with a superior, let alone both of them. As the heat between them rises, however, she quickly realizes she needs to make a choice — and not between the two men.

Read an excerpt.

Sunrise by Natasha Moore
Contemporary Romance

Here’s another story I really liked. Caroline has been taking walks alone on the beach and meeting up with Alan for anonymous sex. Alan wants to take things to the next level and have something more permanent and less anonymous, but Caroline is afraid to.

This is such a great slice of life story. The characters have already met and are established as a couple, but their story is moving. Caroline’s first-person narrative brings a surprising immediacy to the story that made me identify with her, despite the craziness of the premise. I was rooting for her to accept what she was offered, and I was glad she did. I was left feeling satisfied with the direction of the romance, and I moved on to the next story with a smile on my face. This is hands down the best story in the anthology, and completely worth the price of admission alone.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Caroline has been meeting Alan at sunset for months. The hot sex they’ve been enjoying started out mindless and anonymous, just the way she wanted it. Little by little, they’ve gotten to know and care for each other. Caroline fears the changes in their relationship she can’t seem to prevent.

Alan wants Caroline in his life. He sets out to seduce her with his voice, his hands, his body. He’s no longer satisfied with sex in the shadows and wants more. Can he make Caroline feel the same?

Read an excerpt.

Surrender Dorothy by Anna J. Evans
Contemporary Paranormal Romance

This was a cute paranormal with an interesting setup. Stephen must convince Gelsey to become handfasted to him and perform a midsummer rite in order to save her from the dark magic that has always taunted her.

“Let’s have sex to save the world” stories are fun. And this is no exception. Ms. Evans ratchets the tension up expertly, and even though the outcome is pretty obvious (this being a romance anthology) I was still on the edge of my seat wondering if they would or wouldn’t. And there is a nice grovel scene near the end. This isn’t my favorite, but it is a fun story.

Grade: B

Summary:
Sexy men, magic, and mayhem…oh my!

Gelsey is grateful to land a gig as costume mistress for a theatre. She simply wants to hide from the dark forces that pursue her. She never plans on falling for the sexy, surly Tin Man, the character every Wizard of Oz fan knows has no heart.

Stephen has finally found the woman destined to be his. Now only one night of danger, a little sex magic and Gelsey’s stubborn refusal to admit she’s his stand in his way. But Stephen won’t give up. He’ll have Gelsey, giving her such pleasure she’ll have no choice but to surrender.

No excerpt available.

The Debutante by Samantha Kane
Historical Erotic Romance

OK, let’s be honest. This story was the entire reason I bought this anthology, because I am a slavering Samantha Kane fangirl. Seriously, I would read her grocery lists as long as there was hot sexoring going on between the bread and the eggs. So I knew I’d like this story, and I did. Viscount Lethbridge meets debutante Clarissa at a house party, and, after seeing her from afar, decides he wants her. Naturally, he has a BFF/partner in sexual escapades and he’s determined that the lovely Clari will want them both.

Unlike other of Ms. Kane’s stories, there’s no M/M involvement between the two partners, and I don’t entirely know that I bought their habit of sharing women as a result. I did like that by the end of the story I never felt that the third member of their triad was simply being cast aside. That said, I do prefer Ms. Kane’s longer works, and so I’m not especially convinced of the romantic connection between the three characters. But the sex was hot, and the characterization well-done as always, and Ms. Kane manages to write the sorts of rescue fantasy type stories that hit me especially right, so I’d still recommend the story.

Grade: B

Summary:
Dominic, Viscount Lethbridge, is struck by debutante Clarissa Welliston’s voluptuous form and arresting, unusual features. In spite of her innocence, he wants her. But first he needs to discover if she can embrace his sexual appetites.

Clarissa wants a man between her thighs, desperately. When Viscount Lethbridge pursues her, she finds the love and passion she’s longed for in the dark, seductive pleasures he desires.

