Haunting the Wolf (Spellbound For Love #2) by D. McEntire

Summary:

A child who grew up in an abusive home, Becca Glass couldn’t believe she’d followed in her mother’s footsteps. A night of violence by her live-in boyfriend pushes her over the edge. A leap from a bridge into rushing waters takes her life, but gives her another return—a ghost walking the earth, unseen and unheard.

Having the itch to travel, David Corbin sets off on a road trip, but his trek takes a major detour after a werewolf attack changes his life forever—forced to seek solitude each full moon.

When David buys a farmhouse in which to lock himself away during the change, he finds the house is not entirely empty. A beautiful woman, a ghost, who seems corporeal only while in the house has his heart locked in a battled. In solid form, she is in danger. But, he can’t ask her to leave.

 Reviewer: Dolce Amore

Before the high school seniors move away and start their adult lives, Rachel, Becca, Tess, and Mindy cast a love spell. In the previous book (Hunting Jaguar) in this series, Spellbound For Love, Rachel finds her happiness with Tumi, a shape shifter jaguar. 

Years pass. Now it’s Becca’s turn … only Becca left a violent boyfriend and leapt from a bridge into rushing wáter and drowned. Becca Glass is now a ghost. She is occupying an abandoned house. No one can see her. However, the new occupant of the house can. David Corbin,  turned werewolf several months ago, and he can see, touch, and love her. When the one who turned him into a monster comes and in a jealous frenzy tries to kill Becca, can David succeed in protecting her? Can there be a HEA for a ghost and werewolf?

It was an  interesting story, full of imagination … can a woman die twice and keep living? Although the concept is a little strange, Ms D. McEntire made  it entirely credible. I will give 4 stars. Next up in her series, Jaguar Frisking.

Publisher: Secret Cravings Publishing
Source:  Manic Readers

Tiger Mine by Angela Castle

Summary:

Licking her wounds after ending a six-year marriage to a serial cheating husband, Julia has run away to her grandfather's house high in the Australian Mountains, hoping to fix the old neglected building up while she contemplates her future, only to discover a huge white Siberian tiger on her door step.

Tiger shifter Mohan has escaped, jumped ship and is in hiding from the hunter who has ripped him from his world and murdered those he loved, when a curvy Aussie woman turns up at the old house he’s managed to shelter in these past weeks. He offers his services as a builder by day, returning to her by night as a tiger. Despite the strong attraction he has trouble fighting, what he discovers in Julia is a new kind of warmth and kindness he is in desperate need of.

Julia knows her gorgeous Russian handyman is harboring dark secrets, but can her heart stand falling in love and losing again?

Can they help each other mend the deeper issues which plague their lives? And bring hope of a new future. Or will Mohan’s past hunt him down and tear the new fragile bond between them?

 Reviewer: Dolce Amore

Since divorcing her cheating husband after six years of marriage and  having enough of the pitying look in her friends' eyes and the continued  condemnation from her mother, Julia Cooper wants a quiet place where she can decide what she will do from now on. So she goes to the old farmhouse up in the Snowy Mountain Ranges left to her by her grandfather. 

But, the place isn't empty; tiger shifter Mohan hides there. And when she sees that the huge tiger, instead of eating  her for dinner steals her dinner, she gets curious. 

"You know, that was my dinner. If you're that hungry, you could have asked."

"Now,  remember, I'm not food but a friend. I really love cats, and you're the  most beautiful big cat I've ever seen. Please don't eat me."

When Mohan discovers that she plans to hire a person to help her fix her grandpa's old place, he decides to be man during the day and tiger during the night. 

When real estate agent John Leeman thinks that: 

Julia Cooper was a means to end his long running debt, and her wealth would set himself up for a good future

… and blackmails her for money if she doesn’t want to reveal that she is harboring an illegal immigrant. That makes Julia decide to pull every string she  can to make Mohan a legal resident of Australia. 

When they  thought that they finally left the past behind and are married, they  discover that John Leeman had being in alliance with the very man who killed Mohan’s loved ones and now is coming for him. They have to fight for  their survival. 

I loved the book! Although the humor appears  mainly in the first part of the story (it will make you burst into  laughter every couple of pages), the writer keeps the same amazing style along the entire book. Here are some lines I love most from it: 

It felt surreal. Who shared their bed with a white tiger? Well, obviously crazy, divorced women did.

Mohan,  with a new driver's license in hand, asked to borrow her car. She  smiled and nodded, jokingly telling him not to run too many people over.

 

Ms. Angela Castle created wonderful, deep, and credible characters and I bet that at least one of you will fall for Mohan, I loved him too. As always, she keeps the reader’s attention rapt until the last  word. So 5 stars for the book, it deserves this and more.

Publisher:  Rogue Phoenix Press
Source:  Manic Readers

Fade Into You by Lanie M Barnes

Summary:

Stacia Raines knows all about the price of falling in love. After a tragic accident leaves her with a bleeding heart, Stacia flees to the other end of the country in hopes of finding a life far away from the cornfields of the Midwest. Out for a night of fun, she meets the dark and mysterious Kael Loren and in no time, she's swept off of her feet by an intense passion that leaves her breathless. They say that true love never dies, but what if it does? Can a broken heart be so easily mended?

