One of our reviewers interview Jasmyn

We have just a few interviews left. This one is from Jasmyn. She has been with us for a few months and is new to romance. *sonrt* She might be new to romance but she's been really going at reading them since she came on board the pack. LOL.

Now.... Let me see I believe Emi is up next... Yes, she will be on the next few days. Then we have Artemis. Oh where, oh where art thou Artemis? I hear crickets.... Don't you hear crickets? Oh yeah, those are definitely crickets I hear. I might have to bring out the whip before we see her interview. LOL.

Anyhow, everyone please welcome Jasmyn!

First off please tell the readers a bit about yourself.

I am a 33 year old mother of 2 (9yr old daughter and 1 yr old son).  My 9yr old daughter is big into ballet and we participate in a fairly large production of the NutCracker every year.  We are currently eagerly anticipating the announcement of who got what parts.  I work full time in accounting at a community college so reading is my creative escape from life.  I am a lover of cats – or anything else that purrs and snuggles on a cold night. 

Besides reading what do you like to do in your spare time?

When not working, hanging out with the family, or reading you can find me in front of a computer playing MMORPGs (massively multi-player online roleplaying games for the non-nerds among us) or trying my hand at a new cross stitch pattern.  I probably have dozens that I’m within a few days of finishing and never quite do those last little bits.

Book Review: Demon of Synar by Donna McDonald

Title : Demon of Synar

Author : Donna McDonald
Punblished: February 27, 2012
Source: Kindle free ebook
Length : Novel
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Reviewer : Jasmyn

Book One of the FORCED TO SERVE Series

Being captain of his own rescue ship is the kind of life Captain Liam Synar always dreamed of living. Being a master of his family’s hereditary demon was never in his plans because his brother had been trained for the purpose. Yet what choice did his father have when Conor's evil came to light? None. So reluctant or not, Liam is the only Synar left to rule Malachi. Now his exiled brother hunts him to capture the demon while Liam stays on the run and saves Peace Alliance ambassadors in his spare time--except for one. Ambassador Ania Looren unknowingly hosts his family’s demon inside her body. He sent Malachi into her to save her life after Conor’s men almost killed her. And though Liam hadn't wanted to, there had been no choice but to abandon her two years ago. His plan of keeping both her and the demon safe from Conor has mostly worked, but his ability to hide the truth has finally reached an end. His next rescue has to be his estranged mate before Conor finally figures it out.

After accepting only one mate in her extremely long life, Ambassador Ania Looren is now wishing the number had remained at zero forever. Mating Captain Liam Synar is turning out to be the worst mistake she has made in nine hundred years. Something happened after Liam abandoned her, something more than just the pain of losing her chosen male from her life. Something about his absence has stripped away the peaceful enlightenment she struggled years to achieve. Now Ania can’t meditate or pray, and her compassion for other creatures seems to be lessening. She is becoming again the kind of person she’s spent her most of her existence trying not to be. On top of that, she’s been accused of murdering three males who attacked her and her family. She doesn’t even remember what happened that day. Now Liam is back and demanding she go with him to his ship. What choice does she have? It's a better fate than being arrested and put through social reconditioning on her planet. The half life she’s been living for two years is no more worth keeping than her mating commitment to a male who obviously hadn’t wanted her after all.

Interview with author Felicity Heaton + Giveaway

Please welcome paranormal romance author Felicity Heaton! 

Ollie:How long have you wanted to write professionally?

Felicity: I don’t think I ever wanted to write professionally before I began writing for fun. I developed a real passion for writing then and once I began writing original fiction with my own characters, it became even more of an obsession of mine. I throw myself one hundred and ten percent into things I’m passionate about, and writing is up near the top of that list. I was writing ebooks back in the days when we were constantly told that ebooks were going to make it big, but they never did. I really loved writing and I stuck with it even though chances of making a living from being an indie author were non-existent. I persevered because I had come to love writing so much and sharing my stories that I wanted to do it as my career. I never thought it was possible, but it was a nice dream to have.

Review of Her Demonic Angel (Her Angel #5) by Felicity E. Heaton

Title: Her Demonic Angel (Her Angel #5)
Author: Felicity E. Heaton
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Paranormal Romance - Demonic Angels, Angels Demons
Format: ebook - 395 pages
Release Date: September 12th 2012
Author's Website and Buy Link

Review of Supernova by C.L. Parker

Title: Supernova
Author: C.L. Parker
Publisher: The Writer's Coffee Shop
Reviewer: Twigs


Somewhere between the first twinkling of stars in the night sky and the break of dawn, two souls from two unique worlds collide, creating an everlasting supernova.

Kerrigan Cruz and Dominic Grayson are among the chosen few who have the gift, or the curse, of being able to walk between two worlds. It is on the cusp of where these beings meet that everything changes, and life as they know it is turned upside down. Fantasy becomes reality and what shouldn’t be, is.

Forced by destiny, their chance encounter is breathed to life by the one thing that can make even the most impossible of impossibilities a reality. Something so complex in nature, yet as simple as a flicker of thought to exercise. Most normal people go about their everyday lives never even suspecting its existence. But it is out there…it is the Light.

The universe has granted the power of the Light to a chosen bloodline charged with the responsibility of protecting our right to choose our destiny. But in the shadows, darkness wreaks havoc in the lives of the unsuspecting. Yes, another world does exist, and it holds secrets beyond what the most vivid imagination can comprehend.