Read an excerpt.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad anthology. None of the stories failed to work for me, though I had my favorites. The Moore and the Kane stuck out, though at least in the latter case this isn’t one of her best stories. I’d recommend buying the anthology for those two stories in particular, then reading the Cooper and Evans stories.

Final Grade: C+

Limecello’s review of Undercover by Lauren Dane
Erotic sci-fi romance published by Berkley on 2 Dec 08

Undercover put Lauren Dane on the bestseller’s list, and for good reason. I’ve really enjoyed Ms. Dane’s writing, and think that each of her works that I’ve read is better than the last. Make sure you have a lot of time when reading this book, because you won’t want to put it down.

I liked  the world Ms. Dane created with Undercover. I’m not really into sci-fi or futuristic books, but I enjoyed this one despite that fact. (Yes that does make Undercover impressive, doesn’t it?) The description of each ‘Verse (Universe), the communication systems, military, etc. were all done extremely well. I could picture everything clearly in my head. The setting was intricate, but not confusing. I never had to stop and re-read (or read again) sections to make sure I understood everything. I also love how different each ‘Verse was. The setting gives the story layering and depth, but doesn’t steal the reader’s focus from the characters, or plot.

Sera is a great heroine. She’s a tough soldier, but has a wealth and depth of emotion as well. She’s an extremely good person, and admirable. All her qualities make the romance and relationship believable. Many of Sera’s characteristics are understated, and I like that Ms. Dane has you discover Sera for yourself throughout the book, rather than throwing it in your face what you’re supposed to think about her. What also makes Sera special is her vulnerability, and how very genuine she is. She has moments of uncertainty, but overcomes every challenge she meets.

Brandt and Ash are fantastic characters. They’re so very similar, yet at the same time, foils of one another. Both Ash and Brandt are extreme alphas, rich, aristocratic, and officers in the military. Enough said, right? They’re both intelligent, sexy, and able. Yet gentle, and open with Sera. In fact, they push the emotional connection and relationship first. It’s nice to have heroes who are so in touch with their feelings. Yet it doesn’t make them soft, or sappy.

Yes, this book is an erotic romance, it has some elements of BDSM, and is a ménage à trois. While the relationship seems extremely complicated, it isn’t ludicrous. Ms. Dane gives the dynamics of the triangle the attention it deserves, and makes it believable. I really appreciated how carefully crafted every aspect of Undercover was. And yes, it’s hot. Very hot – which only makes the book that much better.

One thing I noticed while reading was some of the dialogue. At times (when Sera spoke), I found the cadence of her speech odd. It didn’t exactly fit with the previous flow of conversation. It felt a little bit like the speech was used as an explanation, or plot device, more than following the previous speech pattern and rhythms. It’s hard to convey, and wasn’t commonplace, it just happened enough for me to notice it.

I recommend this book to those who like sci-fi, erotic romance, and Ms. Dane’s writing. I enjoyed this book a lot, and had to pace myself to draw out the reading experience. I know Ms. Dane is writing another book set in the same universe, and I can’t wait for that. In fact, I can’t wait to get my greedy little hands on any of Ms. Dane’s upcoming works. While waiting, I plan on reading Undercover again.

Grade: A-

Summary:

A sexy debut exploring an erotic future universe of passion, danger, and deceit…

On the battleground or in the bedroom, one woman and two men fight for dominance in a bold, new, and excitingly different direction in erotica…

As a lieutenant of the Federation military, Sera Ayers is accustomed to giving orders, not taking them. Now she must obey the one man she can’t stand—and can’t stop thinking about.

With the enemy Imperialists gaining ground, a covert team is assembled by Ash Walker. Ten years before, Sera had lovingly submitted to Ash’s dominance in the bedroom. But when he was forced into a political marriage, she refused to play mistress. His marriage now over, Ash wants Sera on his team—and back in his bed.

The third team member, Brandt Pela, has an elegance to match Ash’s savage sexuality. And when their undercover plan requires Sera to pose as Brandt’s lover, it ignites a passion among the three of them more dangerous than their mission.