Kael knows the moment he meets Stacia that she’s the only one for him. No other woman has ever brought him to his knees before by simply the look in her eyes. Yet he’s unsure how to explain his feelings for her without revealing his darkest secret. When trouble arises on the wings of the ghost of lovers past, Kael is forced to compete for the heart of his mate. Luckily for him, when it comes to fighting dirty, he’s not all talk. He’s all bite.

 Reviewer: Dolce Amore

Nine months after Stacia Raines breaks up with her boyfriend Mac, he dies, breaking her heart. So she moves to New Orleans. There she finds  her new best friend, Josselyn Chasseur, and her true love, her best friend’s brother, Kael Loren. 

Kael knew from the first touch that Stacia is his mate and he will do anything to have her. But when  someone calls her using the cell phone of her dead boyfriend and she is kidnapped with a ransom demand, will he be able to save her? And when Mac helps save her, will her new love be strong enough? 

The  storyline is good but Ms. Lanie Barnes’ style of reveal made it a little artificial and unreal. I never understood why Stacia broke up with Mac if she loved him so much. All that was mentioned in the story he is supposed to be a man who wasn’t ready “to play house” yet. 

I also didn’t liked how easily Stacia and her brother Austin accept the existence of vampires. Stacia finds out a few days after she meets Kael for the first time and Austin in the same day he  meets Kael and his sister. And Mac, well, coming back from the dead … it  made me think of some serial feature. Now I’m playing death, now I’m living … it  added more falseness to the story. 

However, like I said before, the storyline is involving. And the book is good. For being her first book published, I think Ms Lanie Barnes did a pretty good job with her debut novel and I will rate this book 4 stars. 

Publisher:  Rebel Ink Press
Source:  Manic Readers

Mohegan (Native Instincts) by India Jackson

Summary:

1950′s, in a small town in Oklahoma, rich boy Henry is used to getting what he wants, when he wants. But when what he wants is a man from the nearby reservation, a place of which his father strongly disapproves, what he wants proves for once to be difficult. And when that man proves to be a Lycanthrope with a dark past and savage nature, what he wants proves to be almost completely out of reach…

 Reviewer: Purple Rose 

What a surprisingly, interesting story! At first I was unsure what to think, what with the historical aspect, but it was a truly pulling story! I really enjoyed the fact that the Lycanthrope and werewolves were a bit more on the savage side, with just a sweet touch of loving for their  mates. 

I  enjoyed all the characters, even the side characters. Mohegan had this aggressiveness and rough sexy attitude.  Henry's infatuation with Mohegan was delightful; he was strong willed and well suited for Mohegan, he calmed him down. Jake had great loyalty to best friend or soul brother Henry, as he came to understand his love for Shuey. Shuey had great loyalty to  Mohegan, always trying to protect his alpha, even as he held fast for Jake. Yet they all worked together looking out for each other in their own ways. They all helped to bring the story alive. The plot was gripping and the sex scenes scorching hot!! The only issue I have is the ending: with how detailed the rest of the story was, I was a bit disappointed  with the rushed ending. I look forward to the followup in A Native Valentine which came out in February.

I give this 4.5 stars. Aggressive, sexy, and most certainly hot! Definitely Recommended!

Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Source:  Manic Readers          

Deceiving the Witch Next Door by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez

Summary:

Storie Bell has a little secret—she’s a witch. But magic hasn’t exactly kept her life from being a complete mess—her love life is non-existent and the town thinks she’s a total nutter. Plus there’s her neighbor Reid Malone who runs hot one minute and cold the next.
Reid Malone can’t wait to escape Bloomington, Texas. Unfortunately, he’s stuck where he is unless he helps his father hide a very illegal secret. The only key to Reid’s freedom lies with the eccentric Storie … and he’ll do whatever it takes to get the information he needs from her.
But Reid’s holding something back. Something big. And if he’s not careful, he’ll find out exactly what happens when you try to deceive a witch…

 Reviewer: Dolce Amore


Eight years ago, Reid Malone saw Storie Bell the night before she left Bloomington, Texas and realized how beautiful she was. The descriptions are almost magical. It’s almost like we can see the storm; watch Storie enter the lake; see Reid’s panic at the thought that she might be drowning

“I thought you were drowning.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Next time you’re not drowning,” he said with a low growl, “I’ll just leave you to it.”

And they almost make love after the attended rescue

Now, Storie is back to run the dilapidated old gas station her father left her. The same old gas station Jiggs Malone wants badly. Storie is not going to sell it to Malone; she knows there was bad blood between Jiggs and her father. 


Storie was an outsider to her own life. The folks avoided her because of her powers. She left town because she couldn’t control them, but now she is back and wants to make her dreams real. Of course, using just a little magic because she wants to be accepted. And she is transforming the family gas station into a bookstore and coffee shop, The Storiebook Café.

