The Creed Legacy by Linda Lael Miller

Title:  The Creed Legacy
Author:  Linda Lael Miller
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Series:  The Creed Cowboys #3
Source:  Sent by Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc. in exchange for an 
              honest review

Rating: 4/5


Synopsis:

Rough-and-tumble rodeo cowboy Brody Creed likes life on the move. Until a chance encounter with his long-estranged twin brother brings him "home" for the first time in years. Suddenly Brody is in Creed territory—at thirty-three, he's a restless bad boy among family with deep ties to the land and each other. And a secret past haunts him as he tries to make plans for his future.

Carolyn Simmons is looking for Mr. Right in Lonesome Bend, as the ticktock of her biological clock gets ever louder. Then she falls for gorgeous Brody Creed, the opposite of everything she wants. Until lassoing his wild heart becomes everything both of them need.

Review:

Let me just go on record as saying, I LOVE THIS SERIES!  I'm very sad to see it end but I can hardly wait to see what the author brings to the plate next!  I want to thank the wonderful ladies at Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc. for contacting me about being a part of the tours for this series. :)

Our hero Brody Creed is back home in Lonesome Bend after being estranged from his family and living the hard and fast life of a rodeo cowboy.  Having made amends with his aunt, uncle and twin brother Conner, Brody is green with envy at all the happiness that his brother and their cousin Steven have found in their new marriages.  Brody wants some of what they have, so he's putting down roots and building his own place.

Enter Carolyn Simmons....

Carolyn Simmons  is pretty content with her life in Lonesome Bend.  She has a job, a roof over her head and a group of friends.  But there is something missing for Carolyn,  she wants her own Happily Ever After, complete with a family and a permanent home.  Many years ago she thought she found her HEA in younger Brody Creed.  Then Brody up and leaves her without a real explanation.  But being a child of "the system" Carolyn is used to being let down.

Enter Brody's "deep dark secret"....

There is a reason why Brody left Carolyn all those years ago.  Now it's a very tragic and painful place in Brody's life.  Right now though, Brody just wishes that Carolyn would open up enough and maybe let him get close enough that maybe they can have another shot.

I really enjoyed this book a lot.  There are plenty of emotions in motion throughout the course of this book that kept things very interesting for me.  I really enjoyed Brody's meddling sister-in-law the best.  I think that's what caused Brody to up his game.  Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a pretty happy read or enjoys reading romance novels centered around hot, rugged cowboy types.

Trace of Fever by Lori Foster

Title: Trace of Fever
Author: Lori Foster
Series: Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor #2
Genre: Romantic Suspence

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:


Undercover mercenary Trace Rivers loves the adrenaline rush of a well-planned mission. First he'll earn the trust of corrupt businessman Murray Coburn, then gather the proof he needs to shut down the man's dirty smuggling operation. It's a perfect scheme—until Coburn's long-lost daughter saunters in with her own deadly plan for revenge.

With a smile like an angel and fire in her eyes, Priscilla Patterson isn't who she seems to be. But neither is the gorgeous bodyguard who ignites all her senses. Joining forces to plot Coburn's downfall, Priss and Trace must fight the undeniable heat between them. For one wrong move, one lingering embrace, will expose them to the wrath of a merciless opponent….

Review:

I was approached about this series when Trace's book was just about ready to be released.  I had read the first book in the series and could not wait to read the next book.  Yeah for extremely sexy sounding alpha-male mercenaries who know how to "rock a girls world!"  Plus, Trace really caught my eye in When You Dare.

OH MY GOSH!  This book was a page turner.  The action in the book starts right at the beginning of the book and doesn't let up!  Trace and his team of highly trained mercerinaries are undercover trying to bring down a human trafficking ring.  Trace and his family have been victims of this despicable trade.

Priscilla has her own agenda for why she wants to bring Murray down.  She's out for revenge and she's not going to let anyone stand in her way, even Trace.  She was a pretty likeable character, very determined and has a pretty HUGE set of cajones!

I thought that the author did an excellent job creating chemistry between Trace and Priscilla that was White Hot.  I felt that the progression of their relationship was very realistic and wasn't rushed.  At times I thought that Trace was purposefully challenging Priscilla to see if she would "rise to the occasion" or shy away.  Let's just say that Ms. Priscilla can put on a show when she wants to!