Read an excerpt.

Gwen’s review of Mercury’s War (Breeds, Book 16) by Lora Leigh
Futuristic paranormal erotic romance released by Berkley Sensation 7 Oct 08

This is another excellent Breeds book.  It reads fine on its own, but you’ll get more from the story if you’re familiar with the Breeds world.  However, while excellent I have a few reservations about the development of the heroine’s story arc.  This is a complaint I rarely have with a Leigh book, so it surprised me to have it here. 

I love Mercury as a hero.  He is a standoff-ish, very controlled character when the story starts.  Due to trauma from the labs and chemicals they had him on, he’s suppressed his inner animal so ruthlessly that, while he looks more like a lion than his counterparts, he acts the least like one.  It’s no spoiler to say that by the end of the book, he’s come to recognize his beast and has come to a balance and peace with that side of his nature.

Mercury’s journey isn’t possible without meeting Ria.   She’s equally controlled and shut-down at the beginning of the book.  Her control results from wearing dowdy clothing and ruthlessly dressed hair. She only lets her true feminine nature come out when she’s alone, if then.  The circumstances of her life makes her want to blend in to the background, where it’s safe from rejection and attention.  She’s an expert code-breaker and this “gray” exterior allows her to be particularly effective when sent on assignments by the Leo, her boss.

Mercury makes it his mission to pull Ria out of her shell – let her be the woman outside that he knows she is on the inside.  The mating heat the two are going thru make it imperative that she accept her, and his, true natures.  This in turn causes Mercury to come to accept his true nature.  This reluctant blossoming is a sweet part of the story that we don’t always get in an intense Breeds book.  Breeds are hyper-sexual – this one is no exception – and full of action and adventure – we have that too – but seldom sweet.  It was a nice change and made for a really good story.

What bothered me, and it’s a small quibble now that I think about it, was that the heroine’s true nature isn’t really hinted at earlier in the story.  That made me doubt not trust it entirely when it was revealed.  It felt a little deus ex machina, but, again, didn’t detract too much from the story for me.

I found this Amazon.com review to be interesting.  If what it says is true, it explains a few things that I’ve seen in evidence in the last few Breeds books – namely, the lack of buttsecks.  Now, this could be simply because Leigh saves those particular tidbits (eww) for her non-Breeds books, or there could be some veracity to the reviewer’s opinion that Berkley wants a more “mainstream” erotic bent (heh) to the Breeds series.  Regardless, there is far less of the extreme sex in War than we’ve seen in the past.  Not that there isn’t some seriously hot action going on — Mercury is one seriously hawt hero.

Leigh has given us another hot Breeds story with trademark excellent action and good character development. I’m looking forward to Book 18, Coyote’s Mate, coming Feb 2009.

Grade: B+

Read reviews and other information on this series by following the Breeds series tag.

Summary:

Someone has been slipping the Sanctuary’s secure information to a pharmaceutical company. Now it’s up to Ria Rodriguez to pose as a clerk and uncover the leak. Yet she has no idea of the danger she’s about to encounter-or the passion she’s about to ignite in one of the greatest Breeds ever created.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series (in rough reading order):

Liviania’s review of Knight’s Fork (Gods of Tigron, Book 3) by Rowena Cherry
Futuristic romance released by Love Spell 1 Oct 08

The third novel of the Gods of Tigron series focuses on Prince Djarrhett and Queen Electra-Djerroldina. Electra was married to the third royal brother of the Volnoths and never expected to become Queen. Now that she is, the two species cannot produce children and the royal couple desperately needs a heir. She approaches ‘Rhett, a Djinn with eyes the same color of her husband, but he misunderstands her request for a sperm donor as a proposition. Soon most of their relatives and other acquaintances believe the two are having an affair. Thus Prince Tarrant-Arragon decides to maroon them on Earth using his equerry Grievous and nephew Thor-quentin. 

