Favorites Reads of 2013 Mistress of the Stone by Maria Zannini

Title: Mistress of the Stone
 Author: Maria Zannini
Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
 Length: Novel
Reviewed by: Laurie
 Rating- 5 Sexual- 4

She was ready for his steel, but not for his flesh..

Luísa Tavares has a list of sins the length of the Antilles, but there’s no time to repent for them now. When a pockmarked Frenchman hands her Papa’s ring—still attached to his severed finger—she orders the Coral back to the Caribbean, despite her father’s earlier warning never to return.

It’s Luísa’s luckless fate that the only man who can help her is a blasted Inglés pirate hunter who’s more dead than alive and locked in a curse he doesn’t want lifted. Worse, his feral sensuality sparks a hunger she can’t ignore.

Xander Daltry hadn’t planned on kidnapping this wild woman—or succumbing to his uncontrollable desire for her. But he needs Luísa and the moonstone she wears around her neck to rescind a witch’s spell. His sister, long dead, and others like her have been cursed to remain in the mortal plane for eternity. Only the stone can set them free.

The only way to convince the reluctant pirate queen to help him is to withhold one small bit of the truth. For if she learns who really betrayed her father, the longing in her fiery eyes could easily turn to murderous wrath…

Mistress of the Stone is a paranormal romance reader’s haven. The author delivers the right about of romance and world building, and the way she describes the story you’ll feel like you're right there. You get not only a love story, but you also get a curse, shifters, ghost, gargoyles, witch and to top it all off, one sexy pirate and one hot pirate hunter.

This book had me hooked from start to finish. I don’t want to give out too much detail because this book is too good to spoil. I loved all the characters even the villain. I even felt sorry for him at times, but then at other times I really disliked him for what he was doing. I really enjoyed both Luisa and Xander, but there were times that I really wished Xander would have stepped up to the plate more and showed how much he really cared about Luisa, but do you ever get everything you want in a story. You can tell Luisa and Xander were destined to be together right from the start and that makes you really see the sparks fly each time they are together.

 I recommend this to any paranormal romance reader that loves a good, hot romance and lots of action.

Mistress Of The Stone by Maria Zannini

Title: Mistress Of The Stone 

Author: Maria Zannini 

Source: Author request 

Genre: Historical PNR

Length: Novel
Reviewed by Laurie
Print release date is July 2, 2013.

She was ready for his steel, but not for his flesh.

Luísa Tavares has a list of sins the length of the Antilles, but there’s no time to repent for them now. When a pockmarked Frenchman hands her Papa’s ring—still attached to his severed finger—she orders the Coral back to the Caribbean, despite her father’s earlier warning never to return.

It’s Luísa’s luckless fate that the only man who can help her is a blasted Inglés pirate hunter who’s more dead than alive and locked in a curse he doesn’t want lifted. Worse, his feral sensuality sparks a hunger she can’t ignore.

Xander Daltry hadn’t planned on kidnapping this wild woman—or succumbing to his uncontrollable desire for her. But he needs Luísa and the moonstone she wears around her neck to rescind a witch’s spell. His sister, long dead, and others like her have been cursed to remain in the mortal plane for eternity. Only the stone can set them free.

The only way to convince the reluctant pirate queen to help him is to withhold one small bit of the truth. For if she learns who really betrayed her father, the longing in her fiery eyes could easily turn to murderous wrath…

Product Warnings

Contains a pirate queen with a sacred gem, a werewolf with an agenda, an island where nothing is as it seems, and a hero with a Jolly Roger that’ll make you purr like a kitten.

Review Chain of Souls by Maria Zannini

Title: Chain of Souls (Second Chances #2)
Author: Maria Zannini
Source: Requested Review
Genre: (Erotic) Paranormal Romance
Format: eBook, 101 pgs
Release Date: October 18, 2011

Banished from Heaven for refusing to harvest an unwilling soul, Liam Chase drinks to forget night after night until the Angel of Death pays him a visit.