I thought that the addition of Jackson to the story was a great build up to the next book in the series.  Again, another book I can hardly wait to read!  I also really liked how the author kept us in the loop about how things were going with Dare and Molly and Chris too.  Sometimes I feel like the characters from the prior book in the series are sort of forgotten about as the series progresses...NOT the case here.

There were only a few tiny things that gave me pause about the book.  The first thing was Priscilla's nickname, Prissoverally dramatic.  Other than those little quirks I really enjoyed Trace of Fever a lot.  The more I read of this series the more I don't want it to end.

Blog Tour ~ Creed's Honor by Linda Lael Miller

Title: Creed's Honor
Author: Linda Lael Miller
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

 Conner Creed knows exactly who he is: a hardworking rancher carrying on his uncle's legacy in Lonesome Bend, Colorado. Maybe a small-town cowboy's life isn't his dream, but he owes the man who took him in as a kid. Until the identical twin brother he's been estranged from for years reenters his life.

Conner struggles with identity issues as he gets to know his wilder brother. And then he meets Tricia McCall, a beautiful woman who knows a thing or two about living someone else's dreams. Together, they just might find their own dreams right here in Lonesome Bend….

Review:


Connor Creed has all but given up on his own dreams and has decided that he's going to follow in his uncle's boot prints and become a rancher in his hometown of Lonesome Bend, CO.  I thought that the name of the town was more than appropriate for Connor and the way he happens to be feeling.  Then his wild card twin brother, Brody, shows up which is difficult for Connor to swallow.

Tricia McCall ends up in Lonesome Bend after the death of her father and she decides to take over his trailer park for him.  She doesn't intend to stay long, just long enough to sell the trailer park and move herself up to Seattle.  However, her crafty grandmother is working double time behind the scenes to get Tricia and Connor together.  Slowly but surely things start to progress along, then a stray dog named Valentino and Tricia's goddaughter are added to the picture.

I really enjoyed this book a lot.  I can hardly wait until the next book in the series comes out!  The thing that I really liked about this book was it was a romance with some drama and pent up emotions thrown in to keep things interesting.  The dialogue and the interactions between the characters, major as well as minor, felt so natural and like your actually there witnessing the book play out.

Tour Stop ~ The Lens and the Looker by Lory S. Kaufman

Title: The Lens and the Looker
Author: Lory S. Kaufman
Series: The Verona Trilogy #1
Genre: YA, Sci Fi

Synopsis:

THERE'S HOPE FOR THE FUTURE,
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PAST?

It’s the 24th century and humans, with the help of artificial intelligences (A.I.s) have finally created the perfect post-dystopian society. To make equally perfect citizens for this world, the elders have created History Camps, full sized recreations of cities from Earth’s distant pasts. Here teens live the way their ancestors did, doing the same dirty jobs and experiencing the same degradations. History Camps teach youths not to repeat the mistakes that almost caused the planet to die. But not everything goes to plan.

In this first of a trilogy, we meet three spoiled teens in the year 2347. Hansum almost 17, is good looking and athletic. Shamira, 15, is sassy, independent and an artistic genius. Lincoln, 14, is the smart-aleck. But you don’t have to scratch too far beneath the surface to find his insecurities.

These three “hard cases” refuse the valuable lessons History Camps teach. But when they are kidnapped and taken back in time to 1347 Verona, Italy, they only have two choices; adapt to the harsh medieval ways or die. The dangers are many, their enemies are powerful, and safety is a long way away. It’s hardly the ideal environment to fall in love – but that’s exactly what happens. In an attempt to survive, the trio risks introducing technology from the future. It could save them – or it could change history.

Review:

I thought that this book was very interesting.  From the premise right down to the characters.  I'm very glad that I was approached about this book as well as the second book in the trilogy as well.

The story takes place in 2347 where humans have been able to create a utopian type society after a massive disaster nearly wiped out humanity and the world as a whole.  This is where we meet our main characters Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln.  Three privileged teens who have never known any other society besides this "perfect" society.  In their world they are babied by artificial intelligences that were created with the absolute sole purpose of keeping the kids safe and happy.  Which has led to this particular trio to be so spoiled I felt the need to slap them a couple times.  But in the book, this particular problem is solved by their schools and parents agreeing to send them to History Camp.  Which to me sounded like a futuristic version of Boot Camp.

