ARC Review White Dusk by Susan Edwards

Title: White Dusk
Author: Susan Edwards
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Historical Romance
Format: e-book; 70,000 words
Release date: Mass Market original release- November 2002; e-book re-release- November 21, 2011



A dark night was coming, but Swift Foot was prepared. A winter of discontent had sent him on a vision quest, and he’d returned ready to be chief. Where his father had brought shame upon their family by choosing love over duty, Swift Foot would act more wisely. He would lead his people through the troubles ahead—and, to do so, he would marry for all the right reasons.

Small Bird was the perfect choice, especially as Swift Foot had saved her life years before. Their future had been decided by their past. But for their people to survive the coming darkness, the two would have to win each others hearts. On the sleeping mat or wrapped in furs, on riverbank or dusty plain, passion must somehow blaze to life between the half-breed chieftain and his new wife...and they had to start the fire soon, for dusk had already fallen.

ARC Review White Dawn by Susan Edwards

Title: White Dawn
Author: Susan Edwards
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Historical Romance
Format: e-book; 90,000 words
Release date: Mass Market original release- May 2002; e-book re-release- November 21, 2011

Broken-hearted and abandoned in the wilds of America's untamed West, sixteen-year-old Emily Ambrose is rescued from certain death by solitary trapper John Cartier. Though she's learned the hard way not to trust any man, she can't help but feel safe with the kind stranger.

John can't imagine anyone willingly letting Emily go. Her strength and beauty call to him, but it is clear her wounded heart needs time to heal, and he won't settle for just her body. He vows to return Emily to civilization—and to resist the desire growing between them, unless she turns to him out of love.

Emily is drawn to her rugged but gentle rescuer, and begins to feel the passion that a woman can feel for a man. But she can't embrace a future with John as long as she's haunted by secrets of the past...





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My review-

I admit that I have a soft spot for historical romances, particularly those set during the more “Wild West” times of American history. This is book one of a series of twelve all together, but this book stands well on its own.

You are immediately drawn into the struggle of Emily facing a missionary father who seems to have a grudge against women. Your heart aches for the things he says to her and you feel as if you are there with her as her journey begins, bringing her into John’s life. From there, you are entranced as a friendship grows between them and soon blossoms into love. One particular plot point was easily predictable from the get go, but it didn’t detract from the overall story. The love scenes in the book are very well written and give you just enough of a visual to feel the characters’ emotions without being too much at the same time.

If you are interested in a nice, leisurely read, I highly recommend “White Dawn”. I’m looking forward to reading the next three in the first set of four books in the series.

Review A Wolf's Duty by Jennifer T. Alli

Title: A Wolf's Duty
Author: Jennifer T. Alli
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: Ebook; 300 pages
Release date: December 13, 2010



As the last werewolf prince, it is Tobias' birthright to be King and lead his people, keeping their existence hidden from the humans they have lived beside for centuries and those that have hunted them, dedicated to their extinction. But Tobias has no mate and without one he can never be King. His two hundred year search is only brought to an end after a mysterious call for help. Alex has not had an easy life and despite the happiness that Tobias brings, his arrival makes her life no less complicated. Her connection to Tobias is strong and almost instantaneous, overcoming the years of caution and mistrust that living with her abusive, father has caused. As hidden secrets from Alex's past are unearthed, revealing how extraordinarily different she truly is, Alex is pulled irrevocably into Tobias' world, but as they soon discover his world is no less dangerous than the one she left behind. When their two worlds collide will their love survive or will his duty and her differences keep them apart?



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My review-

Generally, I am not a fan of werewolf novels. Most of the time, werewolves have been villains in other stories. It seems that they started gaining some popularity as romantic lead-ins after the "Twilight" series came out. As I am not a fan, my view point never really changed and I admit that I tended to avoid many werewolf stories. Those I did read (or in the case of movies: watch), were mingled with their lifetime struggle with vampires; ie. Underworld, Van Helsing, etc.

"A Wolf's Duty" may have me re-thinking that thought process. Instead of your typical werewolf story, Tobias and the other wolves in the story are not a clan of wolves infected by lycanthropy, cursed to live their lives based on the faces of the moon. These wolves are more like shapeshifters, which was an intriguing concept alone. Add into the mix a realistic heirarchy amongst the clans, or packs, my interest was definitely piqued.

I enjoyed Alli's telling of Tobias' journey to find his true mate, which leads him to Alex. What I liked most about Alex, as a character, was that she wasn't too strong, nor was she too focused on what could be perceived as her many shortcomings in comparison to Tobias. There's a good balance between the romance and acceptance of who they are and their relationship to one another. There are not many erotic scenes between them, but those that are there are very hot.

If you are looking for a good paranormal romance, you'll enjoy "A Wolf's Duty" and I recommend it. When I began reading it, I devoured 3/4 of the book in a short period of time. This is only book one in a trilogy and I look forward to moving onto the next story in the series.

Review Love Potions by Michelle McCleod

Title: Love Potions
Author: Michelle McCleod
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: Ebook; Novella
Release date: September 23, 2011



An incompetent witch, a cursed elf, and the wizard who wants to kill them.

