Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

Title: Dark Lover

Author: J.R. Ward

Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Release Date: September 5, 2005

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 393 pages

Source: Bought

 

Rating: 5/5

Smuttiness: 4/5

Synopsis:
In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing their enemies more than Wrath, the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood...

The only purebred vampire left on the planet, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But when one of his most trusted fighters is killed - orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate - Wrath must usher the beautiful female into the world of the undead...

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn't there, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of brotherhood and blood frighten her. But his touch ignites a dawning hunger that threatens to consume them both....

Review:

The Black Dagger Brotherhood is one of my favorite adult vampire series of all time.  Each of the brothers have bad ass names like Rhage and Tohrment to name two.  Each brother has his own story and I can hardly wait to re-read them all!  Including John Matthew's story which I still haven't read yet. *hangs head*

But Dark Lover is the kickoff story for this series.  The main characters are Wrath and Beth Randall...Wrath who is the King of the vampires and Beth who is the half human daughter of Darius (a warrior in the brotherhood who is killed at the beginning of the story).  At the beginning of the story Darius approaches Wrath about helping Beth through her transition (from human to vampire), if it were to happen.  At first Wrath shuts him down cold.  But then Darius is killed and Wrath feels that he owes Darius to help Beth through her transition.

I really LOVED this book a LOT.  Not only are we talking about a group of EXTREMELY attractive warrior vampires who's whole purpose in life (is it really life if your a member of the undead?) is to protect civilian vampires from lessors, who are soulless humans who get their jollies getting rid of vampires.  But also a group of individuals who really act like brothers.  And the fact that they are written to basically be SEX GODS.  Definitely NOT your Twilight vamps that's for sure!

I really was impressed with the way that this book was written.  The characters were very engaging, even Hard-ass Butch and Zsadist, I felt that even I could relate to the characters. The side stories I thought were well written to keep the story flowing....There's a lot of from the vampire's points of view and switching to the lessor's points of view through out the book. The dialogue was catchy and there was a touch of humor laced through out this book.  I thought that the transition from Wrath and Beth at the beginning of the book to the end of the book was very smooth.  See at the beginning Wrath was 6'9" of hard ass and didn't particularly care for females or humans (two strikes against Beth) and Beth was sort of a loner lost in the world (her mother died when she was born and she was put in the foster system), then Wrath shows up and things start to change for both of them.  I thought that they were beautifully matched.

Overall, I think that this book was a great start to this series and I can hardly wait to read further on into the Brotherhood.  I'm off to start reading about Rhage and his curse...sounds awfully delicious!

Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward

Title: Lover Eternal

Author: J.R. Ward

Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Release Date: March 7, 2006

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 441 pages

Source: Bought

 

Rating: 5/5

Smuttiness: 4/5

Synopsis:
In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war raging between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret bound of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Possessed bu a deadly beast Rhage is the most dangerous of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He's the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover-for inside him burns ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Owned by this dark side, Rhage fears the time when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant to Rhage's protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. She lost her faith in miracles years ago. But when Rhage's intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves...

Review:

Lover Eternal is the second book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood and is Rhage's story.  Rhage a LONG time ago was cursed by the Scribe Virgin and now he's got about 91 years left on a 200 year old curse.  Well that is until he meets Mary that is.  That's when things start to get real interesting around the brotherhood.

Mary on the other hand is a strong independent woman.  She has to be to have gone through the "curse" she's gone through and come out on the other side.  Well that is until that nasty old "curse" comes back again.  Then she meets Rhage, through a friend (who she has no idea is actually a vampire) and all bets are off.

Unlike the first book where there was a LOT of fighting and almost a lot of romance this book in the series goes the other way.  Where there's a LOT of romance and almost a lot of fighting.  What I really liked about this book is that J.R. Ward took a vampire that had been written to be shall we say a fighting/sex addict to keep his beast (which you learn some shocking things about through the course of the book) at bay and turned him into fighting/monogamy addict.  Really teaching an old dog a new trick.

Another thing that I really liked about this book was the way that Rhage spoke to Mary.  Even from the beginning it was really sexy (in my opinion) when he talked to her like he was talking to his wife.  It gave me warm fuzzies inside to read all these words of love coming out of a big, strong, sexy as hell warrior vampire.

I'm usually not one for cliff hanger endings but I think with the build up throughout this story to Zsadist and Bella's story that the cliff hanger was very appropriate.  I made me want to keep reading and pick up the next book and start that one right away...which I did.  I can honestly say that I spent my entire Sunday, from the time I got up at around 1 am until I went to bed at a little after 5 pm, reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood.  I just could not stop myself. 

Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward

Title: Lover Awakened

Author: J.R. Ward

Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Release Date: September 5, 2006

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 434 pages

Source: Bought

 

Rating: 5/5

Smuttiness: 4/5

 

Synopsis:

 

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, a deadly turf war rages between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Of these, Zsadist is the most terrifying member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering and humiliation. Renowned for his unquenchable fury and sinister deeds, he is a savage feared by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion and terror his only passion-until he rescues a beautiful female from the evil Lessening Society.

Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses. But even as their desire for each other begins to overtake them, Zsadist's thirst for vengeance against Bella's tormentors drives him to the brink of madness. Now Bella must help her lover overcome the wounds of his tortured past and find a future with her.

 

Review:

 

Hi!  My name is Jamie and I spent my Sunday reading Black Dagger Brotherhood novels. I think that's a hell of a way to spend a day.  Sexy as hell warrior vampires and the ladies they eventually learn to love.  Hell of a way.  I actually got through 2 novels yesterday.

 

Lover Awakened is Zsadist's story.  When Zsadist was young he was stolen from his family and turned into a blood slave where absolutely HORRIBLE things happened to him.  To the point that his twin actually tells Bella that Zsadist isn't broken, he's ruined.  Cause if something is broken you can sometimes fix it right.  Everyone is scared of him because he's scarred (he's got a LOT of nasty ass scars from his bloodslave days) and borderline sadistic.

 

But really all it takes is a strong female vampire to turn Zsadist's world upside down.  That's where Bella comes in.  After her ordeal (which starts in Lover Eternal) with the lessers she's beyond shaken and she's always had a crush on Zsadist.  And that's where she starts turning him around.  Making him feel loveable and almost "human" again.

 

Unlike the last two books there is a LOT of sadness in this book.  I don't want to gve too much away but y'all should know that this story is NOT all "sunshine and roses."  And not all the sadness comes from the main characters either.

 

What I've noticed so far in this series is that the books seem to rotate from being a LOT of fighting and almost a lot of romance to a LOT of romance and almost a lot of fighting.  Well this book happens to be of the a LOT of fighting and almost a lot of romance variety.  Don't get me wrong there is a considerable amount of romance but given Zsadist's past he's a fighter learning to be a lover.  Actually, because of his past he feels that he's unattractive AND unloveable.  Double whammy!

 

What I also noticed about this book was there wasn't a much buildup to the next story in the series.  In the last two books there was buildup to each character's story.  I didn't feel that that was happening in this story as much as the other two books.

 

Overall, I thought though it had more than it's fair share of sad moments that Lover Awakened was a great read.  Of the three books in the series that I've read so far I'm having a hard time coming up with a clear cut favorite.  But I think that with Zsadist's past and his hang up's he just might be slightly ahead of the other two books.

Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

Title: Happy Ever After

Author: Nora Roberts

Series: Brides Quartet #4

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Penguin Group

Release Date: 2010, November 2

Format: E-book, 368 pages

Source: Purchased for my Nook

Rating: 5/5

Smuttiness: 2.75/5

Synopsis:

As the public face of Vows wedding planning company, Parker Brown has an uncanny knack for fulfilling every bride's vision. She just can't see where her own life is headed. Mechanic Malcolm Kavanaugh loves figuring out how things work, and Parker is no exception. Both know that moving from minor flirtation to major hook-up is a serious step. Parker's business risks have always paid off, but now she'll have to take the chance of a lifetime with her heart.

Review:

This in my opinion was an AWESOME SAUCE series!  I'm really sad to see it come to an end.  I thought that all of the stories in this quartet were incredible but I think that I really enjoyed Parker's story a bit more than the rest.  Park is very organized and likes things to run just so and when you throw hottie mechanic Malcolm Kavanaugh into the picture things just get more than a little bit off kilter for Parker.

Malcolm is the exact opposite of what Parker usually goes for in a man.  He's a mechanic, he's got a tricked out classic car AND a motorcycle...Which Parker gets on more than once.  He's also unpredictable, which sort of bothers Parker in the beginning. As different as he is from Parker I think that is what made him perfect for her.  He threw her off her game and made her come out of her comfort zone.

Overall, I really thought that Roberts hit this one out to the park. The main characters are perfect for each other, even if it took them FOREVER to realize it.  I liked that along with the romance there were parts with some humor to keep things from getting too over the top.  I think my two favorite scenes in the book were: when Parker is describing her hypothetical tattoo to Mrs. G and when the other guys are telling Mal how they feel now that they've found their "The One."