The Storiebook Café, with the tagline, Where happy endings begin … Mixed and matched pots would overflow with multicolored flowers. And inside? Coffee. Tea. The best food this side of the Brazos River. All with the added bonus of books.

The only friends she has are Harper and her girls. And they don’t know about her being a witch.   

Wow!!! The story is so captivating that I keep forgetting to add info to the review. It’s like watching your favorite series and you can hardly tear your eyes from the screen.

Reid loves his father and understands that he wants to leave something behind after his death, and Jigs wants to leave the Apple Pie Moonshine, an illicit distilled liquor, in a deal he made with the Gemstone Spirits Company. However, there is a missing ingredient and Reid must find it before the company comes back requesting the recipe for Apple Pie Moonshine. Storie’s father gave Jigs the ingredient, but after his death there was nobody to ask where it had been hidden.

Harper’s daughters are delightful; here is a remark about Piper, a solid nine going on forty-five year-old girl, concerning the old gas station and the café while Storie and Harper finish the renovations:

“It’s worse than the old junkyard near Daddy’s work,” she said in all her little-girl wisdom. “Have you and Mama lost your everlovin’ minds?”

Reid lures her contractor, Buddy, to leave the renovations undone because she doesn’t want to sell.  

Deceiving Storie might not be honorable, but it was fun. And truthfully, he was trying to protect her and Harper. Probable deniability. What they didn’t know couldn’t hurt them. Or get them tossed in prison.

He takes Buddy’s place to supposedly help her finishing the renovations while he continues his search. What a devious and clever man, although the missing ingredient isn’t all he wants. He also wants to finish what started between him and Storie eight years ago … Reid only knew that the secret ingredient was an oil and he was becoming desperate as he could not find it.  

Without it, Jiggs’s moonshine was nothing special, but with it, the stuff was a gold mine.

 When they move a bookshelf they find a secret door which leads to where Reid’s father was doing the moonshine. 

 Bit by bit, Storie’s magic is fading away and her mother, the woman who gave her birth, comes and tells her that Storie has a brother and a sister and that they need her in the magical realm. When Storie agrees to cross to the magical realm, her mother leaves, intent to return when the moon is full.

And then, poof!, she melted into thin air, leaving Storie to pick up the pieces of the life her mother had just torn apart.

But then, her mother is not like Storie thought she would be. She also meets her sister and discovers that what her father told her once is real: the power changes people. Her mother turned black and Storie and Astrid have to defeat her. Yet, she has another ally in Reid. He is not going to stand by and let the woman he loves get hurt.  

Storie is a good woman who just happens to have magical powers. Her mother left her many years ago and she was raised by her father who always told her not to have a relation with an ordinary human. An outcast all her life because her powers were a bit out of control, she was avoided. In that, we have the perfect transformation as her feelings for Reid are getting stronger. However, with her powers fading and her mother asking for help, she is easily manipulated. Although she might seem weak, she is not. She fights for her future with Reid.

Reid is a good man, attractive and rich. He does what he does because he loves his father. But after seeing Storie, he falls for her. His reasons for getting close to her are paling in view of his feelings for her. He knows she is different, but only understands how much in the night he fights for her and their future. He understands that his home is with her.  

I loved it, as I did all the wonderful characters of this book; of course, all except the evil witch who wants to get the power from her own children.  

5 Stars, I totally loved the story.

 Publisher:  Entangled Publishing      

Source:  Net Galley

Desert Fire (Legend & Lore #2) by T.T. Kove

Summary:

Brand is a man adrift: he is wolf shifter and fire witch, a traitor to his people for saving a friend on whom he turned his back long ago, a friend who no longer has need of him. He has no place to call home, no one to call family or friend, and no idea where he belongs.

With nothing better to do, he decides to seek out the infamous dragons in the firelands, curious to see if their fires will be hot enough to burn a fire witch, to see if perhaps a place that welcomes fire might have a place for him…

 Reviewer: Reddragonfly

I read and reviewed Forest of Fenris about a month ago and when I reviewed it, I remember one of my complaints was that I wanted to know more about Brand and the big secret that was mentioned but never really explained. Now I'm wishing  that I had known that there would be a sequel to Forest of Fenris that would have Brand as the main character because I wouldn't have even brought it up. However, I'm afraid that I'm now once again mentioning it, because it's still never really explained why he is a shifter that is also able to create fire when normally shifters bond with mages and do not possess these traits. 

When I read Forest of Fenris, I read it in one sitting and enjoyed it but had wanted more, with Desert Fire it took me 2 tries to read it  cause I just couldn't get into it the first time. I tried, but the  second time around I was able to finish it but just not enjoy it like the first book. I felt like this novella had too many secondary characters for only 20k words. Because of this, the character development of Brand's love interest, Khaltah, wasn't enough and I just didn't feel the  connection between them. Another problem I had was that when Brand and Khaltah first met, Khaltah said he was still in love with Kamoor but the  next day he was suddenly in love with Brand. I felt like Khaltah and Kamoor might have been better off ending up together and was kind of hoping that they would. 