For the price of a few humans souls, Ziva promises to get him reinstated into Heaven. Liam doesn’t doubt her influence, but milking humans of their light is an unspeakable crime, punishable by eternal oblivion.

He’d rather rot on Earth than commit such a heinous sin. But the Angel of Death didn’t get where she was by taking no for an answer. Ziva is a huntress of extraordinary skill and cruelty. If he refuses, his loved ones will be her next targets. And Ziva never misses

Ziva has already set her sights on Shannon, the soul he once refused to harvest, and his beloved servant, Evie. He’ll do anything to keep them safe, even if it means his death.

But something goes wrong just as he concedes, and the chain of souls picks a new mistress before he has a chance to deliver.

Brought before the most feared angel of Heaven and Hell, Liam discovers he has failed to protect those he loves, and now they too could share his fate.


Rating -

Sexual -

My Review:

This is the second in the Second Chances series featuring an angel cast out of heaven, one of Hell's angels, an imp, a shade and an interesting take on Heaven and Hell. All is not all good nor evil in Zannini's Heaven and Hell.

This is a quick read and I have to give it a compliment, which for me is one of the highest I can give -- I didn't want it to end.

Most of the characters from the first book return here in the second:
- Liam, ousted angel and former soul harvester
- Michael, Liam's brother, one of Hell's angels
- Evie, an imp and sprite, Liam's nether
- Wilson, Liam's manservant
- Shannon, still a shade, still belongs to Michael and still loves Liam while caring for Michael as well

Along with a few new characters:
- Ziva, Archangel Gabriel's mistress, "as close to royalty as they had in the first plane of Heaven ... an Ascendant known for centuries as the 'Angel of Death'."
- Aiden, a detective, is investigating a demon's body found in alley beside Shannon's shop. Can see and talk to ghosts. Evie recognizes him as "the reincarnated spirit of a long-ago lover" from when she was a succubus; she'd never gotten over him.
- Cerberus, of three-headed demon dog fame, has a little secondary roll in this story.

The story begins with Liam getting drunk and lamenting the fact that not only did he get thrown out of heaven for not harvesting Shannon's soul, he lost her to his brother Michael as his shade.

Ziva comes to Liam with a deal he doesn't want to accept. Tells him, "But an ousted angel is a vulnerable angel. Heaven doesn’t want you and Hell just wants to fuck with you." She threatens the lives of both Shannon and Evie. Shannon unintentionally gets in the middle of things and in the end she is changed forever along with some others.

This is not strictly a paranormal romance, nor is it what I normally think of as an urban fantasy. There is still the romance going on between Shannon and Michael, Shannon and Liam and a rekindled romance between Evie and Aiden. And while it is a true paranormal romance between the secondary characters of Evie and Aiden, it is still a continuing story for Shannon and the brothers so theirs is more along the lines of an urban fantasy.

While this is a stand alone novella, I highly recommend reading The Devil To Pay, the first novella in the series first so you will know all the background to understand the relationships better.

This novella is twice as long as the first in the series; let's hope the trend continues and the third will be twice as long as this one. I eagerly await the next in the series.

Review The Devil To Pay by Maria Zannini

Title: The Devil To Pay (Second Chances #1)
Author: Maria Zannini
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: eBook, 57 pgs
Release Date: June 11, 2011
Author Website

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions and bad tequila. Shannon McKee finds herself at the end of her rope, and she offers her soul to whoever can save her first.

Unfortunately, she sends that request to both agencies. Shannon's plea is answered immediately by two men who couldn't be more different from one another. Yet they share a bond and an affection for the stubborn Miss McKee that even they don't understand.

When Heaven and Hell demand their payment, Shannon has no choice but to submit. No matter who gets her soul, she's not getting out of this alive.

This is the first book of the Second Chances series. Forget everything you thought you knew about Heaven and Hell. You ain't seen nothin' yet.


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Sexual -

My Review:

This cute little paranormal romance novella is the first in Zannini's new Second Chances series. An oath made in desperation to whomever would listen, soul harvesters, an imp, a shade, a Tribunal and interesting twist to Heaven and Hell make this a delightful prequel to what could be a great series.