EROTICA REVIEW ~ Lady Sing The Blues by Mallery Malone

Title: Lady Sings The Blues

Author: Mallery Malone

Series: 

Genre: Erotica, Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Release Date: 2008, June 24

Format: E-Book

Source: Purchased for my Barnes and Noble Nook 

Rating: 5/5

Smuttiness: 5/5

Synopsis:

  Summertime-and the living is steamy in Hotlanta.

A Red-Hot Summer story.

Alina Gabriel has hit on the perfect formula to make her club, The Scarlet Lady, the hot spot in Atlanta-s night life. Men flock to see her alter ego, retired exotic dancer Miss Scarlet; and women line up to see Joshua Hanover and his blues band steam up the stage.

Alina herself isn-t immune to the blind guitarist-s sensual songs and musical dexterity, but she refuses to be just another notch in his groupie belt.

That is, until Joshua debuts a new song, -Red-Letter Woman-, to entice Miss Scarlet to dance. The song and dance leave them both hot and bothered, and when Alina retreats to her office for personal relief, Joshua joins her and offers to strum her desire.

But Joshua wants more than a one-night stand. He-s pushing for an encore, and Alina wonders if it-s her he-s after-or her exotic persona.

Warning: This title contains sensuous solos, decadent duets, dirty dancing, and a man who-s really good with his hands.

Review:

I found this one while I was checking out the "shop" on my Nook on Thursday.  Of course I broke my book buying ban naturally.  I mean...How could I pass up a book where there's a man who's REALLY good with his hands?!

I was pleasantly surprised by this one.  I found it to be a really sweet yet VERY sexy interracial romance about a former exotic dancer who turned club owner Alina "Miss Scarlet" and Joshua Hanover a blind blues musician.

The sex is seriously HOT but soon the seriously HOT sex turns into a relationship involving much deeper emotions.  Both characters are forced to deal with their issues (for Alina - what is Josh really after?  The REAL her or the exotic her? for Josh - his blindness and feeling like Alina was "untouchable") to keep their budding romance together.

Overall, I really enjoyed this e-book.  I devoured it in what seemed like no time at all.

When Harry Met Molly by Kieran Kramer

Title: When Harry Met Molly

Author: Kieran Kramer

Series: The Impossible Bachelors #1

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks

Release Date: 2010, November 2

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 432 pages, EBOOK

Source: Purchased for my Barnes and Noble Nook 

Synopsis:

Dashing Lord Harry Traemore is perfectly content to live out his days in the pursuit of pleasure. But when he's named by the Prince regent as one of society's 'Impossible bachelors', Harry is drafted into a ribald romantic wager. The rules of engagement are scandalously simple: the bachelor whose mistress wins the title of 'Most Delectable Companion' gets to remain unmarried. Harry is utterly unconcerned about his status...until his latest lightskirt abandons him. Enter Lady Molly Fairbanks. Harry's childhood friend - actually, 'foe' is more like it - is the most unlikely companion of all. She's attractive but hot-headed, and in no mood for games. Besides, what could the self-indulgent Harry possibly know about what makes a woman delectable? It's time for Molly to teach him a lesson once and for all...but will it lead to happily ever after?

The "Short Story:"

A cute light and fluffy read.  It has it's flaws but still a very good read.

The "Long Story:"

The prologue starts with a young Molly declaring her love for her sister's fiance' in a poem at a Christmas gathering, while also outing her sister for kissing her fiance's younger brother Harry.  The events that happen next set the tone for most of the book, where Harry and Molly pretty much HATE each other as a result of those events.

Then the Prince Regent decides one drunken night that Harry and the other 3 Impossible Bachelors should marry.  But to make things interesting he comes up with a competition.  Pitting the Impossible Bachelors and their mistresses against one another. The winner of the competition will get to remain a bachelor and will be FREE from all the matchmaking mothers, families and debutantes trying to nag him into marrying for 1 year.  But the loser of the competition will have to propose marriage to a woman chosen for him within 2 months.  Naturally, you can't take this story too seriously...hence the book being a "light fluffy" read.  The competition for this year is VERY simple.  The bachelor with the "Most Delectable Companion" or if your reading between the lines....the man with the best mistress wins.

While on his way to the competition Harry's mistress takes off and abandons him.  I chuckled my way through that scene.  As a result of circumstances Molly ends up being Harry's false mistress for the week.  Molly has to not only pretend to be Harry's mistress but also pretend that she ACTUALLY LIKES Harry (Oh the HORROR!).  From what you've read of this review so far you would think that Molly is nothing but a bitch, but that is so VERY much not the case.  See Molly is young and impulsive and she's spent 5 years at a school where she was forced to peel potatoes everyday and where they tried to teach her to be a lady in addition to trying to break her spirit.  In the beginning the competition is difficult for Molly because she is so very much out of her element but slowly but surely she starts winning over everyone including Harry.