I like this couple better than the two previous. ‘Rhett, raised by his grandmother on Earth, understands women’s rights and wants to extend them throughout the universe. He can come off as sanctimonious, but he’s not a hypocrite. He holds himself to the high moral standards he wants everyone to follow. He’s bothered by how much he would like to sleep with Electra because that’s not the kind of person he wants to be.

Electra knows what she wants and goes after it. She comes up with a tricky solution that will allow her to solve the infertility problem without being unfaithful to her husband. Their relationship is very touching, because you know the marriage is doomed since the husband is not the hero. But Electra goes to great lengths to protect his honor and keep their vows because she still loves him, if not his culture.

Conversely, I like the plot of Knight’s Fork the least. The first two had various factions scheming and plotting, with one coming out on top in the end. It was neat to see the plans untangle and discover who could best predict future outcomes. In Knight’s Fork everyone is still scheming, but they’re doing it with hardly any information. It’s the kind of plot that could be resolved in two minutes if any of the characters bothered to talk with each other. Any of the characters would be able to correct most of their mistakes with the tiniest bit of clarification. The frustration of the plot ruined some of my enjoyment of the great couple and interesting side characters. (Thor-quentin, in particular, looks like he might be a future hero in the series.)

I enjoy this series. I have to be in the right mood for the humor, which is something like a hormonal thirteen-year-old boy who plays chess and reads too many romance novels might use, but when I am it’s the right kind of silly. In addition, it might be better for new readers to start with the first novel, Forced Mate. The characters’ names and relationships (romantic and familial) are complicated and Knight’s Fork presumes some familiarity with the setting. This was not my favorite, but I’ll return for the fourth (if a fourth is written.)

Grade: C

Summary:

The Queen Consort of the Volnoth needs a sperm donor, and only one green-eyed god has the right stuff. Little does she know she has pinned all her hopes on the crown jewels of the fabled Royal Saurian Djinn. Not only is he the son of her greatest enemy, but he has taken a vow of chastity.

The Saurian Knight is caught between a problem father who has all the moral integrity of a Mafia Don, and a married Princess who would stop at nothing to have his seed in her belly. No matter which way he turns, he’s “forked.”

Taking the wrong lover…in the wrong place, at the wrong time…is dangerous. And when the High and Mighty intervene, it can be fatal. Can true love and a pure White Knight’s virtue triumph, when society loves a right royal scandal?

Read excerpts here.

Other books in the series:

Sandy M’s review of Razor Girl by Marianne Mancusi
Futuristic Romance published by SHOMI 26 Aug 08

I’m really surprised at my reaction to this SHOMI. The few I’ve read so far I’ve absolutely loved. I so enjoy the offbeat, quirky futuristic aspects of these books while still giving me a wonderful hero and heroine involved in a lovely romance, despite all that goes on around them. While those offbeat aspects are present in this book, I was quite disappointed in the romance and even the hero and heroine to a certain extent. This one just didn’t live up to the same level as some of its SHOMI predecessors.

The futuristic elements are definitely present and very imaginative, a common denominator that I like in all the SHOMI books. The year is 2036 and Molly Anderson has just emerged from the fallout shelter her father built for her and her mother back in 2030 when the world went crazy and the apocolypse was imminent. A plague had run rampant through the world, killing some and mutating others into monsters, zombies who feed on humans and turn those they don’t kill. She also emerges as Razor Girl, a near replica of her father’s ideal fighting machine of old, complete with razors that flip open from under her fingernails and ocular implants, ready and fit to fight off those monsters as she makes her way to Disney World where her father and other scientists will begin to make a new world for mankind. But before she can get on the road, she finds survivors in her hometown, one of which is the grown-up Chris Griffin, now called Chase, the young boy she fell in love with six years ago, the boy she had to give up to help save world.