Supernova: His curse. Her gift. Their destiny.

Review; The Charmed by Christine Wenrick

Title: The Charmed
Author: Christine Wenrick
Source: Review Request
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: 276 pages
Reviewed by: Emi

In The Charmed—Book One of The Charmed Trilogy—Olivia Ann Greyson sees only one future for herself—to compose and perform the music she has loved since she was a child. But that future changes in an instant when a commuter train taking her to the city crashes and is attacked by, unbelievably, a coven of vampires! As the rabid creatures feed their thirst on the surviving passengers, Olivia is spared from an unthinkable fate because of the intervention of another vampire—Caleb Wolfe, a figure from her past who, for reasons he doesn’t understand himself, would do anything to protect her.
After one familiar touch, Olivia recognizes the man behind the vampire. Soon love, and a powerful supernatural connection, begins to grow between them. But with that connection Olivia starts to notice starling changes happening within herself, and violent events make it clear that the vampire coven which wanted her the night of the train crash won’t stop until they have her.
Time is running out for Olivia and Caleb to discover why all this is happening. And the answers they find may painfully tear their new love apart.

Bitten’s She-Wolf Pack Thursday Review + Giveaway for September – The Collector by Elizabeth Morgan

Title: The Collector (The Overseers,#1)
Author: Elizabeth Morgan
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella (111 pgs)

Fate is a delicate thing;

so what happens when a hole is ripped through the fabric of existence by one who isn't a part of fates plan?

After watching millions die, those human emotions are starting to take effect. Instead of collecting his next spirit from the car accident that is about to kill her, Kale saves her life. His punishment for ruining fate... is mortality.

Samantha hasn't been able to stop thinking about her beautiful hero. So when she stumbles across him, lying in a hospital bed with a small case of amnesia, she is more than happy to offer him her help. It's the least she can do to re-pay the man who saved her life.

Though Samantha soon learns that Kale isn't the guardian angel she thought he was, not to mention how far he has fallen to earn a place in her heart.

Review: Dominion by S.E. Lund

Title : Dominion
Author : S.E. Lund
Punblished: June 1, 2012
Length : Kindle edition 250 pages
Genre: Paranormal /Erotic Romance
Reviewer : Cerridwen
                 http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/11035793-cerridwen

A paranormally-gifted female vampire hunter is seduced by beautiful eight-hundred year old identical twin vampire brothers.

When pre-med student Eve Hayden searches for a translator for an ancient French illuminated manuscript she found in her dead mother’s research files, she gets more than she bargained for: Michel de Cernay, an eight hundred year old vampire and his identical twin brother Julien. The manuscript details their death and rebirth as vampires in 1224 during the Cathar Crusade at the hands of an ancient vampire.

Michel wants to prevent Eve from reading the manuscript or becoming a vampire hunter like her dead mother before her. He hopes Eve will instead pursue her studies in music. Unable to compel her to forget him and all about vampires, Michel asks Eve to become his Adept, working cases with him protecting the Treaty of Clairveaux that keeps vampires in the closet and peace between the two species. He also wants her to become his sexual submissive and despite her initial reluctance, Eve is drawn to the idea of submitting to this beautiful vampire.

She also meets his brother Julien, a brash and mercurial opposite to Michel's calm determination. The temperamental opposite of Michel, Julien tries to complicate the budding romance between Eve and Michel in the hopes of winning Eve for himself.

Gifted with paranormal skills, planning to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a vampire hunter, Eve is torn between loyalty to her mother’s cause and her desire for these twins.

Erotic, suspenseful and fast-paced, Dominion will keep you turning pages as Eve searches for the truth about her mother’s death, her birth and her desires.

Bound By Lust, Romantic Stories of Submission and Sensuality, Edited by Shanna Germain

Title: Bound By Lust
Author: Compilation of Stories, Edited by Shanna Germain 
Source: Review Request 
Genre: Erotica, Light BDSM
Length: 207 pages
Reviewed by: Emi

Imagine finding a partner who is just as naughty, kinky and dark as you are, a lover who wanders the hardware store with you in search of new �toys,’ a man who can wrangle both you and the dishes into submission, a woman who accompanies you to office parties and play parties. Think that heady combination of: sweet and sexy, dirty and romantic, love and leather. Bound By Lust is a romantic, couples-focused erotica with a BDSM slant. The couples range from newly blossoming relationships, lont-time loves and reunited flames. BDSM aspect of this is both naughty and nice — bondage, spanking, domination, submission, power-play, pain and pleasure, or whatever your dirty mind can think of. Bring on the rope and rough stuff, the dens and dungeons, the corsets and clamps and cuffs. Romance can be a little rough and still have VERY happy endings!

ARC Review Lord of Temptation by Lorraine Heath

Title: Lord of Temptation (The Lost Lords of Pembrook, #2)
Author: Lorraine Heath
Source: Edelweiss
Genre: Historical Romance
Length: Novel (approx 384 pgs)
Published by Avon Romance on Sept 25, 2012

Three young heirs, imprisoned by an unscrupulous uncle, escaped—to the sea, to the streets, to faraway battle— 

awaiting the day when they would return to reclaim their birthright.

