Sandy M’s review of Stolen Seduction (Stolen Series, Book 3) by Elisabeth Naughton
Romantic Suspense published by Love Spell 29 Dec 09

I have thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy by Ms. Naughton. She keeps a perfect balance between the suspense and the romance to give a reader one heck of a read in each book. I’m sorry to see it all come to an end, but with my enjoyment of these books also comes autobuy status of this author for me from here on out, and I know she’s working on a new series, so there’s still a lot of anticipation to be had. She’s one of a few lately who are drawing me back into romantic suspense, and she’s doing it so very well.

We met both Shane and Hailey in the previous books in this series, and things were hot between them from the beginning. Ms. Naughton gave me a little bit of a scare when it looked like perhaps these two wouldn’t get together after all. Happy to say she didn’t mess with that chemistry that bubbled over whenever they were in scenes together.

Hailey is a cop, mostly to stay out of the family business but lately because she loves it. However, she’s giving that career a rest at her father’s request to become CEO of Roarke Resorts. In the midst of all of this, her father is hospitalized and is subsequently murdered, with the culprits pinning the crime on Hailey. She’s now on the run to find the sixth statue of the Last Seduction in a crazy treasure hunt orchestrated by her father in his will and also to stay one step ahead of the law so she can clear her name.

As luck would have it, Shane is one of the detectives working her father’s case. He doesn’t think Hailey capable of cold-blooded murder, but he still has to do his job. And when he finds she’s keeping secrets, doubt begins to creep in. But when it’s either take her in in cuffs or join her in her search, he opts for keeping her out of jail for the time being, hoping they can find those responsible.

The action never dies down, the romance/sex heats up something fierce, and the mystery takes it own time coming to light. Hailey takes no crap from anyone, not even Shane, and that’s one of the reasons he’s attracted to her. He, however, has too many secrets that will get in the way of anything more between them but he’s also sexy as hell. I also like that the characters from the first two books make appearances here and help Shane and Hailey as best they can.

This third book is actually my favorite of the series, but the trilogy is well worth the read, especially if you’re a fan of romantic suspense. If you’re not that keen on it, try these books anyway. You will wonder what took you so long to pick them up.

Grade: A+

Summary:

The individual who collects all six statues and deciphers the code locked within will be awarded controlling interest in Roarke Resorts.

YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS ENDEAVOR IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH.

Hailey Roarke was never interested in her family’s fortune. That’s why she became a cop. But with her father and now her cousin dead, she’s suddenly on the wrong side of a police interrogation. The only way to clear her name is to solve the riddle before the real killer. Without getting killed herself.

Detective Shane Maxwell can’t deny the spark of lust he feels every time Hailey is near. But the woman is clearly hiding something. Trusting his gut—and the heat in her eyes—he joins her on an elaborate global treasure hunt staged by her late father. Caught between a sizzling seduction and a maniacal murderer, for Hailey and Shane the biggest reward of all will be making it out alive.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of The Phoenix Charm (Magic Knot Fairies, Book 2) by Helen Scott Taylor
Contemporary Paranormal Romance published by Love Spell 29 Dec 09

It’s official, Helen Scott Taylor has become my newest favorite author. She has the magic touch, as far as I’m concerned, to give readers terrific characters, a unique storyline, and a lovely romance. This second book in her series is every bit as intriguing and charming as her first. If you haven’t read her yet, you should. If you’re not, you’re missing out on something very special.

Cordelia, the Pisky wise woman, is left in charge when the King and his wife are out of town. She’s always been drawn to Michael, the King’s twin, but because she’s half water nymph, she’s always kept her allure warded so havoc won’t ensue because men, including Michael,  lose control around her. In the Pisky realm there’s an accidental portal breach to the underworld, and because the King is not in attendance to help seal it, his son Finian is taken to ensure closure.

Michael is a lover of women, the clan storyteller who has a voice full of glamour that can entrance nearly any being. He’s always been free of responsibility, but when young Finian is placed in danger it’s up to Michael to rescue his nephew, even give his life if necessary for the return of his brother’s son. Journeying with Cordelia, her familiar and her ward, as well as Nightshade, a vampire who is blood bonded to Michael, they walk right into danger, death, and enlightenment, the last two courtesy of Michael’s father who bestows on him the Phoenix Charm, along with the knowledge Michael needs to finally know who and what he is.

I think I like this book even a little better than the first in the series, The Magic Knot, and I loved that one. Michael grows and steps into himself at first with doubt, then with stoicism, a little fear, and eventually a lot of pride. He’s one terrific hero. His love for his nephews is just as moving as his growing love for Cordelia, and she is the perfect heroine for him. She has her own battles to face, but when the chips are down, she’s as selfless as can be.

There is a side story for Nightshade that caught me off guard.  It’s tender and happy and I was completely taken with it. We also meet another son of Troy, who I thoroughly enjoyed. I’m hoping his story is what we might get next. He’s definitely hero material.

Good versus evil, life and death, magic, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, love of every kind imaginable, and, of course, romance are all just a smidgen of what you’ll find in this book. The writing is simply perfection, the emotion is raw and heartrending, the story is something you’ll not find anywhere else. You cannot miss by giving this book — this series — a chance. I think you’ll like it every bit as much as I did.

Grade: A+

Summary:

HE’S PURE TEMPTATION.
Cordelia has sworn she’ll abstain from looking into Michael’s future–particularly when the image in the gilded smoke of her divination mirror shows him half naked. Yet she can’t resist watching the sexy rascal slowly running his hand down his ribs, over his abdomen, flicking open the button on his jeans with a little flourish like a magician performing a trick.
SHE’S TRYING TO RESIST.
Respectable wise woman Cordelia restrains her secret water nymph sensuality with the Celtic symbols painted on her skin. But Michael’s powerful fairy glamour leaves her breathless, off balance, struggling for control. When Gwyn ap Nudd, the Welsh King of the Underworld, steals away Michael’s infant nephew, Cordelia must work with him to save the child. But how can she trust her instincts with Michael tempting her to explore the hidden elemental depths of her nature and insisting that she believe in the power of…The Phoenix Charm.

Read an excerpt. (scroll down halfway & click link)

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Divorced, Desperate and Deceived by Christie Craig
Contemporary Romantic Suspense published by Love Spell 24 Nov 09

Christie Craig has been a favorite of mine since she started this trilogy back in 2007. I always comment that it’s her humor I just love in her books, which is definitely true. She’s one of the best when it comes to making a reader laugh out loud. But her characters are a huge draw for me too. I know that every time I read a Christie Craig book, her characters will pull me into their lives so effortlessly, they will make me care about every little thing that goes on between them and around them. And then they will make me laugh.

This book is no exception. Though this time around, Ms. Craig does give us more suspense upfront, leaving a lot of the laughter until later. Which is fine by me. Any way she wants to write them, I’ll read them. Stan and Kathy, of course, are secondary characters in the first two books, so they are quite familiar to us by this time. You do not have to read those first two to get into their story, though. By reading those first two books, however, you do get a taste of the other characters who are also in this current story, but it’s not absolutely necessary.

Stan has tried for four years to get something going with Kathy, but though she flirts, she’s never given him much more encouragement than that. Now he’s thinking it’s just as well,  because his life is about to drastically change and he won’t be around anymore. He wishes, though, he could have something with her and her son. They’ve filled a place in his life and his heart he’s never had before, but when Kathy learns his secrets, she may want nothing to do with him even less than she has so far.

The last of the Divorced and Desperate Club, Kathy has finally decided to let it all hang out and go for the sexy plumber she’s resisted for so long. But in the middle of seducing the now happy and ready man, his unknown past rears up to haunt them both. Finding out Stan is really Luke Hunter, an FBI agent placed in the Witness Protection Program until he can testify at trial against the criminal who employed him when he was undercover, is just as unbelievable as the gun-toting men chasing them with the intent to kill.

And so begins their journey to stay alive and to also learn about each other. Kathy has a lot to learn since all the new information about Luke has been revealed and he’s got just as much to learn about her and why she’s been hot and cold with him since they met. As usual, Ms. Craig has given us charming and endearing characters you can’t help but love. She’s given them a dangerous situation to overcome together while giving the reader some laughs, great suspense, and wonderful romance even with these two on the lam while they discover each other’s secrets.

Also as a fitting completion to the trilogy, we get quite a bit of the previous characters from the first two books, finding out what’s been going on with them and how much they’re still in love, as well as having them caught up in the current mystery involving Luke and Kathy. It’s nice to see them all together one last time.

For some fun this holiday season, try this trilogy of Ms. Craig’s. Heck, while you’re at it, pick up her other two books, Weddings Can Be Murder and Gotcha!, because they are just as fun and suspenseful. Each of these books will you keep you smiling long after the holidays are over.

Grade: A

Summary:

Of the Divorced, Desperate and Delicious club, Kathy Callahan is the last surviving member. Oh, her two friends haven’t died or anything. They just gave up their vows of chastity. They went for hot sex with hot cops and happy second marriages—something Kathy can never consider, given her past. Yet there’s always her plumber, Stan Bradley. He seems honest, hardworking…and skilled with a tool.

PLUMB CRAZY

Kathy’s best-laid plans are about to hit a clog. The guy snaking her drain isn’t what he seems. He’s handier with a pistol than a pipe wrench, and she’s about to see more action than Jason Statham. The next forty-eight hours promise hot pursuit, hotter passion and a super perky pug. And at the end of this wild escapade, Kathy and her own undercover lawman will be flush with happiness . . . assuming they both survive.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Silver Silence (Druids of Avalon, Book 4) by Joy Nash
Historical Paranormal Romance published by Love Spell 27 Oct 09

I’m one of those who likes to read a series in order. However, Sybil has pretty much broken me of that habit over the past number of months. But once in a while there’s a series that just needs to be read the way it’s intended. This is one of those series. It’s not that you miss anything from previous books or you don’t know who the characters are or anything like that. In this case it’s the feel of the story.

Ms. Nash has given us her spin on the Arthurian legend, and her research and ultimate writing is so rich and lavish, so full of a magical essence that reading the series in order would enhance the pleasure received when sitting down with these books. The reader would gain so much more from the series as a whole than just reading one or two of them or reading the last one first, as I’ve done. Do I feel that I lost a little something in just reading this one book so far?  Yeah, I do. There’s so much more to it, more to be had in all those variable nuances that I know from reading this book will be in the others and will bring the series together.

Rhys is a Druid from Avalon and he’s been traveling most of his life to find young ones who have the promise of magic in them to keep Avalon and its magic and mysticism alive. After so many years, he’s tired and longs for home, but though he visits when he can, Avalon hasn’t been his home for a long time. This visit is brought on by the sudden urge to see Breena, despite everything in him telling him he shouldn’t. She’s much too young and innocent for  man such as himself, but she’s also someone that he desperately needs.

Not having heard from Rhys in nearly a year, Breena finally gives in and scries his whereabouts just to make sure he’s all right. But she gets more than she bargained for when she witnesses him heading into the arms of another woman. Though she tries to put him and what she sees out of her mind and heart, when Rhys finally comes home, she finds she can’t harden her heart toward him. She’s loved him for too long to do so. But nothing has changed for Rhys, and after an argument when he tells her there can be nothing between them, Breena has the opportunity to be her own woman and to right the wrong she’s had visions about for so many years.

Whisked three hundred years into the future by Myrddin, a powerful Druid, Breena is cast into the middle of war between two lords who want the same woman, the woman who she must help protect to save the Avalon and Britain she knows from a dark and ugly future. After searching for Breena when she’s discovered missing, Rhys follows a nearly hidden, magical thread right into the future to bring Breena home. What they run into and experience in that space of time before they do get home hits everything from grief to unadulterated joy, with all kinds of magic thrown in.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. There’s a little of everything for every type of reader, and the romance between Rhys and Breena is a hard road, but one that is worth every dogged step it took to get there, for them and for the reader.

Grade: A

Summary:

Dark Magic dooms Rhys to wander the endless roadways and wild forests, searching for druids strong enough to battle the coming evil. Duty demands that he lead a solitary life, taking women to his bed but not into his heart.

Dark Passion drives Rhys to commit acts that shame him, especially when he believes they’ve been witnessed by the innocent druidess he’s sworn to protect. Breena is young and pure, and Rhys hates himself for his dark longing.

A Dark Spell steals Breena away, leaving Rhys to follow her through the Lost Lands to Britain’s grim future, when the danger Breena has foreseen threatens to extinguish the Light of Avalon. Only together can Rhys and Breena unravel the secret linking their past with a future King, and break the… Silver Silence

Read an excerpt. (scroll down)

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Breath of Fire by Tammy Kane
Paranormal Romance published by Love Spell 30 Jun 09

Wow. I’ve found a brand new author who is now on my auto-buy list after her debut book. This book has it all. It kept me reading, turning page after page, couldn’t put it down, it was terrific to the very last word. Yeah, all of those phrases that readers and reviewers use over and over again when describing a book they love. And add in any others you can think of.

Karl is a Mattaen initiate, men trained as warriors to defend those in need, and he is just days away from taking his final vows on his 30th birthday when he tries to stop the ridiculous sacrifice of a virgin to the dragon that is terrifying a village. Everyone knows dragons don’t exist. Right? So Karl trades himself to take the place of the frightened girl. Initiates are virgins too, so he’s the logical choice. The next thing he knows is all hell breaks loose as huge rumblings rent the air and the earth and he’s fighting for his life against a nonexistent beast. Dragons are definitely real.

Needing a virgin to breathe her life essence into and complete the bond needed to claim her mate and help her rule her world, to keep it from internal destruction, Elera seizes the opportunity that presents itself during her ruse to keep villagers believing in dragons. The man who wants to rule Verteva, as well as Elera herself, is not the man she believes will save them, and since it’s her choice of mate that will proclaim him king, she’s doing her own choosing. Leaving Karl the clues he needs to find her and Verteva, she leaves him after a night of intense loving and broken vows.

His celibacy at an end, along with the life he’s worked so hard for, Karl begins the arduous journey to find the woman who now fills his thoughts to the exclusion of everything else. He arrives just in time to keep her from the arms and bed of another man, a rival who could be his destruction as well as Verteva’s. He has no desire to be king, but Karl’s desire and lust slowly turn to love for Elera and her people, and to stay means he would have to rule. Even those dragons that grace the sky around their cloud-like world have found a place in his heart. Surviving the hatred and greed of the man who wants to be king is another matter, however, and Karl and Elera end up fighting for the lives of everyone, man and beast alike.

Ms. Kane has created such a fantasy world where dragons and their riders have a connection to communicate by feelings and thoughts, where one breath can bind souls together forever, and where other beautiful and miraculous happenings occur. Even the dragons themselves are fascinating. The bull that Elera rides is the only male in Verteva, tolerates only female touch, and has a bevy of beauties he cares for. The scenes where Elera is frightened and in trouble, her dragon bulldozing his way through anything and everything to get to her are simply stupendous. There is action galore, loyalty divided, and the love and romance will work its magic on you.

If you haven’t read Breath of Fire yet, as the saying goes, run – do not walk! – run to your nearest bookstore and buy it today. It’s worth every hard-earned penny and then some.

Grade:  A+

Summary:
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When the dragon came to claim him, Karl knew his great plan had gone horribly wrong. If he had known the creature was real, he wouldn’t have scoffed at the villagers… and he certainly wouldn’t have been so quick to let them chain him to a rock. Mattaen Initiates trained as warriors, but no man could defeat a dragon.
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“My name is Elera, daughter of Shane. And you, Initiate, are my virgin prize.”
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She had vanquished the beast and named her price: one night with the virgin sacrifice she’d saved. He’d taken a vow of chastity, but Karl still had a man’s needs—and Elera’s sultry curves made him ache to taste his first woman. With one scorching kiss she shattered his defenses… and led him into a world of deception and seduction, where he’d be forced to choose between the brotherhood that had raised him and the woman whose courage set his heart on fire.
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Read an excerpt here.