Then these three kids are kidnapped by a rogue time traveler who transports and drops them in the middle of "real time" medieval Italy.

Which is where things get interesting...Really interesting.  Overall, I thought that the world and the characters that Mr. Kaufman created were very original and very realistic.  Personally, I was extremely fascinated by the A.Is. They too were written in a very realistic and believeable manner.  I was very impressed by all the descriptions of 12th century Italy.  It had to be a blast to research all that history?! (I'm a little bit of a history buff)  Though I did think that the futuristic world that was created was a little bit bland. Because of the blandness of the beginning I did have a little trouble getting into the book but once I go into it I was really happy with the results.

RATING:

3.75/5

If you are interested in this book, Mr. Kaufman’s website is here: http://www.history-camp.com/.

Blog Tour ~ Hunter's Fall by Shiloh Walker (Attempt #1)

Title: Hunter's Fall
Author: Shiloh Walker
Release Date: 6/7/2011
Source: ARC received as part of The Book Vixen's tour

Synopsis:

Nessa lost her memory following a near-death experience. Dominic is a Hunter dealing with his own problems with memory and sanity. When the two are put together to battle the forces of darkness-while trying to restore what they've lost-their all-consuming passion becomes an even greater unknown.

Review:

This review is actually pretty difficult for me to write.  So far I'm seeing a fair amount of 3, 4 and 5 star reviews for Hunter's Fall and I wish I felt the same.  I was all excited about being a part of the tour for this book and up until this point I hadn't found a Shiloh Walker book that I couldn't put down.  I'm not sure what happened or didn't happen but I just could NOT get into Hunter's Fall.

I'm hoping that part of the problem is that I hadn't read any of the other books leading up to this one.  I've already decided that I am going to see if the Hunter books are available in my library system.  I don't want to completely give up on Hunter's Fall.  From the other reviews that I've been seeing about this book, it sounds very promising.  Maybe I just had too much paranormal all at once.

So here's the breakdown...I'll start with my list of positives first.

I was really excited about the opportunity to read another one of Shiloh Walker's new books.  She's had me hooked since I read Broken.  I was also very excited about the premise for the book.  I really hadn't ever read a book about witches that also dealt with the "issue" of re-incarnation.  Also, I hope that the cover that is available on Goodreads is the final cover...I REALLY like it a LOT, very much a less is more cover. 

Now for my list of negatives....

I wasn't able to get through the whole book so I don't know at this time if this particular issue cleared itself up or not as the book progressed, but I had a really hard time connecting with the main characters. From the portion of the book that I did get read I felt disconnected from the characters.  I also had moments where the story confused me. There were points where I was confused as to what tense the story was in.

Overall, I really wanted to get into Hunter's Fall but at the time I just was not able to.  I'm also hoping to make a second attempt to read Hunter's Fall cover to cover after it is released.  I do want to thank The Book Vixen for letting me be a part of this tour...I just wish I was able to get into the story.

RATING:

DNF

The Tour Schedule:

Tour Schedule:
5/30 - The Book Vixen
5/31 - Alice White Blogs
6/1 - My Overstuffed Bookshelf
6/3 - Jamie's Bookshelf
6/6 - Lush Book Reviews
6/7 - Seduced by Books
6/9 - Tori @ Smexy Books

Steel by Carrie Vaughn

Title:  Steel
Author: Carrie Vaughn
Genre: YA/Time Travel


Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Jill has fought in dozens of fencing tournaments, but she has never held a sharpened blade. When she finds a corroded sword piece on a Caribbean beach, she is instantly intrigued and pockets it as her own personal treasure.

The broken tip holds secrets, though, and it transports Jill through time to the deck of a pirate ship. Stranded in the past and surrounded by strangers, she is forced to sign on as crew. But a pirate's life is bloody and brief, and as Jill learns about the dark magic that brought her there, she forms a desperate scheme to get home—one that risks everything in a duel to the death with a villainous pirate captain.