Once upon a time, he was Lord Tristan Easton—now he is Crimson Jack, a notorious privateer beholden to none, whose only mistress is the sea. But all that will change when exquisite Lady Anne Hayworth hires his protection on a trip into danger and seduction. ..

Desperation brought Anne to the bronzed, blue-eyed buccaneer. But after the Captain demands a kiss as his payment, desire will keep her at his side. She has never known temptation like this—but to protect her heart, she knows she must leave him behind. Yet Tristan cannot easily forget the beauty—and when they meet again in a London ballroom, he vows he won't lose her a second time, as fiery passion reignited takes them into uncharted waters that could lead the second lost lord home. . .

Master of Crows - Grace Draven - Best PNR Standalone Novel I Ever Read

Master of Crows Grace Draven
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

18 and Over giveaway hop winner and next years hop dates

Congrats to Charli  D, your the winner of my 18 and Over giveaway hop! 

I want to say thank you to everyone that entered and I hope you stick around to find some great reads. Some days we can post up to 3 or more reviews along with guest post and giveaways. I offer several events during the years, so there is always something happening here to bring your reading to life. 

I do believe this is been the best 18 and over hop since I started this a couple of years back. I heard from several authors over the last few months that readers don't come to blog anymore, well my stats says different. I hope all of you bloggers enjoys the abundance of new followers and please take care of them by providing them with some great reads. 

I was going to hand over the hop to Crystal at Reading between the Wines because of time I am adding into the Indie Romance Convention but I think I will try it again next year, I just hope I can handle it all. If not Crystal will be the one to take this over. 

Next springs hop will be March 21-24 2013.As for a co-host I don't have one yet but I will soon. So mark you calendar and get saving for you prizes. 

Laurie

Review Creed by Kristen Ashley

Title: Creed (Unfinished Heroes, #2)
Author: Kristen Ashley
Source: Self Purchase
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Length: Novel (approx 426 pgs)
Release Date September 16, 2012

Young, way too young, the eleven year old Tucker Creed and his six year old neighbor find they have something awful in common. And Creed decides, even at a young age, he's going to do everything in his limited power to shield his Sylvie from her nightmare.

So he does.

Time goes on and Creed and Sylvie form a bond that grows and blossoms with their ages.

And they fall in love.

They also plot to leave their nightmares behind, the town they live in that will hold them down, the histories they share that, unless they break free, will bury them.

So on Sylvie's eighteenth birthday, they've decided to meet at their special place and disappear.

But Sylvie goes to their special place, Creed never shows and she doesn't see him again until it's too late.

Way too late.

ARC Review Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed by Anna Campbell

Title: Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed (Sons of Sin, #1)
Author: Anna Campbell
Source: Netgalley
Genre: Historical Romance
Length: Novel (approx 384)
Published by Grand Central Release Date September 25, 2012

  

Will a week of seduction...

spark a lifetime of passionate surrender?

Desperate to save her sister's life, Sidonie Forsythe has agreed to submit herself to a terrible fate: Beyond the foreboding walls of Castle Craven, a notorious, hideously scarred scoundrel will take her virtue over the course of seven sinful nights. Yet instead of a monster, she encounters a man like no other. And during this week, she comes to care for Jonas Merrick in ways that defy all logic—even as a dark secret she carries threatens them both.

Ruthless loner Jonas knows exactly who he is. Should he forget, even for a moment, the curse he bears, a mere glance in the mirror serves as an agonizing reminder. So when the lovely Sidonie turns up on his doorstep, her seduction is an even more delicious prospect than he originally planned. But the hardened outcast is soon moved by her innocent beauty, sharp wit, and surprising courage. Now as dangerous enemies gather at the gate to destroy them, can their new, fragile love survive?

Review of The Soldier's Lotus by Adonis Devereux

Title: The Soldier's Lotus
Author: Adonis Devereux
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Format: ebook - 219 pages
Release Date: July 3rd 2012
Author's Website

Interview with one of our reviewers Twigs

We continue on with our reviewer Twigs. I have been goodreads friends with Twigs for a while now and really happy to have her here reviewing. 

First off please tell the readers a bit about yourself, please.

I am a 27 year old single mother of 2 wonderful children. I also work full time for a mortgage company.  Reading is my break from reality, and my vacation from everyday life.

Besides reading what do you like to do in your spare time?

I don’t have much free time left in a day, so when not reading I am spending time with my kids.

What the hardest thing to do when it comes to reviewing a book?

Making sense of the jumbled thoughts in my head.  I try to keep it short and without giving too much away.

What is the biggest thing you look for when you review a book?

Is it a page turner or is it easy for me to put down. Did I feel like I was there? Do I feel like I knew the characters personally? Did the book make me feel?

What are some of your favorite authors?

I started my first adult chapter book when I was 10 years old. It was John Grisham’s The Client. He has always been my most favorite author. I also love Jeaniene Frost, J.R. Ward, Gena Showalter, Christina Dodd, Larissa Ione, and Eve Langlais.  In no certain order.

Questions from Bitten’s Facebook users

Venus Batista- I would ask with so many titles available to them, what is the determining factor in choosing which to read next? :) Always my problem

Oh boy, mine too. I’m not really sure I have a method of choosing each time I pick up a new book. Sometimes I just grab one and start reading. But when I am truly stuck I look at a few things first. Should I read a new author or a familiar one?  Continue a series or start a new one? Also I must look at reviews. Must.