Lawson’s review of Sliding Home by Kate Angell
Contemporary romance released by Love Spell 25 Aug 09

It’s summer, and that makes me happy to see some baseball books. I do enjoy baseball, but unfortunately I don’t really know much about it or really follow it much. That said during the summer it’s a nice pastime to think about baseball and read a baseball book. So far I enjoyed Jill Shalvis’ first in her baseball series and I’ve read a few in this series by Kate Angell. So let’s step up to the plate and see what’s going to come from the pitcher’s mound.

Kason Rhodes has come home to his trailer from six weeks of training camp in Florida to find a squatter occupying his home. She’s full of fire and refuses to leave and doesn’t believe he owns the trailer she’s decided is hers. While Kason does his best to get her out of his life, she does everything she can to cling to the little slice she’s tried to make her own. Kason has his hands full with Dayne Sheridan and slowly she creeps into his life to a point where he wants to come home to her and some tasty instant butterscotch pudding.

Though Dayne doesn’t really believe Kason for a few days, when she sees his electric bill from two months ago, she believes him about the trailer. She comes up with a solution of a small camper of her own to be his neighbor. She doesn’t know he’s a famous baseball player and cares for him the way that no one has before, thinking he’s as poor and desperate as she is. When Dayne finds out the truth, her past comes out, and she’s forced to grab on to the best thing in her life or run away, like she always has.

While both Kason and Dayne have rough pasts and a lot of baggage, nothing really made them seem more than one dimensional characters. Dayne was way too needy for something to call her own, granted with her childhood in poverty and her last relationship, it’s not hard to understand. She didn’t really seem to change much throughout the book though, always afraid the rug would be pulled out from under her and worrying if she had room to store the food in bulk she felt she always needed.

Kason was little better and seemed to put much more effort into making things work and keeping Dayne from running like a scared rabbit since things had gotten tough. While there was some chemistry, since the characters didn’t seem to have much depth, it didn’t really carry through the whole book. The couple of steamy scenes worked well enough, until Dayne complains she’s sore after four times with Kason and his. . .well endowed self. Someone so well endowed will make a girl more than just a little sore after four times (no, not personal experience, but I do trust my source on this one).

Like Angell’s other books, there’s another Richmond Rogue getting lucky in love. The secondary story between Rhaden and Ravelle seemed like an addition that Angell felt she had to make to go with the rest of the series to have two happy endings in one book. It was barely touched on and never filled out. That sort of short and flat secondary story just didn’t work as a whole. If there had been more time spent on it, it could have fleshed out the book a bit more and even given more depth to Kason and Dayne as well as Rhaden and Ravelle. The shortness of the book overall was probably why the characters didn’t really flesh out. If there had been more time developing them rather than handing things over in a nice little package, it probably would have worked better.

It was a light read and it’s at least good for a summery feeling with the baseball and a happy ending.

Grade: C-

Summary:
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WHO’D BEEN SLEEPING IN KASON RHODES’S BED? The left fielder for the Richmond Rogues had returned from six weeks of spring training in Florida to find someone had moved into his mobile home. That person was presently in his shower. And no matter how sexy the squatter might be, Kason wanted her out. He had his trusty dobie, Cimarron; he didn’t need anyone else in his life. Not even a stubborn tomboy who roused all kinds of wild reactions in him, then soothed his soul with peace offerings of home-cooked meals and kindness. The bad boy of baseball was ready to play hardball if need be, but with Dayne Sheridan firmly planted between his sheets, he found himself. . .SLIDING HOME
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Read an excerpt here.

Sandy M’s review of Stolen Heat (Stolen Series, Book 2) by Elisabeth Naughton
Romantic Suspense published by Love Spell 28 Jul 09

The action, danger, suspense, and romance haven’t slowed down one bit in this second book in Ms. Naughton’s series. This story is about Pete, who is the best friend of the hero in Stolen Fury, the first book, and Kat, the woman he knew he’d never see again. Literally.The moment she amazingly and unexpectedly shows up in his life again, they’re on the run, all the while finding their way back to one another as they learn to trust each other again after all the lies, secrets, deceit, and murder they went through when together six years before.

And the lies and secrets are on both sides. Pete has kept his past from Kat because he didn’t want her to think badly of him, especially since he’s thinking of proposing. It’s a very poignant moment near the end of the book when he tells Kat how she influenced him, even when he knew she wouldn’t be in his life anymore. Kat’s deceit went a little deeper — she faked her death. The men after her had threatened her family, so you can’t fault her for her decision, and she thought it was over between her and Pete, so she didn’t look back when she took the opportunity to die.

Six years later Kat comes out of hiding when she learns Pete is auctioning off all of his Egyptian artifacts he’s collected over the years — pieces he couldn’t resist because they reminded him of her. She has to get her hands on a certain piece, and from the moment she does nothing goes right, including getting to know Pete all over again. It’s Pete himself who doesn’t want to get tangled up in Kat’s life again. He had enough the first time around, especially after grieving for her, but when the chances come to walk away from her, he just can’t do it.

Together they unravel the mystery surrounding the dig Kat was on in Egypt all those years ago, the missing antiquities she reported to the proper authorities, and the evidence that’s been hidden in plain sight during the time of her supposed demise.  They also work to learn about each other again. The spark, the lust, the chemistry, and finally the love they both finally acknowledge is still there. They just have to want it at the same time to make things work. And when that moment comes, it’s Pete who breaks the reader’s heart as well as Kat’s. He’s a hero in a million.

This is a well-thought-out concept and wonderfully written books in the trilogy so far. The mysteries are complex but the love is simple, a balance achieved with characters you can’t help but like. The third book, Stolen Seduction, is due out next year and I am looking forward to it. You get to know both the hero and heroine of that book while reading the first two. I like them already, so I know their story is going to be just as good as these first two.

After reading these two books, Ms. Naughton is now on my auto-buy list.

Grade: A

Read more reviews of books in this series by following its tag here.

Summary:
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His past tore them apart. Her lies thrust them back together. Now a killer’s out for revenge, but the biggest threat for both may just be the heat they thought they’d already lost…
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Antiquities dealer Peter Kauffman walked a fine line between clean and corrupt for years. And then he met the woman who changed his life—Egyptologist Katherine Meyer. Their love affair burned white-hot in Egypt, until the day Pete’s lies and half-truths caught up with him. After that, their relationship imploded, Kat walked out, and before Pete could find her to make things right, he heard she’d died in a car bomb.
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Six years later, the woman Pete thought he’d lost for good is suddenly back. The lies this time aren’t just his, though. The only way he and Kat will find the truth and evade a killer out for revenge is to work together—as long as they don’t find themselves burned by the heat each thought was stolen long ago…
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Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Stolen Fury (Stolen Series, Book 1) by Elisabeth Naughton
Romantic Suspense published by Love Spell 30 Dec 08

I don’t read a huge amount of romantic suspense. Not that I don’t like it, I just have loads of historicals and paranormals to get through in the TBR mountain. But thanks to Dorchester Publishing, I’m reading more suspense lately. Christie Craig and Stephanie Rowe are the two I first discovered in their Love Spell line. Now I’ve added Elisabeth Naughton to that list. 

This first book in her debut series includes it all from heart-pounding action, an intriguing mystery with a murder or two to make things interesting, an independent, take-no-prisoners heroine, a Latino hero to die for, and some hot love scenes between them that scorch the pages. Whatever Dorchester is doing, they’d better keep it up, because authors like these will keep pulling the readers in.

Rafe Sullivan is as slick as they come. He rescues Dr. Lisa Maxwell, archeologist extraordinaire, from an unwelcome fan after her lecture by pretending to be her late date, giving her a kiss that sparks her system, and continues to sweep her off her feet with his accent and charming ways. So much so, in fact, it’s Lisa who continues the seduction in her hotel room later. But things don’t go as far as either of them like. Slick slips her a Mickey and she’s out for the count before either get satisfaction. Rafe finishes his business of relieving Lisa of the second of three mythical Furies she just discovered in Jamaica and, to his regret, leaves her to sleep his handiwork off.

After all she’s gone through to get her hands on the Furies, Lisa is not about to let Slick get away with ripping her off. She has her own sources and quickly finds Rafe at home in Florida, confronts him about his scam and her Fury. What she gets instead is an I-know-shouldn’t-do-this-but-I-have-no-choice invitation to join him in the hunt for the other two Furies, proceeds to be equally split. Her anger with and attraction for the infuriating man will be her undoing, but she sets off on a mysterious and adventurous excursion with a man she never thought she’d be ready for. And getting to know Slick better along the way can’t be good for her.

Finding he needs Dr. Maxwell in more than one way doesn’t sit well with Rafe at first, but she has the knowledge and the information to find the Fury that will finally set him up for life and she has the body that he’d love to get his hands on again. Soon. But when danger begins to follow them on their journey, his need to protect her and keep her safe nearly overrides his hunger for that better life. Together they unravel the puzzle of the Furies as well as the puzzle of who is after both them and their Furies. Finally getting Lisa in his bed is just the icing on the cake.

I really enjoyed these two characters. They’re both independent and stubborn, but as they progressively learn about the other, they put their doubts aside and let their feelings grow, all in the midst of people gunning for them to steal what Rafe and Lisa need for their own personal reasons. It’s really Lisa who has the most enlightenment as we go along in the story. Finding out Rafe is an honest thief,  it’s not quite what she imagines and it makes no difference anyway when they make love. They get so lost in each other in those scenes. The secondary characters are well done, especially Lisa’s family. But others, such as Rafe’s ex-wife, are thrown into the mix and lots of fun ensues.

The storyline itself is intriguing and the action only slows down for both you and Rafe and Lisa to catch your breath. Then your heart is tripping and pounding once again as new information is found and they’re on their way to the next clue needed to find the last Fury. Ms. Naughton does a terrific job with this book, it’s a great start to the series. She’s now on my romantic suspense list, and I know I have a lot of good reading ahead of me.

Grade: A

Summary:
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To unearth a centuries-old secret, an archaeologist must team up with the rakish thief who’s stolen both an ancient relic and her heart…
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Oh, is he handsome. And charming. And sexy as all get out. Dr. Lisa Maxwell isn’t the type to go home with a guy she barely knows. But, hey, this is Italy and the red-blooded Rafe Sullivan seems much more enticing than cataloging a bunch of dusty artifacts.
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After being fully seduced, Lisa wakes to an empty bed and, worse yet, an empty safe. She’s staked her career as an archaeologist on collecting the three Furies, a priceless set of ancient Greek reliefs. Now the one she had is gone. But Lisa won’t just get mad. She’ll get even.
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She tracks Rafe to Florida, and finds the sparks between them blaze hotter than the Miami sun. He may still have her relic, but he’ll never find all three without her. And they’re not the only ones on the hunt. To beat the other treasure seekers, they’ll have to partner up—because suddenly Lisa and Rafe are in a race just to stay alive.
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Read an excerpt here.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Ice by Stephanie Rowe
Romantic Suspense published by Love Spell 30 Jun 09

I have all of Stephanie Rowe’s paranormals sitting on my TBR shelf. So I was a little surprised when I got this book to review, not expecting a romantic suspense from her. Let me tell you, Ms. Rowe does one heck of a job in this genre. From the beginning she had me hooked with a gripping story, one nasty villain, and a hero and heroine, though they have their own issues to overcome, who are ultimate survivors and  definitely stronger for those issues.

Kaylie has vowed never to step foot on Alaskan ice ever again. Her parents were adrenaline junkies during Kaylie’s growing up years, forcing the girl to climb mountains along with them until she just couldn’t take the fear of loss anymore. When tragedy does strike on a climb and she makes it off the offending peak, Kaylie swears that’s the end of her adventurous days. She sticks to her guns and it’s been years since she’s seen her parents, her brother, and climbed a mountain. But it’s the death of her entire family on their latest sojourn that brings Kaylie back to Alaska. After a mysterious phone call telling her her mother is still alive, Kaylie must do everything she can to find out if that’s true.

Another adrenaline junkie, Cort McClaine is an Alaskan bush pilot and getting an eyeful of Kaylie Fletcher, he knows right off the bat she’s high maintenance and wouldn’t know how to survive in this land of ice and snow. But she’s a client, so he’ll do his job and no more. Attraction nearly changes his attitude on that point, however; it’s the life-threatening attempts on Kaylie’s life that clench it. Trying to outsmart the maniac after Kaylie takes both of them and they can’t seem to stay a step ahead of him. The deeper they get into the villain’s quagmire, the more they need each other.

The action and suspense in this book never stops. I kept picking it up when I should have been working or doing something else just as significant. Ms. Rowe has skillfully woven an exciting mystery with dynamic characters to give readers a climatic conclusion. Even Cort’s and Kaylie’s relationship is left hanging until the very last moment. For whatever reason Ms. Rowe decided to try her hand at romantic suspense, I’m eternally grateful.

Grade: A+

Summary:
SOMEONE IS WAITING
Most people find beauty in Alaska’s austere mountains. To Kaylie Fletcher, there is only death—her whole family gone after a disastrous climbing expedition. Then again, maybe not. A raspy call in the middle of the night leads Kaylie to believe her mother might still be alive. For now…
SOMEONE IS WATCHING
A strange message in a bar. A bloody knife. A fiery explosion. There’s a killer inching closer, but Kaylie has nowhere to run. Except straight into the arms of Cort McClaine. The rugged bush pilot is too much of an adrenaline junkie to be considered safe, but Kaylie can’t resist the heat of his touch amid the bitter cold.
SOMEONE WILL DIE
Caught in a high-stakes race against a murderous madman, Kaylie and Cort know that with one wrong step they’ll be…iced.
Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Gotcha! by Christie Craig
Contemporary Romance released by Love Spell 26 May 09

I love reading Christie Craig. This is her fourth book and she’s not once let me down when it comes to plot, characters, and especially humor. She’s a terrific new author and Love Spell/Dorchester is lucky to have her.

The main draw for me to Christie’s books is her humor. I find myself laughing out loud throughout the entire book. An example in Gotcha! is when the hero, Jake, a police detective, gets a lesson in not pushing a woman too far when she’s trying to save embarrassment on both sides when it comes to feminine hygiene products. May seem cliche, it’s been done before, but not by Christie Craig. The heroine, Macy, does her best to get Jake to back off making a run to the store for her, though he’s trying to be a gentleman. But when he persists, Macy lets loose and stops speaking female code for tampons, periods and the whole works, lets Jake have it full force, which leaves him floundering and blushing. One of the best scenes in the book, and there are so many more.

Another plus to Christie’s books is her characters.  There hasn’t been a character in four books that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. Macy’s brother is currently incarcerated because he was duped by a couple of brothers who robbed a store and Billy was their getaway driver, unbeknownst to him until it was too late. Macy decides to do a little investigation on her own when she receives a message from Billy’s girlfriend, who is the ex-girlfriend of an uber bad guy who is in prison with Billy and won’t let anyone get one up on him. During her investigation is when Jake tackles Macy, literally, as she snoops — in the guise of delivering pizza, her day job — around said girlfriend’s house and the police just happen to be there too.

After deciding that Macy really isn’t part of the whole upcoming fiasco of a prison break, in which her brother participates, Jake tries to shake her from his mind, but finds it impossible to do. He ends up protecting her when the bad guy begins to stalk Macy. Jake wants more from her, but Macy holds back because the men in her life always leave. Doesn’t matter if it’s dying, walking away, or cheating, males in her family, including her ex-husband, have hurt her over and over again. But spending so much time with Jake, learning he has his secrets too, is beginning to wear her down.

I so enjoyed Jake and Macy. They’re fun, independent, strong, witty and they look darned good together. Christie’s secondary characters are also well written, including the villains, and I like all of them just as much. Macy’s family, her mom and grandmother especially, are a riot. We even get two secondary love stories with Macy’s mom and brother, each finding love in the danger and investigation that consumes their lives. Ms. Craig just has a knack of making the reader care about what happens to her characters.

