Review: Welcome to the Neighborhood by Mary Abshire

Title: Welcome to the Neighborhood (Midnight Gardens, #1)
Author: Mary Abshire
Source: Author via BookMonster Promotions
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novel (272pgs)
Reviewer: CaroleDee

Sparks fly under the full moon in paranormal suburbia.

Vampire Alexandria Cartwright believes she’s found the perfect home in paranormal suburbia. An independent young woman and professional financial adviser, Alexi needs help from no man, human or paranormal. Until burglars break into her house and steal her most valuable possession–one which could lead to her demise.

Werewolf Gregory Holmes is instantly attracted to his new neighbor and wants nothing more than to protect her from any who would seek to harm her. Helping Alexi recover her stolen safe seems to be the perfect opportunity to show her how he feels.

Centuries of experience have shown Alexi all men are greedy pigs who only think with the brain below their belt. But as Greg comes to her aid repeatedly, she wonders if he’s the real deal. Can she overcome her loathing for men? Can Greg break through the wall she’s built to show her the meaning of love?

***WARNING: Kinds/Sorta/Possibly spoilers in this review. Nothing major, but there wasn't a way for me to get around some stuff to write this review.***

I wanted to love this book. I wanted it to be 'the one' that pulled me out of, yet another, book slump. The synopsis sounded great, it has a beautiful cover, and the author seems like a real nice chic. Unfortunately, there were a few things that let me down.

I really liked Greg. The lawyer/werewolf/overall hero was awesome as a love interest. He's almost the cookie cutter nice guy (with a little edge when it comes to sexin) that every girl dreams of.
Alas, I was not feeling the love for the heroine, Alexi. Talk about trust issues. Sheesh! I got so tired of reading about her mistrust of men and how they were all users and abusers.  Apparently her maker was a real mean guy. Killed her family, and made her do bad things. Then there's talk of a more recent relationship that ended up in the dumps. I get it, she's got bad taste in men. I can't tell you how many times she rambles on about how much men suck.
Repetition does not make for good reading.

Then there were just weird things that didn't seem like they were necessary. For the first 30% of the book Alexi is constantly texting/talking to her BFF, Cass. I guess they've known each other for a long time, but no real back story is given. Then at about the 35% mark, POOF, Cass disappears never to be heard from again. Maybe she'll get her own story in the future? I'm not sure.

The book has a slew of other characters that show up for brief periods, get you interested and then, they too, do a magic act and are never heard from again. I've read enough series starters to understand the concept of pulling a reader in so that they want to continue the series, but the dangling threads of the other residents' stories just aggravated me in this one.

It wasn't just residents that disappear either. A whole plot about Alexi being investigated by the police over some drained bodies is quickly, and oddly dismissed.
*chapters of thinking she's sucking humans dry, and then the police go, "Oh, it couldn't have been you. Have a nice after-life"
WHAT? After it was so easily dismissed I felt pages and pages of the book were wasted by it even being in there :/

So let me just say, it's a good book from the ROMANCE stand-point. If the story had stuck to the building of Alexi and Greg's relationship I would have been happy. All of the extra stuff bogged down the story, and left me frustrated.

Spotlight/Giveaway: Welcome to the Neighborhood by Mary Abshire

I've got a spotlight/giveaway today for a new paranormal romance series! 
*I'm really excited to read this one. Sounds super cute and super sexy!*

Title: Welcome to the Neighborhood
 

Series: Midnight Gardens, #1
 

Author: Mary Abshire
 

Genre: Paranormal Romance
 

Length: 267 pgs 

ISBN: 9781616504779

Sparks fly under the full moon in paranormal suburbia.
Vampire Alexandria Cartwright believes she’s found the perfect home in paranormal suburbia. An independent young woman and professional financial adviser, Alexi needs help from no man, human or paranormal. Until burglars break into her house and steal her most valuable possession–one which could lead to her demise.

Werewolf Gregory Holmes is instantly attracted to his new neighbor and wants nothing more than to protect her from any who would seek to harm her. Helping Alexi recover her stolen safe seems to be the perfect opportunity to show her how he feels.