Shannon, former archeology professor and current owner of a failing antique store, is up to her eyeballs in debt. She is desperate, depressed and drinking, never a good combination, when she blurts out the words that change her life.

The next morning, Liam, a nice bit of eye candy in 19th century garb, strolls into her store just as she is about to commit arson and insurance fraud. He is a soul harvester and he hates his job. That night he steals into her bedroom while she is sleeping, climbs into bed with her and holds her while she sleeps. He's sad, thinking she really is a good girl, to have to take her soul. He finds an excuse to wait to take it. He asks her out for dinner the next night.

Michael, Liam's brother and yummy looking himself, plays for the other team. He tells Shannon he rescues lost souls when he takes her out to lunch the day after she meets Liam. He does it by being a soul harvester. He takes Shannon to lunch and then to meet a friend of his. He finds he is extremely attracted to who Shannon is and is having a hard time making himself take her soul.

Both men try to protect her from the Tribunal enforcers who come to do the job neither brother could bring himself to do. Liam is apprehended. When Shannon learns that both men care too much for her to take her soul and Liam is hauled before the council to be punished for it, she turns to Michael for seemingly the only solution in an attempt to save Liam.

The chemistry between the characters is very hot. Although I rate this a Steamy story (2.5 of 4 on the sensual scale), there is a short, very sexy massage (F/F) scene that quickly morphs into a M/F scene.

I look forward to seeing where Zannini takes this series. I think paranormal romance and urban fantasy fans will enjoy this quick read.

Guest Author Maria Zannini

Please welcome author Maria Zannini

My Husband, the Zombie

Everybody has secrets. In my latest novel, True Believers, the hero, Taelen Jessit is keeping a dangerous one. He can see his 'gods' in their ethereal state. Ordinarily that would be a pretty sweet deal, except for the fact that men with such a gift are summarily castrated. (Talk about a rough health care system.)

My heroine has a secret too. She's a near-immortal, a Nephilim who would be exterminated on sight if anyone knew of her existence.

Even Bubba, the Artificial Intelligence (which Ronda seemed to love) is keeping a secret. He's not just a super smart computer. Bubba has become sentient, and is beginning to understand the concept of free will. Can you imagine a computer with free will running our defense systems?

True Believers is a story full of secrets. I've discovered to my horror that life indeed imitates fiction. My very own husband had been holding out on me. I was stunned and a little nervous when Greg made his wicked confession.

Was it another woman? A secret bank account? A criminal record?

Ha! Nothing so mundane.

He wants to be a Zombie.

I thought he was kidding at first. But the clues were in front of me the whole time.

• His routine is mind-numbingly dull. Get up. Shower. Go to work. Eat. Sleep. (Sound familiar?) If that's not Zombie behavior, I don't know what is.

• He craves meat. Okay, so it's not human flesh. But I got a little worried once while he watched me get undressed. I swear that was the same look he wore when he eyed the pot roast I pulled out of the oven. Coincidence? I don't know.

• Lack of communication skills. He grunts a lot. What's worse is that I am beginning to understand his vocabulary of grunts.

• The Zombie Shuffle. Well, he limps. Does that count?

Being a good wife, I listened patiently (while I polished the shotgun) as he explained why he wanted to be a Zombie.

"For the TV show", he says. "The Walking Dead. There's a contest where you can win a walk-on role in The Walking Dead."

"You want to be on TV?"

"Sure! That would be so cool."

I breathed a sigh of relief knowing I wasn't going to find my brain half eaten on any given morning. But it was far worse than I thought. Greg didn't want to be a real Zombie. He wants to be an actor.

Hmm…now where the heck did I put that shotgun?

Your turn: Have you ever had a super secret desire to do something crazy? Should I be worried about Greg? I'll admit, I think he has the chops to be a great Zombie. He even comes with his very own Zombie Dog.

***

How could I not hold a mini-giveaway after a revelation like that? Leave me a comment, and if you'd like to win a copy of True Believers, add your email address. I will choose one winner from the comments on November 22nd.