I love all the secondary characters too!  My personal favorites were Hildur and Bunny.  Hildur was the "Dark Horse" of the competition being from Iceland and not speaking/understanding much English.

I've always had a soft spot for "hate turns to love" stories.  And at the beginning of this book and through a good chunk of it they really did HATE each other.  And the whole thing is all because of a silly little poem that Molly had written many years ago. I chuckled my way through a good chunk of this book, which I really enjoyed since I've been reading some pretty serious romances recently.

The love scenes in this book were also rather inventive as well.  The more time that Harry and Molly spent together the harder it was for Harry to keep his hands to himself and he spent a good chunk of the competition trying to protect Molly from becoming a "ruined woman" at the hands of his fellow competitors as well as himself. You'll have to read the book to find out more about these inventive scenes!

5/5

The Impossible Bachelors:

When Harry Met Molly 11/2/2010
Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right 11/30/2010
Cloudy With A Chance of Marriage 4/26/2011

EROTICA REVIEW ~ Texas Tangle by Leah Braemel

Title: Texas Tangle

Author: Leah Braemel

Series: 

Genre: Erotica

Publisher: Carina Press 

Release Date: 2010, June 28

Format: EBOOK

Source: Purchased for my Barnes and Noble Nook

Synopsis:

Thanks to her cheating ex-husband and her thieving brother, all horse breeder Nikki Kimball has left is a bruised heart, an over-drawn bank account and an empty home. When sex-on-legs Dillon Barnett and his brooding foster-brother Brett Anderson start showing more than just neighborly attention, Nikki is intrigued…and a little gun-shy.

Dillon and Brett have a history; back in high school, the two friends fought a bitter battle over Nikki. Now, ten years later, Brett still longs to be the man in Nikki’s life, but he’s determined to stand back and let Dillon win Nikki’s heart.

Society says Nikki must choose between the two men she loves. Is Nikki strong enough to break all the rules in order to find happiness?

The "Short Story:"

A HOT little number featuring a HOT cowboy, a HOT cop and a "HOT" chick that they BOTH want.

The "Long Story:"

I saw this e-book on one of Goodreads lists that I LOVE to frequent and I went to see if I could find it on my Nook...Since according to Goodreads it was available for Kindle users.  I was beyond happy when I was able to download this one onto my Nook!  I'm a HAPPY e-book reader!  I'm even happier that in the last 8 hours and 40 minutes I've read 2 books so far!

OMG was this HOT!  Our heroine Nikki is a divorcee who has been having really HOT fantasies about Dillion for MONTHS.  When they are finally driven together by unfortunate circumstances.  Then there is the SHOCKER...That there is another hero that wants to be with Nikki as well...Brett, the good looking cop, who has history with Nikki.  Now this is were things get a little dicey...all three of the characters are friends and none of them wants to hurt the other(s).  So who is Nikki gonna chose?!

What I really liked about this story is that ALL of the characters were of equal importance.  Meaning, they all got an equal amount of "page time." Which I really liked.  The background stories were well thought out and VERY vivid. 

The only quirk that I had with the story (and it's only a small quirk) is that I thought that Nikki at points in the story was written as whiney.  I didn't really care for that but it wasn't enough to knock the rating down any.

Which brings us to the sex....OMG!  It's panty-spontaneous-combustion!  There's some pretty AMAZING M/F scenes as well as a UBER HOT M/F/M scene.

5/5

EROTICA REVIEW ~ Brazen by Maya Banks

Title: Reckless

Author: Maya Banks

Series: Brazen #2

Genre: Erotica, Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Release Date: 2008, June 3

Format: E-Book

Source: Purchased for my Barnes and Noble Nook 

 

Rating: 5/5

 

Smuttiness: 5/5

 

Synopsis:

 

  He can run, but he can’t hide

A Red Hot Summer story and a stand-alone sequel to Brazen.

Sheriff J.T. Summers promised to keep an eye on his best friend’s little sister. What could possibly go wrong? A lot. “Little” Nikki Durant isn’t so little anymore. She’s sex on a stick, and she’s pointed right at him.

Nikki has always loved J.T., and she’s through waiting for him to come around. The soaring summer temperature is nothing compared to the heat generated when she sets fire to his senses. With a take-no-prisoners attitude, she’s out to get her man. But no matter how many ways she offers it, J.T.’s not buying.

What’s it going to take to get him to realize her love for him isn’t a passing fling? Get herself arrested? Hmm…

Review:

HA HA sucks to be J.T.!  I found this e-book yesterday morning while I was checking out the "shop" on my Nook.  The synopsis alone was enough to make me break my book buying ban.