Christie Craig is a master at incorporating fun and laughter in her books. She blends those seamlessly with the romance and suspense that she’s also brilliant at. If you’re a reader who likes humor when you read, then you have to, absolutely, read Christie Craig. She’s one of the few authors in any genre who writes humor like this.  This is nearly as good as it gets.

Grade: A+

Summary:
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Macy Tucker was five years old when her beloved grandfather dropped dead in his spaghetti. At twelve, her father left his family in the dust. At twenty-five, her husband gave his secretary a pre-Christmas bonus in bed, and Macy gave him the boot. To put things lightly, men have been undependable.
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That’s why dating’s off the menu. Macy is focused on law school, and putting herself through—which means being the delivery girl for Papa’s Pizza. But cheesier than her job is her pie-eyed brother, who just recently escaped from prison to protect his new girlfriend. And hotter than Texas toast is the investigating detective. Proud, sexy…inflexible—he’s a man who would kiss her just to shut her up. But Jake Baldwin’s a protector as much as a dish. And when he gets his man—or his woman—Macy knows it’s for life.
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Read an excerpt.

Welcome back to Duck Chat!

Today we’re talking to Kathryne Kennedy, who has created a wonderful world of magic in Regency England, thrown in some sexy shape-shifters, and leaves us transfixed with action, mystery, and romance in her Relics of Merlin series. If you haven’t read any of these books yet, you really are missing out on something special. 

Kathryne started her career writing short stories in sci-fi fantasy and romance, several of which won awards. She is married, lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons. The first book in her series hit the shelves in January 2008 and it’s been nothing but praise and more praise for each succeeding book for Kathryne ever since. Now is a great time to start reading this series with the third book coming out the end of this month. You’ll be able to catch up in no time.

Leave a meaningful comment because Dorchester Publishing has offered four ARCs of Enchanting the Beast for giveaway during our talk with Kathryne! And please be sure to leave your email address for contact if you win.  Now let’s chat!

DUCK CHAT: Kathryne, your Merlin’s Relics series is fast becoming popular with readers. Tell us where the concept came from. Was it an idea you had for a while or something that evolved more recently?

KATHRYNE KENNEDY: Wow, I’m glad to hear that. :}

I was writing My Unfair Lady, a pure historical romance, and I kept asking that question that I think all writer’s do: What if? What if titles were based on magical ability instead of birth or gender? How would that society be structured? Who would fall outside of those boundaries and how could I make them vulnerable to them? During those months of writing My Unfair Lady, the world of the Relics was born. And if anyone is curious about the book that inspired that series, it will be releasing sometime in 2009 from Sourcebooks Publishing.

DC: If you could retire any question and never, ever have it asked again, what would it be? Feel free to answer it.

KK: I’m still new enough at this that I can’t think of a question that has been asked of me often enough to retire it. Maybe if you check back in another ten years or so?

DC: I’ve heard writers often say their stories take them in surprising directions, or dialogue flows from some unknown place. Is it the same with you? Do your characters surprise you sometimes?

KK: Most definitely. My favorite part of writing is when scenes happen that I never planned. The one I can think of offhand is when Felicity from Enchanting the Lady started posing on the bed while waiting for Terence to come to her. I was giggling when my husband walked in and I tried to explain the scene, but I’m never really good at that, and, bless him, he just smiled and let me get back to my story.

DC: I enjoy how you’ve taken Regency England and sort of turned it on its head with magic. Please tell our readers a little about that and the concept behind it.

KK: I needed the levels of magic to vary and be genetic, and what better way to do that than go back in history and use the very blood of Merlin himself? So I made his magic real, passed it on to his children, who became the new aristocracy, and changed the world accordingly. I kept many of England’s places and names the same, and changed a few that I felt having magic in the world would alter. I skewed the world quite a bit, but tried to keep the flavor of the time period the same, with the thought that even magic can’t alter everything.

I also had Merlin create thirteen magical relics with power stronger than anything his children could have inherited, and a race of shape-shifters that were immune to all magic. I couldn’t let the aristocracy hold all the cards.

DC: Do you ever argue with your characters while you’re writing? Who usually wins?

KK: No, I never argue with them. They tell me what to do, and I’ve never come across a situation where they weren’t right.

DC: What is sure to distract you from sitting down and working/writing?

KK: A million different things. What I do is wake early and start writing before anyone else is up, then I’m in the flow, and if something comes up I write it on my list (I’m a big list person) and once I’ve done my five pages, then I allow myself to tackle my list.

DC: Enchanting the Lady and Double Enchantment are the first two books in the series. Would you give us a brief look into each.

KK: Enchanting the Lady is about a duchess under an evil spell, and the were-lion who’s determined to uncover the secret of it.

In Double Enchantment, Lady Jasmina bungles a spell and creates a double of herself who has no sense of propriety and gets her into all sorts of trouble. Fortunately, the trouble she gets into includes a handsome were-stallion in search of his missing sister.

DC: How do you feel your male or female characters have evolved over your career? Do you think you write them differently now than you did when you started?

KK: I’m not sure. I hope my writing has become better, more polished, I guess. But each of my characters talk to me differently, and they develop in their own way. If you can imagine an organic writer, that’s me.

DC: Is there a genre you haven’t tackled but would like to try?

KK: I think someday I would like to write a pure fantasy novel, but I just can’t seem to keep out the romance when I’m crafting a book. My heart won’t let me.

DC: Enchanting the Beast is your latest book, featuring Sir Nicodemas Wulfson as the resident shape-shifting baronet, and Lady Philomena. Tell us about them and their story, please.

KK: I have to say that I fell hard for Nico while writing this book. And I adore Phil. And Tup made me cry and Sarah cracked me up. And I have to add that this is my favorite (but keep in mind I always say that about each book I finish…until I start another one.) Nico is a were-wolf who lives in a haunted castle, and he hires ghost-hunter Phil to discover why the spirits have suddenly become so upset. But there are even more mysteries to uncover than they realize, and despite the fact that Nico is much younger than Phil, they do discover that they need each other, regardless of their age difference.

A special treat – excerpt from Enchanting the Beast:

Long ago a great wizard was born with magic in his very blood. He lived for thousands of years and went by many names, but the one we know best is Merlin.
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Merlin passed his magic down through his offspring, and the power made his children rulers. Some inherited more magic than others, and eventually titles reflected their gifts. In Britain, kings and queens held the strongest power. After the royals, dukes had the greatest magical abilities in that they could change matter. Marquesses could cast spells and illusions and transfer objects but not change them. Earls mastered illusions, while viscounts dabbled in charms and potions. Barons had a magical gift, which could be as simple as making flowers grow or as complicated as seeing into the future.
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And then there were the baronets. Part man, part animal, the shape-shifters were Merlin’s greatest enchantment…and eventually his greatest bane. For out of all mankind, they were immune to his magic.

Merlin created thirteen magical relics from the gems of the earth, a focus for some of his greatest spells. After Merlin’s disappearance, his children tried to find the relics, since these items held the only magic stronger than their own. The relics proved to be elusive until his children discovered that the shape-shifters they so despised could sniff out the power of a relic.
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Over the centuries the relics faded to legend. But the most powerful of Merlin’s descendants did not forget, and shape-shifters became the secret spies of many rulers.

London, 1861
Where magic has never died…
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Chapter 1
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Lady Philomena Radcliff closed her eyes and called to the spirit of the late Lord Stanhope. She tried to ignore the excited breaths of the ladies within the séance circle, which she could clearly hear over the muted strains of ballroom music coming from behind the closed drawing room door.
“Lord Stanhope,” Phil said, with as much theatrical brilliance as a stage performer. She spread her hands flat on the mahogany table. “Your wife wishes to speak with you one last time. Is your spirit still in this house?”
The withdrawing room smelled of candle wax and the clashing perfumes of the assembled ladies: Lady Stanhope, Lady Montreve, and their two daughters. And unfortunately, their daughters’ silly young friends, who started to giggle as the silence lengthened.
It appeared that the late Lord Stanhope had chosen not to linger in the physical world.
Which didn’t make one whit of difference to Phil. Lady Stanhope had paid her for some peace of mind and she would give it to her regardless. When Phil had been orphaned at a young age, she’d used her magical gift to support herself, quickly discovering that half of her job consisted of her theatrical ability to convince her audience. If the spirit she called made an appearance, she just considered it a bonus.
Her primary concern was to relieve the suffering of those that tragedy had left behind.
She opened her eyes. “We must combine our efforts. Lady Montreve, will you douse the candles? Thank you. Now, clasp your neighbor’s hand and concentrate on the late Lord Stanhope. Use your will to call him to us.”
Lady Montreve’s skirts swished and her hoops crackled as she took her seat again next to Phil. Her gloved hands trembled beneath Philomena’s fingers, matching the rhythm of Lady Stanhope’s grip on Phil’s other hand. She gave both of the ladies a reassuring squeeze.
The ballroom orchestra finished its tune, and despite the multitude of guests in the other room, a quiet descended on the mansion. The fire crackled in the hearth, and the wind made a soft keening noise outside the glass windows. Phil lowered her voice to a husky whisper. “Keep concentrating, ladies. I can feel your will rising, calling out to Lord—”
The drawing room door burst open and the shadow of a large man loomed on the threshold. The circle of hands broke. Lady Stanhope gasped, Lady Montreve stifled a scream, and the other girls collapsed into a fit of giggles.
Philomena suppressed her urge to admonish them like a doddering governess and forced a smile instead. “If you don’t mind, sir, we were in the middle of—”
“I’m quite aware of what’s going on in this room, madam. If you will excuse the interruption, I would like to join you.” He closed the door behind him, shutting out the light from the outer room, allowing the soft glow of the fireplace to highlight his features. The giggles abruptly died, and soft sighs of admiration issued from the mouths of several young girls.
Philomena could hardly blame them. She had never seen such a striking young man. Dark hair liberally streaked with blond fell in waves past broad shoulders that strained his old-fashioned evening coat. The firelight reflected glints of gold in his large dark eyes and played across the angular planes of his face, outlining high cheekbones. Even white teeth flashed as he performed a courtly bow.
Phil’s stomach flipped and her hands broke out in a sweat inside her gloves. She struggled to hide her reaction before anyone noticed. Heavens, she was old enough to be his…well, older sister perhaps. But still, too old to be making a fool of herself by gawking at the beautiful young man.
Lady Stanhope recovered first. “I don’t remember the pleasure of an introduction, sir.”
Again, a flash of those even white teeth. Good heavens, were those dimples?
“I’m Sir Nicodemus Wulfson, Baronet of Grimspell castle.”
Soft gasps accompanied his words and several of the younger ladies actually looked frightened. All baronets were shifters and immune to all magic. The aristocracy hated that “the animals” could see through the spells crafted to maintain their superior social status.
“I don’t think…” Lady Stanhope began, ready to deny the gentleman’s request.
Phil quickly stood. “It would be a pleasure for you to join us, Sir Nicodemus.”
He turned those large, glittering eyes on her in surprise, his predatory gaze sweeping over her from head to foot. Phil felt heat rise in her cheeks. As usual, she’d dressed in the artistic style, eschewing the corsets and crinolines of her peers. Most of her friends were followers of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, but few of them had the daring to wear their medieval-style dresses out in public.
He surprised her with a sudden smile of approval. “Thank you, Lady…?”
“Philomena Radcliff.”
“The ghost-hunter,” he acknowledged. “I’ve heard a great deal about you. It’s a pleasure.”
The Adonis stepped forward and took her hand, sweeping his lips across the top of her glove. Thank heavens for that layer of material, for he surely would have burnt her skin with the heat of his mouth. Phil quickly snatched back her hand and resumed her seat at the table, trying to ignore the flutter in her stomach. Lady Stanhope’s older daughter eyed her with shrewd speculation, her lovely little mouth twisted with disdain.
Phil leveled a gaze on the girl that quickly made her look away. She wished she knew what it was about the young man that made her feel so unusual.
The screech of wooden legs over marble made them all turn to watch Sir Nicodemus drag a chair over to the table and squeeze between Philomena and Lady Stanhope. He sat with stealthy grace.
He looked up and flashed that brilliant smile again, taking in the entire circle of women. “I’ve always wanted to experience one of these table-turnings. It’s gracious of you to allow me to join you.” Despite his apparent lack of social standing a few of the youngest girls leaned forward and licked their lips.
Philomena pressed her lips together to prevent the same reaction. It was all well and good for young debutantes to react to him, but she had to be at least ten years his senior and it would only make her look like a complete fool. The man had too much charisma for his own good, but perhaps he needed it, given his nature. Because of her spiritual sensitivity she could sense his animal-self like a dark shadow surrounding him. She really should have allowed Lady Stanhope to reject him, for if she continued in her obvious fascination in him, she was sure to make a complete cake of herself.
But Phil’s sense of justice could not allow her to shun him. So when Lady Stanhope hesitated to link her hand with the baronet’s, Philomena hid her fear of the way she might react to his touch and slapped her gloved palm over his with forced bravado.
Tiny shivers traveled from his hand through her body. She’d been correct. His touch flustered her more than the caress of his gaze. For a moment Sir Nicodemus stared at their clasped hands, his dark brows raised in surprise. Then he turned and glanced at her, that wolfish grin back on his face.
Phil abruptly blew out the candle and closed her eyes. Heaven help her if he set his mind on exploring that instant chemistry between them. “Now concentrate, ladies…and gentleman. Lord Stanhope, we summon your spirit, please come to us.” A soft tapping sounded at the window, most likely a tree branch in the wind, but Phil grasped at it. “Lord Stanhope! Is that you?”
Sir Nicodemus made a small sound of derision, but she could feel the rest of the circle tense with excitement.
Phil opened her eyes, fully prepared to cast an unfocused gaze at the corner of the room where she would pretend Lord Stanhope stood. His wife only wanted to tell him that she loved him. She hadn’t had a chance to do so before he died. Who was she to deny the lady that satisfaction?
But Philomena caught a movement from the fireplace and her gaze met that of Tup. The young boy sat atop the mantel, his bare feet hanging over the edge, the glow of the fire shining through them. His brown hair was a mess as usual, his face so dirty that his hazel eyes stood out in startling contrast. Really, such a ragtag street urchin! Phil’s heart squeezed a bit and warmth flowed through her.
“Tup,” she whispered, trying to rise but anchored to her chair by the grip of Lady Stanhope and Sir Nicodemus.
“What’s a tup?” murmured one of the girls.
“The ghost-hunter’s spirit guide,” Lady Montreve snapped.
Phil was vaguely aware of the shock that rippled around the table, including that of Sir Nicodemus. She could feel him watching her, like a predator studies his prey, waiting for the perfect moment to leap. But she ignored them all, intent on seeing Tup’s ghost again. He wasn’t strong enough to stay long in the material world.
The only thing she’d ever regretted about not marrying was that she would never have her own child. And then Tup had followed her home one day.
“I come to tell ye to stop that,” he said, his large eyes blinking with sadness.
“What do you mean?” Phil asked.
“Cor, don’t ye fathom that the man passed over into hell? And he likes it there.”
Oh, dear. That meant that the man was as close to a demon as they came. No wonder using magic to summon a spirit was frowned upon. But since magical power was based on rank, only a royal could do that, or possibly a duke. Granted, ghosts would sometimes answer the call of a loved one… “But then why would he answer Lady Stanhope’s call, Tup?”
Lady Stanhope gasped. Was Sir Nicodemus actually growling?
They couldn’t hear Tup, of course, just Philomena’s part of the conversation. She told herself to be more careful with her words.
“Not her call,” the boy answered impatiently. “Hers.” And he nodded at Lady Montreve.
Phil turned and stared at the lady, who refused to meet her gaze. But even in the weak glow of the firelight she could see the dark stain of color flooding the pretty woman’s cheeks. Is that why Lady Montreve had come this evening? To see her lover one last time? Philomena glanced at Lady Stanhope. Did she know her husband had been having an affair with her friend? Was that the real reason she’d called the séance, to find out the truth of it?
Tup’s eyes widened. “Crikey, I’m too late.” And he disappeared.
Phil slowly turned her head. Lord Stanhope’s specter materialized beside Phil’s assistant, Sarah, and floated toward their table.
“Reginald, is that you?” his wife cried.
But Lord Stanhope only had eyes for Lady Montreve. He circled the table until he stood behind the pretty woman. “Did you call me back for one more round, you doxy? Missing me already, eh?” He leaned forward, his face so close to the back of the lady’s neck that Phil could see the tiny hairs on her skin move. “Don’t think I don’t know it’s my money you’re missing. But I learned some things in hell, my dear. And when I heard your call I decided I shouldn’t have to wait to try them on you.”
Lady Montreve shuddered. “I shouldn’t have come. I didn’t think it was possible…” The young girl sitting next to her recoiled.
“Don’t break the circle,” Philomena warned. “It’s her only protection.” She felt Sir Nicodemus’s grip tighten but the young girl—Phil wished she could remember her name—on the other side of Lady Montreve was trying to twist her hand from the woman’s grasp.
Phil saw Lord Stanhope’s arm disappear into his lover’s skirts. Lady Montreve screamed.
“What’s happening?” Lady Stanhope cried.
“Stop it!” Philomena shouted.
Lord Stanhope ignored them all, his black grin twisted into a leer of sadistic pleasure. The young girl pulled her hand free from Lady Montreve’s grasp. The circle was broken. Philomena didn’t have a choice. “Let go of my hand,” she told Sir Nicodemus. Bless him, he didn’t ask questions or argue; he just released his grip.
Phil really didn’t want to do this—oh, how she didn’t want to do this. She took a deep breath and stepped into Lord Stanhope’s black shadow and opened her soul to his. For one horrendous moment the man’s spirit melded with hers. Shafts of burning cold swept through her veins. His twisted sense of pleasure shook her body with an evil joy that made her squirm with shame.
She tried to send his soul back then, demanding that he return to the other side. He laughed at her. Phil strengthened her will, fighting with everything she had. Convulsions shook her body and then the world went black.