Chase may be grown up now, but he still has no confidence and doesn’t feel up to the task of caring for the rag-tag team of children left in his care when his older brother is killed by the Others, but he does his best and also promises Molly he will get her to Disney World and her father. He’s still as vulnerable when it comes to Molly as he was when they were teenagers and discovering one other. It’s good to be with her again, but he doesn’t feel he’s even in the same league with the new Molly. He tries to pull himself up by the bootstraps and do his best for all concerned, but he keeps screwing up and when Molly confronts him on certain issues, things don’t go well. But just when they make up and realize their love for each other is real, Chase is bitten by an attacking Other, and he’ll do anything to keep Molly safe. They’re both playing against the clock now. Molly’s internal equipment is eroding and Chase has only two weeks before the signs of his turning into a nightmare appear. When they find more unexpected survivors along the way, knowing Molly and the children will be looked after, Chase decides to take his fate into his own hands so there’s no chance at all he’ll ever hurt the woman he loves.

And this is only part of the story. Every other chapter in the book takes you back six years before when Chase and Molly first come together and discover that things just aren’t normal around the neighborhood; Molly’s father is considered a lunatic with all his ramblings of the end of the world; and the disheartening night for Chase when Molly leaves him waiting for her to join him and their friends on their trek into the mountains to hopefully stay out of the plague’s reach. It took me a few chapters to get into the back-and-forth method of telling the story; it’s a little confusing at the beginning of Chapter 2. But it is an interesting way to do it and once I got used to it, it actually goes along with the quirkiness that makes SHOMIs stand out.

The idea of the end of world in such a way plays well and we’re given a couple of surprises along the way, especially at the end, but there’s a point in Chase and Molly’s relationship that I didn’t care for. It’s that jump to conclusions mentality without waiting for an explanation that is used so often in stories, and with it happening several times between them it just felt like forced, unimaginative conflict. I did forgive Chase for his commonplace pushing Molly away instead of telling her the truth when he gets bitten because by that time I did believe in his love for her, especially after all of the extraneous problems he went through. But by this time it’s so late in the book, we really haven’t had much of a romance. The book is action packed with all those zombies, but I could very easily give a few of them up for a little more loving between the main characters.

Grade: C

Summary:

Molly Anderson is not your average twenty-one-year-old. It’s been six years since she and her family escaped into a bunker, led by her conspiracy theorist father and his foreknowledge of a plot to bring about the apocalypse. But her father’s precautions didn’t stop there. Molly is now built to survive.

Yes, Ian Anderson’s favorite book gave him ideas on how to “improve” his daughter. Molly is faster, stronger, and her ocular implants and razor-tipped nails set her apart. Apart, when—venturing alone out of the bunker and into a plague ravaged, monster-ridden wilderness—what Molly needs most is togetherness. Chase Griffin, a friend from her past, is her best bet. But while he and others have miraculously survived, the kind boy has become a tormented man. Together, these remnants of humanity must struggle toward trusting each other and journey to the one place Molly’s father believed all civilization would be reborn: a magic kingdom, where everyone knows it’s a small world after all.

Read an excerpt.

Devon’s review of Countdown by Michelle Maddox
Futuristic Romance released by Shomi 29 Jul 08

Countdown is the first novel by Michelle Maddox, who also writes light paranormal romances as Michelle Rowen. Like other books from the Shomi line, this is an action packed romance set in the future, with a tough, capable heroine and an equally tough hero. While it was a fast paced read, the action part of this book was much more compelling than the romance part of the book.

Countdown features a plot that’s not particularly new or original, but relevant in these days of endless reality TV — the reality show where the contestants are playing for their lives. The concept dates all the way back to The Running Man (and before), and it’s done well here. In the future, subscribers to the Countdown are fitted with an implant so that they can watch the show in their heads. For their viewing pleasure, unfortunate contestants (criminals of some kind) have to figure out different levels, using their bodies and minds. OR THEY DIE. Kira Jordan, petty thief, is snatched off the street to be the first female contestant. She is paired with Rogan Ellis, a convicted rapist/murderer. Forced to trust him in order to survive, Kira finds herself well matched in more ways than one.