One thing that I did love about this novel was the plot and world development. I felt like what it lacked in character development it more than made up for in those areas and do plan on reading the future books in this series. I'm giving this story 3.5 stars. 

 Publisher:  Less Than Three Press                                                                                  

Source:  Manic Readers

Ransom (The Light-Bearer Series #2) by Emily Guido

Summary:

"Ransom" is the Second Novel in "The Light-Bearer Series" which is the continuation of Tabbruis and Charmeine's romantic and turbulent love story and mission on Earth to battle Lucifer's minions!

Tabbruis and Charmeine’s life at the ‘Castle Charmeine’ is blissful until the reality of ruling the Hellish Blood-Hunters' Elder Council hits them in the face. Then, as a one-two punch, Lord Cromwell, one of the most deadly and powerful Blood-Hunters on Earth has escaped the Elder Council Prison! Lord Cromwell sends a beautiful agent to cause trouble for Tabbruis and Charmeine! He also desperately wants something Tabbruis has!

There are more surprises in store for the inhabitants of the 'Castle Charmeine'.

Will Tabbruis and Charmeine, two star-crossed and ill-fated lovers ever be at rest? Could this mean the end of harmony for Tabbruis and Charmeine’s family?

A must read for all who have read “Charmeine” the First Novel in “The Light-Bearer Series”. "Ransom" can be a stand-alone novel also. It is action packed and thoroughly enjoyable in its own right!

 Reviewer: Fashionta

I have put off reviewing this book because  I didn’t want to cloud my review on Emily Guido’s first book which I though was amazing and couldn’t get enough of.  I thought it was one the best paranormal books I had read in a long time. To top it off, it was from a debut author who self- published her own book.

This second book carries on a few months later after the conclusion of the previous book. Everyone is happily settled down at Castle Charmeine and Tabbius and Charmeine are settling down into the roles as the King of Darkness and Queen of Light and happily waiting the arrival of their baby. But things do seem to be always that simple, right?  Enter someone from not only Tabbius’ past but Dmitri’s too. 

In order to understand, let me give a small recap. Tabbius and Charmine were both angels in heaven made for each other, but on the day God cast Lucifer out of heaven, Tabbius was sent down too and became a blood hunter. Meanwhile, Charmine stayed in heaven and only arrived on Earth in the ‘90s as a Light Bearer. All this was a mistake and the family had forgotten each other until Tabbius met Charmine again. Charmine and Tabbius had a son, Shane, who happened to end up in the same orphanage as Charmine and they become close.

Whilst their time on earth, Tabbius and Dimitri saw lots of things and had one downfall to their friendship . A woman blood hunter name Bathsheba, who the men fell in what they thought was love in the first world war and thought had died, is back and she brings an unwelcome problem to the family: Lord Cromwell, a blood hunter of serious calibre who possesses a bigger threat than Pascal Thomas’s father, the former head of the Elder Council. 

Pascal had managed keep him locked up in Athens at the Elder Council, the organization that governs blood hunters. The reason why will shock the family and leave them reeling as the secrets come tumbling out one at a time as the family prepares for a battle like no other.

This book start was a little too slow for my taste but it displays a great example in how a plot should be written. It has a bit of everything in there from romance to fighting and even a protective mother to boot and it was nice to see some of the characters reintroduced from the previous book getting more time in this one. However, I would have liked to have seen more Neal and Hameal as they weren’t developed as so much as the other characters in the book. Yes, Neal been there but we saw more of the other families who make up the Castle Charmine as they deal with their problems. 

I have to give this 4.5 stars.

 Publisher:  Emily Guido                                                                                      

Source:  Author provided for review

The Sin Eater's Prince by Keta Diablo

Summary:

Owen Rhys, the sin eater, has been shunned by the local villagers all his life--except for Andras Maddock, the local physician. In love with the one man he believes will never return that love, Owen is shocked when Andras saves him from death at the hands of a vampire.

Dagan, Dark Lord of the Underworld, vows to avenge his father’s death and obtain the Prince of Wales’s mystic sword from Andras. The claymore’s power holds an immunity the vampires have coveted for centuries.

Star-crossed love, sorcery, and bloodlust collide on a vengeful path where only one side will remain victorious

 Reviewer: White Daisy

The year is 1842, a time of great superstition in Pembrokeshire, Southwest Wales.

Owen is a sin eater and due to his mother's early death, he never experienced a gentle touch or pleasure of a sibling's companionship. He  was raised by his father, who was a sin eater himself. Owen's existence is to help people in their darkest moments, although the act of absorbing a dying person’s sins so their soul is free to go to heaven makes him unholy and shunned by the village. He is always alone. As the story opens, Owen is awakened with a premonition of someone's death. 