When Philomena opened her eyes she squinted at the glare of light. Every candle in Lady Stanhope’s drawing room must have been lit, including the gas and fairylights. Sarah leaned over her, that blunt face and those glossy black eyes reflecting her concern. “You’re well, then?”
At a nod, her assistant retreated and Phil sat up, her head swimming for a moment. She clutched her temples, realizing with dismay that her hair had come undone and lay about her shoulders. She must have looked as bad as she felt. How long would it take before the taint of that man’s evil left her soul?
“That was quite a performance,” Sir Nicodemus drawled.
Philomena winced. “Can you lower your voice, please? My head aches.” She glanced around the ostentatious room, with its silk-papered walls and gilt edging. She avoided his gaze. “Where is everyone?”
“Lady Stanhope left your payment on the table,” he answered. Phil’s eyes went to the thick stack of bank notes. More than enough to keep up her household for the next few months, with some left over for luxuries.
“Lady Montreve has probably retired to the country,” he continued. “The gaggle of young girls are likely swooning over the experience to their beaux in the ballroom…and Lady Stanhope asked you to leave as quickly as you are able.”
Phil nodded, and winced again. Well, she couldn’t exactly blame either lady. They had certainly gotten more than they’d bargained for with this séance.
Sir Nicodemus held out his hand to help her rise. Philomena ignored the appendage and managed to wobble to her feet unaided. “Sarah, will you fetch the coach?”
Her assistant slid from the room, and the baronet raised a brow. “I see you have no prejudice against my kind. You should suit admirably.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your maid. She’s a were, is she not?”
Bright lights danced in Phil’s vision. “How did you know?”
He shrugged those broad shoulders and Phil desperately tried not to admire them. Oh botheration, why hadn’t the young man just left with all the others? She felt enough out of sorts without having to hide her attraction to him.
“There’s a stillness about my kind,” he replied. “Although I can’t quite pin what type of were-animal she might—”
Philomena’s knees buckled and she would have sprawled to the floor if not for his quick reflexes. Instead she found herself within his arms. She stammered excuses, yet did nothing to escape his embrace. “I’m afraid that the encounter with Lord Stanhope quite did me in. I do try to avoid contact with the spirits. I’m far too sensitive to their presence.”
He smelled marvelous. Like country meadows and sweet grass, with a musky undertone that she couldn’t quite define. He stood at least a head taller than her and his arms were layered with the thick muscles of a man, not the wiry strength of a young boy. And the heat of him…
“Are you all right, Lady Radcliff?” he murmured.
She looked up to find his face mere inches from her own. He’d bowed his head and his nostrils were flared. Heavens, was he scenting her?
“Quite. I think you can let me go now.”
But neither of them moved. Philomena couldn’t tear her eyes away from his. Golden flecks in those deep brown irises sparkled and appeared to move, as if to hypnotize her. His mouth moved closer to her own and she had the shocking thought that he might kiss her. Ridiculous. Phil stepped out of his arms, gathered up her shawl, and tried to flee the room.
“Lady Radcliff. Your payment?” He held out her bank notes, a mocking smile twisting an otherwise extremely attractive mouth. She tried to snatch them from his hand, but he pulled the bills away from her. “Why don’t I carry these for you while I see you home?”
“That’s quite unnecessary.”
“Oh, but I’m afraid you’re wrong. What if you were to swoon again?”
Phil narrowed her eyes. “I assure you, I’m not ordinarily given to fainting. If you hand me my money, sir, we will likely never see each other again.”
The cheeky man pocketed her notes and gently clasped her arm. “Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong, Lady Radcliff.” He opened the door to the drawing room, allowing the lights and music to surround them. And exposing them to the witness of a hundred gazes. “I have a business proposition for you. One that will be a hundred times more profitable than what Lady Stanhope has provided you.”
Phil’s ears pricked up; she couldn’t help it. When one had experienced the feeling of an empty belly, the value of money held enormous attraction. When he guided her down the hall she didn’t protest, even when he purposely led them past the open double doors of the ballroom. Magic had created a winter wonderland of sparkling snow that swirled beneath the dancers’ feet. Huge icicles glittering with rainbow colors hung from the ceiling and crystal statues graced the ballroom floor. Phil sighed with regret at the beauty of it all. She had so looked forward to attending the ball after the séance.
Outside the doors of the mansion the true summer weather enveloped them, the fog of the night making it almost difficult to breathe. Lady Stanhope’s coach waited to take her home, the stomping unicorns standing before a pumpkin-shaped carriage.
Sarah hissed and scooted into the corner when Sir Nicodemus entered the coach. Phil leveled a glare at her assistant, then turned her attention on the young man.
“It must be difficult not to experience the illusions of magic, Sir Nicodemus. It’s quite a delight for one to ride in a pumpkin.” She ended her words with a brilliant smile.
His eyes widened and he stared in silence at her for a moment. Then he blinked. “I can see magic, Lady Radcliff. It’s just a bit transparent to me. Like so many other things.”
“Ah, like people, I presume?”
The carriage hit a pothole and a streak of white hair fell over his forehead, making him appear even younger. Phil wondered how old he was anyway, then dismissed the thought. It was none of her business and it didn’t matter.
“Sir Nicodemus. If you believe I’m a charlatan, why mention a business proposition to me?”
He sighed and lounged back against the velvet padding, his glittering eyes studying her face. “Nico.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I wish you would just call me Nico.”
Before Phil had a chance to respond, the coach lurched to a stop in front of her townhouse. For a moment she wished she lived a bit farther away from Lady Stanhope. “I’m sorry we didn’t get an opportunity to discuss your business proposal. Perhaps if you call on me in the morning?” Phil gathered up the drapes of her gown and prepared to exit the carriage, but the heat of his touch on her arm made her freeze.
“I’m afraid my business can’t wait until the morning,” he said. “I detest the city, and now that I’ve found what I was looking for, I’d rather make the arrangements and leave.”
The man always managed to say the most intriguing things. Despite her reluctance to invite him inside, she found herself doing so. She prayed as they made their way to her front door that it would be a quiet night. The only way she’d managed to afford a home within Mayfairy was to purchase a house no one else wanted—a former brothel haunted by its previous occupants. Of course, the noises and moving objects didn’t scare her, but the images of the ghosts had proved to be entirely too enlightening.
“Sarah, will you light some lanterns, please?” Phil asked when they entered the drawing room.
Sarah lit every candle and touched on every fairylight in her attempts to banish the shadows in the room, but too many still remained. Sarah took an inconspicuous seat in the corner of the room, silent but always watchful over her mistress. Sir Nicodemus took a seat near the fireplace, the banked coals turning the white in his hair a shade of red. Phil’s eyes searched the room, noting how plain it appeared compared to Lady Stanhope’s. But it did seem that the ghosts might be quiet tonight. She sat on the settee opposite the young man’s chair and smiled with relief.
Sir Nicodemus drew her bank notes from his pocket and set them on the tea tray. He smiled a bit sheepishly. Quite becoming. “Sorry. I just wanted to make sure that you’d talk to me.”
“I am most intrigued,” Phil replied. “What could be of such importance that you felt the need for such coercion?”
He leaned forward, that dark shadow falling over his features again. “How did you know?”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“Oh, come now, you don’t really expect me to believe in ghosts, do you? I’m not as gullible as my bro—well, I believe in what I can see and hear, and I saw nothing. So how did you know Lord Stanhope was having an affair with Lady Montreve? Is that how you mediums manage to convince your clients, by digging up the dirt on them?”
Phil might have been offended if she hadn’t sensed the desperation in his manner, as if he wanted to believe in her. A shadow of movement appeared behind his left shoulder, but she ignored it while trying to form her reply. “You do not believe in spirits?”
Her calm response took him aback. Phil smiled, but it quickly faded as she saw what appeared behind him. The ghosts that haunted this house were what she called a memory haunting, meaning that she couldn’t interact with them and they never did with her. They just reenacted scenes from their lives over and over. It was Fanny who appeared tonight—and Fanny had a bit more awareness than the others.
“No, I don’t believe in ghosts,” Sir Nicodemus said. “But my brother does. And therein lies my problem.”
Fanny crooked her finger at someone behind Phil, but she refused to turn her head and look. “Yet you believe in magic.”
“Of course. Even though it doesn’t affect me, I can still see and feel it.”
“So why wouldn’t you believe that I have the magical gift to see ghosts?”
A young man took Fanny’s hand, and she led him over to a mattress that appeared to hover in midair. Usually Fanny’s clients were older gentlemen. Phil narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“Ah, but what I believe doesn’t matter. I only need to know that you will be convincing enough to fool, ah, help my brother.”
Fanny laughed, low and sultry, pulling her young client into her arms. He kissed her hesitantly, and she ran her fingers through his hair, pulling his mouth closer, practically devouring him.
“Royden thinks Grimspell castle has ghosts, you see. And that they’ve suddenly become angry and are haunting his dreams.”
Phil tore her gaze away from the couple behind Sir Nicodemus and tried to focus her attention on him. Oh botheration, that proved worse. She imagined running her own fingers through his white-brown hair, pulling his mouth toward hers with the same intense hunger that Fanny displayed. What would it be like to feel those youthful lips on hers? To feel such a passion?
Sir Nicodemus’s eyes glittered and he leaned forward. “Is something wrong?”
“No, ah, nothing.”
Fanny slid the young man’s shirt off his shoulders, running ghostly fingers down rippled flesh. She undid his belt, unbuttoned his trousers, and let his clothing fall away. His eagerness for Fanny was plain to see.
Sir Nicodemus pulled something from his coat pocket and handed it to Philomena. She took it but couldn’t tear her eyes away from the vision.
“Those are first-class tickets to Norwitch, Norfolk. You’ll have to hire a carriage to take you to Trollersby, and from there the locals will direct you to Grimspell castle.”
Fanny was doing things with her mouth that had the young man’s face twisted with sheer pleasure. Phil watched where and how Fanny moved her tongue to make her client moan the loudest. Whenever the haunting began, Philomena would swear to herself that she wouldn’t watch. But she had yet to find the willpower to resist.
“As you can see,” Sir Nicodemus said, raising his voice, “if you would be so kind as to look, there are several gems from our vaults—a down payment for your services.”
That managed to get Phil’s attention. Large emeralds sparkled in her palm. She could only guess at the value, but she imagined it would keep her household for several years. “A down payment?” she whispered.
“Yes. You will get the remainder once you’ve convinced my brother that you’ve banished his ghosts. Do we have an agreement?”
Fanny squealed and Phil’s traitorous gaze went back to the couple. Good heavens, she sat atop the young man. Phil tilted her head in studied amazement. Fanny rode him hard, up and down, until he cried out with a roar, his groin pushing her high off the bed with his climax.
“Lady Radcliff.” Sir Nicodemus reached out and touched her hand. Philomena sprang to her feet, tickets and gems scattering across the polished wooden floor. They bumped heads as they both reached down to pick them up and for a moment faced each other in a crouch. Phil’s cheeks felt hot and her body ached with a need that was entirely Fanny’s fault.
Sir Nicodemus leaned toward her, as if he sensed her arousal and couldn’t help but respond to it. The shadow of his were-self fell away, and tenderness glittered in his eyes. He reached out a hand and stroked her cheek.
Phil snapped her head back and stood. “I think you’d better go.”
He rose as well, confusion clouding his features. “But…we have an agreement, then? You’ll come to Grimspell castle?”
Philomena was so flustered she would have agreed to anything. “Yes, yes, of course. Just please go.” Fanny laughed, and Phil turned to find the ghost eyes staring straight at her. Her heart flipped in her chest with surprise and she opened her mouth to speak, but the vision faded.
Phil spun. “Sir Nicodemus.”
He turned stiffly around to look at her from where he stood in the drawing room doorway.
“What are you?”
He didn’t ask what she meant. “Surely you’ve guessed? My were-form is a wolf, Lady Philomena Radcliff. I eat young girls for dinner.” And he turned on his heel and left.
Phil shuddered to think of what he did to older women.

DC: What advice would you give to your younger self?

KK: To never judge myself by anyone else’s standards but my own.

DC: If you had never become an author, what do you think you would be doing right now?

KK: Babbling in a corner. Seriously, if I didn’t have this creative outlet I think my life would be a bit colorless. Reading has always taken me to new places and new adventures. Writing just makes that experience even more intense. I’m not sure what I’d be like without it.

DC: Do you know what type of animal you’re going to use for future book in the series, or is that something that comes with inspiration for each book as they come along? Can you give us some examples of what we’ll see down the road?

KK: In the next few books I switched it up a bit, making my heroines the shape-shifters. It makes for some strong heroines, and even tougher heroes, who have to be more than a match for them.

DC: What’s next in the series?

KK: I have planned a fourth book, Everlasting Enchantment, about a knight trapped in a relic who can only be freed by a woman’s true love…or so he thinks.

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?    — Milk.
- smooth or chunky peanut butter?     — Depends on my mood.
- heels or flats?    — Definitely flats.
- coffee or tea?    — Tea.
- summer or winter?    — Winter.
- mountains or beach?    — Mountains.
- mustard or mayonnaise?    — Neither.
- flowers or candy?    — Oooh, candy.
- pockets or purse?    — Purse. No lumps.
- Pepsi or Coke?    — Pepsi. My DH calls it the nectar of the gods.
- ebook or print?    — Print, only because a print book is easier on my eyes.

And a little more fun!

1. What is your favorite word?

Serendipity. I loved it so much I used it for a short story of mine, long ago.

2. What is your least favorite word?

There are words that evoke bad feelings within me, but I can’t think of a least favorite one.

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

My family, my friends, my editor, my readers.

4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Negative people. I have learned over the years to surround myself with positive people. Life is just too short, and truly, what you put in your head, what you surround yourself with, is your life.
5. What sound or noise do you love?

Falling rain. The crackle of a fire. The laughter of my family.
6. What sound or noise do you hate?

I dislike those booming noises that come from some car stereos. People have a right to enjoy their music, but I just wish they’d keep it to themselves.
7. What is your favorite curse word?

