Review for Darkness Dawns

Darkness Dawns (Immortal Guardians, #1)
    ~ Dianne Duvall
Publisher ~ Zebra
Published ~ 1 February 2011

My Rating ~ 5 out of 5

Sarah Bingham is a music teacher at UNC-Chapel Hill. Roland is an Immortal Guardian protecting innocents from vampires. Their paths cross one very early morning when Roland is staked to the ground in a remote area by enemies who torture him while they wait for the sun to come up and burn him to ash. Sarah, out before sunrise to beat the heat, is digging up a place for her vegetable garden in a field adjacent to her home when she hears a loud commotion. After sneaking up in the trees to see what’s going on and witnessing the torture of a naked man she decides she doesn’t have time to go home to phone 911. Taking her shovel firmly in hand she whacks the bad guys in the head, unties Roland and helps him to her house thus saving his life.  And that’s just the beginning.

From the very first pages I loved this book. The characters are well-fleshed and interesting, the writing flows smoothly, the plot unrolls at just the right speed and there’s humor, action and sexual heat aplenty. A big plus for me is that this book is set in North Carolina, not far from where I live. I can count on one hand, maybe two, the number of books I’ve read that are set in North Carolina.

Roland and the other Immortal Guardians are HOT, interesting, honorable, strong and yummy. Sarah is no shrinking violet and is gutsy and quick thinking even when she’s scared. Even secondary characters are well-fleshed. I very much look forward to continuing the series and with so many interesting characters I hope this series will be around a very long time.

Review for Angel of Darkness

Angel of Darkness (The Fallen, #1) ~
     Cynthia Eden
Publisher ~ Brava
Published ~ 29 November 2011

My Rating ~ 4 out of 5

Nicole St. James is a schoolteacher on The List and it’s not a good list. She’s supposed to die one night in a filthy alley when she is attacked by a vampire. Keenan is an Angel of Death who was supposed to touch her and take her from the mortal realm. Instead, while Nicole is fighting to stay alive, he hesitates then touches the vampire, killing him instead of Nicole. Uh, oh…Keenan has broken the rules and must be punished. His sentence is to be a Fallen while Nicole ends up a vampire. Then it gets really interesting.

I have read many books by Cynthia Eden and have yet to be disappointed. Angel of Darkness is not an exception. I loved this story set in the same world as the Night Watch series. If you haven’t read the Night Watch series, don’t worry. They do not make an appearance and are only briefly mentioned, so if you’re anal, *cough* I mean orderly, like me when it comes to reading a series in order, you  won’t be lost or annoyed if you like to read a series, even other interconnected series, in order. In other words, if you’re like me, you’ll be fine because this book stands alone as the first in a new series.

There is plenty of action from beginning to end interspersed with humor and a buffet of yummy hot sexiness. Smooth-flowing, no plot holes, excellent dialogue and action scenes and I did mention the yummy hot sexiness, right?

I’m really looking forward to the next book Angel Betrayed due out July 1^st, 2012.

*The publisher provided a copy of this book to me for review. Please see disclaimer page.

Review for Nightfall

Nightfall ~ Norah Wilson
   Book 2 of a duo, The Merzetti Effect is book 1
Publisher ~ Norah Wilson
Published ~ 28 October 2011

My Rating ~ 4 out of 5

Aiden Afflack is a 200+ yr-old vampire who also happens to be a vampire hunter. Samantha ‘Sam’ Shea is a photographer with a gift for more than fantastic weather pictures. Her dreams tell her where weather in its violent beauty will be and she travels to photograph it. Then her path crosses Aiden’s and she starts dreaming of violent vampire attacks. They team up to stop the rogues from preying on humans and that’s when things get interesting.

I loved this story! Aiden is a strong, hot, dangerous, yummy, intelligent, hot (did I mention that?) vampire with a sense of humor who is also a fantastic cook. I want him! Sam is a beautiful, intelligent, independent, spunky mortal with a special talent for finding violence in her dreams, be it weather or vampire.

Loved the characters and writing style, the story flowed smoothly and the sexual tension between the characters was great. I loved that Sam didn’t give in to her lust for Aiden right away. That can be so annoying! I also loved the humor interspersed throughout (the scene with Sam’s leg cramp had me LOL-ing because I’ve so been there!) and the action scenes were paced just right. I hate long action scenes. I hate long descriptive scenes, too. What can I say? I’m an impatient person.