The Countdown game was well-written. I was on the edge of my seat, really exciting stuff. I genuinely worried that Kira and Rogan would not be able to survive the level. The futuristic setting is not particularly interesting or detailed. The only thing that seemed “futuristic” to me was the technology used in the game and the fact that lots of people emigrated “Offworld”.

I didn’t like Kira or Rogan all that much. Perhaps I was prejudiced, because they both started out as criminals, but they weren’t totally unsympathetic, just uninteresting. Particularly Rogan. I figured out (basically) what his real deal was before we found out for sure. He wasn’t the most likeable person prior to his conviction, and I guess that just sealed the deal. I found him…kinda weak. The romance really didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t just the characters. The circumstances under which they meet and have to work together are definitely conducive to some kind of bond. Combined with the fact that both had been very alone, some emotional entanglement is believable. I just didn’t believe it was true love. Once things settled down a bit and they could go on with their lives, what was there?

Still, those who like their romance fast paced and full of action should give this a try. Who knows, you might like the hero and heroine more than I did.

Grade: C+

THREE
Kira Jordan wakes up in a pitch-black room, handcuffed to a metal wall. She has 60 seconds to figure out how to escape. Thus begins a vicious game where to lose is to die.

TWO
The stranger she’s been partnered with—her only ally in this nightmare—is a convicted murderer. But if he’s so violent, why does he protect her? And worse yet, what is it behind those haunted sea-green eyes that makes her want to protect him?

ONE
No one to trust. Nowhere to run. And the only hope of survival is working together to beat the COUNTDOWN.

Read an excerpt here.

Shannon C.’s review of Hidden by Eve Kenin
Science fiction romance released by Shomi 1 Jul 08

Eve Kenin’s Driven introduced us to a post-apocalyptic future in a bleak northern climate where truckers were kings of the road. In Hidden, Ms Kenin returns us to that world, and we get to see another aspect of this society. In fact, though Driven was an excellent book, I liked Hidden better.

Tatiana, the sister of Wizard from Driven, has a three-step plan. She needs to find someone named Tolliver. Then she needs to find Gavin Ward, a very literally mad scientist who has designed a plague using some of Tatiana’s genetic material. Ward also tortured Tatiana and manipulated her for years. She needs them both to be dead, because the plague they’ve created would devastate the Northern Waste. What she is not counting on is to be confronted with a settler named Tristan with compelling blue eyes, or with a group of violent, mutated reavers, or falling in love.

I really liked Tatiana. She is a kick-ass heroine who still managed to be completely vulnerable in certain places. She has her issues, and I thought that they were dealt with well. She never had any TSTL moments, and I loved her discovering a sense of compassion. Plus, she’s just fascinating. Like her siblings, she was raised pretty much by a computer, and her only emotional contact has been with the people whose thoughts she can read. She doesn’t always understand proper interaction, which can make for some pretty intense scenes.

Tristan, the unsettling settler that she meets, is an equally compelling hero. I don’t recall having run into a hero with such a profound mystical streak in a while, and I liked his strong sense of duty and honor. I did figure out his big secret quite a while before Tatiana did, and there were a few moments where I thought that his actions perpetuated a conflict where that wasn’t necessary.

I was drawn into the plot, actually staying up late at night to read the second half of the book. There were moments of chilling suspense, and Kenin does a great job with creepy atmospheric details. I would have preferred that Gavin Ward, the book’s central villain, weren’t such a complete one-note psycho, and I really hope that if Ms. Kenin continues the series she won’t keep trotting out these villains in every. single. book.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book. It’s not quite a keeper for me, but I very much enjoyed reading it, and I think anyone who enjoys science fiction and romance will definitely appreciate it. I think the experience of reading this book will be enhanced if you’ve read Driven, but I don’t think it would be too difficult to pick up and read as a standalone.