Bejeebers. As in, you scared the bejeebers out of me. Love it.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

I hope I can continue what I’m doing, because I can’t think of anything else that I would love more.
9. What profession would you not like to do?

It would be more like, what profession am I sure I can’t do, and there’s too many to name.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you
arrive at the Pearly Gates?

“It’s about time you showed up.”

Sandy M’s review of Love Without Blood by Raz Steel
Paranormal Romance published by Love Spell 30 Dec 08

I was browsing my local Target and, of course, couldn’t stay away from the book aisle. I picked this book up, thought the blurb sounded good, so decided to try it. One of those impulse buys when you’re not expecting to really buy anything at all. When I started reading, the first chapter started out grabbing at me right away, held on tight and didn’t loosen its grasp one little bit.  Until I got to the second chapter, that is.

The only reason I hesitated when I started the second chapter is that it totally broke the heart-pounding, the anticipation, the grip of the first chapter. Dead stop. All of that did pick up again with the third chapter, but the fourth chapter brought me to a dead stop again. I was a tad irritated by this time. But I have to admit that when all of these different chapters finally came to together and it was clear where the author was leading me, I forgave him for jerking me around those first however many chapters.

I really can’t go into a lot of what happens in this book because everything is so closely related by name, by character, by events, etc., that it would give too much away. I can say that I did like the characters in this book. Lara West is a surgeon and is ready to step into the top dog position of her ER. She’s a very strong lady, is even able to block most of the mind control that goes on in this book.

Bobby is a vampire who makes a good life for himself working at hospitals where it’s easier for his kind to feed. He’s one of those good vamps who doesn’t kill humans when feeding.  He has a little humanity left in him, no matter what the government team who searches for and destroys vampires says. A favorite character is Phillipe, a gay nurse who befriends both Lara and Bobby.

There’s so much that goes on in this book, it’s nearly difficult to even tell much of what happens. Lara is carted off by that government team to help them out. Bobby is just trying to keep his current life on stable ground. Both of them get caught up in something ground breaking, but that nearly does them both in and only sheer grit and determination keep them alive. The only thing I didn’t like about these two is the author keeps them apart for the longest time.  It’s great scenes when they finally do come together, but I would have liked to have had more. Not sure if that’s even feasible, but I still would have liked it.

All in all, this is quite an interesting read, even given my apprehension in the beginning. The addition of Phillipe’s parents at the end, I’m not sure if that was needed, especially with no explanation as to their belief in vampires. The villain is one evil bastard and he has a heyday reigning havoc in the last quarter of the book.

Take a chance.  I think you might be surprised.

Grade: B

Summary:
.
“I CAN’T STOP THE BLEEDING,” said her nighttime caller.
.
The intruder then compelled Dr. Lara West to remove the bullet from his shoulder. She treated his wound, but that quelled neither his desire for the sweet life pulsing through the flesh of her thigh, nor the rampant animal lust that defines his existence.
.
The darkness has just begun. Dr. West’s identity, what she wants—all stands in danger of being devoured. Nothing is ever the same for those inducted into the sinister world of vampires, be they newly turned monsters or the government agents sworn to destroy them. Lara West has tasted both power and passion, and a price must be paid. Yet she’s glimpsed salvation in the night. Hope still remains for…
.
Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of The Magic Knot by Helen Scott Taylor
Contemporary Paranormal Romance released by Love Spell 27 Jan 09

Red alert! Red alert!  New author on the scene.  Make that a terrific new author.  Helen Scott Taylor’s debut book is a terrific read.  It has everything from Irish twin brothers to the Queen of the Tuatha Dé Danaan to a greedy, evil father to the pisky who are on the brink of elimination.  Oh, the love and the magic is pretty darned good too.

Sometimes in picking up a book I don’t read the back cover.  It’s a book for review that I have to read, so I pick it up and I begin.  When I took a look at the cover of this book, I thought it was an historical.  I got a really nice surprise on the first page that threw the historical out the window and plopped paranormal down in its place.  I was actually glad then and as I got further into the book that I hadn’t read the blurb.  This book flows so naturally on its own, I didn’t need any help to begin with.

Niall O’Connor and his twin brother Michael are half Tuatha Dé Danaan and half leprechaun.  Michael is the free spirited one who the ladies go for.  Niall is the responsible one, currently making sure their Queen doesn’t harm his brother or their leprechaun sister, Ana, because he refused the Queen’s advances.  That’s why they left Ireland and are now living in Cornwall. The further away the better to stay out of her clutches.  Niall’s routine has hit a snag, though, when he delivers his quarterly payment to Tristan Jago for the spell to keep his siblings safe.  A pisky has entered Cornwall and Tristan wants the fairy brought to him, so he blackmails Niall into doing so.

But the pisky Niall encounters is nothing like he expects.  Rose Tremain is a financial investigator, she helps people in trouble, which is why she’s in Cornwall at the Elephant’s Nest.  Though she does find problems with the way the books are handled and the owner has a beautiful face and a killer smile, it’s his handsome and dangerous-looking brother who fires up her libido.

When she snoops to get to the bottom of Michael’s financial fiasco, she finds Niall’s Magic Knot, which is so like her own.  All it takes is a touch of those stones and she’s put in motion a connection to him that is so deep, so all consuming that it takes everything Niall’s got to keep her at arm’s length.  He has to keep his family safe and getting involved with a pisky who doesn’t realize her powers and who has secrets just won’t work, especially when he finds out who her father is.

The pace really picks up when Niall and company head to Ireland to face the Queen for information to save Rose’s piskies.  Once there and faced with danger and vindictiveness from every direction, their bond only grows stronger and Rose’s inner fairy and magic begin to emerge. What an adventure that was for all the characters involved.  The Queen is one freaky goddess who’s right-hand man is the twins’ father, another story that takes on a life of its own.  One of my favorites is Nightshade, a vampiric nightstalker from Rose’s childhood.  This is the first book in Ms. Taylor’s new series, so I’m assuming we’ll get Michael’s story, but I hope she’ll also give us Nightshade’s book.  He’s definitely a character who needs some love.

This is just one of those books that captivates you from the first page.  It’s different, emotional, full of evil but with plenty of love to counteract those bad guys.  Ms. Taylor is going on my autobuy list for sure.

Grade: A+

Summary:

When Rose discovers she is the Cornish pisky queen and her father is a dark druid who has imprisoned her people in portraits, the race is on to discover the fairy lore needed to release her people before her father destroys the piskies forever.

She seeks help from the sinfully sexy Irish fairy twins, the O’Connor brothers. Niall’s faint air of menace flutters dark thrills of anticipation through her, but does he want to kiss her or kill her when she accidentally touches his Magic Knot and forges a mystical lovers’ bond with him? And can she resist the seductive glamor of his mischievous brother Michael?

With the survival of the Cornish piskies in her hands, Rose must escape from a vampiric, winged fairy, outwit The Queen of Nightmares and surrender her mind, body and spirit to Niall to release her hidden inner fairy. The Tarot cards warn he will stab her in the back, but when she’s in his arms, the last thing on her mind is death.

Read an excerpt.

Shannon C.’s review of Enchanting the Lady (Relics of Merlin, Book 1) by Kathryne Kennedy
Historical paranormal romance released by Love Spell 1 Jan 08

I harp a lot in my reviews about the heroines in books. I’m a dirty, hippie, liberal feminist, and I’m proud of it. Give me a kick-ass chick any day who fights for what she believes in and doesn’t take crap from anybody. That being said, I am also as prone to Cinderella stories as the next girl, and if there’s a promise of a Cinderella-type plot, I am there like white on rice. You know the ones I’m talking about: poor, mistreated and oddly beautiful, usually orphaned girl is abused horribly but finally meets a man who falls in love with her and spirits her away from the badness.

I’ll tell you the plot that I’m not so keen on. It’s the one where the Prince Charming is all, “Grrr. This oddly beautiful and sweet woman is obviously hiding a core of evil in her soul, and further, she knows something I need to know, too. I will court her and seduce the information out of her, because that is the only interrogation technique ever, and, my schlong, it is mighty.”

All that being said, Kathrynne Kennedy’s Enchanting the Lady delivers both plot elements I described, and does so in a fashion that’s so over-the-top in its cheesiness that I ate it up like sweet, delicious candy.

The story is set in a kind of Regency England where one’s rank in society is determined by how much magic one can wield. Ms. Kennedy explores what this means for people of high rank quite well, with world-building that’s top-notch. Into this world, we meet Felicity, who is heir to a duchy. She lives with her aunt and uncle and her despicable cousin Oliver, but unlike all of them, she doesn’t have much magic. However, she must be tested to see if she has enough magic to inherit her duchy, a test she’s certain she’s going to fail.

At her testing she meets Terence, a baronet. In this world, the baronets are shape-shifters, and Terence is no exception. The baronets are also used as spies for the prince, and Terence is looking for one of the 13 relics of Merlin, magical talismans that contain evil magic. When Terence meets Felicity, he immediately sniffs the taint of relic magic on her, and since his lion side is attracted to her, well, obviously there’s only one thing for a good spy to do-seduce the information out of the chit.

As I said above, I like a Cinderella story, and so as a heroine Felicity worked for me. She’s beautiful, but she’s had a spell cast on her so that she appears invisible to everyone unless she makes her presence known. This has caused no end of havoc, as she’s always being run over by servants. So she thinks it’s exhilarating when Terence, who is immune to magic, not only sees her perfectly clearly but appears to be attracted to her. I really loved Felicity’s sense of wonder as the possibilities of love and passion were revealed to her. I even tolerated some of the quirks I’ve often seen in her type of heroines, like the fact that her maid is practically her BFF, because I guess if everyone thought I was invisible, I’d pretty much want to talk to anyone I could, despite the societal norms.

Terence was a bit more problematic but no less enjoyable. I love the idea of were-cats, and I love the idea of ones in particular who are so consumed by passion that they take every opportunity to grope their mates in public. Terence was totally hot in that way, and most of the time I wanted him to just go back to seducing Felicity and getting inappropriately caught up in his passion. Instead, he goes for long periods of the book obstinately deciding that someone as naive and awe-struck at the world must be a great actress hiding evil things. He takes a little bit too long to become convinced of Felicity’s innocence for me.

The secondary characters vary. I liked that Felicity’s family wasn’t entirely what it appeared to be, and I understood the motivations of the villainous members. One of them even gets a bit of a redemption, which was cool. And then there are the servants. Felicity’s maid, Katie, and Terence’s manservant, Bentley, were both great characters. Bentley especially deserved a freaking metal for his dedication to chaperoning poor passion-struck Terence.

The relic plot was a lot less interesting to me than the romance, but it does allow for some interesting possibilities for world-building. I was especially taken with Ms. Kennedy’s idea of the London underground, and I hope we’ll see more of it in future books.

There is something about Ms. Kennedy’s style that works for me. Felicity’s such a Mary Sue, and Terence is kind of cheesy in his own right, but I loved them both and I want to see what else Ms. Kennedy has in store. This is truly a unique paranormal premise, and I’ve already got the second book on Mt. TBR.

Grade: B

Read more reviews of books in this series by clicking on the Relics of Merlin series tag.

Summary:
In a world where magic ruled everything, Felicity Seymour couldn’t perform even the simplest spell. If she didn’t pass her testing, she’d lose her duchy-and any hope of marriage. But one man didn’t seem to mind her lack of dowry: a darkly delicious baronet who had managed to scare away the rest of London’s Society misses.

Sir Terence Blackwell knew the enchanting woman before him wasn’t entirely without magic. Not only could she completely disarm him with her gorgeous lavender eyes and frank candor, but his were-lion senses could smell a dark power on her-the same kind of relic-magic that had killed his brother. Was she using it herself, or was it being used against her?

One needed a husband, and the other needed answers. But only together could they find the strongest magic of all: true love.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

I liked C2′s idea of a Best of 2008 list.  Then Liv got into the action, so thought I’d give it a try too.  (Of course, mine are the best of the bunch.)  I was never one to keep track of my reads, and 2008 was the first time I’ve done that; therefore, this list, though difficult to choose just a few in the long run, was easy for me since I didn’t have to rely on a twelve-month memory.

So here’s my Best of 2008, in no particular order.

Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas
Contemporary Romance Audiobook released by Brilliance Audio 25 Mar 08

Actually, I drooled over Hardy Cates while listening to him with the audiobook of Blue-Eyed Devil. My first foray (including Sugar Daddy) into Kleypas books and I loved every darned minute of it!

Weddings Can Be Murder by Christie Craig
Contemporary Romance released by Love Spell 27 May 08

I never thought I would fall in love with a hero who’s a sympathy puker.  Don’t wrinkle your nose!  Read the book, it’s hilarious! Christie Craig is making a huge name for herself and her wonderful humor.
Double Enchantment by Kathryne Kennedy
Historical Paranormal Romance released by Love Spell 26 Aug 08

A breath of fresh air with a new take on the English social castes.  Fun, intriguing, and very romantic. And loads of magic along with shapeshifting, both of which give readers a different look at old favorites.

Superb and Sexy by Jill Shalvis
Contemporary Romance released by Brava 1 Jun 08

Really, you can interchange any one of the three Sexy books in here. Just love those Sky High Men! Ms. Shalvis has a way with humor, romance, mystery, and fun.

Killer Charms by Marianne Stillings
Contemporary Romance released by Avon 26 Aug 08

I enjoyed all three books about the Darling family, but it’s the hero of this one that gave it top honors for me in 2008. I’ll definitely be reading more of Ms. Stillings.

King of Sword and Sky (Tairen Soul, Book 3) by C.L. Wilson
Paranormal Fantasy Romance released by Leisure Books 30 Sep 08

With just one more book to go, this series is now my favorite of all time. Ms. Wilson has created a world that is just absolutely fantastic and she’s giving us a love story like no other.

Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh
Release by Berkley 2 Sep 08

I’ve loved every book in this series.  They’re all incredible.  But Dorian has always been my favorite from the very first book and I’d anticipated his story for so long.  Ms. Singh did not disappoint!

Scandalous by Night by Barbara Pierce
Historical Romance released by St. Martin’s Paperbacks 29 Jul 08

Barbara Pierce has become an all-time favorite historical author for me.  This book she gave readers a darker side of her writing and Everod is her best hero yet.

With Every Breath by Lynn Kurland
Time Travel Romance released by Jove 27 May 08

Beautiful writing, sweeping Scottish vistas, love and romance that crosses time boundaries, and characters you’ll love forever. What’s not to love?

The Missing by Shiloh Walker
Contemporary Paranormal Romance released by Berkley Trade 4 Nov 08

As I said in my review of this book, Ms. Walker has outdone herself with this one.  Absolutely mesmerizing.  If you haven’t read it, you should.  You’re missing out, big time.

Honorable mentions:

Ask Adam by Jess Dee
Contemporary Romance released by Samhain 29 Jul 08

Ms. Dee is a first-time author for me and I enjoyed her writing and storytelling immensely.  I have a feeling she’s really going to go places!

The Hot Line by Cathryn Fox
Contemporary Romance released by NAL 4 Mar 08

Another first-time author for me. Had to love the idea of the Hot Line, firefighters just waiting to help a lady out. And those boys know what they’re doing!

Sandy M’s review of Slippery When Wet by Kimberly Raye
Contemporary Romance published by Love Spell 25 Nov 08

I’ve been having luck reading and enjoying contemporaries lately.  Then I hit the proverbial brick wall with this book.  It’s not a really bad book.  It’s just not a really good book either.  It’s slow reading and has a hero and heroine that I just couldn’t warm up to.

At first I thought maybe it was the NASCAR theme that didn’t appeal to me.  I’m not into racing, so that seemed logical.  But the more I read the more I realized there were other problems for me.  First, Rory and Jaycee, our hero and heroine, spend very little time together for much of the book.  They’ve been friends since they were kids, but when Jaycee as a teenager dolled herself up to make a play for her man, he rejected her and that was the end of their friendship.  They’ve seen each other here and there because they’re both NASCAR drivers, and now that they’re taking over the top spots after each race, things are heating up and they’re thrown together more for publicity reasons.