Debra Smith- What things separate your favorite authors from the ones that are just "okay"?

My biggest determining factor is if the author made me feel like a part of the world they had built. Did I feel for the characters? Did he/she make me emotional over what happens?

Dominique Eastwick -When you review what constituted a 5, 4, 3, etc. in your eyes.

 A 5 star rating for me would be a book that has completely captured me. I would read again and count down the days until the next book came out. A 4 star would be something that I would read again but it just didn’t leave me feeling like I was in the world as much. 3 stars is my iffy factor. I might read it again but most likely not. I just didn’t feel the characters as much as I was hoping to. 2 and a 1 star rating are the ones that I would definitely not read again.

J.v. Altharas- What's your length preference? (giggity) How short is too short, how long is too long?

I usually don’t just a book by its length. There are times when I enjoy the shorts. Most are fast paced and don’t waste time on the denials most of the longer books do. As long as a book can keep my attention and keep me turning the pages I don’t think there is a too long. 

Indie Romance Convention is now open

I have opened the registration for the Indie Romance Convention. I have also posted a contest that will end soon so please check it out if you planning on attending. 

Interview with one of our reviewers Douglas Meeks

Our next reviewer interview Douglas Meeks has been with us a  couple of months, so I am sure you have noticed a review here and there by him. He's our only male reviewer so you have to know he is very brave to be in a huge pack of crazy women. LOL.  He likes reading PNR and UF so those of you who likes urban fantasy you'll get to see more featured here by Douglas. 

First off please tell the readers a bit about yourself, please.

Well after spending a lifetime working in or with the military I finally had made enough to sit back and do as much (or as little) as I wanted to and since I had always been an avid reader the jump to making it one of my major pastimes was easy.  I have traveled all over the world, been to the top of the Eiffel Tower and to the Devil’s Anvil in Saudi Arabia, been on top of the highest mountain in the Middle East and the lowest in the USA.  No complaints here, I have read many different genres over the years but stumbled into Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy after many years of reading mostly books in the Fantasy genre.  Found out I liked books that did not spend pages and chapters telling the color of grass and the feel of a rock, I wanted a good story about people of action and feeling that did not always end up in some tragedy.  I have been married (somehow) for 30+ years and have 3 daughters and one son (who is presently in the Mideast working for the military, runs in the family).

Besides reading what do you like to do in your spare time?

To be honest other than reading and doing those myriad tasks that come with living in a home I spend a bit of time honing my weapon skills.  I always felt that people should be able to defend themselves but people that did not take the time to get skilled in weapons were a danger to people around them.  I go to the range and take my daughters most of the time (and my son if he is in country) so they do not fall into that category of victims who did not know how to defend themselves with a weapon.

What the hardest thing to do when it comes to reviewing a book?

It is hard to write an average review, you know what you really like and you know what you really hate, but trying to write a 3 star review is harder for me.  The other side is also when you become enthralled with a series that is SO good you have a hard time being unbiased and trying to figure out if that last book in the series you just gave a 5 star rating was really much less because many times you are so in love with your mental image of series itself.  (Dark-Hunters anyone?)

Review Blood Spirit by Gabrielle Bisset

Title: Blood Spirit (Sons of Navarus, #3)
Author: Gabrielle Bisset
Source: Author
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novel
Release Date: Sept 12 2012

 

I am everything you seek. 

I am vampire.

Blessed with the gift of telepathy, Terek always knows what a woman wants. His gift has afforded him nightly sensual pleasures and exotic treats for centuries, but beneath the surface he yearns for much more.

Ilona can give him what his soul craves, but only if he trusts his heart. One fateful choice made out of desire puts all he cares for in danger. With a civil war and the threat of Archon hunters at every turn, this Son may lose everything if he can't find the balance between heart and mind. 

Review : Blind Lust by Annie Seaton

Title: Blind Lust
Author: Annie Seaton
Source: Author request
Genre: paranormal romance
Length: novella ( ebook 60 pages)
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Review By: Cerridwen
             

A wager between the gods can change your life. Even if you are a witch…

When Venus has a wager with Cupid, that prudish librarian, Lizzy Sweet cannot be enticed to love, she neglects to tell her son that Lizzy is a three hundred year old witch. The first man Lizzy sees after Cupid shoots his arrow is Josh Deegan, a famous country and western singer who has come to town to rediscover his muse, in an old farmhouse haunted by a culinary ghost. Local warlock, Wesley Gordon, who has been hitting on Lizzy to no avail for over one hundred years, is not impressed. The quirky old folk of Silver Valley watch fondly as the battle between love and lust plays out. Leaden and golden arrows zing around, spells are magicked, potions stirred, and ghosts hunted. Who will fall in love and who will let the other go forever?

18 and over book blogger giveaway hop Sept 13-16 US only

I want to think Autum at Always Purrty Design for the great hop button. 

I want to state a few blogs didn't add their emails, so there was no way I could contact them to make sure they have their post ready. I am sorry if some of the blogs listed below doesn't have their post up. Also make sure you look on their post because most of them didn't add shipping on their linky. 

Sexexcerpt below is hot so be warned this is for 18 and over. 

Title: Blood Spirit 

Author: Gabrielle Bisset

Reading series in order: Yes

This book is to be released Sept. 17, 2012.

Guest author Ivy Beteman

Please welcome author Ivy Bateman!! 