Centuries of experience have shown Alexi all men are greedy pigs who only think with the brain below their belt. But as Greg comes to her aid repeatedly, she wonders if he’s the real deal. Can she overcome her loathing for men? Can Greg break through the wall she’s built to show her the meaning of love?

Available at:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo| iTunes

About Mary

Outside of Mary's government job, she writes Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. Dark and dangerous creatures are her friends. She creates worlds with vampires, demons, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. She even create new ones.
How does she do this?

She has a twisted mind and it gets better with wine.

Join her in her fantastical worlds. She'll introduce you to her friends, and if they bite or corrupt your mind... it's not her fault.

For more information about Mary or her books, please visit her: 

Website | Facebook | Amazon Author Page| Twitter | Goodreads 

Other Series by Mary Abshire

The Soul Catcher (Paranormal Romance)

Claiming the Evil Dead

Catching an Evil Tail

Fighting Evil

Love Conquers All Evil

 The Project Eve Series (Urban Fantasy)

The Awakening

The Quest

Tour Giveaway Details:

Mary is giving away a $35 Amazon gift card at the end of the tour

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mary Abshire’s Welcome to the Neighborhood 
Blog Tour Schedule

8/05 - Shayna Renee's Spicy Reads 

http://shaynareneesspicyreads.blogspot.com/

8/06 - Bitten by Paranormal Romance 

http://www.bittenbyparanormalromance.com/

8/07 - Coffee and Characters 

http://daniellecromero.blogspot.com/

8/08 - Penny For Them 

http://pennyforthem1.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Tour

8/09 - Fundinmental 

http://www.fundinmental.com/

8/10 - Book Pages & Dripping Ink 

http://bookpagesanddrippingink.blogspot.com/

8/11 Night Owl Reviews 

http://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Blog/Articles/Welcome-To-The-Neighborhood-by-Mary-Abshire

 8/11 - Book Nerd 

http://booknerdash.blogspot.com/

8/12 - KT Book Reviews 

http://ktbookreviews.blogspot.com/

8/13 - Literal Hotties Naughty Book Reviews 

http://literalhottiesnaughtybookreviews.blogspot.com/

8/14 - Book Monster Reviews 

http://www.bookmonsterreviews.com/

8/15 - Riverina Romantics 

http://riverinaromantics.blogspot.com/

8/15 - Offbeat Vagabond 

http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/

8/16 - Mad Hatter Reads

http://madhatterreads.blogspot.com/

8/17 - Literal Addiction

http://www.literaladdiction.com/

8/18 - Reading Between the Wines 

http://www.readingbetweenthewinesbookclub.com/

8/19 - United by Books

http://unitedbybooks.blogspot.com/

8/20 - Just Paranormal Romance 

http://www.justparanormalromance.com/

8/21 - Intoxicated by Books 

http://intoxicatedbybooks.blogspot.com/

8/21 - Cocktails and Books 

http://www.cocktailsandbooks.com/

8/21 - Crazy 4 Books 

http://crazyfourbooks.blogspot.com/

8/21 - Books, Books & More Books 

http://booksbooksmorebooks.blogspot.com/

8/22 - My Reading Obsession 

http://4myreadingobsession.blogspot.com/

8/23 - Babbling About Books 

http://kbgbabbles.blogspot.com/

8/23 - Victoria's Gossip

http://victoriasgossip.com/blog/

8/24 - Miscellaneous Thoughts of A Bookaholic

http://miscellaneousthoughtsofabookaholic.blogspot.com/

Author guest post and giveaway with Mary Abshire

Love Conquers All Evil

Does love really conquer Evil? It was the question my protagonist, Jessie, had to answer in the 4th book of the Soul Catcher series.

The third book in the series, Fighting Evil, ends with the question "What happens next?" I jumped right into writing book 4. Drake and Jessie are on the run from the VETOV (Vampires for the Ethical Treatment of Other Vampires). In writing the book, I had to think of a place they could hide. Vampires are cold-blooded creatures. The logical place they'd want to go is somewhere warm. They hate the cold whereas demons, being hot-blooded creatures, love the cold. So, what place did I come up with for Drake and Jessie to hide? Alaska. Yes, it's not a good place for Drake, but he knows they are safer there.