Time travel, swordplay, and romance combine in an original high-seas adventure from New York Times bestseller Carrie Vaughn.

Review:

I saw this book one day when I was looking on the Barnes and Noble web page and thought that the premise was good enough to add it to my shopping cart.  After checking out it's page on Goodreads I found that Steel got mixed reviews.  A lot of 3 and 4 star ratings.

I thought that the idea behind the story was right up my alley...mainly because it was a new-to-me idea.  I think reading Steel helped me get into the proper frame of mind for the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie that came out last weekend.

I thought Jill overall was a like able character, though in the beginning she was a little bit to "woe is me" for me personally.  There is being dedicated to your sport then there is addicted.  I think that at the beginning of the book she was leaning closer to addicted....To the point of NOT being able to enjoy a family vacation a MONTH after her last match.  Which leads up to Jill being transported back to the 18th century and becoming a member of the crew on the pirate ship Diana.  The more time that Jill spends on the Diana the more she's able to not only conquer her own issues she's also able to help the crew with some of their own problems.  When Jill is finally transported back to her own time she takes the lessons that she has learned on the Diana with her to use in her life from that point on.  Plus, there is a REALLY COOL "souvenir" too.

The pirate portion of the book was my favorite part of the book, meaning I'm not really a fan of the beginning but it got much better.  There was a TON of action.  The captain of the Diana was a WOMAN and I learned a TON.  Did you know that pirate ships are where the first forms of democracy were formed?  The main positions (captain, quartermaster, first mate, etc.) were all voted on.  Each ship has it's own rules which are known as in Steel the "articles."  Also, I really enjoyed that Carrie Vaughn brought actual pirates out of the history books and put them in her book.

The only part I had a slight misgiving with was the "romance."  There were plenty of hints at it but there was only 1 real kiss in the whole book.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you are looking for a fun, quick read, or a slight departure from what you've been reading recently.

RATING:

4/5

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent #1
Genre: YA Dystopia

Synopsis:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Review:

Alrighty then....I am jumping on the "fan girl" band wagon!  I LOVED this book!  I'm really glad that I paid the extra money to have it arrive at my house on release day.  Best $28 I've spent in a LONG time!  FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!  And just for effect I'll add a SQUEEEEEEEEE in there too!

This book has literally jumped its way to the top of my MUST READ list to all of my friends/family/co-workers.  Divergent has been compared to The Hunger Games trilogy and I can honestly see a lot of similarities between the two series.

Leading up to me purchasing Divergent I hadn't heard much about it.  But when I looked it up on Goodreads close to its release date I saw a plethora of "Awesome," "YOU MUST READ THIS," "It will hook you and not let go" type of reviews.  I was still a little skeptical, because its sort of a natural tendency for me to be a little bit leery about purchasing an item that gets so much positive hype.  Let me tell you this....Divergent DEFINITELY earned all that positive hype.

I mean look at the cover!  The cover is what sold me on buying the book.  I'm a sucker for a great cover!  If you haven't picked up this book yet you should!  What are you waiting for!?

There are so many great things about this book that I really don't even know where to start!  Honestly, there isn't just one or two things that stand out to me that make this book great.  It's the total package.  The characters, the story itself, the world that the author creates...all great things that meshed together in a solid bond to create an UNFORGETTABLE book!

This book REALLY does have the power to suck you in and not let go.  It happend to me and it has happened to others who have read Divergent.  The only drawback is that we have to wait until 2012 for the next installment of the series:(

RATING:

5+/5

Blog Tour/Giveaway ~ The Shepherd by Ethan Cross

Title: The Shepherd
Author:  Ethan Cross
Genre: Suspense/Thriller

Synopsis:

Marcus Williams and Francis Ackerman Jr. both have a talent for hurting people. Marcus, a former New York City homicide detective, uses his abilities to protect others, while Ackerman uses his gifts to inflict pain and suffering. When both men become unwilling pawns in a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of our government, Marcus finds himself in a deadly game of cat and mouse trapped between a twisted psychopath and a vigilante with seemingly unlimited resources. Aided by a rogue FBI agent and the vigilante's beautiful daughter--a woman with whom he's quickly falling in love--Marcus must expose the deadly political conspiracy and confront his past while hunting down one of the most cunning and ruthless killers in the world.