 Things that I find scary by Ivy Bateman

Hello everyone!

Thank you very much to Laurie for having me on today. I am here to promote my latest e-book from Breathless Press called The Fifth Story. It is a paranormal erotica/cyber adventure that takes the reader through many different places in time and space. My lead character, Bryn, has to face many scary foes throughout the novel and although these beings are characters she created many of them are ones that she never hoped to meet. If someone had warned her that one day she may come face to face with the sexy and powerful sea witch Melusine or that she may have to...ahem...perform a few acts with the dangerous, but lust inducing vampire Darius, she may have written them to be a little nicer.

Now everyone has fears. I have many things in my life that scare me including spiders, heights and the creepy bug face my husband is so fond of doing. However, these other things that scare me are not fears per se, but are everyday things that sometimes gives me pause. Instead of trying to think of a proper way to describe them, I'll just get on with it.

Things in my life that scare me!                                                            

1.) How much I swear.

When I was younger I was the type of kid who didn't even like to say "damn". Kids in my class thought it was hilarious that I never swore and lunchtime fun often involved getting me to swear. Now however, as an adult, I find that my potty mouth often gets the better of me. When I'm really angry and venting to a friend or with my darling husband, I almost have to shout out a warning to those who may be listening that what comes out of my mouth when I am expressing my views about the man who honked at me while I dared stay at a stop sign until the road was clear, may include a parade of colorful words that could each easily turn a PG moment into R. As a side note, I don't even have to be angry to swear. I just have to be awake.

2.) How much I love the TV show Corner Gas.

I'm a Canadian girl and this Canadian gem became a favorite with me as soon as it came on the air back in 2004. If you have never heard of the show, but you enjoy a character driven comedy without a laugh track, than this show may be up your alley. I have the series on DVD and have watched every season at least 10 times. I never tire of it and almost everything that happens in my life can be enhanced with a quote from the show. Another scary part of this is that my daughter has recently become hooked and is now as obsessed with the show as I am. She happily has found that many of the moments in her life can be related to an episode of Corner Gas.

Septembers BTS magazine

Here's Septembers BTS Magazine. I am so excited about this one because Christy, created an ad for the Indie Romance Convention and it looks great.

This is a new magazine that you can view online. You'll find this on my right sidebar and I will keep changing it as each issue comes out. The owner Mayra keeps things up to date, so you can find some great author interviews etc.. in the magazine. If I am not mistaken this is only the 3 issue and this is how much it's already spreading, in July there was over 60,000 hits. So remember each month you can find it here or you can go to the BTS website.

Open publication - Free publishing - More books

Blog tours

Blog tours

I wanted address the tons of tour groups that sends me emails daily and my followers, as to why I don’t participate in blog tours anymore. The first of last year a few fellow bloggers started blog tours, I joined and quickly found out they are not worth the bother. I would get guest post either the day of or the day before, that's if I even got it at all. If I asked for a review I would either get the book a couple of days before the post, or not at all. If there was a giveaway well, I’d felt lucky if my winner got their giveaway and don’t get me started on the emails of all kinds of books that didn’t even fit my blog that I would get daily. ARGH! 

Blog tours use to have bloggers sign up before they would send them anything, but not anymore. This last month a few hit be and I joined before I knew it. I haven’t signed up for any blog tour promotional, so I just didn’t think about it when I took a few emails for authors guest authors post, until I received the email with blog tour buttons. One went great but the other one well… I just hope my winner gets her book. Yes, it’s been several days and no response. The thing is, it makes me and my blog look bad, so after yet another great taste, I will consider throwing a fit if one more blog tour emails me.

The fact is if a blog tour is run right then this is a good promotional service for authors, but until the majority of them learns how to run their blog tours, I’m staying out unless one of my returning authors contacts me.

 Believe me I’m not the only blogger getting pissy how these tours are run.

REVIEW OF THE VESSEL (THE KINGDOM SERIES -1 ) BY AMANDA ROSE

Title: The Vessel (The Kingdom Series -1)
Author: Amanda Rose
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: ebook - 53,000 Words
Release Date: 10/2010
Author's Website



Tortured and ruined for all women who cross his path, he still remains the most infamous seducer in a world filled with magic and creatures of myth. His one dream? To destroy the kingdom that took everything he ever cared for.

Abigail is everything a man could ask for. She’s sweet and charming, with a little bit of New York flair. She soon realizes her love for a gorgeous prince is the worst decision of her life, and she spirals to new levels of depression. After her kidnapping, it seems her fate is doomed, but she cannot fight the feelings that lurk beneath her conscience. This tortured man who stands before her, offers freedom like she has never felt with another. But will it be enough to erase her past?

Trauco’s love goes no further than the women from which he steals. That is, until he sets his heart on the wrong kind of target. Will he finally fall like the others and take on a vessel, or will his battle for vengeance continue?

Rating

Sexual

My Review

I think the author came up with a very creative storyline that I hadn’t seen before which I think is very challenging to do. There was also a lot going on in this story even though it was short. It was a little confusing at first because it was told in flashbacks for a little bit. After that, the story flowed a little smoother. I had a hard time liking the heroine, Abby. I didn’t understand how she could just leave her family to be with Derek. I also didn’t really feel like I got to know her very well. I would like to see more extended dialogue since that’s always my favorite part of a story. I did like Trauco and enjoyed watching him fall in love.