Grade: B+

Summary:
Tatiana has honed her genetic gifts to perfection. She can withstand the subzero temperatures of the Northern Waste, read somebody’s mind with the briefest touch, and slice through bone with her bare hands. Which makes her one badass chick, all right. Nothing gets to her. Until she meets Tristan. Villain or ally, she can’t be sure. But one thing she does know: he has gifts too-including the ability to ramp up her heart rate to dangerous levels. But before they can start some chemistry of their own, they have to survive being trapped in an underground lab, hunted by a madman, and exposed to a plague that could destroy mankind.
Read an excerpt here

Shannon C.’s review of Driven by Eve Kenin
Futuristic romance published by Shomi 28 Aug 07

I’d heard quite a lot about this book when the Shomi line from Dorchester started, and since Ms. Kenin’s sequel is already high up on the list of books that Sybil thinks I need to read, I thought it would be good to unearth this book from my TBR and give it a go.

The world of the story is a post-apocalyptic one, with the government being manipulated heavily by Duncan Bane, the head of Jansen Trucking Company. The Jansens practically own the highway, and nobody travels without the Jansens’ leave. Raina Bowen, an independent trucker, has already had her dealings with the Jansen company, and now wants only a temporary trucking pass so she can compete in the race to Gladow Station, where she hopes to win a huge prize that will keep her sister Beth safe and out of the clutches of Bane. What she doesn’t count on, though, is the complication of Wizard, whom she was supposed to meet in order to get her passes. After Wizard is attacked by Jansen truckers, Raina rescues him, and the two embark on an adventure that will pit them against Bane, and force them to acknowledge their attraction to each other.

I liked Raina a lot. Unlike a lot of kick ass heroines who have chips on their shoulders, I found Raina’s reasons for her attitude to make perfect sense. She’s never really known emotional support, and she doesn’t like depending on others. I understood that, and I loved watching the cracks slowly build in the armor that she has built up for herself.

Wizard is a great match for her. He, too, has secrets, although I figured out what they were long before Raina did. Still, despite his past, he comes off as a very tender, sexy man, and I loved watching him discover love. Naturally, when these two damaged people come together, their union is explosively passionate.

The secondary characters were introduced well, and though I hope some of them get their own stories, I never felt that the sequel-baiting was obvious. My only real quibble with characterization was that I found Duncan Bane to be over the top in his villainousness. The only thing he could have done to make himself appear even more cheesy would have been for him to kick a puppy.

The plot is exciting and moves along at a brisk enough pace that I was able to enjoy it. The climactic scenes were just as exciting as one could hope for, and the story resolves itself in such a way that it’s obvious there will be a sequel, though the main story of Raina and Wizard is over for now.

This book has everything I enjoy in my paranormal romance–a well-realized and unusual setting, two great and compelling characters, and lots of action. It didn’t quite have that spark that indicates an A book and it took me just a shade too long to get into it, but when I finally got invested, I very much enjoyed the story and definitely think it deserves the praise it has received.

Grade: B

Read other reviews of this book from Alicia and Gwen

Summary:
ROAD WARRIOR
Raina Bowen knows she can handle herself just fine against anything the harsh Northern Waste throws at her. Until it throws her an enigmatic stranger called Wizard. First, she has to haul him out of a brawl he can’t hope to win. And next, her libido is shooting into overdrive at the feel of his hard body pressed against hers on the back of her snowscooter. But there’s something not quite right about this guy. Before she can strip bare Wizard’s secrets, they’re lured into a race for their lives, battling rival truckers, ice pirates…and a merciless maniac with a very personal vendetta.
Read an excerpt

Gwen’s review of Tanner’s Scheme (The Breeds book 3) by Lora Leigh
Paranormal erotic romance released by Berkley 7 Aug 07

This is the story of Tanner Reynold’s and Scheme Tallant’s love affair.  It’s called Book 3, but frankly, the numbering methodology for this series is beyond confusing.  In the breed chronology, this book falls after Harmony’s Way and before Wolfe’s Hope.  You can see the full chronology here.  Personally, I think the placement is all Ms Leigh’s whimsy and there’s no master plan behind it.    The book’s official release date is today, but the local Wal-Mart already had this on their shelves last Saturday. 