Andras Maddock and the young lass Carys, are the only humans who are kind and friendly with Owen. This morning Carys comes to Owen for a pint of goat milk for a small infant. She asks Owen to return to the village with her as the doctor Andras expects him. In my opinion, Owen  had a gift to see other people’s spirits and he is the one who escorts the souls to rest. It is in a way like Owen is eating the sin from a dying person, so their souls can pass on with a clear conscience. He is to me a kind of a priest. Why Owen as a sin eater is shunned in this story is illogical. 

Owen is dazzled with Andras. Even more, Owen can’t understand the physician's kindness toward him. At twenty-five years of age Owen hides his attraction toward Andras, not  knowing Andras feels the same pull toward Owen. The morning after Carys goes home, Owen travels to Maddock Manor, to where Andras lives. Owen suspects that Andras is a vampire. He has a deeper feeling that Andras is deadly dangerous, but even so, Owen can’t change how he feels. After Owen does what is expected from him as a sin eater, he decides to return to his lonesome home, even if Andras asks him to sleep in the  Manor and return to his home in the morning. But Owen hungers for Andras,  vampire or no, and Owen can’t stay in Andras company. While walking  home through the night, Owen is attacked by a new vampire, Traherne, and saved by Andras. Traherne is a powerful vampire and Andras can save Owen only with his sword, the Price of Wales's claymore. Andras must hide his sword from the other vampire clans because it is a powerful tool: it gives vampires the power to walk in the sun.

The storyline wasn't as interesting from this point on. People in the village start to die and villagers decided blindly it is Owen fault because he is a sin eater. The villagers behave crazily.  As a reader, I didn't enjoy such characters. The romance between Andras and Owen was enjoyable, but nothing special. I'm giving this 3 stars. 

     

 Publisher: Keta Diablo                                                                                        

Source:  Manic Readers

 

Sight Unseen by Hunter Raines

Summary:

Daniel Van Doren was once a renowned writer, until he was blinded in the car accident that killed his lover. Now, all he sees are ghosts in need of help. They follow him everywhere, and the only way to be rid of his ethereal visitors is to help them resolve their unfinished business here on earth so their spirits can find peace.

Ghostwriter Logan Riley is assigned to pen Daniel's biography. He plans to reveal him as a fraud, but when they meet he's struck by Danny's quiet sincerity—and a growing attraction. Which makes sticking close to Danny to find out the truth more than a little distracting.

When they are attacked by a violent poltergeist Logan begins to believe Danny's not just telling the truth, he's in grave danger. A spirit has learned how to harness the energy of the living to break through the barrier between worlds to harm Danny. And Logan may be the one to blame…

 Reviewer: Fashionta

Wow! How interesting for a blind man to have the ability to see spirits even when he can’t see anything else. To even imagine that being the only sight you’ll see day after day for the rest of your life? It’s haunting. To never be allowed rest; for as soon as you’ve helped one spirit another shows up to takes its place, never ending. As soon as I saw this, I knew I had to read it. Just the idea alone is too fascinating to pass up! 

Danny Van Doren may be blind, but he can still see and help the spirits that manage to find him. Never a moment’s rest for Danny; he's been helping the spirits find peace since the car accident two years ago that left him blind and only able to see ghostly images of dead people. It seems like such a lonely way to spend one’s days: watching the spirits, yet not being able to communicate with them and having to guess what they need or want in order to help them pass over. 

Even working with the Phoenix P.D. is proving to be draining; Danny has worked grudgingly a few times with his ex brother-in-law Nick who is a Detective. Even though they both seem rather reluctant to work together and even a bit annoyed with each other, you can still see that deep down they care for each other, as there is history between them as well as Elena and Isy, Danny's sister and niece. I really liked all the side characters within this story, they felt real and tangible. You are able to connect with them, and feel their own individual emotions. 

Logan Reily firmly believes Danny is a hoax, a fake, no way is he psychic since there is no such thing as psychic's – right? So when his boss asks him to expose him for the phony he is he jumps at it, convinced he’ll even be able to get the manuscript handed in early! Smug bastard! Ha ha! During the first meeting between Logan and Danny where Logan try to entice Danny to let him write his biography, a mix of feelings comes into play. Logan can't help but feel that maybe Danny isn't a con man out to fool people into believing he's a psychic. Then there is Logan's ghostly friend that seems to be just a bit possessive of him ... his ex-wife Sophie. 

I really wanted to hate Logan at first—so badly too. The way he was planning to discredit Danny, essentially making him a laughing stock—a well paid one, but still; just the idea that he loved to go around and take people’s lives and dig up what they have hidden away in their closets, so he could “give everyone the truth”—how does that not make him a con man? He gives them the hope of creating a biography of their lives, then does nothing but spill their secrets. Oh, how I wanted to hate him! But I couldn't. With all the little hints into his own background, you can understand how Logan became who he is, and why he acts the way he does. 