Witch-in-training, Marion, is about to flunk her Potions class because of a serious case of 'love block'. If her love potions keep exploding like stink bombs, she won’t graduate to the magical defense classes she really wants to take. A problem because her ex-boyfriend is out of prison and wants to pick up where they left off...with his hands around her throat.

When Marion learns she’ll never make a love potion if she doesn’t fall in love, she takes a risk on Aidan, a handsome, charming elf with a heartbreaking secret.

Review Taste of Love by Mindi Winters

Title: Taste of Love
Author: Mindi Winters
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: Ebook; Novella
Release date: September 18, 2011



With TASTE OF LOVE, author Mindi Winters continues with the suspense and fun of an emotion filled, paranormal romance series about the Stern family. Because when a supernatural hunter in the Stern family falls… They fall hard. Forever

Review Taken by Love by Mindi Winters

Title: Taken by Love
Author: Mindi Winters
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: Ebook; Short Story
Release date: September 14, 2011

With TAKEN BY LOVE, author Mindi Winters introduces you to the suspense and fun of an emotion filled, paranormal romance series about the Stern family. Because when a supernatural hunter in the Stern family falls…They fall hard. Forever.

Strong willed, reckless, and longing for vengeance, Rebecca Carter heads into the fight alone…

Filled with regret at his failure, Austin Stern vows that this time the monster is going to die…

Five years after saying goodbye, Rebecca and Austin reluctantly decide to work together to finish the vampire that broke them apart. But evil has its own plans, and as things fall apart Rebecca and Austin will find their lives in each other's hands, both struggling to survive being taken by the beast.



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My review-

This story held a lot of potential. Unfortunately, the one thing the story is meant to do falls a bit short. This short story, just over 15K words, is meant to whet the appetite of the reader and introduce us to Mindi Winters as a writer. While it does introduce us to her, it also leaves you scratching your head at times because in the same instance both too little information and too much is thrown at us. We do not have time to adjust to the protagonists' personalities before they are thrown together in a rather angry game of sex, then leading us to try and wrap our heads around the fact that they love one another.

I was once told that it is *very* difficult to write a good story when put into the constraints of a certain word count. It's not impossible, but it is difficult. This story is a testament of that statement. While it is not a bad story, necessarily, it would have appealed to me more if it had room to breathe and grow.

Review The Calling by Ashley Lynn Willis

Title: The Calling
Author: Ashley Lynn Willis
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Paranormal erotica romance
Format: ebook; 360 pages
Release Date: October 2011




Mandy Hardy lost more than a breast to cancer; she lost her fiancé when he dumped her a week before her mastectomy. Her ego bruised and her self-esteem battered, Mandy’s sure she’ll never fall in love again.

Justin Seward is a headstrong Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer with a heart of gold and the supernatural ability to command the seas. He had to hide his feelings while Mandy was engaged to his best friend. Now that she’s free, he’s vowed to make her his.

Together, they may hold the key to each other’s salvation. But when Justin’s past catches up with him, and Mandy’s ex-fiancé wants vengeance, they realize they might not live long enough for happily ever after. The Calling is a 360 page paranormal romance to be released October 2011.



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My review:

What woman wouldn't want a hero in their life? What about one who just happens to have supernatural powers? We first meet Justin in this story doing what he does best, being a hero. This very act brings him back into Mandy's life after almost a year; within that year she went through something that every woman fears: being diagnosed with breast cancer and having a mastectomy. Having her heart ripped out just before the surgery happens, Mandy has retreated from just about everything, including Justin.

One of the things I liked about this book was how soft it was. Many paranormal romances hit you fast and hard with some sort of supernatural dilemma that our hero and heroine must face together. It's during that dilemma that we see them fall in love and navigate their romance while solving the supernatural mystery or battle something "evil". With this book, we watch a friendship rekindled and blossom into a romance, with Justin's abilities being the potential obstacle in their lives. Will love conquer?

The only way to find out is to get this book when it is released to find out. You won't be disappointed. I know a story has me engrossed when I feel the pain of the characters during low points, I smile when something wonderful happens or I want to cry when something breaks the characters' hearts. With that being said, this book broke my heart, lifted me up and made me laugh. It's definitely worth the read.