Review:

I was approached about joining the blog tour for this book a little while ago and I agreed based on the premise alone.  The Shepherd sounded like a book that would trip my trigger so to speak.  I'm glad that the book lived up to my expectations for it!

Marcus Williams is a former New York City homicide detective, who has just moved to town.  He really didn't think that his first job would come so soon after moving to town.  It seems that a mad man has made his way to the town that Marcus now calls home.  Now Marcus and our mad man are going to face off, unfortunately, there can be only one winner. Will evil prevail? or will good triumph?  In the end, who is going to be The Shepherd?

Francis Ackerman Jr. is our mad man.  He has basically been conditioned from a young age to become the monster that he is today. Ackerman has escaped a mental health facility and is making a terrifying tour across many states.  Only leaving behind a trail of bloody and mangled bodies.

If you are a person who enjoys suspense/thrillers I highly recommend this book.  There has been a fair amount of praise bestowed upon the book and I found that The Shepherd was definitely worthy of the praise.  If you do pick up this book, read it while it's light out (big mistake on my part).  It has THAT much creep factor to it.  The Shepherd, I found to be a very fast read with plenty of twists and turns and creep factor. 

RATING:

4/5

GIVEAWAY:

I am giving away my gently used copy of The Shepherd.

Rules:

1. Open to US/Canada addresses.

2. Please leave your email address in the comments section below.

3. Giveaway will conclude on May 26 @ 11:59 pm.

4. Winner will be announced Friday May 27.

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Firelight
Sophie Jordan

RATING:4/5

Synopsis:

A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will’s dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She’ll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

Review:
I received this ebook as part of Book Soulmates RAK program.  I had been wanting to read it for a very long time and I was beyond happy when a very nice individual offered to send it to me as an .epub file so I could read it on my Nook.  Yeah for the RAK program!

I started this book late yesterday morning and once I got started I just could NOT put it down.  I had to finish it, I had to know what was going to happen next!

Jacinda, one of our main characters, is a Draki.  Draki are descendents of dragons and can shift from draki form to human form.  As an unfortunate bonus for Jacinda she is a fire-breather, the first one in her pride in MANY generations.  Which makes her a valuable commodity to her pride…Much to Jacinda’s dismay, she’s not real thrilled about the fact that her mate has already been picked out for her. 

After a near brush with Draki death Jacinda’s mom decides that for her families safety they are going to move….to the desert….to try and kill Jacinda’s Draki.  Again, much to Jacinda’s dismay.

This is a really great opposites attract love story.  Jacinda is a Draki.  The boy, Will, that she is interested in is a Draki hunter.  Even though she knows she should avoid Will like the plague she can’t help her growing attraction to him.  What I really liked about this budding relationship was that through the whole thing Jacinda’s personality doesn’t change one bit.  She isn’t afraid to stand up to anyone, Will included.

Will was a great character too.  I really enjoyed him a lot.  Not only does he do something he really shouldn’t have done at the beginning of the story, he also has a secret.  One that you don’t find out about until almost the end of the book.  It’s a pretty good secret too.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book a lot.  I had never read a book about dragon/draki before and I found the mythology captivating.  Like I stated earlier, I had a very difficult time putting this book down.  I had to know what was going to happen next.  The only thing I didn’t really care for and it’s really a teeny tiny thing, was the cliff hanger ending.  I can hardly wait for the next book to come out!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss
Stephanie Perkins

RATING: 3.75/5

Synopsis:

Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she’s less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all . . . including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? Stephanie Perkins keeps the romantic tension crackling and the attraction high in a debut guaranteed to make toes tingle and hearts melt.

Review:

I received Anna and the French Kiss a couple of weeks ago as part of Book Soulmates RAK program.  I had been wanting to read this book for a long time and I could never get my hands on a copy.  I am very happy that an unbelievable nice individual sent me this book as an .epub file so I could read it on my Nook.

