Time Turner Tuesday ~ The Rowan

Title ~ The Rowan
Series ~ The Tower and the Hive, #1
Author ~ Anne McCaffrey
Publisher ~ Ace/Putnam Books
Published ~ 20 August 1990
Genre ~ Sci-Fi/Fantasy

My Rating ~ 5 bites out of 5

A natural disaster on Altair has left a three-year-old girl the lone survivor of The Rowan Mining Company’s base camp. When her mental cries reach every telepath on the planet a search for her becomes a race against time. She was trapped in a hopper under a landslide of mud. No food, no water, no comfort and running out of air. The trauma has left her no memory of her previous life, so she becomes a ward of the planet Altair and is known as The Rowan. The Rowan grows up a powerful telepath/telekinetic and it’s inevitable she will become one of the few Primes of FT&T (Federated Telepath & Telekinetic).

Her life is a lonely one until she meets Jeff Raven, a Wild Talent from a far flung colony on Deneb VIII. Together they face the alien invaders pummeling his planet and then they begin a life together. Sounds easy, right? Oh, no…nothing is ever easy for a Prime, let alone two.

Picking up hundreds of years after the original Talents series, The Rowan begins a new era for FT&T. Well-written with a fast pace the story of the Rowan’s life flows by smoothly. An orphan and a powerful T-1 the Rowan is an unusual child and leads an interesting, if lonely, life. I was happy for her when Jeff entered the picture. He’s quite the character and even more of a powerhouse than she is with considerable more charm, too.

I also loved reading about a descendant of Peter Reidinger. Peter Reidinger IV is Earth’s Prime and it’s nice to see the family line continue. Another interesting part of the story is how Deneb is handling the aftermath of the devastation. A new colony only three generations old and they just lost three-fifths of their population and both of their major cities. Deneb is a cash-strapped planet that needs to get it’s major export (minerals) up and running again in order to pay off the colonization debt. It makes me appreciate all of the things I have and how I can just make a run to the store if I need something. All-in-all a great story to get lost in.

*Book source ~ My home library

Her Husband's Lover

Title ~ Her Husband's Lover
Series ~ Georgian Rakehells, #5
Author ~ Madelynne Ellis
Publisher ~ Mischief Books
Published ~ 21 March 2013
Genre ~ Erotica/Historical/Romance

My Rating ~ 5 bites out of 5

Lord Robert Darleston ends up at Field House in an effort to escape the rumors his vile harpy of a wife, Lucy, is spreading about him in London. Little did he know that on the country estate he would cross paths with the one man he always loved even after he’d lost him.

Not only is Lyle Langley overjoyed to see his former lover, he’s more than willing to take up where they left off nine years previous. However, after everything that Robert has been through, he doesn’t want to cause problems or scandal for Lyle or his wife Emma. Besides, Robert isn’t just enamored with Lyle. While he’s had men as well as women for lovers, Emma draws him like no other woman has. When Lyle informs him that Emma knows of his sexual orientation and makes no protest and then they catch her watching them during a tryst, Robert thinks that maybe he just might have found the long term relationship he’s been searching for. If he plays his cards right they could be a happy threesome. If he doesn’t…well, harpy Lucy will be the least of his worries.

Love, love, love this story! I’ve always enjoyed historical romance, but when you add erotica to a time that is seen as so stiff and proper it just adds to the enjoyment of the story. Well-written with well-developed characters the emotions of Robert, Emma and Lyle flow off the page. Yes, the erotica makes for some steamy reading, but the emotions of the trio are what make it stick with me long after I’ve finished it.

Not one to normally read a book in the middle of a series, the blurb for this story grabbed my attention and I decided to take a risk. I’m happy to say that I had no feeling that I missed anything that came in previous books. This book, for me, is a standalone though after reading it I do want to go back and see what the other stories are about since this one was sooooooo good, delicious decadence that pulls at the heart.