I want more of this world! Impatient, remember? And hungry for more! Bring on the stories for Eli, RJ, Garret and Liss then maybe I’ll be satiated.

*The author provided a copy of this book to me for review. Please see my disclaimer page.

Review for Feed

Feed (Newsflesh, #1) ~ Mira Grant
Publisher ~ Orbit
Published ~ 1 May 2010

My Rating ~ 2 out of 5 (only because I finished it)

The writing, the characters, the world-building...all good. It's just that this book bored the pants off me. Unfortunately, I can't like everything I read, which kinda bums me out and now I don't have any pants on which is just weird. And a bit chilly.

The thought that this is book 1 in a trilogy has me doing this ---> o.O In case anyone is wondering...I will NOT be reading the rest of the series. Onward...

Review for So I Married a Demon Slayer

So I Married a Demon Slayer ~
    Kathy Love, Angie Fox, Lexi George
Publisher ~ Brava
Published ~ 30 August 2011

My Rating ~ 3 out of 5

Anthology containing three stories by Kathy Love, Angie Fox and Lexi George.

Kathy Love’s HOT! is the first story in what I refer to as the Devilishly series where a demon runs HOT! magazine and is trying to take over the world via the fashion industry.

Angie Fox’s story What Slays in Vegas is a novella that takes place between books 2 & 3 in the Demon Slayer series.

Lexi George’s story The Bride Wore Demon Dust is a novella between books 1 & 2 in her Demon Hunting series where hunky other-worldly demon slaying Dalvahni appear in Alabama to hunt djegrali (demons).

Both Love’s and George’s stories were enjoyable reads in series I was already familiar with though I have to admit to liking George’s quirky story more. I will have to reserve judgment on Fox’s story because I have yet to read books 1 & 2 in the series, so I’ll have to revisit this anthology once I’ve done that.

Review for NightShift

NightShift ~
     Kate Douglas, Crystal Jordan, Lynn LaFleur
Publisher ~ Aphrodisia
Published ~ 29 November 2011

My Rating ~ 3 out of 5
   Hotness ~ 2.5

This is an anthology with three stories by authors I had not yet read, Kate Douglas, Crystal Jordan and Lynn LaFleur. I wish I had known that Crystal Jordan’s story Taken Between was the second story in the The Between series. I loathe reading a series out of order. It’s partially my fault for not digging deeper before picking NightShift, but it would be nice to have it mentioned somewhere in an anthology’s blurb that an included story is part of a series.

Overall each story was enjoyable and incredibly HOT. I consider the Kate Douglas story Dream Catcher more of a sci-fi story than a shifter story, but since I enjoy sci-fi I had no problems with it. Crystal Jordan’s Taken Between had too much sex (I know, I know, how can that possibly be?!) and not enough plot, but still an enjoyable read. I think Lynn LaFleur’s story The Right Number was my favorite of the three although Dream Catcher was a close second.

If you’re looking for a few quick hot reads then you won’t go wrong with this anthology. I need to look into more stories by these authors.

*The publisher provided a copy of this book to me for review. Please disclaimer page.

Review for The Merzetti Effect

The Merzetti Effect ~ Norah Wilson
Publisher ~ Norah Wilson
Published ~ 6 June 2011

My Rating ~ 4 out of 5

Ainsley Crawford is an unemployed trauma nurse answering a job advertisement for a job with Dr. Delano Bowen who needs a research assistant/secretary/phlebotomist. When she goes to the nighttime interview she’s attacked by a vampire. Fortunately, Delano saves her. Unfortunately, he’s holding buttloads of information from her. By learning about vampires her world has just been turned on its ear. Little does she know that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

I enjoyed this twist on the vampire world. Well-written, smooth-flowing and well-fleshed characters. There were no jarring holes in the plot, no gaps in the story and I loved the resolution of the bad guy situation. I’m still smiling about that. Gotta love Karma. I very much look forward to the next book in the series.

*The author provided a copy of this book to me for review. Please see disclaimer page.

Review for When A Duke Says I Do

When A Duke Says I Do ~ Jane Goodger
Publisher ~ Zebra Historical Romance
Published ~ 6 December 2011

My Rating ~ 4 out of 5

Elizabeth ‘Elsie’ Stanhope has been betrothed since she was a child to the future Duke of Kingston. She is not happy about having her life planned, but is willing to do her duty so that her father and sister can continue living a comfortable life. Then Elsie meets a most unusual man. She falls in love with him and he falls in love with her even though they both know they are doomed to never be together. However, Fate just may have something else planned for them.