Danny is a magnet that draws people to him, and Logan is no exception! There is an undeniable attraction simmering between them. It's heavy in the air. Both are hesitant though, not fully trusting the other with the circumstances that have brought them together. The emotions played between them are strong and real. I can completely understand what they are feeling, even sympathize. Even with every obstacle thrown in their path, whether by each other or others or even by Sophie, something keeps pulling them back together; they crave to be around each other. 

Sophie's attack on Danny brings about a chain of events that leaves Danny in the hospital once more. Logan is unsure of what to think about Danny being able to see Sophie and he’s sure it's just Danny's way to find a weakness in him, especially when Logan finds out that's it's because of Sophie that Danny lost his sight. Add the current ghost that has been hanging around Danny, who actually turns out to be a man who was in a coma, and has woken up! This man also remembers Danny, and remembers the woman, Sophie, that haunts Logan. 

Sophie is getting more and more aggressive.

And the attacks don't end there! Oh man! when Sophie get pissed ... she gets vicious! She doesn't hesitant to cause damage either, whether it's to objects or even her ex-husband. She can't stand seeing them together. In fact if she can't have Logan, she damn will isn't going to let ANYONE have him. A psychopathic ghost – scary. I'd definitely run in the other direction, and fast! But man, she just doesn't get it. She may be trying to break them apart, but the opposite is happening; they are only getting closer. I think Sophie believed she loved Logan, but, in all honesty, I don't think she understood love or she'd have never treated Logan the way she did. 

I loved this story from the first page to the last. I loved Danny and Logan, they have many things between them that are similar, yet so opposite and perfect for each other. I want more. I never wanted the story to end, just thinking of the many adventures that could fall into their paths. Together they would be able to handle anything! I was a bit sad we only really got one small part with Danny's niece Isy; we learn about her in the very beginning, but only get to meet her at the end! 

I give this a 5 stars. It was an absolute pleasure reading this! How about a sequel into their ghostly adventures? I'm willing to beg here! Ha ha! Either way, I highly recommend!

        

 Publisher: Carina Press                                                                                

Source:  Net Galley  

 

Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know by Scot D. Ryersson

Summary:

Burning icy-blue eyes alight with defiance, the decadent, tainted windows into a debauched soul…

In the exotic, sun-drenched Mediterranean town of Taormina, a young Englishman scrutinizing sensual images of bronze-toned young men is enthralled by the photographic portrait of the nefarious nobleman, Count Eyolf d’Magnus-Eriksson. “Who is Eriksson…?” he innocently asks his host, eliciting an erotic tale of decadence and desolation set on the Isle of Capri, a “paradise of vices.” On the cliffs overlooking the crashing waves of the Tyrrhenian, Count Eriksson, an obscenely wealthy, hedonistic, and coldly beautiful young aristocrat builds a home in adulation to the Roman wolf god, Lupercus, where he fearlessly invites and willingly embraces the carnal beast, Lupo. Theirs is a forbidden union of volatile passions and destructive desires, a tale that arouses an exquisite flame in the blood of the young Englishman.

 Reviewer: BlackTulip

Just be warned readers that once you've reached a certain point in this book, there will be no turning back from a deliciously intoxicating madness! Nobody will be able to save you, you'll be on your own ... with your mind.

The incomparable Scot D. Ryersson is back with a tale more insane than ever. He offers us a journey back in time to ancient Rome and into the very torturous mind of mysterious Count Eriksson, who's an avid and insatiable worshiper of the Roman god, Lupercus!

The staging is perfect from the start. You're given a taste of what's to come with a breathtaking and so realistic description of a beautiful young man, whose photo, like many others, hangs on the wall in Baron Wilhelm von G--.'s photography studio. He is a very alert old gentleman with a fine sense of humor. The picture captivates a young man with brown eyes; he finds himself lost in the picture for a bit ...

The studio itself is another vivid description that stands out to me, with all of its usual bric-a-brac of wonderful objects made of wood, brass and leather. Even more magical is when your eyes go from one object to another; you carelessly allow your finger to brush lightly against a collection of lenses and you're able to feel the thin layer of dust on your fingertip, a wave of melancholy sweeps through you because you're feeling the loss of something you will never see or experience, something which belongs to a past long, long gone ...

Later the same pair of eyes wanders to another part of the room discovering more photos until their attention focuses on a face completely different from any other: more striking, captivating with mesmerizing, provocative and challenging eyes ...

This begins an incredible story told by an older gentleman to a younger and fascinated Englishman ... Brace yourself for the unexpected, the bizarre, the shocking, the outrageous, the frightful and the unimaginable ...

"Who is Count Eriksson?" the young and innocent Englishman asks ...

Beautiful like Adonis, rich like Croesus, but with a heart cold like ice, he lives unrestrained and only for the forbidden. Was he even born with a soul?

Perhaps the answer can be found in the few words of a song you'll find in the book:

"What are you then? I don’t know, an angel, a demon, a man? But what does it matter to me after all; Make joy or suffering burst into bloom in my soul, O enchanting sphinx".

Page after page, the author spins his magic with words using description after description just like a spell, drawing you irresistibly away from reality even without you even realizing it.