Reckless is about a small town sheriff (the towns name is Barley...yes like Oats and Barley.) named J.T. who is trying really hard to fight his lust and feelings for his best friends little sister Nikki.  Now Nikki on the other hand is absolutely determined to make him hers, even though he's 12 years older than her...Failure is NOT an option.

She's been in love with him for many years and now that she's back in town and both of them are responsible adults she's not letting him get away without out a fight...Even if it means that she has to get herself arrested to achieve her goal.

Then when they finally get together there are shocking realities (in J.T.'s case), sizzling sex and a huge case of misunderstandings on both of their parts.  But there is a happy ending for all parties.

This is the stand-alone sequel to Brazen (yes I broke my ban again to buy Brazen).  The main characters from Brazen make an appearance in Reckless as well.

Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Fantasy Lover
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Dark Hunter/Were-Hunter prequel

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:

This book is part of the Dark-Hunter universe, but does not feature any Dark-Hunters, For that it's considered an introduction to the series hence the #0.

Dear Reader, Being trapped in a bedroom with a woman is a grand thing. Being trapped in hundreds of bedrooms over two thousand years isn't. And being cursed into a book as a love-slave for eternity can ruin even a Spartan warrior's day. As a love-slave, I knew everything about women. How to touch them, how to savor them, and most of all how to pleasure them. But when I was summoned to fulfill Grace Alexander's sexual fantasies, I found the first woman in history who saw me as a man with a tormented past. She, alone, bothered to take me out of the bedroom and into the world. She taught me to love again. But I was not born to know love. I was cursed to walk eternity alone. As a general, I had long ago accepted my sentence. Yet now I have found Grace-the one thing my wounded heart cannot survive without. Sure, love can heal all wounds, but can it break a two thousand year old curse? Julian of Macedon

Review:

I've had this book sitting around collecting dust on my book shelf for little over a year now and I recently picked it up and decided that enough was enough...time to get her read.  I'm kicking myself for waiting as long as I did to read this book!  What the heck was I thinking?!

Alrighty then...Our main heroine is Grace Alexander, who happens to be a sex therapist who thinks that she's heard and "seen" it all and that nothing can shock her anymore.  Yet there has been MANY years since her last relationship, or I think it's safe to say relationshit. Since she was really nothing more than a game to her first love.  I really liked Grace....she seemed to come off as a very genuine character with a pretty wicked sense of humor, especially when she's been partaking in "adult beverages."  But it's Grace's BFF Selena who has other idea's for Grace.  Selena thinks that Grace's love life is in desperate need of something other than nothing at all.

Selena gives Grace an ancient book that she claims hold the sex slave Julian of Macedon.  Once Julian has been summoned he has to serve the woman who called him for 30 days.  The image of the man pictured in the book looks a LOT like a Greek God....meaning wicked HOT and UBER YUMMY!  Naturally Grace thinks it's nothing but a bunch of BS and in a drunken stupor jokingly calls Julian...Over course she doesn't actually expect him to show up at her house...much less NAKED!!
Julian has spent what feels like forever (literally) in the book since his last summons, which was sometime in the late 1800's, but doesn't really expect anything out of the norm to take place when he is summoned by Grace.  Boy does he ever get the shock of a lifetime!
At first I thought that Julian's character was pretty stereotypical...just what you would imagine a sex slave to be.  But the further I got into the story the more Julian's character developed and you learn that before the curse he actually had a life and his character becomes much deeper.  I especially enjoyed the flashbacks to his time in the military...were he eventually became a General.

As time goes along it becomes harder for Grace to resist Julian.  But when Ero's is summoned he explains that there is a way to break the curse.  That's were Julian starts feeling really dejected.
(SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD) The only way to break the curse is for a woman of Alexander to summon Julian but they can not consummate the relationship until the very last day.  This only makes Julian feel worse until Grace tells him, "Julian, my name is Grace Alexander."

I especially loved that there were a couple of fight scenes in the book.  My personal favorite was the one at the end between Julian and the God who cursed him.  Very interesting.

This isn't my first book in this series and so far of the few that I have read I am really enjoying them.  So naturally I can hardly wait to read more.  I really like how Sherrilyn writes.  It's a style that I really enjoy. 


Favorite Quotes:

"I don't think it's the business of my patients wether or not I'm a born-again virgin.  And as for the Age of Electronics, I really don't want to get personal with something that comes with a warning label and batteries."

A Dead Man's Debt By Grace Elliot

Title:  A Dead Man's Debt
Author: Grace Elliot
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: N/A
Publication Date: October 10, 2010
Format: E-Book
Source: Received from author in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis:

A Dead Man's Debt - a story of blackmail, duty and an unexpected love.