Guest author Debra Webb US only giveaway

Please welcome mystery, thriller and romance author Debra Webb 

I've written several stand-alone stories. I love stand-alone stories, but series are my heart. The characters become like family. In fact, a certain character had been lounging around in my head for a long while, just biding her time and waiting for her turn. Her name is Jessie Lee Harris and she has spent seventeen years working with the FBI. Her parents passed away when she was very young and she and her sister spent their formative years in foster homes. Upon graduating high school, Jess couldn’t wait to put her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, in her rearview mirror. She and her high school sweetheart, Dan Burnett, left for college full of passion and with big dreams. But sometimes passion fizzles and dreams don’t always come true. Four years later Dan returned to Birmingham and Jess went on to become a celebrated profiler for the Bureau.

Fast-forward twenty years and things have changed again. Jess’s personal and professional life are crashing down around her. On administrative leave after a bumbled investigation that resulted in a suspected serial killer going free, Jess welcomes an unexpected invitation to escape from her current reality. Her expertise is needed on a case involving four missing young women. The problem is, the case is in Birmingham and the top cop is Chief of Police Dan Burnett.

Jess finds herself spiraling into the past that she’d thought she left behind. And if having sparks fly between her and Dan isn’t frustrating and distracting enough, the serial killer who got away has followed her to Birmingham!

As I brainstormed the series, I revisited a concept I had developed a few years ago called the Scales of Justice. The idea was to have a series where each book focused on a different level of that scale, beginning with the least heinous of intents. The Scales of Justice seemed to scream courtroom and that side of justice and that wasn’t where I wanted to go. After much consideration, I came up with the Faces of Evil. The stories are more about the motive for the crime than the crime itself. Of course, the goal is to solve the mystery and the case but in Jess’s opinion the crime is all about motive. The motive, she swears, will reveal the identity of the one committing the crime. This is Jess’s summation of evil:

Review and Giveaway: Betrayed: A Cyn & Raphael Novella (Vampires in America #5.5)

Betrayed: A Cyn & Raphael Novella (Vampires in America #5.5)

Author:  D.B. Reynolds

Publisher:  ImaJinnBooks       

Date:  August 15, 2012

Source:  ARC provided by author for an honest review

Genre:  Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

Length:  E-Novella

Reviewed by:  Artemis

Love, the ache in your heart when you meet the one. It can take you to soaring heights; and it can leave you bleeding in the wreckage. Loyalty, the thing which binds a Vampire Lord to his children for eternity ... unless it rots from within, birthing hatred. Betrayal, it comes in many forms and from many sources ... love ... loyalty ... betrayal. War has come to the North American vampires, and Vampire Lords are reaching across territorial lines to strengthen allies and weaken enemies. The most powerful Lord of them all, Raphael, could change the course of the war and determine who raises the final banner of victory. But at what price? And will his mate, Cyn, be the one to pay it?

REVIEW - Dust of My Wings (Dante's Circle #1) - by Carrie Ann Ryan

Title:  Dust of My Wings (Dante's Circle #1)
Author:  Carrie Ann Ryan
Source:  Author Request
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella
Reviewed by: MsPink

Humans aren’t as alone as they choose to believe. Every human possesses a trait of supernatural that lays dormant within their genetic make-up. Centuries of diluting and breeding have allowed humans to think they are alone and untouched by magic. But what happens when something changes?

Neat freak lab tech, Lily Banner lives her life as any ordinary human. She’s dedicated to her work and loves to hang out with her friends at Dante’s Circle, their local bar. When she discovers a strange blue dust at work she meets a handsome stranger holding secrets – and maybe her heart. But after a close call with a thunderstorm, she may not be as ordinary as she thinks.

Shade Griffin is a warrior angel sent to Earth to protect the supernaturals’ secrets. One problem, he can’t stop leaving dust in odd places around town. Now he has to find every ounce of his dust and keep the presence of the supernatural a secret. But after a close encounter with a sexy lab tech and a lightning quick connection, his millennia old loyalties may shift and he could lose more than just his wings in the chaos.

Warning: Contains a sexy angel with a choice to make and a green-eyed lab tech who dreams of a dark-winged stranger. Oh yeah, and a shocking spark that’s sure to leave them begging for more.

Review for Archangel's Storm (Guild Hunter, #5) by Nalini Singh

Archangel's Storm by Nalini Singh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When you read as many books as I do sometimes you forget that there are writers out there that are talented beyond words. Nalani Singh seems to be one of those and this book Archangel's Storm (Guild Hunter) is no exception. In a sea of novels that are entertaining and enjoyable (and a few that should not have not ever been published) you stumble into those few that go one step past excellence and actually draw you into the story in a more intimate manner, I can't exactly describe this but when you finish you are past the "That was great/excellent/etc" and are left with a feeling that is more akin to just "Wow".

This was a book of intrigue cloaked around a romance as all the Guild Hunter books have been but this one seems to actually come closer to one of what I consider one of the ultimate epic romance books I ever read which was Angels' Blood (Guild Hunter, Book 1) (him crashing with her is pretty much ultimate) even though it was done in a much more subdued manner. The basic plot was a murder mystery laid over a slow burn romance between Jason (Spymaster extraordinaire) and Mahiya a Princess in name only and Ms Singh weaves a story of violence, passion and romance in a manner that was exceptional.