*Book source ~ Many thanks to Mischief and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

Red Adept Tour ~ To Katie With Love

Title ~ To Katie With Love
Author ~ Erica Lucke Dean
Publisher ~ Red Adept Publishing
Published ~ 18 April 2013
Genre ~ Contemporary/Romance

My Rating ~ 4 bites and a nibble out of 5

Banker Katie James has a serious obsession with romance novels. On her 29^th birthday she’d rather be home reading one of her books, but her coworkers have persuaded her to celebrate with them at a local bar. Pushed into singing karaoke, it’s while she’s belting out a song that her crush walks in. Cooper Maxwell is one of her bank clients and one hot hunk of man. As a client he’s also off-limits even if she thought he was interested in her. The way he’s staring at her right at that moment though makes her wonder if it’s possible he is interested. Getting drunk, waking up at his house and barfing on his feet weren’t really in her plans, but somehow they adapt, overcome and start a whirlwind romance to rival any in some measly book. Katie’s life would be perfect if he would only stop dodging her questions about what he actually does for a living because clues are piling up and she fears she’s falling in love with a paid assassin.

Well-written, fast-moving and smooth-flowing with excellent characters this story is great entertainment. Cooper is hunky and mostly sure of himself except when it comes to Katie. Katie, after a lifetime of being put down by her mother, has low self-esteem and is finding it very hard to believe that Cooper is interested in her. Their mutual nervousness is endearing and yet so much fun to watch. Steamy without being graphic the sex scenes make me feel like a voyeur. Yum! For an afternoon of humorous delight I recommend picking this one up.

*Book source ~ Many thanks to Red Adept Publishing for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

Muzzled

Title ~ Muzzled
Series ~ Kat McKinley Greyhound Mystery, #2
Author ~ June Whyte
Publisher ~ Untreed Reads
Published ~ 7 August 2012
Genre ~ Mystery/Humor

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Kat McKinley is a greyhound trainer. After having her kennels burned to the ground and nearly being killed a few weeks ago, things are finally starting to fall back into place. That is, until some geriatric dude in purple pants tries to dognap her foster greyhound Stella. Then after he nabs her, he brings her back, tosses her over the fence and later tries to steal Stella’s brother Stanley. Why on earth would anyone try to steal a greyhound that can just be adopted? Furious at the treatment of Stella, the attempt on Stanley and the possibility her greyhounds are in danger from a dognapper, Kat once again puts on her sleuthing hat to get to the bottom of the mystery. And we know how well that went last time, right?

Well-written with a fast pace the dognapping plot is one that keeps the pages turning. I couldn’t figure out why anyone would steal a dog up for adoption or who was behind it all. I like the character of Kat and the fact her best friend works in a sex shop called The Luv Bug cracks me up. Fascinating facts about greyhound racing, interesting characters, lots of humor and a twisty mystery all combine together to make a great afternoon read.

*Book source ~ Many thanks to Untreed Reads for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

Making Him Wait

Title ~ Making Him Wait
Author ~ Kay Jaybee
Publisher ~ Sweetmeats Press
Published ~ 15 October 2013
Genre ~ Erotica
**Mature Adults 18+**

My Rating ~ 5 bites out of 5

Maddie Templeton is an artist whose work has evolved over her career until she is currently doing erotic works. She helps people overcome their sexual insecurities by putting them in erotic poses while she paints them. Sometimes those sessions end in orgasm, sometimes the model is made to wait. The anticipation, as well as the wonderful art, keeps them coming back to the Dominant artist.

After deciding she needs some lighting installed, the electrician who shows up is handsome, hot and more than fascinated by her work. Maddie decides he’s perfect for her to dominate and when Theo doesn’t tell her to take a hike, not only allowing the domination, but upping the stakes, she thinks she may have found the perfect man for her.

When Maddie is invited to showcase her work at a hot gallery she has only a short amount of time to get together 12 pieces to show. Working with her models and Theo isn’t going to be enough to get the job done. She has no choice but to call her ex lover, Tania to help. Tania may be a real pain in the ass, but she can hold a pose forever. It’s a race against time to get all the pieces completed before the show and keep her sexually charged models under control. Will she succeed? Or will she fail?

This was one hot story! Well-written and fast-paced with well-developed characters I felt as if I was right there experiencing it all firsthand. The book is filled with a wide variety of hot scenes and the emotions spill across the page. I also enjoyed seeing the many mediums an artist can use to showcase their talents. Not being an artist myself it was interesting to see Maddie create her pieces. Not just because they were so very hot *fans self*, but because they were so varied and fascinating. Kay Jaybee paints a most visually delicious story to be sure!