I loved this story! Well-written and smooth-flowing the characters in this story came alive for me. I could see them and hear them as if they were standing in front of me. I liked Elsie, how she was good-natured and naturally optimistic, but Alexander was so real to me that my heart ached for the things he’d had to endure, what he continued to endure. He needed someone just like Elsie and I’m glad he found her. Never have I loved a flawed hero so much and rooted so hard for his victory.

I sincerely hope Jane Goodger is planning a story about Elsie’s Aunt Diane. It seemed as if we were given a bit of a beginning for her and Lord Braddock and I sincerely hope it comes about. Now, I need to check out other of Ms. Goodger’s books and hope they are as wonderful as this one.

*The publisher provided a copy of this book to me for review. Please see disclaimer page.

Review for Blood of Eden

Blood of Eden (Sloan Skye, #1) ~ Tami Dane
Publisher ~ Kensington Books
Published ~ 6 December 2011

My Rating ~ 3 out of 5

Sloan Skye is super intelligent and has just started an internship at her dream job, the BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) at the FBI when, before she can even get a cup of coffee for her boss, she’s told there’s been a mistake and her spot has been filled. Not just filled, but filled by a nemesis from her school days. Before she leaves though she is told she can intern for a brand-new unit, the PBAU. She doesn’t know what PBAU stands for, but she wants the job and agrees to take the spot. Then the weirdness begins.

After sitting through her first case briefing she discovers that PBAU stands for Paranormal Behavioral Analysis Unit. She also finds out that other FBI units think the PBAU is a joke, but Sloan is determined to do her best at her job, so she puts aside the fact her team thinks the killer is a vampire of some kind and tries to work up a profile on him/her before they strike again.

Women are dying with bite marks on their neck, but that’s not what’s killing them. They each have contracted a deadly disease that they shouldn’t have been able to get. It’s a race to find the killer before they kill again while Sloan deals with an annoying high school nemesis, her roommate acting weird (unusual), her mom acting weird (not unusual), perplexing DNA results, startling information about her dead dad, no leads to the killer, strange nightmares and her hormones going crazy over her new co-worker Special Agent Jordan Thomas, JT for short.

Well-written, smooth-flowing and well-fleshed characters. The middle of the book lagged a bit for me. I could’ve used some more action or some more clues, but it picked back up and raced to the end. I hope there are more cases for Sloan to solve. I want to know more about her, her background and see where her life is heading.

*The publisher provided a copy of this book to me for review. Please see disclaimer page.

Review for Plentiful Package

Plentiful Package (Simply Breathtaking Series, #1)
    ~ Melissa Craig
Publisher ~ Melissa Craig
Published ~ 23 October 2011

My Rating ~ 3.5 out of 5
   Andy, while a Hottie, irritated me too much to give this a 4.

Jenna, Ryan and Andy all started work for Sunloving Cruises and Green Island Activities on the same day, Jenna as the Scuba Dive Instructor, Ryan as the Water Sports Recreational Guide and Andy as a Kite Surfer Instructor. For three months Jenna and Ryan encouraged Andy to enter the Kite Surfing Championship. Would their friendship change if he won? Would it change if he didn’t?

Five years after Andy won the Queensland State Title he still hadn’t won the National Title. He continued to work as a Kite Instructor while Jenna and Ryan moved up in the company. Jenna becomes Andy’s boss and Ryan is her right-hand man.

Unfortunately, Andy becomes a real horse’s ass after he wins the QST. So even though five years ago he seemed on the verge of starting something meaningful with Jenna, he doesn’t look back when women start throwing themselves at him. He gets to the point where he’s having sex at work and Jenna is tired of covering for him even though she’s secretly lusting after his hot body.

I have to say I loved the writing and the story was sound, but Andy is a prick and Jenna is a moron for letting him disrespect her just because she’s hot to jump his bones. I’m hoping, from the way this story ended, that the next in the series will show Andy respecting Jenna and acting like a grown up while Jenna doesn’t let him walk all over her. I hope Ryan gets in on the action as well. Hubba hubba! Bring on the next story!

*The author provided a copy of this book to me for review. Please see disclaimer page.

Review for Temptation Triggers

Temptation Triggers ~ Brenda Woody and Steve Tindle
Publisher ~ Charles River Press
Published ~ 30 May 2011

My Rating ~ 4 out of 5

Temptation Triggers is an anthology containing 7 short stories. Each story is beautifully written and they are very different from each other. I enjoyed each one very much. Since they are short stories that are quick and easy reads to fit into a busy schedule I’m not going to summarize each one. I’ll just say that they are worth reading and leave it at that. :)

*The authors provided a copy to me for review. Please see disclaimer page.