I really wanted to love this book.  I really did.  I thought that all of the characters, even the not so good ones, were written in a way that made them seem like they are actual people and not fictional characters.  My personal favorite character was of course, St. Clair.  The good-looking American with an English accent and a French father that he doesn’t like.  At times I had a hard time liking Anna.  I thought she could get a little bit too whiney and wishy washy.

I really enjoyed the beginning and end of the book.  Though I did think that the middle was a little bit to repetitive.  Then there was Anna’s relationship with St. Clair….I thought that it was at times a little bit rough to the point of being rushed.

Overall, I did enjoy the book.  Once I got started reading it I had a hard time stopping, I just didn’t LOVE the book.  Though I can for sure say that I am looking forward to the next book by Stephanie Perkins.

Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward (BDB # 4) Mini Review

Title: Lover Revealed
Author: J.R. Ward
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #4


Synopsis:

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York there's a war raging between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defender of their race. But now an ally of the Brotherhood is about to encounter his own dark desire...

Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard living, ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world to engage in the turf war with the lessers. He's got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, Marissa, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. If he can't have her, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers...

Fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, he's found by a miracle, and the Brotherhood calls Marissa to bring him back. But even her love may not be enough to save him...

Review:

I don't know what it was about this particular book in the series but I didn't think that it lived up to the three prior novels. I can honestly say that of the 4 books in the series that I've read so far this one is probably my least favorite.  In my opinion it started off slow and never really gained much steam the farther I got into the book.

I've always like Butch since he was first introduced into the series.  He was a "warrior" before he joined the BDB and all he really wants to do is help the BDB fight the lessers so he doesn't feel so much like a mooch.  Though I can honestly say that I'm only lukewarm on Marissa. SIDE NOTE: Her brother is my absolute LEAST favorite character in the whole series, he's such a pompous ass in my opinion.

Overall, I didn't hate this book.  I just prefer that when I read a romance I don't spend most of the book wishing the pace would pick up.  There were plenty of exciting parts and the ending, though a little predictable, was very good.  And as an added bonus we learn a little bit about Vishous' kinky side.

RATING:

3/5

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.

EROTICA REVIEW ~ Four Play by Maya Banks and Shayla Black

Title: Four Play

Author: Maya Banks and Shayla Black

Series:

Genre: Erotica

Publisher: Berkley Trade

Release Date: October 5, 2010

Format: Paperback, 346 pages

Source: Bought for my Barnes and Noble Nook 

 

Rating: 4/5 overall

Smuttiness: 5/5

Pillow Talk - by Maya Banks 3/5

At the beginning of this story I was really into it.  It features main characters Zoe and Chase (who happens to be a yummy firefighter).  After a round of spontanious panty combusting sex they are having themselves a little pillow talk and they start talking about their fantasies.  Both fantasies are pretty incredible to be honest.

Well the vast majority of the story, ok all but a couple pages, are about fulfilling those fantasies.  In the beginning the sex scenes were Awesome Sauce, but as the story went along I think that it was mostly focused on the sex and not so much on the actual characters or the relationship. Which come to find out it was written like that on purpose as part of the story. As a result I was kind of turned off by this story by the end of it. Actually, I could hardly wait for it to end.

I'm not giving up on Ms. Banks though.  I can't base all of an author's works on one story.  I do like the way that Ms. Banks writes her works and minus an obscene (in my opinion anyway) amount of sex in this particular story she sure does know how to write one hell of a love scene.

Her Fantasy Men - 4/5

I really got into this particular story and was sad to see it end.  Of the 4 characters in this story Tucker is the only one that has actually known Kelsey almost her entire life.  The other two male characters are Kelsey's boss and her peeping tom-smoking hot-fire fighter neighbor.  I thought that Kelsey herself was a very likeable character who is one of those girls that be one of the girls as well as one of the guys.

It was actually very interesting to read how realtionship became pretty dang solid through the course of this story.  The truth of the matter is that the 3 guys only know each other because of Kelsey and they all kind of struggle with their possessiveness of her to make her happy.  Because she really can't bring herself to choose between them.  She reads very much like an "all or nothing" type of girl.

Naturally, the sex scenes were scorching hot.  What I really liked about this story is that each guy brought his own brand of lovin' to the story....complete with some BDSM for those of us who like that sort of stuff (I'm slowly but surely getting into it!)

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