*Book source ~ Many thanks to Sweetmeats Press for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

Time Turner Tuesday ~ Pegasus in Space

Title ~ Pegasus in Space
Series ~ The Talents, #3
Author ~ Anne McCaffrey
Publisher ~ Del Rey Books
Published ~ 31 May 2000
Genre ~ Sci-Fi/Fantasy

My Rating ~ 5 bites out of 5

Padrugoi Space Station is complete and now attention has been turned to building Moon Base and Mars Base. Little do Peter Reidinger and Johnny Greene know they will be instrumental in making that happen at a much faster pace than anticipated.

In the meantime, an orphaned five-year-old girl named Amariyah, is found after the floods in Bangladesh. When it’s discovered she has a lot of as-yet-unknown Talent she is brought back to the Center and raised by Dorotea. There are sinister machinations going on and Peter is in danger when he turns 18 and takes up his official duties for the Center up on Padrugoi. After an accident involving Peter on his 19^th birthday the true scope of Amariyah’s Talent becomes known and it’s a doozy. And when Johnny tricks Peter into teleporting a small package from Australia to Moon Base, after getting over his shock, Peter slowly begins to realize he truly can reach for the stars.

Even though this is the 3^rd book in the Talents series it was the last to be written after the Tower and Hive series was complete. In my opinion, it makes a better bridge between the two series than Pegasus in Flight and I’m glad it was added since Peter’s story is as fascinating as it is heartwarming.

There is a lot going on in this book, but most of it revolves around Peter. Since Peter is the catalyst for all of the books that follow, it’s only right that we learn the history of how FT&T (Federated Telepath and Teleport) comes about. FT&T features heavily in the Tower and Hive series.

Once again the story flows smoothly and the plot proceeds quickly. My favorite characters are back, some with much larger roles and we pick up Amariyah as well as a few more. The story still fascinates me and makes me wonder how much faster we would be exploring space if we had people with Talents such as these. The mind boggles at the wonder of it all.

I’m looking forward to picking up The Rowan to continue with the series. As I’ve said before, it’s been a long time since I’ve read this series and I’m really enjoying my immersion back into the world of the Talents.

*Book source ~ My home library.

My May Reviews ~ InD'tale Magazine

Title ~ Serenya's Song
Series ~ Tallenmere, #2
Author ~ Mysti Parker
Publisher ~ Melange Books
Published ~ 29 April 2012
Genre ~ Fantasy/Romance

My Rating ~ 4 bites and a nibble out of 5

Full review in May issue of InD'tale Magazine.

Title ~ Gracie's Touch
Series ~ Zion Warriors, #1
Author ~ S.E. Smith
Publisher ~ S.E. Smith
Published ~ 14 July 2012
Genre ~ Sci-Fi/Romamce

My Rating ~ 4 bites and a nibble out of 5

Full review in May issue of InD'tale Magazine.

Title ~ Wander Home
Author ~ Karen A. Wyle
Publisher ~ Karen A. Wyle
Published ~ 12 October 2012
Genre ~ Paranormal

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Full review in May issue of InD'tale Magazine.

Club Monstrosity

Title ~ Club Monstrosity
Series ~ Monstrosity, #1
Author ~ Jesse Petersen
Publisher ~ Pocket Star
Published ~ 29 April 2013
Genre ~ Paranormal/Mystery/Humor

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

The members of Monstofelldosis Anonymous meet in a church basement twice a week and discuss things like when was the last time they were outed, problems they are having and anything else that comes to mind. When Ellis the Invisible Man not only turns up dead, but has been killed according to His Story (by H.G. Wells), the others begin to get uneasy. Is there someone in New York City going around killing monsters? They need to get to the truth quick before more members die because no one wants to go out like they did in their Story.

This is an interesting, creative, humorous take on monsters. Well-written with well-developed characters this is a mystery that had me turning the pages as fast as I could read them. I’m happy to see there will be another story involving the monsters from Monstofelldosis Anonymous. I look forward to reading it!

*Book source ~ Many thanks to Pocket Star Books and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.