Review Bound to the Prince by Deborah Court

Review: Bound to the Prince (Elven Warrior Book # 1)

Author: Deborah Court

Source: Requested Review

Genre: Fantasy paranormal erotica romance

Format: eBook; 159 pages

Release Date: August 19, 2011

An elven prince without a throne.
A mortal woman without hope, stolen from her own world to fulfill his every desire.
A choice of love and death that could bind them together forever.
Some people believe that beneath our own world, separated only by a thin veil of human disbelief, there is another one – an ancient land of myths and legends, a place where magical creatures dwell. What would happen if one of them walked the streets of London at night?
Once a proud warrior, elven prince Elathan was living in exile, fallen from grace and separated from his own people. He wanted the mortal woman the moment he saw her standing on Blackfriars Bridge, staring down into the darkness with unbearable pain in her eyes. This strangely compelling female also happened to have luscious curves that made his body ache with desire. Naturally, he decided to hunt the woman down, drag her to his lair and command her to become his slave of pleasure. But would her frail human body survive a night of untamed passion in the arms of a Fae?
After a devastating breakup with her fiancé, Igraine Chandler was spending her honeymoon in England all by herself, her life utterly bereft of meaning. For who could ever love a plain, slightly overweight nurse from New Jersey with nothing left but a broken heart and her lost dreams of a home and a family? But she never imagined that she would soon set out into a world beyond her wildest dreams, and help a prince reclaim his throne …
Set in a medieval fantasy world of noble knights, monsters and magicians, honor, betrayal and revenge, “Bound to the Prince” is a romance influenced by Celtic mythology and Arthurian legends. But in its heart, it’s a story of a woman’s inner development to a new, strong, self; uninhibited desire, boundless love, loss and sacrifice.
Warning: This novel does contain erotica and therefore has quite a few graphic sex scenes between the two main characters.

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My Review:
Elves, trolls & gargoyles- OH MY!
Elathan isn't just a sexy Elven prince, he is a SMEXY Elven prince, who also happens to be living in exile. Despite an obvious hatred for humans, he finds himself drawn to Igraine Chandler, a simple Jersey girl who has had her heart broken. Claiming her as his slave, we are led on a journey so sensual and mesmerizing that it will leave you squirming in your seat from the intensity of the love scenes while leaving you yearning to know more about this fantasy world we've been pulled into with Igraine.
I have always been fascinated with author's depictions of fantasy worlds of any kind and I was left mesmerized with much of this world that Court has created, even relishing in an unusual approach to a time honored creature. Since I don't want to give it a way, I would just say pick up this book and see for yourself. You won't be disappointed.
My only quibbles about the book is more of a personal preference than anything "bad" about it. I felt the prologue was unnecessary. As the reader, I would have preferred to find out what happened in the prologue through Igraine's "eyes" as she learned of Elathan's history and his reason for hating humans. I also would have loved to have read more about the events that lead up to the climax of the book throughout instead of beginning so far in. While it seemed to work despite where it started, it could very well be conceived as feeling rushed to quickly include a larger plot to go with the erotica.
I will say that Deborah Court's premier book certainly leaves its mark! "Bound to the Prince" is the first of her planned Elven Warrior Trilogy and if the other stories are as engaging and hot as this one, you better believe I will be gobbling them up!

Review The Demon of Anwwn by Ruty Aisling

Title: The Demon of Anwwn

Author: Ruty Aisling

Source: Requested Review

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Format: eBook; 270 pages

Release Date: August 2, 2011

When an immortal evil is evoked in a small New England town to destroy an ancient bloodline Arianrhod Danann and her lover risk more than their lives as they draw on the secret rites of two legendary cultures, those of the ancient Egyptians and those of the Celtic Druids, to defeat it.

After the brutal murder of her Grandmother, Arianrhod returns home only to be thrust into a world of witchcraft and black magic. There she must choose between her life in cosmopolitan Boston, or assume her birthright as the head of a clan of sorcerers whose ancestors escaped the Salem Witch Trails.

Descended from the mythic Celtic race of the Tuatha de Danann, Arianrhod is plagued by erotic memories from a former life in ancient Egypt. Through the combined magical systems of these two vastly different cultures the evil may be confronted. To do this she must decide whether to follow her heart and the man she loves or perform the ancient sexual rite of the 'Dream' with the man she recognized from her life in ancient Egypt. Only this ritual can bring together the forces needed to defeat the shape-shifting demon who stalks her and threatens all of Whitewood.

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My Review:

Arianrhod, known as Arian to many, comes from a rich history that extends over two very distinct cultures. Visions of a past life plague her just as she receives devastating news that brings her back to her hometown. Thus begins her journey into a world she knew she would eventually embrace, just never expecting to do so as soon as she has.

Overall, I liked this book. The idea of the story is enriched by the amount of history and mythology that was obviously researched to bring it to life. There are times when parts of the story goes into unnecessary details, especially during the first few chapters. This tends to bog the book down at first because a lot of information is being thrown at you; it also seems that a couple chapters seem to jump from one time to another without an easy transition.

Also, If you are looking for a book brimming with romance with the paranormal intertwined, this is not the book for you. The book reads more as an ensemble piece rather than a romance.

Arian is very much the heroine, but there is never a clear hero. There are three men in Arian's life as the story progresses, eventually going down to two, but it's hard to root for one or the other as her true love or even truly see the connections between them. We get snatches here and there, but no real romance involved. The steamy rating stems from two scenes of graphic sex: one scene between Arian and one of the men and another between two other characters.

Right off the bat, I will say this is book one of a series, which is obvious with how abruptly it ends. The story is interesting enough to me that I would like to read the next book to see how it unfolds. There is a lot of promise. If you are looking for a good paranormal story with some romance thrown in, you'll enjoy this book.