That’s when we find out Rory does have feelings for Jaycee, but he’s determined to keep them buried because racing is his life and he won’t allow any distractions.  So he stays as far away from her as possible.  No matter how worked up he gets just seeing her.  But they’re competitors and that’s just the way it has to be.  However, his racing begins to be affected when he can’t keep his concentration on the track.  So maybe the better way to go would be to just bed her and get her out of his system.  So begins the turnaround of his attitude toward Jaycee that has her completely baffled.

Until she realizes that it’s not her that has Rory now sniffing around.  It’s the makeover her sponsor has insisted she go through to make her more likable to their demographic targets.  She’s always been a grease monkey because it was the only way to get her father’s attention.  He lived and breathed racing, so she did too. When he passed away, his will stipulated that Jaycee and her older sister, Riley, had to spend the next racing season together before they made the decision to stay with the team or walk away.  Not knowing she had an older sister, it’s taking everything Jacyee’s got just to get through her days, let alone the next year. And now on top of that, she’s got Rory and his smiles and dimples and that body to contend with.

So until Rory makes his decision to have Jaycee, which is more than halfway through the book, all we get is Jaycee’s makeover, talk about Rory’s chauvinist father’s attitude,  Riley constantly haranguing Jaycee about the makeover and other tidbits before we have the two finally together and things happening between them.  Even when they get intimate the first time irritated me.  After all was said and done, everything else came to a dead stop and they couldn’t get away from each other fast enough.  And that’s before Rory’s decision.

I actually wanted more about Riley and her attraction to Trick Donovan, an ex-racer with a NASCAR talk show.  There’s a spark between them that really interested me, but it never came up again.  Maybe they’re being saved for a future book.  I checked the author’s site to find out, along with some other info, but sadly it’s a site lacking on book information.  Practically nil on this book alone.  I’m hoping it’s a good sign that I want to read a story about characters in this book.  Too bad it’s not the one I got.

Grade: C

Summary:

Jaycee Anderson is the first female to take the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit by storm, and after finishing fourth overall last season, she has her eyes on the prize: knocking Rory Canyon out of the number three spot. She’ll do anything to see the job done, too, even transform herself from a tomboy into a glamour queen if that’s what it takes to get sponsorship and the edge. Rory’s the kind of infuriating chauvinist who’s just begging to get the pants beat off him by a woman—on the track, at least; Jaycee’s fairly sure he’s never had to beg anywhere else. Not with the millions of female fans who buy his shirts and caps and posters. Rory’s just the type who gets Jaycee’s own pistons pumping, her wheels spinning, and her engine burning oil. With their past, she’s surprised they haven’t already seen a smashup that ended in flames. But this track they’re running has some deadly curves…and it’s getting more slippery by the minute.

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Divorced, Desperate and Dating by Christie Craig
Contemporary Mystery Romance published by Love Spell 25 Nov 08

Since we’re smack dab in the middle of the season where we look back and remember, thinking over the past year, for me, Christie Craig is the jewel of my finds when it comes new authors to add to my favorites list.  Her characters draw you in immediately, make you care about them in no time flat, and her humor is to die for.  This is Ms. Craig’s third book within this past year and each one has made me laugh out loud more than any other supposedly humorous books and I remember their characters and storylines to this day, which doesn’t happen with a lot of the books I review.  If you haven’t read a Christie Craig book yet, you’re definitely missing out.

We met Sue in Divorced, Desperate and Delicious.  She’s good friends with the heroine, Lacy, and along with their friend Kathy they make up their Divorced, Desperate and Delicious club, one for girls only to talk girl talk — you know, men, sex, vibrators, whatever strikes them.  Sue also met Jason in that book.  They shared a spine-tingling, toe-curling kiss on Lacy’s patio and Jason asked for her number.  And never called.  Yeah, now you get why these ladies have their club.  We’ve all waited on that end of the phone for the call that never came.  Sue took it to heart because she not only really liked that kiss, she really liked Jason.  But the time came for her to get over both, so four months later finds her working on her current book and that’s when things begin to spiral out of control.  And when Jason comes back into her life.

Since everyone, except his last foster mom, in his life has always walked away from him, Jason has learned to never really want anything.  He had enough heartache as a child and now won’t take a chance of having it back in his life at all.  Even when he met Sue, the one woman who made him feel things he’d never felt before, he just couldn’t take that extra step toward her no matter how badly he wanted to.  But when he finds out she’s being stalked and the local police aren’t taking unusal happenings seriously, this Houston detective takes matters into his own hands to keep the woman safe.  Of course, he hopes for a little extra fun while he’s with her.  Why guy wouldn’t from someone as beautiful as Sue.

He finds that particular want not that easy to fulfill, however. Sue has had her own heartache, men being at the core of it all, of course.  But the more she gets to know Jason as he moves into her home to protect from an unknown killer, she knows her heart will get broken all over again.  But she falls anyway.  The relationship between these two is just terrific.  And it was such fun watching Jason’s evolution from a man who’s longest relationship had been three months to a man who would give everything to this woman, a man who would die for her, a man slowly falling in love and he can’t figure out what’s happening to him.  But when he does figure it out and when he does something about it is one of the best scenes of the book.

We do get more of Lacy and Chase from the earlier book, which is very nice to see how they’re doing and just have them around as friends, do things together as friends.  Most books just give us a glimpse of characters we love from previous books, but suddenly they don’t seem to be great friends with the current hero and heroine anymore.  Not here.  They’re all friends and they act like it.   We get to follow the mystery of Sue’s stalker right along with Jason as he investigates and we’re thrown for the same loops he is.  Other secondary characters are all done very well, especially the moms we get to meet.  We all have issues with our mothers and these characters are no different.  And it’s all done with the best humor.

It’s the laughter thoughout the book — each of Ms. Craig’s books — that keeps me coming back for more with each new release.  It flows so effortlessly off the page.  The way Sue keeps an early suitor from kissing her is just bloody genious and so hilarious.  This time Ms. Craig also had me misty eyed.  The scene near the end of the book when Jason’s mom tells Sue about their trials together was so tender and you have the same aha moment Sue does.  I checked the author’s site to see if we’re going to have Kathy’s story next.  I sure hope so.  I’d love to see Kathy meet up with her plumber again, Christie!

Ms. Craig is an autobuy for me and every book of hers is a keeper.  She’s not let me down once in what I’ve come to expect from her.  I doubt she ever will.

Grade: A+

Summary:

GOOD COP

Sue Finley murdered people…on paper. As a mystery writer, she knew all the angles, who did what and why. The only thing she couldn’t explain was…well, men. Dating was like diving into a box of chocolates: sometimes the sweetest-looking specimens were candy coated poison. After a breakup with a bank robber and a divorce from a cross dresser, she gave it up for good. Then came Detective Jason Dodd.

BAD BOY

Raised in foster homes, Jason swore never to need anyone as much as the parent who abandoned him. That was why he failed to follow up after experiencing the best kiss of his life: real passion was addictive. But when Sue Finley started getting death threats, all bets were off. The blonde spitfire was everything he’d ever wanted—and she needed him. And though this novel situation had a quirky cast of characters and an unquestionable bad guy, he was going to make sure it had a happy ending.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Immortals: The Haunting (Book 7) by Robin T. Popp
Contemporary Paranormal Romance published by Love Spell 28 Oct 08

I know I said in my review of the prior book, The Crossing, in this series that I was a little disappointed the stories are no longer focusing on the Immortal brothers we’d followed all this time.  But, even though I still would have liked to have seen more of them, the stories and action these authors have come up with make me forget that disappointment.  Demons are still the bad guys, but there are others besides those sexy Immortals out there who can defeat them.

We met Mai in The Darkening; she Lexi’s best friend and helped the gang defeat the demon who’d kept Tain imprisoned for so long.  She’s also a wood nymph and loves men and sex.  But after her brush with death, she’s changed her ways and is waiting for Mr. Right to come along.  Her self-imposed no-sex rule isn’t as bad as she thought it would be.  Only because other problems have cropped up since she helped save the world.

Her magic is nearly nonexistent and she’s having hallucinations all the time.  Her therapy really wasn’t working, so she’s determined to go back to news reporting and she’s on the track of a story that will blow local politics wide open.  That’s when things begin to happen.  She’s attacked in her apartment, she’s seeing crazy things — words written on her bathroom mirror, images in other mirrors — and she’s having the most erotic dreams of her life.  Wanting to get to the bottom of those dreams, she searches the internet and finds Nicholas Blackhawk, a spirit walker.

Nick runs his own security agency instead of following in his father’s footsteps as shaman for his people.   He’s also a chameleon, able to blend into any situation in most any form, and can also transport himself into various spiritual planes, as well as people’s dreams.  Not expecting to hear from Mai again after their first botched and embarrassing meeting, he’s surprised to hear from her asking for his help when a friend has gone missing.  The next thing he knows is he’s caught up in a many-angled mystery and he finds himself attracted to Mai. They enjoy one night together before he realizes the woman in his dreams is his spirit mate, and it’s not Mai.  It’s a friend of hers.  Knowing his mate is that close, he can’t in good conscience continue such a relationship with Mai, but being around her and not able to touch her is one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do.

So much happens in this book, I’ve only skimmed a part of the surface. The plot is complex, moves rapidly, and gives the reader a surprise or two along the way.  All the characters are written very well, even the jerk of a super in Mai’s apartment building.  Nick is the most interesting just because of his spirit walking, which he does numerous times during the book.  We do get to see Lex and Darius again a few times; they show us what true friends are.

I thought I was going to be a little ticked off at the end concerning my happily ever after, but I was still rewarded for my lack of faith in such a top-notch author. I’m really looking foward to the last book in the series, The Reckoning, due out late February next year.  With all three authors coming together in one book, it should be quite awesome.

Grade: A

Summary:

Random flashes of unearthly light. Ominous messages written on steamy mirrors. Assailants lurking in shadows. Mai’s hallucinations are becoming a little too real – the last one almost killed her. She’s faced ancient demons and rogue vampires, but this kind of dark magic is more powerful than any she’s seen. Mai also senses someone else trying to help her, a dream walker who comes in the night to soothe her fears. And fulfill her wildest fantasies. But who is he? As the danger and desire escalate, Mai is determined to find him—for only together can they stop…THE HAUNTING.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Immortals: The Crossing (Immortals, Book 6) by Joy Nash
Contemporary Paranormal Romance released by Love Spell 30 Sep 08

This is the first book in the series that really doesn’t have anything to do with the immortal brothers we’ve come to know throughout the last five books.  I didn’t know what to expect, I really liked those immortal, muscle-bound gods.  I wasn’t sure I was ready to give them up.  But I’m very pleasantly surprised with this story and its characters.

We’ve dealt with Mac Lir a number of times during the series and I’m glad the author found a way to “mature” him for his own book.  I just couldn’t imagine a hero that looks like a 12-year-old.  We learn, though, that Mac ended up with the taint of death magic in his soul, as did the other immortals, when they saved Tain from his insanity and the Old One who’d kept him imprisoned for 700 years in The Redeeming.  It’s this sliver of death magic that brings on a few changes in Mac, one being a more mature look as the book opens and he meets Artemis, a witch that is able to ply both life and death magic, something not many are able to accomplish.

Artemis has been stealing the life essence of the faery in villages through the Scottish Highlands, and Mac, being the protector of all things magic, is on tour and not around when Artemis’ last “attack” takes a toll on faery children.  Angry at himself for failing in his responsibilities, Mac is determined to find the culprit and bring them before the council where most lawbreakers are put to death.  He doesn’t count on the pull he feels toward Artemis, something that feels right to him and that’s missing from his life.

Wanting more from her before he knows what she’s up to, he gives her the one thing she may not want, the one thing he wants more than anything else, and when their fight to the death comes, Mac knows he’d do whatever it takes to make sure Artemis comes through it alive, even at the cost of his own soul.

Being a former law enforcement officer who used her abilities for the good, Artemis left her policing days behind her when she discovered her superiors wanted her to use her power for their own devices.  Not contemplating any trouble in everyday life as a regular citizen, she lets her guard down and now she’s racing against time to save her son’s soul from another Old One, but she finds herself being stymied by a handsome and powerful demigod.

Knowing Mac can’t help her when she gets to Hell — his life magic is useless there — she refuses to share her story with him, determined to do it all on her own, ready to face anything as long as her son is allowed to live. They both end up in Hell, however, fighting demons at every turn, betrayal behind every door, and love with every look and touch.  Trust is Artemis’ one downfall, but when push comes to shove and it looks like neither one of them may leave Satan’s realm alive, she has to put her faith in Mac, even after all she’s done to him, and that’s one of the hardest things she’s ever done, all the while doubting she can really do it.

The fun part of this book is once Mac and Artemis descend into Hell.  It reads like a dream, one of those dreams that is really bizarre, you wonder what it all means and it’s as nonsensical as can be.  As they go through each layer of Hell, it’s that dreamlike weirdness that’s represented on each level, and they must figure out how to get past all strange things they find to move on to the next level.  Mac uses more and more of that death magic that is now consuming his soul, but he’s more than happy to give in to it to keep Artemis alive.  Despite the evil around them, they still cling to the good and the light in each other and in their love, but they still have to get through the deepest part of that hellpit, Satan’s level.  And it’s not what you expect.

At first I was a little disappointed the series was inching away from the immortal brothers, but I have to say this is a step in the right direction to keep it interesting.  Kalen is the only brother we see here and that’s in very few scenes.  But there’s enough going on in his book that I missed them only a little bit.  Mac comes into his own and ends up being a terrific hero.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Celtic demigod Manannán mac Lir (Mac) is hot on the trail of Artemis Black, a stunningly dangerous witch who is inexplicably able to intertwine life magic with death magic. Her rare talent nearly killed a faerie infant under Mac’s protection. For the safety of his people, he should punish her severely for this crime.

But once Mac runs Artemis to ground, he finds he just can’t handle the sexy, infuriating witch. Artemis is both vulnerable and cunning, and it’s not often that Mac meets a female who can tug at his heartstrings and challenge his magic. Each time Mac thinks he’s got Artemis cornered, she slips from his grasp. Soon, he’s obsessed.

Artemis is desperate. So desperate, she’s been skimming life essence from faeries, despite the inherent danger, intending to barter the stolen magic for the assistance of a ruthless demon. When her spell races out of control, nearly killing a faerie young one, Artemis calls the spell back. But not quickly enough to escape the notice of one very angry, very sexy Celtic demigod.

Passions run high between Artemis and Mac—and so does suspicion. What human would refuse the help of a demigod? Mac’s sure Artemis is hiding something he’s not going to like. It’s clear she’s in trouble, and dealing in dangerous magic. He won’t let her destroy herself. He’s going to stick tight by her side until he uncovers the truth.

Even when she leads him straight into Hell.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

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 Immortals: The Redeeming (Immortals, Book 5) by Jennifer Ashley
Contemporary Paranormal Romance published by Love Spell 26 Aug 08

This book ended up being quite anticlimactic for me. Over the first four books in the series when learning about Tain’s horrible circumstances, learning about how Adrian has searched for 700 years for his baby brother, learning that perhaps Tain can’t be saved when all is said and done, I knew, once it was announced there would be a book about Tain, that he would be saved, and though most of that takes place in The Gathering, I expected and anticipated more between these immortal demigod brothers in this book. Alas, for me it was not to be.

Since his release from his imprisonment by an ancient demon and his subsequent decline into insanity because of resultant torture by the demon, Tain has been on his own, roaming from Ravenscroft, his goddess mother’s home, to here and there wherever he found himself, Tain still carries guilt about his actions while imprisoned, he still fears he’ll react when around demons, which means he can’t be around the one woman who might be able to save him further than what’s already been done. She’s a demon; half demon anyway. And Tain just doesn’t trust himself to be around her. He doesn’t trust himself to be around anyone he loves for fear of his residual reactions to all he’s gone through.