After publicly humiliating a suitor, Miss Celeste Armitage is sent from the Ton in disgrace and resolves never to marry. But when she finds a sketch book of nude studies and discovers the artist is her hostess's eldest son, Lord Ranulf Charing, she finds herself dangerously attracted to exactly the sort of rogue she is sworn to avoid.
Nothing is as it seems. Lord Ranulf's life is a facade and he is being blackmailed over his late brother's debts. But just as the darkly restless Ranulf unexpectedly learns to love, the vengeful fury of his nemesis unleashed. In order to protect Celeste, Lord Ranulf faces a stark choice between duty and true love...
However Ranulf has underestimated Miss Armitage's stubborn resolve to clear his name, and in so doing places the woman he loves in mortal danger....

Review:

I found this historical romance to be a refreshing change of pace from all the YA I've been reading lately.  I haven't read many books that center around the Regency era but I did really enjoy this book.  I think for me the best part of the book was the "roller coaster" of emotions as well as twists and turns that took place through out the book.  Usually, I'm not one for "roller coasters" but I found this particular one to be of my liking, especially since it helped keep the book at a fast pace.

Our heroine Celeste, is sent away by her family after she refuses a suitor.  She's sent to live with Lady Sophia Cadnum at the Hazeldene House, where she is quite content to be Lady Sophia's companion if it means that she never has to marry.   Celeste don't want to be tied to a man and become his property...she's not interested in that in the least.  I saw Celeste as an independent woman for the time we are talking about.  But then Celeste meets Lady Sophia's son Lord Ranulf Charing and that's when the "roller coaster" ride really begins.

Lord Ranulf is known for being a seducer of women, a "one night Romeo" if you will.  But that's before he meets Celeste.  Once he meets Celeste things start to change.  He feels that Celeste challenges him and NO woman has ever challenged him before.  The more time that he spends in her company the more his feelings start to change.

But unfortunately there are many challenges that they must over come in order to get their chance at HEA. Oh, you know the basic stuff....He has to convince her that he's someone she'd want to be married to, she has to loosen up on the reigns when it comes to her opinion of love and marriage, then there's the blast from his past.

Overall, I thought that the book was EXCELLENT.  I thought that the characters were extremely well written and complementary to one another.  Writing wise I found the book to be crafted in a way that made you want to keep reading.  For me personally, I HAD to know what was going to happen next.  I would highly recommend this debut author to anyone who enjoys historical romance.  I will definitely be checking out more of Grace Elliot's books in the future!

 RATING:

5/5

Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne Mini Review

Title:  Empire of the Summer Moon
Author:  S.C. Gwynne

Synopsis:

In the tradition of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, a stunningly vivid historical account of the forty-year battle between Comanche Indians and white settlers for control of the American West, centering on Quanah, the greatest Comanche chief of them all.S. C. Gwynne’s Empire of the Summer Moon spans two astonishing stories. The first traces the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history. The second entails one of the most remarkable narratives ever to come out of the Old West: the epic saga of the pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son Quanah, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches. Although readers may be more familiar with the tribal names Apache and Sioux, it was in fact the legendary fighting ability of the Comanches that determined just how and when the American West opened up. Comanche boys became adept bareback riders by age six; full Comanche braves were considered the best horsemen who ever rode. They were so masterful at war and so skillful with their arrows and lances that they stopped the northern drive of colonial Spain from Mexico and halted the French expansion westward from Louisiana. White settlers arriving in Texas from the eastern United States were surprised to find the frontier being rolled backward by Comanches incensed by the invasion of their tribal lands. So effective were the Comanches that they forced the creation of the Texas Rangers and account for the advent of the new weapon specifically designed to fight them: the six-gun. The war with the Comanches lasted four decades, in effect holding up the development of the new American nation. Gwynne’s exhilarating account delivers a sweeping narrative that encompasses Spanish colonialism, the Civil War, the destruction of the buffalo herds, and the arrival of the railroads—a historical feast for anyone interested in how the United States came into being. Against this backdrop Gwynne presents the compelling drama of Cynthia Ann Parker, a lovely nine-year-old girl with cornflower-blue eyes who was kidnapped by Comanches from the far Texas frontier in 1836. She grew to love her captors and became infamous as the "White Squaw" who refused to return until her tragic capture by Texas Rangers in 1860. More famous still was her son Quanah, a warrior who was never defeated and whose guerrilla wars in the Texas Panhandle made him a legend. S. C. Gwynne’s account of these events is meticulously researched, intellectually provocative, and, above all, thrillingly told. Empire of the Summer Moon announces him as a major new writer of American history.