Review for Midnight Sun

Midnight Sun ~ MJ Fredrick
Publisher ~ MJ Fredrick
Published ~ 6 June 2011

My Rating ~ 3 out of 5

Brylie Winston and Marcus Devlin, two strangers in the night that pass said night in a bout of wild passionate sex. Brylie sneaks out while Marcus is asleep and goes to her job as chef on a cruise ship heading to Antarctica. Marcus wakes up and instead of being relieved that Brylie is gone, he decides he needs to find her. Only first he needs to show up for a cruise (run by his family) to Antarctica, his family’s idea of punishment for doing something stupid. To his surprise, Brylie is his employee. They set off and the excitement begins.

This was a decent story with great writing, but I just couldn’t like the two main characters. I liked Brylie more than Marcus, but even she ticked me off by letting her hormones rule her head in regards to Marcus. Marcus is one of those guys I can’t stand, he’s rich and selfish, pushy and obnoxious and doesn’t take ‘No’ for an answer. Brylie was a wimp who let him walk all over her.

When pirates attack the cruise ship he redeems himself a bit by being a quick thinker, but then he ruins it by being Mister I’m-in-Charge-even-though-I’m-less-than-useless-because-I’m-a-spoiled-rich-ass. Gah! The danger and life-threatening situation should’ve changed him at least a little bit, but by the end he was still the same jerk, in my opinion. I have no respect for Brylie for sticking with her rich loser at the end.

Brylie and Marcus were like little pebbles stuck in my shoe while hiking the Grand Canyon. The view is awesome, but the pebbles are so annoying it takes away from the splendor. The story Midnight Sun was awesome, but Brylie and Marcus were annoying.

*The author provided a copy of this book for me to review. Please see disclaimer page.

Review of The Hunter

The Hunter (Legend Chronicles, Book 1) ~
    Theresa Meyers
Publisher ~ Zebra Paranormal Romance
Published ~ 1 November 2011

My Rating ~ 4 out of 5

Winchester, Remington and Colt Jackson are the Chosen. Or are they? They don’t believe so. They believe they are just Hunters. Those who keep humanity safe from supernaturals. However, every supernatural, also known as the Darkin, do believe it especially a part vampire, part fallen archangel demon lord named Rathe. He wants the Book of Legend, so that he can rule Earth and the Jackson brothers are the keepers of 1/3 of it. Rathe sends Lilly, a succubus, to Colt when Colt summons a demon to help him in his search for his family’s portion of the book. And then the fun begins.

I enjoyed this book very much since it was a bit like reading an Indiana Jones or The Mummy story (both movies loved by me) where they race to find an artifact. The characters were well-fleshed (and yummylicious!) and easy to picture in my head. The story flowed smoothly with no noticeable hiccups. The action was fast-paced and not overdone. The characters are likeable except for Rathe, of course. He’s not meant to be liked and boy, oh boy, I can’t wait to see him get his.

This is part one of three parts, one for each brother as they each look for 1/3 of the book. If they are the Chosen, and they’re certainly not admitting that they are, then they need all three portions of the book and all three brothers to seal the Gates of Nyx and keep the Darkin, Rathe in particular, out of the realm of humanity.

I can’t wait for Winchester’s book, ‘The Slayer’ due out in April followed by Remington’s book, ‘The Chosen’ due out in December. Bring it!

*The publisher provided a copy of this book to me for review. Please see disclaimer page.

Review for Rivals (Evan Falls Trilogy, #1)

Rivals (Evan Falls Trilogy, #1) ~ Maggie Shaw
Publisher ~ Maggie Shaw
Published ~ 17 September 2011

My Rating ~ 2 out of 5 only because I actually finished it.

Willow Guggenheim is sent to live with her aunt, uncle and cousin because her mother hates her and wishes she was never born. Ok, I’m not sure if her mother hates her or wishes she was never born, but that’s the impression Willow gives in her bratty, woe-is-me, I’m so misunderstood and I’m entitled to the world attitude.

I’m not sure where to even start with this review. This short story is a mess. Ok, I guess I did know where to start. I’m not even sure heavy editing could save this story. Spelling, punctuation, sentence structure all need a complete overhaul. Dialogue is stilted, descriptions are half-hearted and the characters are below one-dimensional which I didn’t know was possible. The author can’t decide if the characters hate each other or if they could be friends. There is no back story, no front story, no story, period.