Okay, I can understand that. But even after Tain has come to San Francisco and gets caught up Samantha’s current demon investigation, there’s only very few scenes between Tain and his brothers; one is only mentioned, never seen. They show concern about him, yes, in those few scenes included, but he’s just come off 700 years of torture. There should have been something more between them. There is plenty of emotion on Samantha’s part once she realizes she loves Tain and wishes she could trust him. Not even her love can keep him from falling back into his insanity and earning her trust totally, or she thinks.

She also finds herself in the middle of a demon war, the current matriarch of her clan being murdered and plans underway of nominating Samantha herself for the top spot, but she knows she’s not qualified for such a position. She’s not a full demon; she’s a cop with the paranormal police, a job she loves. Her father is finally back in her life, something she at first never thought would happen and now she’s grudgingly getting to know him. Then Tain is back. The god with a body to match that makes her burn, but she knows she can’t ever be with him. She still goes to him whenever he’s near, however. Can’t blame her for that. I think I would too. Even with all of Tain’s problems, he’s beautiful to look at, he heals with his magic, he’s sensitive when the situation calls for it and a deadly warrior in the next. It takes Tain to show Samantha how strong she truly is.

While this is a good story, a good romance between the pages, a new demon to battle along with inner demons, it’s action packed, the love scenes are hot and sizzling, there is emotion between Tain and Samantha, and it’s interesting to find out the story of Samantha’s father and why he was absent from her life so many years, I still feel, for me, the brothers need to gather round and help Tain heal further. They’d left him alone for a year or so already. Once he lit in San Francisco, they should have been there. And especially once Tain finds out from his mother why he had to endure his captivity and especially all he goes through again at the hands of this new demon, even if a portion of that lifted a lot of his burdens, his brother still need to be there for him.

I’d come to love these brothers and how they fought to save the world in their own books, how they fought to save Tain, and it’s just a little bit of a disappointment to see so little of them in this turning-point book.

Grade: B+

Summary:

For centuries they have walked among us–vampires, shape-shifters, the Celtic Sidhe, demons, and other magical beings. Their battle to reign supreme is constant, but one force holds them in check, a race of powerful warriors known as the IMMORTALS

He is going to take her. And it won’t be gentle. After all, the last 700 years of torture and captivity haven’t been gentle on Tain. This woman, this half-demon who leaves him burning with desire, is pretty tough herself. She needs to be, for the world is not safe for demon-kind these days. A violent backlash has disrupted the balance of power, and now Tain finds he may have to rescue the dark ones instead of fight them. He feels compelled to protect the alluring Samantha–whether she wants him to or not–but all he can think of is seduction. Ultimately, she’ll either destroy him or bring exactly what he needs most…THE REDEEMING

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox
Contemporary Paranormal Romance released by Love Spell 29 Jul 08

This is a cute book. It has its moments.  Yeah, there’s a but.  I tried to let that “but” go, not pay any attention to it whenever possible.  Sigh.  Not even that helped.

Lizzie Brown is turning 30 and her world gets turned upside down.  She’s about to meet the maternal grandmother she’s never known, something she’s always wanted.  However, Grandma Gertie isn’t quite what Lizzie expected.  She wears leather and rides a hog.  And she’s a witch.  To top it off, Gertie tells Lizzie she’s a demon slayer and that’s when all hell breaks loose. Demons are invading her home and she’s tossing around magic like she’s done it all her life.

Running for their lives, Lizzie and grandma, along with Lizzie’s dog Pirate, who she can now communicate with, end up with Gertie’s witch friends where Lizzie finds more trouble than she can handle.  And this is where the “buts” come in for me.  But this is a different “but”! — let’s talk about the hero first.

Dimitri is the typical hero, tall, dark, broad shouldered, honorable, and the most handsome man Lizzie’s ever seen.  He’s also a griffin.  And her protector.  Grandma and her cronies, however, advise Lizzie not to trust him.  Thank god she doesn’t listen to the old biddies.  Though he is keeping a little something from her during their time together, he’s a sensitive man and his heart is in the right place.  And I didn’t like any of the old biddies.  This is definitely where the “but” comes into play.

Lizzie is a preschool teacher, a good person.  She’s honest and wants honesty in a relationship.  From the moment she meets her grandmother and her friends, they do nothing but stonewall her, lie to her, and treat her pretty shitty.  When reading those scenes, and there’s a lot of them, all I got was negativity vibes the whole time.  Oh, there’s times when one of the cronies will smile or do something to help Lizzie out very grudgingly, but those were few and far between.

I can deal with grudging respect and a surly attitude from a character or two, but nearly every character in this book acts this way.  And I got tired of it.  Even Lizzie’s mother makes and appearance an she’s no better than the rest of them when it comes to Lizzie.  I don’t care how much they say they love her. Show her!  And then act like it!  The only one who ever did was Dimitri, and then when his secret comes out, Lizzie walks away from him faster than anything. But she sticks with her grandmother and those crazy friends.  Sorry, it should have been the other way around.

And it’s all too bad because the writing is good, the humor is great, the idea is terrific, and the hero and heroine go well together and I liked them.   I also liked one or two secondary characters.  There’s a couple of werewolves who were stand-up folks and it’s too bad we didn’t get more of them.  Even Pirate, Lizzie’s dog, is a hell of a lot better than Lizzie’s family or her new so-called friends.  He’s always glad to see her if she’s been gone for a while and he lets her know it.

So my “but” is there’s too much negativity.  Even with a dire situation there can be some levity, there can be more honest characters than one or two, affection can be expressed in better ways.  Grandma and the biddies can learn a lot from Pirate.  At least he’s genuine.

Grade: C

Summary:

Straight-laced preschool teacher, Lizzie Brown, never lies, never cusses, and doesn’t really care much for surprises. When her long lost Grandma Gertie shows up on her doorstep on a neon pink Harley Davidson wearing a “Kiss My Asphalt” t-shirt and hauling a carpet bag full of Smuckers jars filled with road kill magic, Lizzie doesn’t think her life could get any stranger. That is, until her hyper-active terrier starts talking and an ancient demon decides to kill her from his perch on the back of her toilet.

Lizzie learns she’s a demon slayer, fated to square off with the devil’s top minion in, oh about two weeks. Sadly, she’s untrained, unfit and under attack. Grandma’s gang of seventy-something biker witches promises to whip Lizzie into shape in no time, as long as she joins them out on the road. But Lizzie wants nothing to do with all this craziness. She simply wants her normal life back. When she accidentally botches the spell meant to protect her, she only has one choice – trust the utterly delicious but secretive man who claims to be her protector.

Dimitri Kallinikos has had enough. Cursed by a demon centuries ago, his formerly prominent clan has dwindled down to himself and his younger twin sisters, both of whom are now in the coma that precedes certain death. To break the curse, he must kill the demon behind it. Dimitri needs a slayer. At long last, he’s found Lizzie. But how do you talk a girl you’ve never met into going straight to Hell? Lie (and hope she forgives you). Dimitri decides to pass himself off as Lizzie’s fated protector in order to gain her trust and guide her towards this crucial mission. But will his choice to deceive her cost them their lives, or simply their hearts?

Read an excerpt.

Devon’s review of Double Enchantment (Relics of Merlin, Book 2) by Kathryne Kennedy
Historical Paranormal Romance released by Love Spell 26 Aug 08

Earlier this year I read and greatly enjoyed Enchanting the Lady, the first in Kathryne Kennedy’s Relics of Merlin series. Luckily the follow-up, Double Enchantment, is quite strong as well. I feel corny saying this, but these books are enchanting. Set in a Victorian England full of magic, the setting is vivid and unusual, the characters interesting, and the romances are lovely. Romance readers who like fantasy should take notice.

Jasmina didn’t seem like she was going to be an appealing heroine at first. A member of the magically talented aristocracy, she firmly believes in her class’ superiority. Thus she is content to look after her self-absorbed and very flawed parents, to the extent of eschewing marriage. Although there are definite signs that her parents are screwed up (huge ones), she has never questioned her family’s priggish worldview. Until a spell goes awry and she gets involved with a hot stallion.

Sir Sterling Thorn is a stallion shapeshifter and baronet, a class despised as animals by the aristocracy. A disinherited elder son, struggling to start his own vineyard, Sterling would not have expected the beautiful Jas to take notice of him. But she does, to his delight. Unfortunately Jas is magical creation, quite the opposite of the icy, controlled, but real Jasmina. The two strike sparks off of each other from the get go, as they work together to figure out the mystery behind doppelganger Jas, which seems to have something to do with Sterling’s sister’s disappearance.

Jasmina turns out to be far more sympathetic than first expected, as she sheds her rigid façade. She is empowered and made vulnerable by her attraction to Sterling. Jasmina fears that it is really Jas that he loves. As an aside: is it just me, or do “Jasmina” and “Jas” sound a bit exotic and contemporary for the times? Don’t care for the name myself. Sterling was quite the dreamy hero—passionate, charming and protective. Despite the twin factor, it was always very clear that Sterling had distinct, separate feeling for two distinct, separate woman, and that his real feelings were for the real woman.

I really enjoy the milieu of this alternate Victorian England: the upper-class with their social events, the Underground with its black magic, and the sense of magic embuing everything. It’s great fun, and quite different from other “worlds” in paranormal romance. The plot is also interesting and original. I am looking forward to reading more of this series.

Grade: A-

The Summary:

Lady Jasmina was in a world of trouble. A simple spell had gone disastrously haywire and now there was a woman running around London who looked exactly like her—a woman with no sense of propriety whatsoever. All Society was whispering, and a baronet she’d never met was suddenly acting like he knew her…in a most intimate way. To find her twin and set things right, they’d have to work together—braving the fog-shrouded streets, a mysterious group called the Brotherhood, and a passion stronger than any magic.

Read an excerpt here
Read Sandy’s review here

Sandy M’s review of Double Enchantment (Relics of Merlin, Book 2) by Kathryne Kennedy
Paranormal Historical Romance published by Love Spell 28 Aug 08

I have the best time in Kathryne Kennedy’s special world of magic she’s created for her Relics of Merlin series. It’s fun and lighthearted, full of romance, all the while throwing loads of mystery and evil deeds at you. And her were-heroes are to die for.

As with most firsts, the first book in this series gives you such special people and places, and I fell in love with Sir Terrance from Enchanting the Lady and figured that, though the hero in her next book would be another I could fall in love with, I wouldn’t fall quite as badly as I did for Sir Terrance. I’m delighted to say I was very wrong! Sir Sterling Thorn is a were-stallion, big, bold and strong, just as he is in his human form. I fell very hard.

Lady Jasmina Karlyle is the glue that keeps her parents’ house in order and running smoothly. She’s also the one who keeps her mother out of prison when she decides to borrow things from people, mostly jewelry, with the intention of returning them but conveniently forgetting to do so. Jasmina has taken it upon herself to prowl the streets at night, breaking and entering to return these borrowed items so her parents can go on living in relative comfort and ease, demanding their daughter never marry so she may take care of them through their dotage. Personally, the parents irritated the heck out of me, especially when they doubt her later in the story. But Jasmina loves them and does what they ask of her with no thought to herself — until she meets the man who makes her heart gallop.

Though Sterling is the first born, it is his younger brother who inherited upon their father’s death only because Cecil manipulated his father and fed him lies about Sterling during his stint in the military. Still a baron, Sterling lives his own way and is immune to magic, as are all others of his class. He happens upon “Jaz” at the prince’s ball and falls instantly into lust, so much so he marries the girl after he deflowers her, much to his delight.

But his happiness is short lived when he discovers a second Jaz, the original one, that is. Jasmina conjured a twin of herself to fool anyone checking on her in slumber when she was actually out on one of her reverse thieving jaunts. Everything goes totally wrong when Jasmina recites her twin spell while holding the brooch her mother absconded with this time. In actuality it is one of the thirteen Relics of Merlin and causes her spell to go awry, thus giving her Jaz duplicate a little more human personality than is needed.

Sterling and Jasmina are thrown together to search for the brooch to reverse her spell and rid the city of Jaz-Gone-Amuck, thereby saving Jasmina’s already degraded reputation, and Sterling is given the opportunity at the same time to continue looking for his kidnapped sister. Needless to say, all these things are related in unusual and magical ways and a lot of fun and romance are to be had along the way.

I love the way Ms. Kennedy gives Sterling the characteristics of the stallion when he’s in human form. He is a large man with a mane of black hair and I could see him tossing his head, mane flying, each time it was described so. He playfully snorts and stamps his feet just like a horse when the situation calls for it. He is, however, much more magnificent when in his were-form, everything he is as a human is just intensified and made larger than life. One of the best scenes in the book is Sterling galloping and flying through the nighttime streets with Jasmina on his back, both as carefree as the wind. Lady Jasmina’s prim and properness works very well against his animal characteristics, and it’s a delightful process to watch her lose herself and her hoity-toity ways with each step of Sterling’s seduction.

This is an enjoyable series. If you haven’t read it yet, you should. This is what reading is all about. Leave your worries behind and just let go and have fun with a world of magic and romance and characters who will entice you to dream for a happily-ever-after just like theirs.

Grade: A

Summary:
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Lady Jasmina was in a world of trouble. A simple spell had gone disastrously haywire and now there was a woman running around London who looked exactly like her–a woman with no sense of propriety whatsoever. All Society was whispering, and a baronet she’d never met was suddenly acting like he knew her…in a most intimate way. To find her double and set things right, they’d have to work together–braving the fog-shrouded streets, a mysterious group called the Brotherhood, and a passion stronger than any magic.
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Read an excerpt here.

Other books in this series:

Read Devon’s review of Enchanting the Lady

Shannon C.‘s review of Phantom by Lyndsay Randall
Historical paranormal romance released 27 May 08 by Love Spell

There’s nothing more frustrating for me as a reader than a premise that shows so much potential but ends up failing completely when it’s executed. That’s pretty much exactly what happened with Phantom, which doubly sucks because I know several TGTBTU readers were excited about this book. Read on to learn what didn’t work for me, although if you are the author, you might want to have a shot of something handy.

The premise starts out so very cool. Dax is a phantom, sharing his body with an evil creature that wants to smuggle souls. He’s literally cursed, and the only bright spot in his life is Robyn, a woman betrothed to him since birth. The conflict could have been exciting–will Dax manage not to steal her soul? How will he conquer the phantom lurking inside him? But it’s not, largely because the characters didn’t work for me, and I never really saw much growth in either of them.

Dax, for example, meets Robyn when he’s twelve and she’s seven. He becomes infatuated with her after a five minute conversation, and he thinks to himself that she smells like hope. I kept wondering what exactly hope smelled like, and then I kept picturing Robyn as played by some seven-year-olds I knew and found Dax’s infatuation creepy and misplaced. After five minutes, I wasn’t convinced she became the sole reason for him not succumbing to the darkness. Once Dax and Robyn hook up later, he spends so much time pushing her away and then finding he can’t resist her that I wanted to shout at him to make up his damn mind already.

As for Robyn, well, I didn’t share Dax’s infatuation with her. Honestly, there’s not enough to her except that she’s that lovely combination of TSTL and Mary Sue. She has special gifts, gifts that haven’t developed but which apparently help draw her to the phantom inside Dax. And she is forever tearing off after Dax even when he has good reasons for not wanting her to endanger herself. I also thought after some of the stuff she went through that she was way too quick to trust him under the circumstances. She’s also one of those characters that has stuff happening to her rather than making things happen.

Basically, I felt like both Dax and Robyn never transcended past being “characters in a romance novel”. They don’t react like normal people, they don’t talk like normal people, and the novel itself follows familiar plot patterns. The villains are predictably one-note and cartoonish and not nearly as menacing as they’re supposed to be, and when the major villain is dispatched, it’s rather anticlimactic.

I really wish I could have liked this book, and I think it will appeal to many people. But I actively disliked the characters so much that I couldn’t get invested in anything else that was going on. My advice? Try almost any other historical gothic paranormal. This isn’t even worth seeking out used.