It is the little things that separate great stories from exceptional stories. The best example of this I can remember would be a few paragraphs that could have been left out of the book with little impact but added to the readers feeling of involvement and had to do with "Mahiya's Hill" (you have to read it to understand) something that did nothing for the plot but added to the readers understanding of the depth of the romance. Rather than get bogged down in an overly lengthy review let me say this was possibly THE best thing I have read since the Elemental Mysteries by Elizabeth Hunter and it took 4 books to elicit the same feeling I got from this one novel (NOTE: probably if you have not read the other books in this series the impact is less).
Bottom Line: 5 Stars because I can't give it 6, it hit all the right spots, action, romance, mystery and memorable characters that will stay with you after the last page.

View all my reviews
Your Reviewer: Douglas C. Meeks

Guest author Poppy Demison

Please welcome author Poppy Demison

Do You Believe In Magic?

By: Poppy Dennison

There are so many types of magic in the entertainment industry these days—heck, just check the TV Guide for the paranormal show du jour. Have you ever wondered what it is about the witches, demons, and vampires that draw us in, make us beg for more?

I know I have. Other than the oh-so-obvious lust that the Winchester brothers inspire, there’s something else that pulls me into paranormal worlds and keeps me so invested in this genre.

For me, it’s the mystery of the unknown—the what ifs of the universe that make me wonder: is it real? Are there really vampires with souls a la Angel or bad boy werewolves like the mysterious Derek Hale? (insert Poppy whimpering here…please, please can there be Angels and Dereks in the world? And don’t get me started on the Alcide Herveauxs…Pretty please with sugar on top may I have my own Alcide? I would so do bad things to him.)

There’s something so romantic about these fantastic men (and women) with that little bit extra. When I sat down to write the Triad series, I wanted to capture some of that extra spice and romance in my works.

Enter my very own Alpha werewolf, Gray Townsend. Gray’s not your typical alpha—oh he’s powerful and handsome, but he’s a family man raising his young son and trying to hold his pack together. He meets his mate in Mind Magic, the bumbling apprentice mage Simon Osbourne, and the two have to fight there way through a world in which different types of magic aren’t allowed to mix.

In Body Magic, the second book in the Triad series, Gray’s best friend Cade Montgomery takes center stage. Gray has brought in a security specialist to help protect the pack, and something about Rocky Harris rubs Cade the wrong way.

With three types of conflicting magic in their world, things are going to be rocky for sure. (Pardon the pun.) Maybe if these two werewolves can figure out the secret of body magic, they’ll find a happy ending of their own.

Blurb:

A pack is only as strong as its weakest member. Rocky Harris knows how the system works. He’s been on the bottom rung his whole life. But when his alpha consigns him to the High Moon Pack to help them improve security, he finds his beliefs not just challenged but outright assaulted.

Cade Montgomery’s confidence took a hit when the pack’s cubs were kidnapped on his watch. He’s prepared to do anything to protect his family, even if it means working with Rocky. Maybe Cade doesn’t trust Rocky, but with the turmoil surrounding pack Alpha Gray’s unpopular decision to break tradition and mate with a mage named Simon, Cade knows more threats are coming.

Then someone declares war on shifters and puts the entire pack in danger. Cade and Rocky will need each other’s strengths to survive the impending battle—and the power of their growing attraction.

Now available from Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3219

Bio:
A sassy southern lady, Poppy Dennison developed an obsession with things that go bump in the night in her early years after a barn door flew off its hinges and nearly squashed her. Convinced it was a ghost trying to get her attention, she started looking for other strange and mysterious happenings around her. Not satisfied with what she found, Poppy has traveled to Greece, Malaysia and England to find inspiration for the burly bears and silver foxes that melt her butter. Her love of paranormal continues to flourish nearly thirty years later, and she writes steamy love stories about the very things that used to keep her up all night. If her childhood ghost is lucky, maybe one day she’ll give him his own happily ever after.

Visit her on her web site: http://www.poppydennison.com/,
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/poppydennison,
Twitter: http://twitter.com/PoppyDennison
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5108648.Poppy_Dennison

ARC Review Forever Werewolf\Moon Kissed by Michele Hauf

Title: Forever Werewolf/Moon Kissed

Author: Michele Hauf

Source: Netgalley

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Length: Novel (586 pages)

Release Date: Sept 18 2012 from Harlequin Nocturne

  

Forever Werewolf

Alexis Conner, princess of the Alpine pack and pureblood werewolf, hides a painful secret-she has never shifted. If she can’t shift, she can’t mate, and so Lexi resigned herself to a lifetime of loneliness. But then a stranger arrives, and Lexi senses that her world will never be the same….

A massive avalanche might be to blame for Trystan Hawkes getting stuck at Castle Wulfsiege, but after one look at Lexi, Trystan is not about to leave. Lexi is strong, smart and incredibly sexy. Not that it matters. Tryst is an omega-the fabled lone wolf. Even more damning is his mixed vampire heritage.

Lexi knows that the vampire blood running through Tryst’s veins makes him off-limits, but what if he’s the one man who can rouse her inner wolf?
 

 Moon Kissed

Escaping from bloodthirsty vampires, Belladonna Reynolds ran straight into the arms of a werewolf. As a man Severo drew her in with his dark good looks; as a beast he astounded her with his insatiable sensual appetite. Whether afraid or aroused, Bella fled to his lair when threatened by an evil monster of the night....