Time Turner Tuesday ~ Pegasus in Flight

Title ~ Pegasus in Flight
Series ~ The Talents, #2
Author ~ Anne McCaffrey
Publisher ~ Del Rey Books
Published ~ 31 October 1990
Genre ~ Sci-Fi/Fantasy

My Rating ~ 5 bites out of 5

Taking place about 80 yrs after To Ride Pegasus Rhyssa Owen, granddaughter of Daffyd op Owen, is now the Director of the Center for Parapsychic Talents on the North American East Coast. Along with many descendants of the original members, Rhyssa is under extreme pressure to provide kinetics to complete the Padrugoi Space Platform. Without the kinetics the space platform construction is falling behind schedule. With Earth’s population already straining its resources to the limit the space platform needs to be completed on time in order to use it for a jumping point for colony ships to be sent off to habitable planets. But that’s not the only problem the Director has to deal with.

Rhyssa is being visited in her sleep by someone who can travel out of body. She can’t get enough of who or where he is to pinpoint his location, so they have to search for him. Someone that powerful needs to be under the protection of the center and he needs to be trained in his Talent, whichever Talent that may be. When they finally find 14-yr-old Peter Reidinger in a hospital, paralyzed from the neck down as the result of an accident, and realize he’s been boosting his kinetic talent with electricity they are staggered by the thought of his potential.

In another part of the city Tirla is a 12-yr-old girl living in Residential Linear G. Her parents are dead, but she makes a decent living serving the many different ethnic groups in her linear never realizing that her knack for survival and speaking many languages is actually Talent. When the Center and Law Enforcement and Order try to crack down on a child kidnapping ring in Linear G they discover Tirla and her unusual Talent. Coaxing her to the Center she thrives along with Peter. Then the unthinkable happens. Both Tirla and Peter get kidnapped and everyone rushes to find them before it’s too late.

After discovering this series back in 1990 I couldn’t read them fast enough. I had them in my hot little hands as soon as they were published. I like that this book picks up a few generations after To Ride Pegasus because we can see the progress already made while learning the problems this generation of Talents have to deal with. I have to say that I’m glad our world isn’t as crowded as McCaffrey portrayed in this book. Yikes! Those Linears! *shudder*

Well-written with rich characters and a great plot this book is another winner with me. The potential of Peter just boggles the mind and in this book it hasn’t even really been tested yet. Tirla is also another great character with an unusual Talent. It makes me wonder how many more ways Talent will evolve over time. Oh, wait…I’ve already read all the books, so I know. *grins* That doesn’t dim my enjoyment of the re-read. I haven’t read this series in a number of years, so I’m thoroughly enjoying them all over again.

*Book source ~ My home library.

Red Adept Tour ~ Blood Echo

Title ~ Blood Echo
Author ~ Melissa Simonson
Publisher ~ Red Adept
Published ~ 27 March 2013
Genre ~ Suspense/Paranormal

My Rating ~ 4 bites and a nibble out of 5

Iris Avery and Estella Blake had been friends since they were kids. Two beautiful trust fund party girls living the life of alcohol and drugs. Until the night Estella takes her own life. After that fateful night, in some ways Iris is free from messed up crazy girl Estella, yet in other ways she’s more shackled than ever before. When people close to her are murdered and weird packages show up in her home she needs to figure out who knows the truth about the night Estella died before she’s next on the hit parade.

Well, where do I start with this book? Estella and Iris are some messed up people. Yow doggy. I know money can’t buy happiness, but to live the life they were just boggles my mind. Estella was pretty much beyond hope, but at least Iris was salvageable.

Well-written and fast-paced the mystery kept me turning the pages. The paranormal twist was very interesting, too. The only thing that kept this book from being a 5-biter was I had a hard time connecting to Iris. I hated her head-in-the-sand attitude and didn’t quite understand her love/hate relationship with Darren. Maybe I just missed something that someone else will get. The ending was a bit of a question. What the heck is Iris going to do now? Otherwise, this book is a keeper for me and I will jot Melissa Simonson’s name down on my Favorite Authors list. A most excellent read!

*Book source ~ Many thanks to Red Adept Publishing for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.