Grade: F

Summary:

Every night at midnight Dax could start to feel the change. The curse that made him less human as the Phantom inside struggled to take over. Then he would hear the ghost riders—their pounding hoofbeats drawing ever nearer, reminding him that he was never safe. Nor were the ones he loved.

As a girl, Robyn had pledged herself to him. But that was a lifetime ago. Now she was a woman. Beautiful. Pure. Every time she was near—her soft skin, her delicate scent—the Phantom wanted to claim her, to bring her body to the greatest heights of pleasure. Then steal her soul. Dax couldn’t allow that to happen. He was supposed to be protecting her. But deep down, he knew her love could save him. If the Phantom didn’t get her first.
Read an excerpt here

Sandy M’s review of Immortals: The Gathering (Immortals, Book 4) by Jennifer Ashley
Contemporary paranormal romance released by Love Spell 28 Aug 07

I kept my hopes up that this book would bring the series together and be a satisfying pseudo ending for the first four books. I’m happy to say that my hopes were very highly rewarded. The action, romance, and emotion was perfect and we’re left in just the right place for the next edition of the series, beginning with Tain’s story, The Redeeming, due out next month.

Hunter is the pleasure-grabbing Immortal of the four brothers. At first you figure that’s just who he is, he loves the ladies and goes for it every chance he gets. But then you learn the real reason why he basically loves’em and leaves’em and, like Leda when she finds out, you just want to hold on to him and make it all better, especially when you further learn that his tragedy happened nine hundred years ago and he still hurts like it happened yesterday.

We know way before he does, of course, that he’s now found the one person who can fill that void in his heart and soul, that one person who can love his hurt away, that one person who can make him whole again. He just has to jump through a lot more hoops before that happens, and those hoops are action packed and right down scary at times.

Even with the heartache Leda has had in her life, she comes to the realization that Hunter is the one for her early on and knows that there’s not much to entice him to stay with her if he won’t open his heart to her. The handsome devil who communicates with animals could drive a saint to drink, but she knows life will be boring and not worth a plug nickel once he decides to leave when he knows he’s getting to close to her to risk being hurt again. When they’re drawn into the hunt for Tain and the demon who wants to control of the world, things begin to move at a frantic pace and no one is sure any of them will survive to worry about such things as love.

I really liked the scenes later in the book when the brothers are finally brought together after so many centuries apart. Even being immortal doesn’t stop the squabbling and the competition between them. When they do come together to save Tain from his self-destructiveness, the emotion among them is deep and heartfelt.

Hunter’s interaction with Mukasa the lion throughout the book is a lot of fun. I kept thinking it would be even more fun if he’d had other interactions with a few more animals, but it’s not that much to quibble over. I know Tain had to leave to find himself after so many eons of captivity, but I wanted to scream at the brothers to make him stay with them after they’d just found him again, but he’s on his own path once again and we’ll find out soon enough what’s in store for him.

This book is a nice ending to this part of the series. We now head for a whole new look for the books themselves and a lot more excitement starting next month.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Created at the dawn of time to protect humanity, the ancient warriors have been nearly forgotten, though magic lives on–in vampires, werewolves, the Celtic Sidhe, and other beings. But now one of their own has turned rogue, and the world is again in desperate need of the Immortals.

He was known as “the crazy one.” And Leda Stowe could see why after finding the stunning half-naked warrior in her lion’s pen–unarmed and completely unafraid. Though he could somehow soothe the temperamental beast, nothing could calm the desire that sparked through her body at his touch. She wished they could hide away together on her island forever, but the world thrummed with danger. Before Leda could claim Hunter for herself, they would have to join the other Immortals to face the greatest trial yet: The Gathering.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Shannon C.’s review of These Boots Were Made for Stomping by Julie Kenner, Jade Lee, and Marianne Mancusi
Paranormal romance anthology released Love Spell 22 Apr 08

Normally, I would never have picked up an anthology like this. My footwear consists of… uh… tennis shoes and maybe, for special occasions, the flats that are hidden somewhere in the back of my closet. I am the ultimate casual dresser, and the only real concession to cosmetics I make involves perfume. So the premise that three women can find exactly what they want from life thanks to the right footwear strikes me as really silly and shallow. On the other hand, I do love Julie Kenner, and Marianne Mancusi is an author I’ve always thought I would like. And, surprise surprise, I really liked this anthology, all feminist quibbles aside.

A Step in the Right Direction by Julie Kenner

Julie Kenner tells the story of Lydia Carmichael, a shy woman with a serious lack of confidence and a fixation on superheroes. Her best friend talks her into buying shoes from a website that promises that, with the shoes, Lydia will gain her heart’s desire. Soon, the new Lydia is kicking ass and taking names, and running into Nikko, a real honest-to-God superhero who looks like her beloved comic book character, Silver Streak.

I like Julie Kenner. The humor in her stories always works for me, and I always feel that her heroines are real people that I might run into somewhere. Her stories are light and fluffy, and this one is no exception. The characters aren’t very substantial when examined closely, but as archetypes they work well, and I loved watching Lydia’s self-confidence bloom. I think I could have done with a little less of the hokey comic book aspects of the story, but that’s a personal preference and the story was still good.

Grade: B

Kung Fu Shoes by Jade Lee

Jade Lee is an author I’ve heard of but whose books haven’t yet tempted me. In this story, inner-city schoolteacher Michaela “Micki” Becker is beginning to feel burned out by her teaching job. Then she discovers that the Mary Janes she bought from the same website where Lydia of the previous story got her magic shoes imbue her with kung fu powers. As she struggles to get through to Lucy, one of the kids she wants to reach, she attracts the attention of the school cop, Joe DeLuce.

I liked the romance in this story. Joe is a great hero–manly and very much a real guy. I loved watching his progress into love with Micki. Unfortunately, Micki herself is less well-drawn. She is basically a big liberal bleeding-heart stereotype (she even eats tofu for heaven’s sake), and I thought she slipped past the border of TSTL country just a little too often. Also, the paranormal aspect of the story was so underdeveloped that it added a level of cheese that really didn’t need to be there at all.

Grade: C+

Karma Kitty Goes to Comic Con by Marianne Mancusi

Marianne Mancusi’s Karma Kitty Goes to Comic Con ends the anthology on a high note. Comic book writer Hailey Hills is given the opportunity to attend Comic Con, the largest comics convention in the country, where she will get to meet fans of Karma Kitty, the popular superheroine she’s created. As per the rest of the stories in this anthology, she’s bought a special pair of Karma Kitty boots for the occasion. Unfortunately, Colin Robinson, her former boyfriend, who broke up with her on account of the fact that too many weird things happen to Hailey, is also at the convention. Can these two rekindle an old flame amidst real live ninjas, burgeoning superpowers, and a publisher that’s determined to make the comics industry respectable?

I’m not normally a fan of screwball comedies. They have to be done really really well, or they come off as stupid. Ms. Mancusi does screwball very well, and I laughed aloud a number of times while I was reading. I particularly loved the way Ms. Mancusi worked in a not so subtle reference to a certain RWA-related kerfuffle from last year. Doubtless, people who disagreed with her on that particular issue will find the alusion to it in poor taste, but I appreciated it.

I liked the characters. Hailey was a lot of fun, even if she was a little stereotypical. I liked that she seemed more confident in herself than the other heroines, and it seemed that she was deliberately supposed to be something of a ditz. Colin was a bit of a jerk, and I didn’t really see what Hailey saw in him, but the story was so laugh out loud funny that I didn’t particularly mind.

Grade: A-

Overall, this was a really good anthology. The Lee story might have been the weakest, but it’s still worth reading.
Overall Grade: B

Summary:
SOMETIMES IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SHOES

Whether facing the forces of evil or simply battling a bad hair day, fantastic footwear is key.

Yes, there are the right shoes for the right situation, and not every moment calls for Manolos. Sometimes a woman’s gotta be fierce as well as feminine, fiery as well as fragile. And when the legwork required is a roundhouse, when a girl’s mantra has to become “I am woman, hear me roar,” those are the times it’s good to know there’s magic in the world–because in super-powered pumps, the shrinking-est Violet or the nervous-est Nellie can do anything. Every step in magic shoes is sure to be a big one.

Sandy M’s review of Weddings Can Be Murder by Christie Craig
Romantic Suspense published by Love Spell 27 May 08

I dare ya. What’s that, you ask? I dare you read to this book and not laugh, not get so emotionally involved with these characters that you feel it to your soul, not to thoroughly enjoy this as one of the best reads you’ve had in a while. 

Christie Craig is making a name for herself on the fast track. I read and reviewed her Divorced, Desperate and Delicious last year and had the best time, laughing nearly all the way through the book and falling in love her with characters posthaste. She’s only gotten better with this book, Weddings Can Be Murder. The dialogue is witty and snappy, the characters are as engaging as ever, her humor is to die for, and the romance is heartbreaking, sweet, sexy, and powerful all at the same time.

Katie and Joe are engaged, but they each know deep down that although they love one another, they don’t love each other in the right way to be getting married. When Katie stumbles upon and witnesses the murder of her wedding planner and is subsequently locked in the dark with the PI the late planner had called because of her suspicions concerning dying brides, Katie and her body respond to Carl Hades like never happened with her fiance.

Carl is a man who loves women but he makes sure those women know he’s not the marrying kind, he makes no promises he can’t keep, and he won’t be staying around after some mutual pleasure is had. But Katie affects him to the point of distraction after their ordeal is over. Both Katie and Carl try to go on with their lives, but when Katie breaks the engagement each of them have hope maybe there can be something good between them, but they know that truly will never happen. They’re too different, too far apart in what they want in life.

But they keep getting thrown together and each time is better than the last. While Carl and Katie are locked up together, so many different things happen that I was laughing out loud almost constantly. I think Ms. Craig is the only author who can make puking funny, and she does it brilliantly. And an electric vibrator. But there’s also tenderness and need in these scenes, a longing so deep you know these two characters have to end up together. Later I so loved the dish washing scene that Katie spontaneously concocts when she finally realizes she’s ready to make love with Carl.

Carl catches on quickly and the ensuing pages are filled with sexual tension and humor galore. The scenes at the end of the book when they try make things work to be together and something happens again and again to show them they shouldn’t be, the heartbreak is positively palpable. I had that feeling in my gut like you get when you know something is so terribly wrong and you can’t fix it. I felt it clear to my soul. Not once, but at least twice. Ms. Craig wrings you dry emotionally before you get what you’re looking for.

I also enjoyed the secondary romance between Joe and Les, Katie’s ex-fiance and best friend. Oh, yes, there’s a whole other story there! Two for the price of one! But, of course, you have to wait until the next book for the bigger story on that romance. As much as we get in their story, Carl and Katie’s is not shortchanged at all. It’s a job well done in balancing the two romances while giving us exactly what we need. The way Joe and Les’ story is left, I have to assume their book is next. I checked Ms. Craig’s website but didn’t see any coming soon posts that would give me a hint. But I have a feeling!

So, are you up for my dare? If you read this book and don’t become engaged on any level whatsoever, there’s something wrong and sorry to say it’s not the book. This book is what it’s all about. Ms. Craig, to me, is the epitome of an author who can give us the perfect, well-rounded romance novel. Not one doubt about it.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Who knew getting married could get you murdered?

What happens when you realize you’re about to marry a man you don’t love—a man who doesn’t love you? When accidentally flushing her $8,000 engagement ring down the toilet isn’t enough of a sign for Katie Ray to call off the big day, fate gets busy. Will seeing her wedding planner murdered and getting herself locked in the dark with a sexy PI do the trick?

Hired by Houston’s elite wedding planner to investigate some missing brides, the last thing bad-boy Carl Hades wants is to be shackled with another man’s soon-to-be wife. Especially when the gorgeous redhead stirred emotions he’d avoided for years. Now, avoiding her sounds like a genius plan, especially when her future wedding goes the same the way as her engagement ring—down the toilet—making Katie available. . . and a hell of a lot more tempting. But when the missing brides come up dead, Carl suspects that Katie might be next, which makes avoiding her impossible and improbably, especially when being with her is a whole lot of fun.
Read an excerpt here.

Sandy M’s review of Immortals: The Awakening (Immortals, Book 3) by Joy Nash Contemporary Paranormal Romance released by Love Spell 31 Jul 07Three books down in this series, one to go before we get all new stories about these sexy Immortals. The first book, Immortals: The Redeeming, of the new installments will be out in September and I have a feeling it’s the one you’ve been waiting for just like I have, and I’m on pace to bring you reviews right up to the new release dates. But let’s talk about Awakening first.

Kalen is just as alpha and sexy as his brothers, but he’s kept pretty much to himself for the last several centuries. He hasn’t had any contact with his brothers in all that time, and he has no idea of the havoc that’s currently raining down on the world. Christine is a witch, drawing her power from water, and she’s on the hunt for Kalen so he can help his brothers save them all. What she doesn’t expect is both love and horror to push their way into her life.

While I liked this book, I don’t like it nearly as much as the first two. I do like the characters very much. They’re as engaging, kick butt, and fun as the previous characters. The love scenes are right up there with the rest of them. What brought this story down for me was the fact we have no contact with either Adrian or Darius at all. Tain and his demon do show up near the end, but I still wanted at least a phone call, a psychic connection, something between these brothers. We do find out that Kalen is not all that thrilled with his oldest brother, Adrian, but even a few choice words or some thrown punches would have been better than nothing. The reunion between the brothers is part of what makes these books for me. I did get the reunion with Tain, which makes me glad, and I wasn’t disappointed in that, it was on par with the other reunions. I just wanted more.

Other than that, this story is just as fast paced, just as grim, just as hot and heavy as the other two. We meet two new characters, Mac, who is an age-old god but looks about sixteen, and his sister, Leanna, who is as power hungry as they come, so much so she sells her soul. I’m going to love to see how she fares in succeeding books ‘cuz it can’t be good and she deserves it! The mystery of why Kalen refuses to fight is done well; it’s only his love that moves him to risk everything. But without that connection to the previous characters, I felt cut off from what had gone before, even with disaster running amuck in this book.

Grade: B+See my review of The Calling and The Darkening. See Shannon’s review of The Calling.

Summary:

She comes to him in a dream: her creamy skin delectably cool, silky raven hair smelling of the sea and ocean-blue eyes reflecting the depths of her passion. She is everything Kalen has been desperate to capture in his art — and in his bed. In reality, when Christine finds his remote Scottish castle, it is to persuade the Immortal warrior to help repel the darkness spreading around the world. But Kalen has a vindictive Sidhe trying to steal his powers and a dark secret of his own to battle before he and Christine can give in to –The Awakening.

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in this series:

Leah Hultenschmidt: “I was immediately swept away by how evocative this book is – foggy nights, pounding hoofbeats, evil spectres. And the hero had a lot of the attributes that have always made vampires so popular–superstrength, unworldly powers, forced to rein in a dark side–but isn’t a vampire. It’s a gothic paranormal historical.”

TGTBTU: “It’s a gothic paranormal historical.” Need we say more? Honestly most of the paranormal historical novels I have tried haven’t worked for me. Other than Kathryn Smith’s Vamps I can’t think of one off the top of my head I LOVED. But toss in gothic and I am always interested in seeing what the author comes up with. Ok and I have a stack of them on my tbr pile… I have hope I can’t help it.

Every night at midnight Dax could start to feel the change. The curse that made him less human as the Phantom inside struggled to take over. Then he would hear the ghost riders—their pounding hoofbeats drawing ever nearer, reminding him that he was never safe. Nor were the ones he loved.

As a girl, Robyn had pledged herself to him. But that was a lifetime ago. Now she was a woman. Beautiful. Pure. Every time she was near—her soft skin, her delicate scent—the Phantom wanted to claim her, to bring her body to the greatest heights of pleasure. Then steal her soul. Dax couldn’t allow that to happen. He was supposed to be protecting her. But deep down, he knew her love could save him. If the Phantom didn’t get her first.

check out an excerpt here… if you read it let us know what you think…