Severo tried to keep Bella--his mate--safe from the vampiress who held a malicious desire for revenge against him, but he alone wasn't enough. Now Bella had taken the form of his most cursed enemy. 

How could he desire the very thing he'd spent his life destroying? And even if he did, what would the werewolf do to Bella on the next full moon?

Review : Soul's Shadow By Andrea M. Johnson

Title : Soul's Shadow
Author: Andrea M Johnson
Published Date: July 13, 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: ebook
Publisher :Musa Publishing
Review By: Cerridwen
       

Excerpt from http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=332

The Massachusetts Bay Authority train conductor braced for impact as the train was ripped from its overhead power wires and toppled onto its side, skidding into oncoming traffic. The last thing he saw were the people who had been crossing the track as they left tonight’s concert, for some reason oblivious that the double car train was heading towards them at forty miles an hour. The last thing he heard were the screams of his passengers as they were tossed around the metal cylinder when it left the tracks. The explosions that resulted as it wiped out cars like a bowling ball crashing into the pins lit up the Boston night sky.

Emergency personnel worked diligently to rescue those trapped in their automobiles, or caught underneath and in the train cars. Twisted bodies were scattered everywhere as passer byes tried to flag down EMTs and load the wounded into ambulances. Medical helicopters, unable to land in the congested area, carried injured by stretchers attached to dangling cables. It looked like a war zone. Reporters encircled the area, their fingers to their ear pieces awaiting their cues. “Yes, Bob. I’m here outside the DCU Center where a Brittany Spears concert let out earlier this evening. What investigators have determined at this time was that equipment designed to alert pedestrians of an oncoming train were not functioning at the time of the crash, though there are still many unanswered questions. It is estimated that the train was carrying somewhere around one hundred passengers, mostly seriously injured. Surrounding hospitals have all been placed on alert to the incoming volume.” Sparks flew in the background of the shot as crews sawed through the crushed car. Body after body was being extracted from the mangled wreckage. “Ms. Spears has released a statement. I quote. My heart is breaking for the families of the victims. What happened here tonight is nothing less than tragic.”

Unnoticed, a dark figure listened from the shadows, the only recognition of his presence the smoldering glow of his cigarette as he took a drag. He took a deep breath, taking in all of the subtleties in the air like a chef admiring a well-devised meal. But there was one scent that stood out like spoiled milk. The stranger dropped his cigarette and crushed it out with the toe of his shoe. He smiled. Tonight would turn out more promising than he imagined. He pulled out of his pocket his cell phone and dialed. Once connected, he began, “Fine job tonight my boy, but I have yet another task for you. There are Powers here. See to it they become casualties of this most unfortunate event.” He hung up. “And so act two begins,” he whispered only loud enough for him to hear.

Interview with one of our reviewers: Ollie

We have reviewer Ollie here today! Ollie has been here for quite sometime so I am sure most of you have read quite a few of her reviews. 

First off please tell the readers a bit about yourself, please.

Well lets see where to start. I'm a mom with two kids, one just starting university and the another one is in elementary. I have been married to my husband for 25 years and to tell you the truth it doesn't feel that long. It feels like yesterday that we started dating, so far so good. I have a a B.Sc. (Honours) in Psychology/Sociology and a M.A. in Counselling Psychology where I put it into good use working in the mental health care field for over 16 years in various different positions from administration, research, teaching at various organizations to having my own own private practice as a psychotherapist and being a intake counsellor.

I am also one of the co-founders of TrueBloodNet.com where I was the Editor/Administrator and a regular contributor to the news and editorial pages. I have to say that I had many wonderful experiences in my life. From helping people at times in their lives when they felt lost and giving them hope as a therapist to interviewing the actors from HBO's True Blood who were all so amazingly warm, funny and down-to-earth that it reinforced to me that even when people get up there on the ladder of success that many still remain humble.  I also want to include the many wonderful authors I have become acquainted with who regardless of their hectic schedule still take the time to talk and respond to their readers. Thanks to all of you for enriching my life. Life is full of so many wonderful experiences, ready and waiting for us to grasp and savour.

Interview with one of our reviewers Carridwen

Our next reviewer interview is with Cerridwen. She has been reviewing for about a month now and is really going at it.We meet in person a couple of years back at a local book signing and had became friends on goodreads. Books signings are a wonderful place to make new reading buddies.

 First off please tell the readers a bit about yourself, please.

I am a 33 year mother of 2 teenagers and a preschool teacher with low income children. I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 17 years.

Besides reading what do you like to do in your spare time? 

Hike, gardening, bow hunt, geocaching

What the hardest thing to do when it comes to reviewing a book?

 I don’t like to say when I find a book bad. I know that maybe I just didn’t’ like it and someone where will, but that’s part of it.

What is the biggest thing you look for when you review a book?

 If it can “send me away” If I can fall into the book and not hear what’s going on around me due to the story, it’s a hit with me.

What are some of your favorite authors?

They are not all PNR authors: Sherrilyn Kenyon,  Gillian Flynn, Charlane Harris, George RR Martin, J.T. Ellison,  Anne Rice, Allana Knight, Karen Marie Moning, Deanna Raybourn, Diana Gabaldon