Review:

I saw this book on Barnes and Noble when it first came out and I've always had a fascination with Quanah Parker and Native American's in general really.  So I immediately downloaded it onto my Nook and started reading it.  I actually had to start over because life got in the way and I really wanted to review it on my blog so I wanted the information to be fresh in my mind.

What I really liked about this book was that it wasn't entirely about Quanah Parker, yes the vast majority of it was, but there was a lot of history about the Comanche nation in the book too. I saw this book as "Rise and Fall" type of book. There is also a pretty detailed description of the raid on Parker's fort.  A little bit graphic but I'm sure very accurate for the times.

I enjoyed how the author depicted both sides of the Indian wars.  At times a little graphic but historically accurate.

I thought that the depiction of Quanah Parker pre-reservation life and reservation life was pretty neat.  It turns out that Quanah wasn't just a "dumb" Indian.  He was an advocate for his people as well as an entrepreneur.

The only quirk that I really had with the book was the sometimes graphic nature of some of the content.  Yes, it's historically accurate but it became, at times, a slight turn off for the book.

RATING:

5/5

Intrinsical by Lani Woodland

Title: Intrinsical
Author: Lani Woodland
Genre: YA ~ Paranormal
Series: The Yara Silva #1
Source: Extreme Reader Reviews blog tour

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Yara Silva has always known that ghosts walk alongside the living. Her grandma, like the other females in her family, is a Waker, someone who can see and communicate with ghosts. Yara grew up watching her grandmother taunted and scorned for this unusual ability and doesn't want that to be her future. She has been dreading the day when she too would see ghosts, and is relieved that the usually dominant Waker gene seems to have skipped her, letting her live a normal teenage life. However, all that changes for Yara on her first day at her elite boarding school when she discovers the gene was only lying dormant. She witnesses a dark mist attack Brent, a handsome fellow student, and rushes to his rescue. Her act of heroism draws the mist's attention, and the dark spirit begins stalking her. Yara finds herself entrenched in a sixty-year-old curse that haunts the school, threatening not only her life, but the lives of her closest friends as well. Yara soon realizes that the past she was trying to put behind her isn't going to go quietly.

Review:

I signed up for this tour a LONG time ago (DANG YOU WINTER WEATHER!) and had kind of forgotten about it until the book arrived in the mail on Tuesday.  When I signed up for the tour I had seen all these reviews for the book that were pretty much glowing reviews and I had to know for myself if the book was really THAT good.  What you are about to read are my thoughts on Intrinsical's "Awesome Sauce" or lack there of.....

So when I started Intrinsical it IMMEDIATELY sucked me in and when I had to put it down to get some things accomplished for some things that were going to be happening in REAL life, I had read close to 100 pages and it felt like I'd only been reading for about 5 minutes.  I found that this book was VERY difficult to put down.  I constantly had to know what was going to happen next.  I was CONSTANTLY thinking about it, when I wasn't reading it.

I really enjoyed the cast of characters.  I really want to know more about Yara's grandmother!  She sounds like a really cool lady with an exceptional gift! I really enjoyed Yara a lot.  She's just trying to be a "normal" 16 year old and doesn't want any part of her families "gift."  Then she goes to Pendrell and her "gift" kicks in.  I also got a pretty big kick out of Cherie, Yara's "crazy" friend who wanted to go to Pendrell because of it's supposed curse.  Then there's Brent, the love interest. I thought that he was a pretty great guy all the way through. 

The relationship between Yara and Brent is another thing that I really thought was well written.  The relationship developed over time and it wasn't a "we've just met but we're hopelessly in love" kind of relationships.  I've read a bunch of books with those types of relationships and it was VERY refreshing to not have that happen in this book.

The only part of the book that I was lukewarm on was the "bad guy."  I thought he was a little bit to "James Bondish" with a shot of "creepy" thrown for my liking.  Other than that I thought that the book was the bee's knee's.  I soooo want to get my hands on the second book in the series!

RATING:

5/5

Other Reviews:

Miss Remmer's Review

Extreme Reader's Book Reviews

That Bookish Girl

Shelter Mountain (Virgin River #2) by Robyn Carr

John "Preacher" Middleton is about to close the bar when a young woman and her three-year-old son come in out of the wet October night. A marine who has seen his share of pain, Preacher knows a crisis when he sees one—the woman is covered in bruises. He wants to protect them, and he wants to punish whoever did this to her, but he knows immediately that this inclination to protect is something much more. Paige Lassiter has stirred up emotions in this gentle giant of a man—emotions that he has never allowed himself to feel.

But when Paige's ex-husband turns up in Virgin River, Preacher knows his own future hangs in the balance. And if there's one thing the marines' motto of Semper Fidelis—always faithful—has taught him, it's that some things are worth fighting for.