Maria Zannini's latest release is a science fiction romance called TRUE BELIEVERS.

Mix one cynical immortal and one true believer and throw them into the biggest alien-hunt the world has never known. Rachel Cruz is a Nephilim masquerading as an archeologist and she's stuck with an alien who believes she can lead him to his ancestral gods. Black Ops wants to find these gods too. They want them dead.

Follow Maria here:

Blog - http://mariazannini.blogspot.com/
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/mariazannini?v=info
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1572542.Maria_Zannini
Twitter - http://twitter.com/MariaZannini

Blog Tour Contest! Every time you leave a comment, tweet or mention "Maria Zannini" anywhere with a link to my blog, your name goes in the hat for a chance to win a Texas sized prize. Go here for more information.

STOP THE PRESSES! Round Two in Writing With The Stars has begun! Maria has made it to the second round of the Kensington Contest. She would be oh so grateful if you could vote for her novel, Mistress Of The Stone. (Maria is the one with the very cute puppy.) Every vote, tweet and nudge is hugely appreciated. Thanks, everyone!

Review: True Believers by Maria Zannini

True Believers
Maria Zannini
Requested review
Paranormal Romance / Science Fiction / Fantasy
Authors website

Something is killing off immortals, one by one.
Taelen Jessit is an alien emissary on a mission sanctioned by the U.S. government to search for ancient gods. His hunt leads him to a dig headed by archaeologist Rachel Cruz. When his military entourage forces Rachel's team out of the cave they were exploring, a flash flood hits the riverbed and threatens to tear them through the ravine.

In the aftermath of the flood, Taelen witnesses the incredible healing of Rachel's broken ankle and believes his gods have blessed her. He is inexplicably drawn to her, and she to him.

What Taelen doesn't know is that Rachel is Nephilim—a descendant of the gods his people worship—masquerading as a human to find the god-killer and destroy it. Rachel needs help to bring down the tech that is manipulating the Earth's magnetosphere and frying her people alive. She's given Taelen her heart, but can she trust him with her secret?




REVIEW:



SEXUAL:



Phenomenal Writing! Excellent Read!

On the edge of your seat action packed story with a sweep you off your feet sweet sexy Alien “Alturian” and Nephilim romance.

I applaud Maria Zannini, she has captured a world where not only humans but extraterrestrial creatures such as the aliens called Alturian’s co-exist.

The Alturian’s come to earth to search for their gods Anu (Nephilim) or any of their children. The humans seem to be searching for the same extraterrestrial creatures but for different reasons than their peace making friends the Alturian’s. The Alturian’s want to find the gods to worship them and honor them but the humans want to destroy them or any other extraterrestrial that may be a threat to their planet.

The Nephilim’s have existed upon earth without the humans knowing and have kept it a secret for many a decade.

For those of you who don’t know what Nephilim’s are, they are a race of extraterrestrials who came to be worshipped by men as gods due to their immortality and extraordinary powers and they are also known as the sons of god whom we call Fallen Angels who slept with the daughters of men that are known in the Christian bible as Giants.

Rachel (Archeologist/Nephilim) and her father Gilgamesh strive to keep their secret from being exposed and find out why many of their kind are falling ill from the Earth's magnetosphere. However Gilgamesh enjoys the fact that the Alturians are still true believers and enjoys the fact that they think his kind are gods and with this thinking, Gilgamesh recognizes that the only way to accomplish his goal is by joining forces with Taelen Jessit (Alien Alturian).

Rachel and Taelen’s romance is so sweet and sexy. The sex scenes are very tasteful, not your hard core erotica but leaves you with one hell of an image to think about especially with Taelen’s extra tentacles he has around his large staff. The one scene in the bath pool about drove me crazy. Absolutely loved it!

I loved the action between the new Artificial Intelligence Bubba (computer program technology come to life) and his sister FAIA (newer model computer technology with updated programs). To weave the web based world and its advanced military programming within this story was pure brilliance.

All the characters were wonderfully developed and the book flowed beautifully. I was so entranced and felt like I was there living it all in color.