The main character, Willow, is the kind of teen I want to either smack upside the head or send to a military school. What little description of her there is paints her as a brat of the first order with no redeemable characteristics. I can’t stand her. All of the characters in this story are so shallow that if they were a grave no cadaver dog would be needed to find them. The abrupt ending, instead of being intriguing, was like being smacked in the face with a 2x4 giving one a sense of relief that you would be knocked unconscious for the next installment.

I can’t recommend this book to anyone except a proofreader and/or editor who can fix the errors and help fill in all the bare spots.

Review for All I Want for Christmas

All I Want for Christmas ~ Liliana Hart
Publisher ~ Bodysways Publishing
Published ~ 30 October 2011

My Rating ~ 4 out of 5

This book contains two short stories. The first is about Kate Carson, a lawyer stranded in Chicago for Christmas and Derek Worth the owner of the hotel she’s staying in. The second is about Grant MacKenzie and Annabeth Martin, two people who’ve known each other for years.

I really enjoyed both stories. For such quick reads they had surprising depth of character and a smooth-flowing plot with steamy sex thrown in. I liked that the characters weren’t angst-ridden and there weren’t insurmountable problems to overcome. Sometimes, I like a story that just goes with it and it works out without a lot of what I call whangst (whining and angst).

This is the first I’ve read of Liliana Hart and now I want to get the rest of her books.

Review for Kiss Me, I'm Irish

Kiss Me, I'm Irish (Time for Love, #1) ~
    Bella Street
Publisher ~ Bella Street
Published ~ 19 April 2011

My Rating ~ 4 out of 5

Emily Musgrave is from 1813 England, but after running away from the carriage taking her to a convent she steps into a piskey circle asking for help. She ends up on her butt in a cobblestone circle on a street in Tennessee in the year 2011. Standing before her is a woman who introduces herself as Tinker, sister to Liam Jackson, Irish musician. Emily has a particular weakness for Irish men and Liam is a hottie. They take her back to their run-down hotel room while they try to figure out what to do with her and she tries to figure out what happened to her.

I loved this story. The characters were well-fleshed and vibrant. I pictured them easily in my head. The story progressed smoothly and I had no problem being in the moment with the characters. Emily, having believed in piskeys (or pixies) and having come from the past didn’t have as hard a time adjusting to the future as Liam did in believing she was from the past which caused some tension between the characters.

Every time I had to put this story down I couldn’t wait to get back to it to see where it was heading. Emily’s adjustment, Liam’s final acceptance, Tinker’s secret and a bad guy stalking Emily kept my interest until the end. This is listed as Book 1 in a series. I can’t wait to see Book 2.

*The author provided a copy of this book to me for review. Please see disclaimer.

Review for The Z Word

The Z Word ~ Bella Street
Publisher ~ Bella Street
Published ~ 3 June 2011

My Rating ~ 2 out of 5

This is a story about four friends, Seffy, Addy, Lani and Gareth, who are in some kind of explosion that sends them back in time from 2006 to 1980 and from California to Montana. They wake up in a strange place with a pink sky and zombies. After finding each other in the debris they try to survive this strange experience.

Ok, this was a quirky concept that just couldn’t be pulled off. The main character, Seffy, got on my last nerve until I was really hoping she’d be a zombie entrée. Seffie’s ‘friend’ Addy was such a bitch to her I couldn’t understand why she called her a friend instead of kicking her to the curb. Lani was a flake and I just couldn’t get a bead on Gareth. The most interesting character in the book for me was Trent.

There were mysteries and secrets galore and by the time of the abrupt cliffhanger ending we had learned nothing about any of the secrets or mysteries. In fact, more mystery was piled on top of the existing ones. Many references were made as to the fact they had left Montana for some reason to move to California and they were to never talk about it again, but no explanation is given as to WHY. Not one single itty bitty nugget of info is revealed. I was forcefully reminded of Scrooge McDuck during this story as Ms Street hung onto her secrets like he hung onto money. I can understand the need for suspense and stringing us readers along, but I was so frustrated by not learning ANYTHING that I’m not interested in continuing the series.

*The author provided a copy to me for review. Please see disclaimer.

Stay tuned for my review of Bella Street's 'Kiss Me, I'm Irish'. That's one I really enjoyed!