There’s no other description of the ending other than explosion of your mind reaching insanity. 

"... and all hell broke loose!"

You're sucked into a frenzy, a poetic madness until the final breaking point ...

I swear, if you read Scot D. Ryersson’s descriptions, it is like becoming high without even consuming a drop of wine or any kind of prohibited substance! No words will ever be able to translate what I felt and what I saw come to life before my very eyes; it's something you've got to read to experience. You have to discover it by yourself.

This is the third book I’ve read by this author and each book experience becomes more unusual and unique. Once again, it's a whirlwind of emotions and visions and it's completely decadent. I highly recommend it and give 5 big stars.

 Publisher: Bristlecone Pine Press                                                          

Source:  Purchased

Cherry Stem by Sotia Lazu

Summary:

Turned at the cusp of a promising career in the adult movie industry, vampire Cherry Stem is currently unemployed but uses the squint, her compelling vampire gaze, on men for her meals and pocket change. With the rent deadline approaching, settling for pocket change isn’t an option. She sets her sights on tall, dark, and handsome Alex Marsden, who takes her home for a night of blistering passion. She doesn't tell him who she is.

Cherry isn’t the only one keeping secrets. Alex is the police detective investigating the disappearance of young women from the local clubs. Like most detectives, Alex has a good memory for faces and Cherry looks familiar. When he finds out she’s a vampire, he goes digging and discovers she's an up-and-coming model who went missing six years before.

When Cherry met Alex, she expected him to be nothing more than another “girl meets boy, girl feeds from boy, girl erases boy’s memories” hook-up. But once missing young women, the vampire council, and her irresistible ex are thrown into the mix, she realizes nothing is as simple or random as she thought it was, and Alex is either the biggest gift or the biggest mistake of her un-life.

 Reviewer: Dolce Amore

It's been six years since Cherry Stem died and was converted into a vampire. And now she's searching for a drink and she found Alex instead.   

Alex Marsden is a cop and he's investigating the disappearance  of several young women. The last time they were seen was always at a club. He never thought that the attractive woman whom he just met was somehow connected, or that he will enter into a world where vampires  really exist. 

Alex is shocked to find out Cherry is actually a vampire but winds up helping her to hide when her maker comes threatening her.

This story was interesting. Ms. Sotia Lazu holds your attention during the story by slowly revealing details that stack up and finally fall like a line of dominos for the reveal at the end. The plot and the characters are well done, and her style is easy  to follow. The story connects two ideas: vampires and controling the  world. I won’t reveal too much, but I will say that the book will have a sequel, this isn't the end. I give it 4.5 stars

Publisher: Loose Id                                                       
Source:  Manic Readers

Midnight Beckoning by Robin Badillo

Summary:

Ford Lenox, a natural born damphyr, waited three hundred years for the phenomenon of his birth to be repeated. Many had been conceived. Many had even been born. But only a few made it to their twenty-first birthday. And none shared the same requirements as he, to assume their rightful place at his side and become his queen.

Until now.

Lauren Neil was born three hundred years to the day after Ford’s birth, and it was no coincidence that he found her only days before her twenty-first birthday. Little did she know that the damphyr lurking beneath her human surface was about to be unleashed, prominently placing her on the throne to rule over damphyr and vampire alike.

Lauren’s demonic sire slash father, Drago, an incubus, straight from the pits of hell, has other plans.

Can Ford fulfill the prophecy and save Lauren and their kind? Or will a new species be created to rule the world?
Even a match made in heaven, may have to go through hell to survive!

 Reviewer: Snapdragon

Ford Lenox and Lauren Neil are the main characters in this book, but they are not the only characters that will catch your imagination. They are certainly the ones that are most prevalent throughout the book.

The book starts out with action and just continues to enthrall from there. This is the first book that I have read by Robin Badillo and it certainly will not be the last. She draws you in right from the beginning and captures your imagination drawing vivid pictures with her words. She makes you feel as if you are right there and that those scenes in the book are actually happening. If someone had told me that I would read a new author and enjoy her just as much as I enjoy Laurel K. Hamilton or even Christine Feehan, I would have said that that would take a very powerful book.

In Midnight Beckoning, I have found an author who I think will be just as good as Laurel K. Hamilton or Christine Feehan. She seems to have the same ability at Laurel and Christine has of creating the picture in your mind using resonating words. Ford and Lauren have many difficulties that they go through in this book and make you feel that you are right there with them going through what they do. Once I started reading this book I could not put it down until I had finished it, and when I reached the end, I wanted more. I sincerely hope that she continues this book with many more just like it. She gives us a different view on Vampires and Damphyr that you would not think of initially.

She has good guys and bad guys, Good versus Evil that all smart books need. But she also makes them human in a way that makes you realize no matter what you are or who you are there will always be struggles and strife to get through. The love that Ford and Lauren share is a good goal to strive for us in our real life. The ups and downs, as well as the good and the bad are all presented here in her book just as they are in real life.