Upon their arrival, they stumble across a murder. The dynamic duo asks questions and soon discovers there is a serial killer on the loose, and it's a demon stealing good souls. Jessie wants to stop the evil murderer, so she mingles with the local demon community. Well, a werewolf from the past appears and more trouble arises. She doesn't want to tell Drake just yet because she doesn't want to alarm him. Needless-to-say, things spin out of control fast. She has several "evils" that she faces while her heart yearns for one man who wants to spend eternity with her. Can she conquer the evil? Should she give up life for eternity with her vampire lover? It's not so simple since she's half-demon, but Drake works hard to persuade her, real hard. To find out the answers, I encourage you to read the book.

Excerpt:
"You still have not told me what is on your mind," Drake said.
I stopped pacing, and stood near the door. "I'm thinking about the kind of demons who steal souls."
"You know what I am talking about," he said, smiling. "Our agreement from earlier. You owe me an answer, and I intend to get it."
Get it? Oh, I could give it to him, but why not make him work for it? Grinning, I uncrossed my arms. "And I seem to recall telling you to give me what I want, and then I would tell you. Well, Mr. Dark Eyes, you still owe me."
"Mr. Dark Eyes?" Drake slowly rose from the chair. "I owe you?"
I took a step back, placing myself in the doorway. Any closer and I'd run. Let him catch me, and work for the answer.
"I fulfilled my obligation," he said, his head slightly tilted to the side. His pupils enlarged.
I licked my lips. "Only to an extent. We were interrupted."
"You are teasing me," he said, as he took a step toward me.
Giggling, I darted down the hall, and raced down the stairs. Footsteps came fast behind me. I had no hope of escaping him, but that was all part of the fun. And he knew it.
Drake caught me two steps past the stairs. He picked me up, and my legs flew up in front of me. He carried me into the bedroom, all while I laughed, screamed a little, and wriggled in his arms. Reaching the bed, he let go, and I fell onto the soft mattress.
I quickly twisted around to face him. He gazed into my eyes, and below his curled upper lip, two sharp teeth said hello. Amusement played on his face. He grabbed my legs, and yanked me toward him.
"Do you refuse to tell me after we agreed—?"
"Refuse is such a strong word. I don't refuse. I simply want something in return." I grinned.
He lowered his body over mine, and rubbed his solid cock against me. Oh God, I loved the feel of him.
"I intend to get my answer," he said before he pressed his lips to mine, kissing me gently, tenderly.
I raked my fingers through his soft hair, brushing it away from his face. "Show me how badly you want it."
After a quick tug, he had my shorts off, and then he showed me how much he wanted my answer, repeatedly, until my body was sore, throbbing with ecstasy, and totally exhausted.

Buy Links:

Noble Romance Publishing Website http://www.nobleromance.com


Amazon Kindle ASIN# B005HZKEK4

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Conquers-Evil-Catchers-
ebook/dp/B005HZKEK4/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1
All Romance Ebooks
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-loveconquersallevil-594251-
139.html


Bio:

By day, Mary is a government employee. At night, she’s a Paranormal
Romance and Urban Fantasy Author.
Her interest in dark, mysterious, and dangerous creatures started in her
youth. Sci-fi and horror shows were her favorite. During her teenage years,
she read every Anne Rice book available, had a plethora of pen-pals she
wrote to, and enjoyed 80’s new wave music. In her early twenties, she
dabbled with writing, but never pursued it as a career. Fifteen years later,
she decided to write again. After writing a few full-length novels, she came
to the realization that she couldn’t stop. What started as an interest grew
into love, and is now an addiction.

Love Conquers All Evil is the fourth novel in the Soul Catcher series.
Mary’s urban fantasy novel, The Awakening, is scheduled for release
January 2012 from Lyrical Press.
Where to find Mary Abshire:
http://www.maryabshire.com
http://www.facebook.com/mary.abshire
http://www.goodreads.com/maryabshire
http://twitter.com/maryabshire
http://www.linkedin.com/in/maryabshire http://groups.yahoo.com/group/maryabshire/ http://www.maryabshire.wordpress.com

Giveaway will be for one book in this series at winners choice. This is for an ebook so international is welcome.
Fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter under please hit "Read More" to do that.

Guest paranormal romance author Mary Abshire

Please welcome Mary Abshire!