Tanner is the public face of the Breeds and is the poster child for the “We’re Harmless” message the Breeds want to convey to the human public.  Scheme is the daughter of the mastermind behind the Breeds Labs and all the atrocities committed therein.  There’s nothing a Breed would like to do more to her than skin her alive and leave her on an ant hill.  Problem is, they would have to go thru Tanner to get her.  Tanner has fantasized about Scheme and spied on her for years and years – she’s done the same to Tanner, for that matter. Now they’re together and things get hot, fast.

Tanner kidnaps Scheme just steps ahead of her father’s assassins.  Dear Ol’ Dad has discovered Scheme has been working against him, for the Breeds, for a decade.  Scheme knows her dad has a similar spy in the Breeds’ midst and suspects Tanner to be that traitor.  The hero and heroine spend roughly half of the book trying to overcome these trust issues, only to realize that neither one of them are what they appear to be.  At all.

This is a very nice love story.  Of course it has Leigh’s trademark Breed very hot, very erotic sex, but it also has plenty of plot to drive you from one hot bed bout to the next.  The climax (chuckle) is very exciting (tee hee).  Great fight scenes and excellent suspense.  You really care about Tanner and Scheme by the end of the book, as well as for several of the secondary characters (Cabal’s story should be hot hot hot!).  I continue to be impressed by Ms Leigh’s incredible, and incredibly productive, imagination.

Another excellent entry in Leigh’s alternate Breeds reality.

Grade: A

Here’s the book blurb:

A sexy paranormal series set in a world where genetically altered Breeds and the humans who created them sometimes come together in the fiercest of passions.

After the Feline Breeds’ main base is attacked, Tanner desires revenge. So he kidnaps Scheme Tallant-the daughter of a one-time high-ranking member of the Genetics Council. But when Tanner discovers that Scheme herself is a target of her father’s ruthless mission, his vengeance takes a back seat to saving the life of the woman he hopes to claim as his mate.

Read an excerpt.

Next on Ms Leigh’s horizon:

Nauti trilogy Book 2, 6 Nov 07	Tempting SEALs Book 5, 4 Mar 08
Mar 2008, Dawn’s Awakening (Berkley Sensation, Cougar Breed)	Sep 2008 Mercury’s War (Berkley Sensation, Lion Breed)

Gwen’s review of Aiden’s Charity (Breeds Book 12) by Lora Leigh
Futuristic Paranormal Erotic romance releas by Ellora’s Cave 1 Jul 07

This is another entry into Leigh’s Breed series.  It is set in what is presumably a contemporary Mexico, South America, and Colorado.  The heroine is Charity Dunmore, a human scientist who worked undercover, helping to free Breeds from captivity for several years before she herself is turned into an experimentation subject.  The hero is Aiden, a wolf Breed, former experimentation subject himself, and security specialist for the Compound where many of the wolf Breeds live.

This was a far more sexual Breed story than others I have read.  This fact should have folks quaking in their panties, so to speak.  I mean.  This is Lora Leigh, after all.  But damn if it wasn’t a good book!

If you’re a Breeds fan, you should read this story.  It fills in some of the gaps in the mechanics and biology of wolf Breed physiology.  Oh, and it also has a nice love story, though it was tough to find with all the boinking going on.

This book is available via download from the Ellora’s Cave site or print from EC’s eBay store.

Now I’m going to go take a long, COLD shower.

Grade: B
Here’s the book blurb:

The forces of survival and destruction swirl in the darkest corners of men’s minds. The nature of the beast cannot be harnessed, and survival is the purest of all instincts. Survival of the species itself goes soul deep.

But can the human heart accept and adapt as easily? Can Charity bestow the love and the acceptance that has always been a part of her, to the man whose very survival depended on the hardening of his heart, of his soul? And can Aiden maintain that cruelty now, in the face of the sacrifices she made? Only time and nature can tell…

Read an excerpt.