Why I decided to read this book: I signed up to try to win a copy of Promise Canyon on Goodreads and I decided to start at the beginning of the series so that book 11 would makes sense to me.  I was also able to download the first 4 books of the series on to my Nook as a book bundle! :)

Likes?.....: I really liked Preacher.  He's a big ole burly badass former Marine who doesn't think that he's capable of loving or being loved.  I also enjoyed Paige and Chris who bring out the best and at some points in the book, the worst in Preacher.  I also really enjoyed how the town rallied around Paige and Chris to make sure that they were safe from Paige's abusive ex-husband.  Oh and let's not forget about "unlovable" Preacher turned lover extraordinaire Preacher.  Everyone calls Preacher by his nickname rather than his given name in town, then Paige comes along and starts calling him John and to me that was pretty sexy in it's VERY simple way.

Dislikes?.....: Paige's brother and ex husband....They BOTH deserve to be beaten to within an inch of their lives in my honest opinion.  There were a couple of odd breaks in the story that seemed a little off to me but not enough to be distracting.

Overall: I think that this book was even better than the first book in the series.  Another one that once I started reading I had a VERY difficult time putting down.  I think that the series builds really nicely from one book to the next with the inclusion of new characters as well as reoccurring roles of the "regulars."  I can hardly wait to keep reading!  I'm just soooo mad at myself for not reading this series before now!

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

Title: The DUFF

Author: Kody Keplinger

Series: 

Genre: YA, YA Romance

Publisher: Little Brown/Poppy Books

Release Date: 2010, September 7

Format: Hardcover, 288 pages

Source: Public Library

Rating: 4/5

Challenges: 2011 YA Challenge, 2011 Outdo Yourself Challenge, 2011 YA Romance Challenge, 2011 Support Your Local Library Challenge, 100+ Reading Challenge, 2011 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.  
But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

Review:

I started this book really early this morning (for those who are new here I work third shift so when your up I'm sleeping and vice versa) and I could NOT put it down. It was one of those that I really liked but at the same time it annoyed me.  It's difficult to explain really.

When I picked up this book at the library I thought that the premise was interesting. Life at home is rough for Bianca so she goes looking for an escape....and finds it in her enemy Wesley Rush.  I guess what annoyed me about there relationship is that from the beginning it pretty much entirely sexual. Which I didn't find out until I started reading.  That's what started it...Oh, but there's more.

I really liked the characters a lot (with a few annoyances thrown in).  I think that the author did a pretty good job of depicting a marriage that's not so great, as well as being a child of divorced parents.  I do think that at times the main characters were written in a negative manner....I don't know if it was because the author was trying to write from the mindset of a teenager or what, but there were times that Wesley came off as pretty much 100% teenage man whore and Bianca came off as pretty selfish and, in my opinion, needy at times.

Overall, I thought that the premise and writing as a whole were really pretty great for a debut author.  If you've seen what I've rated this book above (4/5) you might be asking yourself...What the heck?!  There's a fair amount of negativity in this review how did it score so high?  But like I said above...I REALLY liked this book even though it annoyed the heck out of me at times.

Adversary by Kate Kaynak

Title: Adversary

Author: Kate Kaynak

Series: Ganzfield  #2

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Release Date: 2010, August 20

Format: Paperback, 238 pages

Source: Sent by author for honest review

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:

Things are more dangerous than they seem at Ganzfield, and not everyone will survive. Does Maddie have what it takes?
See what happens next in the sequel to Minder.

Review:
I apologize for taking so long to get this review posted.  I had written in a notebook and then put the notebook in a "safe place."  But now the notebook is found again so I can get this review posted! :)

I'll be honest....I usually get a little nervous with second books.  There just have been a few in the past that just did NOT appeal to me at all.  That was NOT the case with this book. This book, just like Minder, sucked me in and I had to keep going. The action is almost non-stop from the very beginning...which I really liked.  The first few chapters ALONE are in my opinion beyond belief!  AMAZING!

I'm still a little lukewarm on Maddie and Trevor's relationship.  But I think that it's starting to develop into a more "realistic" relationship.  Yeah for relationship growth!

What I'm really liking about this series is that even the minor characters play a MAJOR role in the telling of the story.  I also enjoyed the new character Zack.  I LOVED how he shook things up between Maddie and Trevor.

I also love how the author throws TONS of curve balls at you.  I LOVE an exciting story.  It kind of irks me when I read a story where the story builds and builds and then just levels off.  That did NOT happen with this story at all!

What I didn't care for was that it took me entirely way to long to read it.  I'm going to place the blame for that on my brother's wedding preparations....I REALLY got into that.