Hello Everyone! Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog post.

To bite or not to bite?

I love vampires. Always have. They are sexy most of the time, strong, mysterious, powerful, and . . . I'm sure you have your own version. And what about those fangs? Yes, those are appealing to. The fangs make the vampire dangerous. I like dangerous. Then I'm thinking, do I want to be bitten with those fangs? It has to hurt—two sharp razors piercing the skin. Why would anyone want a vampire to bite them?

Because it's a turn on, right? Gets the carnal juices flowing. The big, bad vamp holds you in his strong arms, gently bites into your neck, and tenderly sucks on your blood. Bite me vamp man!

Ok, so when writing a romance book with a vampire, the vamp has to bite. It's a given. The question changes to how much biting and where? Do I have your attention? (smile)

In my first Soul Catcher novel, Claiming the Evil Dead, I kept it somewhat clean with not too much biting. When I started writing the next novel, Catching an Evil Tail, I knew I had to add more. Biting on the neck was no longer enough. I'm not going to tell you how much or where he bites. I wouldn't want to spoil any of the book. (smile) As I keep writing in the series, I wonder if biting gets old. I want the emotion and relationship between the characters to remain strong and fresh. I hope I am meeting that goal.

As a reader, do you get tired of reading about the bites or does it completely not matter because you get involved with the characters and what's going on between them? And for fun, would you want a vamp to bite you if you met one?

My Bio:

I am a Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Author. The paranormal has always been an interest of mine. In my youth, I grew up watching sci-fi and horror shows. I started writing for fun in my twenties, but never pursued a writing career. Now that I am much older, I can. Love for the dark, mysterious, dangerous, and out of the ordinary is part of my soul. Besides reading and writing during my spare time, I enjoy chatting with others with similar passions. If you want drop me a line, I can be found at www.maryabshire.com, www.facebook.com/mary.abshire, www.goodreads.com/maryabshire, www.shelfari.com/maryabshire

In the Soul Catcher series: Claiming the Evil Dead is available now. Catching an Evil Tail is due out 2/21/2011 and the Fighting Evil is due out 3/21/2011.


My review of Calming the Evil Dead

Review Claiming the Evil Dead by Mary Abshire

Title: Claiming the Evil Dead (The Soul Catcher Series)
Author: Mary Abshire
Genre: Paranormal romance/ Urban Fantasy - Ghost hunter
Source: Requested review
Publisher: Noble romance publisher
Format: eBook, Novel
Authors website

Half-demon Jessie Garrett is searching for an evil vampire that's been preying upon children. She wants to claim the rogue vamp's soul and send it to hell. To find the dead man walking she must partner with another bloodsucker, Drake, even though she doesn't trust him. While Jessie works with Drake, she learns not all vampires are killers and discovers the cold-blooded vamp is a temptation too difficult to resist.


After the fiend abducts another child and Jessie has a near fatal experience with vampires, she turns to Jeremy, a demon she bumped into at a club, and makes a deal with him for his help. Drake disapproves, and Jessie soon finds herself wedged between two volatile creatures. When the chance comes to save the child's life and claim the evil vamp's soul, she must decide whom she can trust—a vampire who cools her feverish desires, or a demon hell-bent on seducing her.

My Review
Rating-

Sexual-

As a romance reader, I was very impressed with Claiming the Evil Dead. This book holds both Urban Fantasy and Paranormal romance elements, so you get to be able to enjoy both genres together. I loved the characters and the idea of a heroine holding the power to take out evil in a way that is very impressive. This story has danger, adventure, and some extra tension by a hot demon. 

Jessie is a paranormal investigator; she has ability from her demon half side that takes care of evil ghost. Drake needs help to take a very evil vampire, so he hires Jessie to help him do this. While these two start their adventure in hunting down the vampire things heats up between Drake and Jessie. As things heat up between these two there is an added demon named Jeremy and he will do anything to take Jessie away from Drake.
The plot is very interesting on how Jessie takes out the evil, it held my attention.

For paranormal romance lovers, you’ll find a romance between Drake and Jessie and some hot sex scenes. And you’ll find a good happy ending.This is a start of a great new series and one I highly recommend. I can’t wait for the next book......