I would have to say that in spite of my initial doubts about how good this book would be my doubts were all blown away with how good it really was. This is an author who I predict has a good future ahead of her and I will certainly be purchasing more of her books so that I can continue to follow all of her new characters that she will create.

On a rating of 1 to 5, 1 of course, obviously being not that good of a book and five being the best I've read in a while I have to give this book a 5 stars for how good it was. She rates right up there with some of the great authors that I have read over my lifetime and I have only read one of her books. So I say this: go out, find her books, read them, see what I have seen, and felt when I devoured her books. I think that you will like them just as much as I have enjoyed this book. 

Publisher: Robin Badillo                        
Source:  Author provided for review

The Darkest Day(Immortal Heat #1) by Britt Bury

Summary:

ALL-CONSUMING DESIRE . . .
Izel Campbell was raised to believe she is an immortal Fionn with the magical skills of persuasion. But when she travels to Scotland to visit her ancestral home, Izel discovers that she is actually the world's last living human. Forced to run for her life, Izel crosses paths with Kelvin Kerr, the Campbells' greatest foe-and the most magnificent warrior she has ever seen.
BURNS BRIGHTEST . . .
A thousand-year-old battle chief of the Kerr clan, Kelvin lives only to avenge his father, who died at the hands of the bloody Campbells. Honor demands he kill the Campbell heir, but when he learns that the lovely Izel is both Campbell "and" human, Kelvin is torn between duty and desire . . .

 Reviewer: Dolce Amore

Kelvin saw his clan and father, chief of the Kerr clan, killed by the Campbell and swears revenge to their clan and to James Campbell, Battle Chief of the Campbell clan.

“James. You, your woman, and your heir will die by my hand,” Kelvin vowed. “Mark my words, I will rip everything sacred from your grasp.” His skin heated, his inner beast rising. “The Campbell McCall is as good as dead.”

A hundred of years later, Izel Campbell thinks she is an immortal. Humans died twenty years ago and the Earth is now an open habitat for all kinds of species. Most of them retain a human appearance. When she meets Kelvin, she is attracted to him.

Why now, after twenty-five years of emotional indifference, in the middle of nowhere, staring up at a man that looked like he wanted to slit her from jeans to neckline and eat her for dinner, did her libido finally decide to kick in? 

The Campbell bloodline has always produced a male offspring. Until Izel. She thought she had no real power but when Kelvin is about to kill her, the spell that hid her humanity breaks and she starts to transform. The spell that kept hidden her mortality also made her feel no emotion and no feeling. Till now.

Long, thick hair so dark red it looked like scorched chocolate laced with raspberries. Her normally bland skin was now a lovely olive color, and her eyes were the brightest green she’d ever seen. Her whole life she had wished to be beautiful, and now she was beyond.

 He wanted to help her—No! He wanted to kill her. No, he wanted to taste her.

Kelvin realizes she is a human, mystically disguised as an immortal. Izel is the last full-blooded human in the world. Still, that part, of her being human, along with the possibility of her being his mate, makes him change his mind about kill her. His brother orders him to take Izel to Kerr’s clan while digging for information. There is a prophecy and a curse linked to her and Kelvin had to discover what Izel knew about all that.

Kelvin is a Razorback Pookah, the strongest of immortals in the realm, and his type find their mates on Solstice; they will be sure of that only when they sleep with their possible mate on that fated night. Every moment with Izel makes deeper his belief that she is his mate … but she is human. And humans are fragile. Although he discovers that she possesses all the traits of the Campbell clan, like persuasion, magic, and strength, and strong magical ancestors from her mother, the last Aztec queen, her powers are dormant and she is still a human.

As if that is not enough, Kelvin discovers that by meeting her, he changed her path. When the curse Izel’s grandfather set upon him kills her, he tries to resurrect her with the help of Ryo, a powerful witch who can see the future.

Incredible!!!! I can’t believe this is the first book of Ms. Britt Bury, yes, I checked it. It has a unique storyline with the death of humans and the emergence of immortals. I still don’t know what the blood and flesh eaters eat if not humans —maybe weaker immortals? — but this is the first book of the Immortal Heat so maybe I will discover this in a subsequent book. I discovered that I might find out pretty soon, as the second book of the series is done and in the capable hands of Ms. Britt Bury’s editor. Alleluia!!!

Back to the book, it is deep, full of feelings, wonderful characters and full of imagination. One of the best books I’ve ever read. Another author added to my list of Favorite Authors!

I love all the characters, especially the main ones. Here are some of Izel’s quotes:

  

His voice was laced with such potent seduction it made her knees weak.

Stupid knees.

She closed her eyes, reveling in the warmth of his large body against hers. She loved it! Wait … hated. She hated it. Ugh!

What was it about Kelvin Kerr that had her acting like a tween with a bad crush? She hated and wanted him all at the same time. He’d tried to kill her only hours ago, and here she was pining after him.

I will rate the book with 5 stars, because is impossible to rate it more — although I’d love to.

Publisher: Grand Central                          
Source:  Net Galley